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The New York Yankees announced this morning that they are ending their long-standing ban on facial hair. This decision, which is surprising to many, has made waves in the sports world. The policy has been in place for decades, dating back to at least the 1970s. Team owner Hal Steinbrenner shared this news through a tweet and later confirmed it in a press conference. The unexpected announcement led many to initially doubt its authenticity, with some comparing its importance to significant player trades. This change comes as the Yankees have struggled in recent years; their last World Series win was in 2009. It seems this lack of success has prompted the team to rethink its traditional rules. The old belief in the importance of a clean-shaven look, once tied to the team’s winning legacy, no longer holds the same weight. Wikimedia Commons While the team didn’t provide specific reasons, Steinbrenner indicated that the policy change was partly due to concerns about player morale. The pressure to stay clean-shaven, especially with facial hair growing back quickly during the off-season, might have led to player dissatisfaction. There are even suggestions that this rule could have affected players’ decisions in free agency. Related: Trudeau Trolls Trump After Canada’s Hockey Win Visually, this policy change will likely be significant. The return of beards is expected to change how some key players look. Gerrit Cole’s beard is expected to enhance his overall image, while there’s uncertainty about how a beard might look on Aaron Judge, with an adjustment period expected for both him and the fans. The Yankees’ decision to allow beards is an important change for the team. It is weird that this is news, but it is a move toward the future.

J. Cole released his first single of 2025, titled CLOUDS, on February 21, 2025. The song discusses several important recent events, including an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on the music industry, and Trump’s controversial claim of being “King.” The song references an assassination attempt on Trump that took place on July 13, 2024, during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. A 20-year-old named Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at Trump with an AR-15-style rifle from a nearby building, injuring Trump and killing one person in the crowd while seriously wounding another. Security officials quickly subdued Crooks. In CLOUDS, J. Cole suggests that some kind of divine help prevented a more tragic outcome. Additionally, CLOUDS talks about the growing impact of artificial intelligence. It raises concerns that AI could disrupt creative fields like music, so human artists might become unnecessary. This reflects worries about how AI might affect various artistic professions. J. COLE CLOUDS OUT NOW pic.twitter.com/GIATq7pFfK — NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) February 21, 2025 The song came out just after a notable political event: Trump declared himself “King” after blocking New York’s congestion pricing plan. On February 19, 2025, he announced that the plan was halted, posting on his social media that. The statement led to mixed reactions from political leaders. CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING! — Donald Trump While some supported Trump, others, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, criticized him, pointing out that New York has a history of rejecting monarchies. Reactions from other politicians showed that opinions were divided on Trump’s declaration and his actions. Related: The Notorious B.I.G.’s Mother Passed Away President Donald Trump tweeted, ‘Long live the king.’ I’m here to say New York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years. And we sure as hell are not going to start now. In case you don’t know New Yorkers, we’re going to fight. We do not back down, not now, not ever. — New York Governor Kathy Hochul Though CLOUDS doesn’t directly comment on Trump’s claim of being “King,” its themes related to power, control, and the unexpected effects of technology fit into the political climate following that event. The song connects the assassination attempt incidents and AI’s potential to change the music industry, offering insights into the unstable political landscape and the changes in technology today. It subtly highlights issues like the dangers faced by public figures, the risk of humans being replaced by technology, and the tense political environment. It’s free online, and you can listen to it now.

Mercedes-Benz has updated its electrification plans, reducing its earlier goal of transitioning to all-electric vehicles. While the company still aims to grow its electric vehicle (EV) options, it will continue producing its powerful V8 and V12 gasoline engines. This change reflects a more realistic view of the current market. Mercedes now expects that by 2027, only 30% of its total sales will come from plug-in hybrids and EVs, while 70% will still be from traditional gasoline engines, many of which will include mild-hybrid technology. This is a shift from their earlier goal of mostly electric cars by 2030, which was considered too ambitious given the current demand and infrastructure for EVs. Keeping the V8 and V12 engines is an important part of this new plan. The V12 engine will still be available in certain markets with less strict emissions rules, showing that there’s still strong demand for this engine despite the move towards electrification. Mercedes-AMG, the performance branch of the company, will also continue to use the V8 engine. They are developing a new, advanced V8 that will comply with upcoming Euro 7 emissions standards, aiming to combine both traditional and electric powertrains in future models. Wikimedia Commons The future of the V8 engine in other AMG cars is changing as well. The current four-cylinder engine in the C63 didn’t impress customers, so future versions may go back to using a V8. The new CLE63 is expected to have a mild-hybrid V8, avoiding confusion since the CLE53 uses a six-cylinder engine. Related: Severence Used A Lot of Restored Vintage Cars While plans for the inline-six engine haven’t been revealed, the continued production of the larger V8 and V12 engines suggests they will remain part of the lineup. A new mild-hybrid four-cylinder engine is also set to debut in the upcoming CLA-Class model, which will be made in collaboration with a Chinese manufacturer, showing Mercedes-Benz’s global manufacturing strategy. Mercedes-Benz’s updated strategy recognizes that gasoline engines will still play a key role in the near future while they also focus on electric technology. This balanced approach aims to meet customer needs and comply with stricter emissions regulations, ensuring that both traditional engines and the company’s luxury brand remain strong in a changing automotive industry. Source: paultan

Elon Musk has suggested that the International Space Station (ISS) should be retired earlier than planned, proposing a decommissioning date of 2027 instead of the current 2030 schedule. He believes that the ISS has served its purpose and that resources should be focused on exploring Mars. Musk thinks that continuing to invest in the aging ISS is a waste of money and offers little additional scientific value. This idea goes against NASA’s current plans. NASA wants to keep using the ISS until 2030 because it serves as an important research hub and training ground for upcoming missions to the Moon and Mars. They see the ISS as a crucial step in human space exploration, helping to advance research and giving astronauts valuable experience for future deep space missions. The situation is further complicated by the fact that multiple countries are involved in the ISS program. Most of these international partners agree with the 2030 deorbit date, so any early shutdown would need everyone’s approval. Russia, an important partner, has shown interest in leaving the ISS program sooner than 2030, which aligns with Musk’s proposal. Wikimedia Commons There are also concerns about wasting taxpayer money. Some U.S. lawmakers worry that changing the current deorbit plan could lead to inefficiencies and waste the significant funding already spent. They believe that sticking to the existing plan is essential for making progress towards missions to the Moon and Mars. Related: Skynet May Not Be Science Fiction As China Is Taking AI To Space SpaceX, Musk’s company, is already working with NASA to create the vehicle needed to decommission the ISS. This partnership might help speed up the process, but it’s uncertain if SpaceX can handle the necessary changes in time. As NASA prepares for the ISS’s eventual retirement, they are supporting the development of privately operated space stations. Companies like Sierra Space and Axiom Space are building modular stations to ensure that scientific research and space operations can continue after the ISS is gone. These private stations are expected to be more affordable and sustainable for long-term space exploration. However, it’s still unclear if these new options can completely match what the ISS provides by 2027.

Researchers from Princeton and IIT have made an exciting advancement in creating complex millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) wireless chips by using artificial intelligence. Their study, published in Nature Communications, shows that AI can design these complicated chips in just a few hours, a process that used to take weeks with human effort. This not only speeds up the design but also results in chips that perform better than existing ones. Traditionally, designing mm-Wave chips has relied on human knowledge, old templates, and a lengthy trial-and-error approach. The complexity of these chips, which are commonly used in 5G modems and other high-speed applications, makes it difficult to fully understand how they work, leading to a slow and repetitive design process. In this new study, the Princeton and IIT team used a deep-learning AI model with an inverse design method. This means they set the desired performance goals for the chip, and the AI figured out the best materials and structure to meet those goals. Princeton University Unlike previous methods that treated chips as a collection of separate parts, this AI looks at the chip as a whole system, which allows it to explore design possibilities that human designers might overlook. This often leads to more efficient and effective designs. Related: The Government Can Spy On Your Apple Cloud The point is not to replace human designers with tools; the point is to enhance productivity with new tools… This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the future holds for the field. — Kaushik Sengupta The AI-generated chips ended up having unique and unusual shapes compared to those designed by humans, but surprisingly, they consistently performed better. When built, these chips outperformed existing mm-Wave chips in several ways, showing that AI can optimize designs in ways that might not be intuitive to people. However, the research also points out some challenges. At times, the AI creates designs that don’t work, similar to “hallucinations” seen in other AI systems. This means that human supervision is still necessary to check and improve the AI’s designs, highlighting the ongoing role of human expertise in the process. Overall, the findings of this research are very promising. The ability to quickly create efficient mm-Wave chip designs could greatly impact future electronics, helping to develop advanced wireless communication systems that are more energy-efficient and high-performing. Additionally, the speed and flexibility of this AI-driven design approach allow for quick testing of various design options, targeting specific goals like energy savings, high performance, or a wider frequency range. While the main focus is currently on mm-Wave chips, the researchers believe that this AI-based design method could also be applied more broadly in electronics, potentially transforming how different electronic components and circuits are designed. This research marks an important step toward a future where AI plays a key role in creating the next generation of electronic devices. Source: Live Science

Canada won the first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off championship by defeating the United States 3-2 in overtime. The game was intense, with Connor McDavid scoring the winning goal. This victory was especially significant due to the recent political tensions between the two countries. Nathan MacKinnon started the scoring for Canada, but the USA quickly tied it with a goal from Brady Tkachuk. Jake Sanderson then gave the US the lead, but Canada equalized again with a goal from Sam Bennett before the end of regulation. With the score tied at 2-2, the game went into overtime, where Canada’s goalie Jordan Binnington made several important saves before McDavid scored the decisive goal. MacKinnon was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. This championship match was a rematch of a previous game where three fights broke out within the first nine seconds, which the US had won 3-1. The rivalry between the two teams was evident in both matches. You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game. — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 21, 2025 After the game, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented on the political backdrop, saying, “You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game,” referencing President Trump’s controversial comments about Canada and threats regarding trade tariffs. This reflects the ongoing political friction between the two nations. The political atmosphere was also felt during the pre-game events. In prior games in Montreal, the US national anthem was booed, and while “O Canada” received some boos in Boston, many fans joined in singing along. The singer, Chantal Kreviazuk, even changed a lyric in response to Trump’s remarks. Trump reached out to the US team before the game, hoping for their win, but he couldn’t attend due to another obligation. The 4 Nations Face-Off tournament aimed to build excitement leading up to the NHL’s participation in the 2026 Olympics. The final between Canada and the USA highlighted the fierce rivalry and high level of play expected in such competitions. Canada’s victory holds special meaning as a response to the current political climate, and the tournament itself was very successful, generating a lot of interest across North America. Canada’s win adds to its strong history in international hockey tournaments.

Apple TV+’s Severance is more than just a psychological thriller; it’s also full of cool cars for car people. One important but often overlooked feature is the use of vintage vehicles throughout the show. The cars, trucks, and motorcycles are not just random choices; they help build the world of the show and deepen the characters. The production team specifically chose cars from the 1980s and early 1990s instead of modern vehicles. This choice fits with the show’s unique setting, which combines futuristic technology with a retro, mid-century design feel. The boxy shapes of these cars reflect the stark architecture of Lumon Industries and add to the overall unsettling mood of the show. They decided to choose, more or less, the most difficult vehicles to source and to keep running… The vehicles I found almost all needed some sort of work, either mechanical, bodywork, or both. — Peter Dancy Finding the right vehicles wasn’t easy. The team had to hunt for specific makes and models that matched the show’s style and story, which often meant locating rare cars that required a lot of work to restore them to good condition. They even paid attention to details for cars that only appeared briefly, showing how committed they were to producing a high-quality visual experience. Apple TV+ Some cars were chosen to represent their owners’ personalities. For instance, Helena Eagan drives a classic 1968 Lincoln Continental, which symbolizes her wealth and family background. Other characters have vehicles, like Mark Scout’s simple Volvo, that give hints about their personalities and lives outside Lumon. The thought was, ‘Let’s find some cars or an era of cars that could be timeless, but have some harder edges to them,’ and that’s when we landed on the Eighties, maybe early Nineties window for most of the cars. Every car you see in every driveway, even in the deep distance, was placed by us. Nothing was left to chance and nothing was just what a background person would bring. We carried those cars the whole job, because we wanted to always have the ability to curate any frame that we were looking at with our own aesthetic. — Catherine Miller The challenges didn’t stop at finding the vehicles. Keeping them in good shape during filming, especially in the cold weather of Newfoundland, Canada, demanded a lot of effort from a dedicated team of mechanics. Last-minute adjustments were common to ensure every detail matched the show’s vision. This level of commitment highlights how important the visual aspects are to the show. The show is popular and likely will be for a long time, as Apple seems to like it enough to renew. We will have to wait and see what kind of cool cars will be on the show in the future. Source: RoadandTrack

China plans to undertake an exciting mission to explore the outer reaches of the solar system with significant help from advanced artificial intelligence technology. The aim is to travel 100 astronomical units away from the sun by 2049 and ultimately reach 1,000 astronomical units by the end of the century. The mission will involve two spacecraft that will be powered by special generators and will study both ends of the heliosphere, using gravity assists from planets like Jupiter along the way. The mission has several scientific goals, including studying interplanetary dust, the interstellar medium, and various cosmic phenomena. The spacecraft will be equipped with tools such as optical cameras, dust analyzers, spectrometers, and magnetometers. However, the distances involved present major challenges, including the unknown conditions of space, long communication delays, and limited data transfer rates. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service This is where AI becomes essential. Researchers from top Chinese institutions, like the Beijing Institute of Technology and China’s Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, are creating AI systems to make the mission more autonomous and reliable. AI will help process data efficiently, allowing important scientific information to be sent back to Earth without overwhelming the communication bandwidth. In addition to data management, AI will also enable the spacecraft to navigate and respond to unexpected events, like solar storms or asteroid encounters, with little human intervention. Using advanced algorithms, the spacecraft will be able to perceive and adapt to changing conditions on its own, which is crucial due to communication delays with Earth. AI will also assist in monitoring the spacecraft’s health, predicting issues, and making self-corrections in real time, further ensuring mission safety. The development of lightweight AI algorithms will help optimize resources on the spacecraft. China’s use of AI for this mission is similar to NASA’s efforts but also sets itself apart. While NASA has used AI in its projects, such as the Perseverance rover on Mars, China’s plan represents a major step in using AI for deep space exploration. This shows China’s determination to advance space technology and use AI to tackle the unique challenges of interstellar missions. If successful, the mission will not only enhance our understanding of the heliosphere but also highlight the important role of AI in the future of space exploration. Source: Space News

Voletta Wallace, the mother of famous rapper The Notorious B.I.G., passed away peacefully at the age of 72 on Friday morning in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, due to natural causes. Her death marks the end of an important chapter in hip-hop history, defined by both her son’s incredible success and her commitment to preserving his legacy. Born in 1950, Wallace raised her son, Christopher “Biggie Smalls” Wallace, mostly on her own after her husband left when Biggie was just two years old. Despite the difficulties of raising a child in Brooklyn during the crack epidemic of the 1980s, she instilled strong values in him. Although Biggie got involved in drug dealing and spent some time in jail before becoming a superstar, his relationship with his mother was a key part of his life. Biggie was tragically killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997 at the age of 24, leaving a significant void in the hip-hop world and giving Wallace the huge responsibility of managing his estate. At the time he died, his estate was worth about $10 million, but under her careful management, it grew to around $160 million over the next twenty years. Her skill in business and dedication to protecting her son’s legacy played a major role in this growth. Takeshi Wallace also helped shape Biggie’s lasting legacy in other ways. She was involved in the making of the 2009 biopic Notorious, serving as a producer to ensure the film accurately portrayed her son’s life, including both his achievements and struggles. Although she was uncomfortable with some aspects of his past, especially regarding his treatment of women, she wanted to show a complete picture of him. The film was a hit and reinforced Biggie’s place in popular culture. In recent years, Wallace became more outspoken, especially about Sean “Diddy” Combs, who signed Biggie to his Bad Boy Records label in 1993. After several allegations of sexual assault and violence against Diddy surfaced, Wallace expressed her anger and desire to confront him. Her willingness to speak out against powerful figures in the music industry added another layer to her legacy, showing she was determined to protect her son’s memory. Voletta Wallace’s life was a testament to resilience, strength, and a mother’s love. Her dedication to honoring her son’s legacy and continuing his success has secured his place in history and serves as an inspiration for future artists and entrepreneurs. While her passing has left a gap in the hip-hop community, her influence and hard work will continue to be felt for many years to come. Source: TMZ

Apple has decided to turn off its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature for users in the UK. This is a big move in the ongoing struggle between tech companies and governments over access to encrypted data. The UK government requested this change under the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), asking for access to user data that is usually protected by ADP’s encryption. ADP uses end-to-end encryption, which means only the user can unlock their data, so neither Apple nor anyone else, including law enforcement, can access it without the user’s permission. This level of security is crucial for keeping sensitive information, like photos and documents stored on iCloud, safe. However, the UK government wanted to bypass this strong encryption by asking for a “backdoor” to access the data. Apple has always refused to create such a backdoor, arguing that doing so would create major security risks and could be exploited by hackers. As a result of the government’s request, Apple will stop offering ADP for new users in the UK and plans to eventually disable it for existing users. This means that not all iCloud data in the UK will be protected by the strongest encryption, making it accessible to Apple and possibly shareable with law enforcement under a warrant. While Apple expressed disappointment about this decision, they reiterated their commitment to not creating backdoors in their products. Apple This move has faced strong backlash from privacy advocates and cybersecurity experts, who argue that it reduces online security and privacy for people in the UK. They warn that such actions could lead other governments to demand similar access, which would further weaken digital security. One expert even said the government’s action harms national online security. The issue is not just a UK problem; it has international implications. The UK’s request, which can affect users beyond its borders, has raised concerns in the US government. Some US politicians are worried about the potential risks to US national security and suggest that the US may need to rethink its intelligence-sharing agreements with the UK if this situation isn’t resolved. This really shows how governments keep trying to access data, even if it goes against privacy. At least tech companies are trying to prioritize user privacy and safety. However, there is a growing amount of over-regulation of American tech firms from governments, and it has gone too far. Source: BBC

Added a new code! Are you wondering what all Pokémon Scarlet and Violet mystery gift codes are so you can unlock free content? Mystery Gifts are an easy way to unlock content for your game and are usually free. Mystery Gifts can include a wide variety of content, like a Pikachu with a special move and Tera Type or an Adventure set with many valuable items. Here are all the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet mystery gift codes you can use to unlock free content. All Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Mystery Gift Codes Here are all current Pokémon Scarlet and Violet mystery gift codes available: Mystery Gift Code Gift Expiration Date EU1C25SUNNYDAY Jumpluff (New) February 28th, 2025 Y0AS0B1B1R1B1R1 YOASOBI’s Biri-Biri song of a Pawmot February 28th, 2025 P4LD3AP1CN1C5 5 Pickles, 5 Tomatoes, 5 Onions, 5 Hamburgers, 5 Eggs, and 5 Potato Salads N/A SEEY0U1NPALDEA Paldean Winds Episode 4 of a Gimmighoul November 30th, 2024 TEAMSTAR Paldean Winds Episode 3 of a Revavroom October 31st, 2024 L1KEAFLUTE Cetitan with the Ferocious Mark August 31st, 2024 SLEEPTALKW0RLDS Tomoya Ogawa’s 2023 World Winning Sylveon N/A 909TEAMUP06 Fuecoco January 31, 2025 NA1CTR1CKR00M Nils Dunlop’s Porygon2 N/A F1ARR0W23MASTER Violet Talonflame June 2, 2024 D0T1STPARTNER Dot’s Quaxly November 30, 2024 GYARAD0S2023SG Gyarados June 30, 2024 987W1THSPECS Flutter Mane May 7, 2024 Code is sent to the email of guidebook purchasers 100 x Potions None Code is sent to the email of guidebook purchasers 100 x Rare Candy S None Automatically given to Double Pack purchasers 200 x Poké Balls None Get via Internet, available to all players Adventure Set Code is sent to the email of eShop purchasers Special Pikachu We will update the above table as new Mystery Gift codes become available. How do I Redeem Mystery Gift Codes in Pokémon Violet and Scarlet? The first thing you need to do is unlock the ability to access the Mystery Gift Codes menu, which you can accomplish by reaching a Pokémon center. This will take you about 90-minutes of playtime. Once you have reached the first Pokémon center, you will gain access to the Poké Portal on the menu screen. From here, you have several options to redeem content. Here are the various options you have available to you: Get via Internet Get with Code/Password Check Mystery Gifts Check Poké Portal News Get via Internet The Get via Internet option will search for available gifts you can download. You can only download one gift at a time. This option is available for all players and is what you want to use to get the Adventure Set gift. Get with Code/Password The Get with Code/Password option allows you to enter a mystery gift code. Once the code has been entered and verified, the gift will download to your game. For example, you want this option to get a Special Pikachu gift using the Mystery Gift code you received via email. Check Mystery Gifts The Check Mystery Gifts option will display a list of all Mystery Gifts you have obtained using either of the above methods. Check Poké Portal News The Check Poké Portal News option will provide you with up-to-date news from Nintendo on anything Mystery Gift related, so check back often! Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.

If you’re looking for the fastest and easiest way to get free spins in Coin Master you’ve come to the right place. This guide contains daily links where you can get free coins and spins in Coin Master. Use these spins to get coins fast and build your villages quickly and easily without spending any money at all. Free Spin Links for Coin Master So what do you need to do to get the Free Coins and Spins? Simply head to the buttons below while you’ve got the Coin Master game open on your phone and it will instantly be transferred to your game. Each code that we post has been tested for safety and is taken directly from the developers of Coin Master who dispense these codes on various social media channels. New Coin Master Links Each day we’ll post new codes, but don’t be afraid to try previous days codes as from time to time they do still work later. If you run out of free code links and still need some more ideas to get spins and coins, you can check out our checklist at the bottom of this article that reveals some alternative ways to getting free spins and coins in Coin Master. Below you’ll find each day’s group of Coin Master Free Spin and Coin links below the date. The more recent the links, the more likely they are to work. If you receive a different amount of spins and coins by clicking on these links, that may be connected to your level so keep on playing to increase the gains. Feel free to let us know on social media if you find that a link is no longer working and good luck in your village building quest. 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Updated: February 21, 2025 Looked for new codes! Gamers hoping to find themselves engaged in high-octane combat with some JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure flare should look into the Roblox experience Sakura Stands as quickly as possible. Alongside plenty of combat to partake in against NPC’s and other players, gamers also have the chance to get plenty of experience to level themselves up. Are there any codes for Sakura Stands that will give players a bit of a boost, or will they find themselves at the mercy of Killer Queen? Let’s get ready to live out our lives in this new world, and prepare ourselves for the ultimate form of combat. All Sakura Stand Codes Players will find all of the currently available codes for Sakura Stand below, alongside some questions asked by players of this experience. All Sakura Stand Codes (Working) MeltingSnow – 500 Tokens (New) SnowInSummer? – 500 Tokens (New) SakuraBallZ – 1k Tokens (New) LordOfSakuraStand – Ornament (New) SpookySpookyPlushie – 400 Candy Corn PinPinponpon – 500 Tokens TheCornBuff – 201 Candy Corn StupidBug – 200 Candy Corn MerryChristmas – 1k Tokens IMustBeTheReasonWhy – 1k Tokens TrickOTreat – 1 Token GodGivenBurger – 2,000 Tokens LobsterActivity – 2,000 Tokens ChxmeiSavedTheDay – 1,000 Tokens SakuraStandSocialExperiment – A random reward between 1-1,000 Tokens (New Servers Only) FreeSFCValuePack – 1,000 Tokens AMMDEVSFROMHEAVENSTANDOMG – 750 Tokens DigitalCash – $10,000 SakuraFinallyAddedStand – Free rewards (Requires Mastery 3) EarlyD4C – Add 50% to Red mist gate (Requires Mastery 3) SFCSpecialCoupon – 500 Token (Requires Mastery 3) RolandAndFriends – 500 Token KuzmaToldMeToAddThisCode – 199 Tokens On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. – Add 50% to Red mist gate (Requires Mastery 3) dolor ipse est amandus – Add 50% to Red mist gate (Requires Mastery 3) Accipere dolorem est amare – Add 50% to Red mist gate (Requires Mastery 3) GiftFromSFC – 500 Tokens SFCOpen4Business – 1.5k Tokens (Requires Mastery 3) Kafk-ISTHATTHEREDMIST – 1k Tokens (Requires Mastery 1) Kaiju-8 – 500 Tokens batheski – 1500 Tokens and Secret Ska shirt ArrivalOfTheSkaFilmShirt1 – 300 Tokens FreeAdjucha – Spawn 1 adjucha (5 adjuchas limit per server) (Requires Mastery 3) fidgetspinner.io – Free rewards SuddenShutdown – 500 Tokens 2monthsdelay – Free rewards (Requires Mastery 10) theSTARRK – Free rewards AnArbiterAwakens – Free rewards fixedcutscenewowowowowowowoowowowowow – 300 Tokens shutdownmb – 300 Tokens tenthousand – Boosts (Requires Mastery 5) 115KLikess – x2 EXP, 1 Stand Arrow, and 15k Cash 110KLikes – x2 EXP and 1 Token CLASSICAUDDY – random 500 – 1,500 Tokens ThisFateWasFatedForTheFatedFate – the Will of Fate title 105KLikes – 2,000 Tokens justice – Boosts (For new servers only) 100KLikes – 1,001 Token (For new servers only) BugsFix2 – Boosts BugsFix – Boosts SorryforShutdown – 250 Tokens and 75 Snowflakes TYForFollowing – Free Boosts HolidayEvent – Free Boosts FOURTHSHUTDOWN – 1000 Tokens AuddyCOOKED – 895 Tokens HeIsGONE – 1 Token WHISPERTEAM – 1000 Tokens sorryguys – 900 Tokens All Sakura Stand Codes (Expired) CodeBugFix – x2 EXP SukunaFingerIncident – x2 EXP How To Redeem Codes In Sakura Stands Players hoping to redeem a few codes in Sakura Stands may be confused about how to actually redeem the codes that are available to them, and it is easy to understand why. The Code Redemption Menu is hidden away, but follow these steps and you’ll be ready to redeem in no time. Access the Menu in the bottom, left corner of the screen Click on Settings in the new menu that has appeared on the screen Scroll to the bottom of Settings to find the “Enter Code Prompt” Enter the code and press Enter Why Aren’t My Sakura Stands Codes Working Players will want to ensure that they’ve typed the codes in exactly as they were typed on this page, and make sure to follow the capitalization. If a code is expired, this experience will let you know that it is no longer valid, but if it says the code isn’t working, there could be a small typo preventing you from claiming your bonuses. Where To Get More Sakura Stands Codes The developer of this experience is not very active on Social Media, so joining the Sakura Stand Discord Community is likely to be the easiest way to claim some new codes as soon as they go live for this particular game. Also, make sure that you have bookmarked this page, as we will be checking for new codes quite often. What Exactly Is Sakura Stands? Sakura Stands is an action game, based loosely on the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise. Players will be able to power themselves up, as well as earn plenty of unique and powerful allies from not only this franchise, but others such as Jujutsu Kaisen and more. Players can also partake in PVP battles, either in a group or via 1 on 1 battle that can be prompted at any time. Those searching for a new action title that have tired from other experiences, such as Blox Fruits may fall in love with this title. It offers quite a competitive nature, and plenty of things to do, such as side quests and a story to follow alongside. Roblox is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Mobile Devices, and PC.

Get the latest Blade Ball codes and redeem them for free rewards fast!

Updated: February 21, 2025 Looked for new codes! Whenever I get nostalgic about PE classes, Blade Ball makes me feel that familiar adrenaline rush that used to accompany every dodgeball match. Well, back in the day, we didn’t have cool features such as customizable swords and explosions in our regular boring dodgeball games—features that make this Roblox experience incredibly addictive and fun. Just like in the real deal, mastering gameplay in Blade Ball is somewhat challenging at first, particularly when your opponents have powerful skills such as Wind Cloak and Freeze and you don’t. The game offers a ton of features to unlock but never enough coins. Thankfully, with some help from Blade Ball codes, you will get your hands on some of that sweet currency and other exclusive Skins and Swords. And if you don’t want the fun to end just yet, check out our Roblox Fireworks Playground Codes for more free rewards in that game as well. All Blade Ball Codes List Blade Ball Codes (Working) XMAS—Redeem for 3 Reindeer Spins (New) SPOOKYSEASON—Redeem for a free Spin DELAYBALL—Redeem for a free Sword 4BVISITS—Redeem for a free Sword SHARKATTACK—Redeem for a free Spin SUMMERWHEEL—Redeem for a free Spin BPTEAMS—Redeem for a free Spin SUMMERSTARTSHERE—Redeem for a free Spin REBIRTHLTM—Redeem for x1 Rebirth Ticket DRAGONS—Redeem for x1 Dragon Ticket ENERGYSWORDS—Redeem for a free Spin ROBLOXCLASSIC—Redeem for x1 Hacker Ticket GIVEMELUCK—Redeem for x4 Luck Boost GOODVSEVILMODE—Redeem for the Free Good vs Evil Crate DUNGEONSRELEASE—Redeem for 50 Dungeon Runes FROGS—Redeem for a Spin GOODVSEVIL—Redeem for a free Spin BATTLEROYALE—Redeem for a Storm Ticket RNGEMOTES—Redeem for a Spin FREESPINS—Redeem for a free Spin Blade Ball Codes (Expired) EASTERHYPE ZEROGRAVITY GALAXYSEASON FALLINGLTM TOURNAMENTSW LAVAFLOOR LUNARNEWYEAR ELEMENTSPIN FREEHOURLY SENTINELSREVENGE HAPPYNEWYEAR MERRYXMAS WINTERSPIN LIVEEVENTS VISITS_TY RRRANKEDDD WEEK4 SORRY4DELAY UPDATETHREE 1MLIKES HOTDOG10K 10KFOLLOWERZ 500K 200KLIKES FORTUNE 50000LIKES ThxForSupport 1000LIKES 5000LIKES 10000LIKES SITDOWN Related: Roblox Pixel Piece Codes How to redeem codes in Blade Ball To redeem codes in Blade Ball, follow the instructions below: Image: Attack of the Fanboy Launch Blade Ball on Roblox. Click on the Extra icon in the top left corner of the screen. Choose Codes when the drop-down menu appears. Enter your code into the Redeem Code text box. Press the checkmark icon to claim your rewards. How can you get more Blade Ball codes? If you want to look for codes on your own and get new updates directly from the developer, join the Blade Ball Discord Server. Devs occasionally release codes on their X account (@Blade_Ball), so feel free to give them a follow. The official YouTube channel (@Blade-Ball) exists, but the developers are not very active on there at the moment. However, the easiest way to catch the latest codes is to bookmark this page and visit it occasionally. We are constantly looking for and collecting new codes in one place, so you don’t have to waste your time and energy. Why are my Blade Ball codes not working? If you tried redeeming codes manually, you probably met Roblox players’ number one enemy—typos. Always double-check the spelling of your codes and be careful with the details, such as capitalization. Copying and pasting codes directly into the game is an excellent way to avoid this problem. It’s also possible that the code you’re trying to redeem has expired. Developers often don’t specify expiration dates for every code, so an expired one can overstay its welcome on our Working list. If you find a code that no longer works, let us know in the comments, and we’ll investigate the issue. Other ways to get free rewards in Blade Ball The more rounds you play, the more freebies you’ll get. If you click the Quests button on the left side of the screen, you’ll open a menu with three Daily Quests. That way, you can claim some extra Coins simply by progressing through the game. Tasks are usually pretty straightforward, such as completing a certain amount of matches. You can get even more Coins and Wheel Spins by playing the game for a particular amount of time. Press the Extra button in the top left corner of the screen, then click on Playtime Awards in the drop-down menu to claim your rewards. What is Blade Ball? Blade Ball is Roblox’s unique twist on dodgeball, where players can dive into competitive multiplayer matches using special abilities. The goal is simple: hit and block the ball and be the last player eliminated from the Arena. Focus and timing are the key if you want to rise through the ranks. Unlock new abilities and find the ones that most suit your game style. In need of more Roblox codes? Check out our Roblox Codes section for more free goodies in the most popular experiences across all genres!

Drake’s recent tour in Australia has caught much attention because he has been giving away large amounts of money to audience members. This isn’t something new for him, but the variety of requests and amounts given have made it stand out. During his concerts, many fans held up signs explaining their financial needs, which ranged from medical bills to vacation funding. Some requests included paying for a veterinary bill, helping with a bachelorette party in Ibiza, buying a Birkin bag, and covering a trip to Greece. While there was a lot of online discussion about the unusual nature of these requests, one fan received a big amount of $30,000 and VIP seating after Drake noticed her sign about her pregnancy. He was concerned for her safety in the crowd and wanted to improve her experience. This moment shifted the attention from just material needs to a genuine concern for someone’s well-being. https://twitter.com/HotNewHipHop/status/1892601244402766155 “Are you 20 weeks pregnant? Get out of the pit. Get outta there… Give her some VIP tickets immediately and like $30,000. Who the f*** brings a baby to a mosh pit?” — Drake said. Drake’s generosity hasn’t been a one-time thing on this tour. Earlier, while performing in Perth, he randomly chose two fans to receive $20,000 each. Another concertgoer also got $30,000 to quit their job at McDonald’s. These actions show a pattern of Drake helping fans financially during his shows. Related: Drake Attacks Incels In Surprise Instagram Post The amounts he is giving, mostly between $20,000 and $30,000, represent his significant commitment. His reasons for doing this aren’t very clear, but he has mentioned wanting to show appreciation for his audience and the shared experience of live music. The variety of requests he fulfills seems random, based on his personal choice rather than any set criteria. These events highlight the special relationship between the artist and his fans. While giving away large sums could be seen as a kind gestures, the concert setting adds an element of entertainment and spectacle. This mix of generosity and performance complicates the story around Drake’s actions, leading to discussions about what such public acts of kindness mean. The combination of large gifts and the wide range of requests raises questions about the nature of these interactions and what they might mean for future concerts.

Apple has launched a new feature called Visual Intelligence to improve how users interact with their iPhones. This tool, similar to Google Lens, lets users point their phone’s camera at real-world objects to get information about them. This feature was announced with the iPhone 16e and is also compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro. Visual Intelligence works by analyzing images taken by the camera. While details on how it operates are limited, it’s suggested that it requires enough RAM to function. Its main purpose is to provide useful information about the objects being photographed, although the specific types of information it can offer aren’t fully explained. Apple Currently, Visual Intelligence is available on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, which launched with this feature. The new iPhone 16e, which doesn’t have a Camera Control button found in other iPhone 16 models, still supports Visual Intelligence. Apple has made it accessible through the Control Center, and it can be set up using the Action Button. Related: One of Google Play Store’s Biggest Competitors Is Dying The iPhone 15 Pro didn’t originally come with this feature because it lacked the Camera Control button, but Apple plans to include it in a future software update. They confirmed that it will be available through the Action Button and Control Center on the iPhone 15 Pro as well. While they didn’t specify which software version it will be part of, there’s speculation that it could be included in iOS 18.4. The release of Visual Intelligence is a big move for Apple, as it expands the iPhone’s capabilities beyond just taking photos. Users can now identify objects and access related information quickly, making it more convenient. The fact that this feature is included in various iPhone models, including the more affordable iPhone 16e, is good. Source: daringfireball

Mercedes-Benz is changing its design strategy because electric vehicle (EV) sales have been decreasing. Last year, the company saw a 23% drop in deliveries of its zero-emission cars. Instead of focusing on unique designs for EVs, Mercedes plans to create a unified look across all its vehicles, including those with traditional combustion engines. This shift is intended to attract a wider range of customers and boost interest in electric cars. The automaker has announced that its upcoming battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrid models will make the most of their strengths while maintaining comfort, style, and efficiency. This can already be seen in models like the GLA/EQA and GLB/EQB, which share similar designs and platforms. Mercedes aims to launch many new or updated models by 2027, with many of them being electric. A key part of this new plan is the Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA-Class, which was revealed recently. It’s built on a new platform called the Modular Architecture (MMA) and showcases a more classic, yet stylish, design for EVs. The CLA-Class moves away from the very aerodynamic shapes of previous electric models and features a more familiar four-door coupe design. This concept car also highlights advancements in technology. It has an estimated range of 466 miles on a single charge, thanks to innovative battery technologies and eco-friendly materials. Two types of batteries will be available: a more affordable lithium-ion phosphate option and a high-capacity silicon-oxide option. Related: Check your Ford’s Roof, This Weakness Cost The Company Billions The design also includes lighter materials for improved strength and uses an 800-volt system that supports fast charging capability, adding 248 miles of range in just 15 minutes. Sustainability is a major focus in the CLA’s design. The interior uses materials like Nappa leather made from coffee husks, recycled plastic, lab-grown silk, and bamboo mats, showing Mercedes-Benz’s dedication to environmentally friendly manufacturing. The car’s advanced infotainment system features a large display powered by a new operating system designed for better performance. The MMA platform can support both internal combustion engines and electric powertrains, which allows for a consistent design across different types of vehicles. Besides the CLA, this platform will also be used for at least two crossovers and a station wagon, with both gas and electric options likely available. The production version of the CLA is expected to hit European markets by the end of 2024, followed by other models built on the same platform, including replacements for the EQA and EQB, a smaller G-Class, and a CLA shooting brake. There will also be a fully electric version of the next-generation S-Class, which is expected to be available later in the decade. Source: Motor1

Drake’s recent activity online has stirred up a lot of conversation, especially in relation to his new album and his ongoing feud with Kendrick Lamar. The controversy started with a seemingly harmless post on Drake’s secondary Instagram account, where he shared a meme about incels. The meme showed a woman with a gun and the text, “Incels must get a f*cking life. Growing up is not that hard. 6 out of 10 incels are deeply obsessed with women.” Drake didn’t add any commentary to the post. This post received backlash from fans, many of whom found it insensitive. Some even called out Drake’s fans who support Kendrick Lamar, suggesting they are incels as well, which shows how divided Drake’s fanbase has become. Others pointed out Drake’s own actions, such as following women connected to his rivals, which seemed to contradict the message of the meme. Drake’s Instagram The meme appeared around the same time as the February 14 release of Drake and PartyNextDoor’s album, Some Sexy Songs 4 U. The album was very successful, getting 56.6 million streams on its first day on Spotify and breaking records on Apple Music for R&B/Soul albums. This shows Drake’s strong presence in the music industry despite the surrounding controversies. However, the album’s success has been overshadowed by the lyrics in a song called Gimme a Hug. The track directly addresses Drake’s feud with Kendrick Lamar, including a line that downplays the rap conflict (“F*ck a rap beef, I’m trying to get the party lit”) and takes a jab at podcast hosts Joe Budden and Melyssa Ford. Drake raps, “Melyssa Ford, you a legend from the 6ix, hate to see you with a dck-sucker,” referring to Budden’s relationship with Ford. This created an awkward moment on The Joe Budden Podcast, increasing the tension between Drake and Budden. This situation shows how Drake’s lyrics, which often include personal references, can heighten existing conflicts and create new ones that spill over into public discussions. The link between Drake’s Instagram post, his album release, and the ongoing tension with Kendrick Lamar isn’t entirely clear. However, the timing of these events suggests they might be connected. The provocative meme could be seen as a way to distract from the controversial lyrics in his album or part of a larger online strategy to stay relevant in a changing music scene. Regardless of the motive, Drake’s actions seem to have a lot of people mad. For someone who is normally viewed as a less tough rapper, it’s strange to go after this group. Source: Drake’s Instagram

Amazon has announced that it will shut down its Android App Store on August 20, 2025. This marks the end of Amazon’s efforts to compete in the Android app market, which the Google Play Store largely leads. Amazon Coins, its in-app currency, will also be discontinued on the same day. Users who currently use the Amazon App Store on their Android devices will lose access after August 20. Although the app can still be downloaded until that date, there is no guarantee that any apps downloaded from the store will work afterward. This situation gives users a brief period to switch to other app sources or risk losing access to their apps. Amazon’s decision likely comes from its struggle to compete with the popularity of the Google Play Store. The Amazon Appstore required users to manually install it, which limited its adoption compared to Google’s version. The failure of the Appstore on Windows 11, which will also be discontinued on March 5, highlights the challenges Amazon faced in gaining a substantial foothold outside of its own ecosystem. Amazon pointed out that Android apps on Windows PCs never provided a good experience compared to native or web applications. Current Amazon Coins users will receive refunds for any remaining balance after August 20, although details about how this process will work are yet to be announced. Though purchasing new Amazon Coins is no longer possible, users can still use their current balance for app purchases but can’t combine it with other payment methods. Despite ending the Android Appstore, Amazon’s app ecosystem will still exist on its Fire TV and Fire Tablet devices. There is a possibility that users might try to sideload the Amazon Appstore APK from a Fire device to their Android phones or tablets after the shutdown, but it’s uncertain if this will work, especially if the Fire OS version includes protections against this. Looking ahead, this shutdown may indicate a shift in Amazon’s strategy. There are rumors that Amazon is creating its own operating system, which is already in use on some Echo Show devices. If Amazon replaces Android with this new OS on its Fire Tablets, it could explain why the Android App Store is closing. While this is still speculation, the shutdown of both the Android Appstore and the Appstore on Windows 11 suggests that Amazon is focusing its app distribution efforts within its own environment. The company seems to be concentrating on its strengths in the Fire device market. This is instead of continuing to compete against more established players.

A team of astronomers has made an exciting discovery: a repeating fast radio burst (FRB) coming from the edge of a very old, dead galaxy that is around 11 billion years old. This finding, shared in two recent studies published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, challenges what scientists previously thought about where FRBs come from and raises new questions about how galaxies evolve. Fast radio bursts are very powerful bursts of radio waves that last only a millisecond and can be brighter than entire galaxies. While thousands of these bursts have been found, only about a hundred have been traced back to their specific host galaxies, which usually show lots of star formation. This star activity is believed to create the conditions for the high-energy events that cause FRBs, like supernova explosions. However, this discovery changes that understanding. Using data from the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) radio telescope in British Columbia, researchers detected 22 signals from a repeating FRB between February and November 2024. These signals led them to a surprising source: a galaxy about 11 billion years old that should have stopped forming stars long ago. This “dead” galaxy is a significant outlier compared to what is normally seen with FRBs. “Of the thousands of FRBs discovered to date, only about a hundred have been pinpointed to their host galaxies. And those galaxies tend to have a lot of star formation, which means more stars are going supernova.” —Tarraneh Eftekhari, a co-author of both new studies and an astronomer at Northwestern University Related: China’s Latest Maneuver Soars Past US in the Space Race The location of this burst adds to the mystery. FRBs generally come from the centers of galaxies, but this one is coming from the galaxy’s outskirts, which makes it even stranger. Vishwangi Shah, an astronomer at McGill University and a co-author on the studies, highlighted this oddity: “All these unexpected details make this FRB stand out from the rest.” The researchers suggest two possible explanations for why the FRB originated in such an unusual setting. One idea is that it could be due to a collision between two old stars at the edge of the galaxy. The other possibility involves a collapsing white dwarf—a dense remnant of a dead star—which could produce the energy needed for an FRB. This discovery shows how little is known about FRBs. Eftekhari noted that this was what scientists thought they knew about FRBs. The team hopes that with more observations from CHIME as it gets more operational, they will find hundreds of additional bursts. This will help them investigate more about the environments where these events happen and explore unexpected processes that lead to FRBs. Source: Live Science

A jury in Georgia has ordered Ford Motor Company to pay $2.5 billion in punitive damages in a case related to the deaths of Herman and Debra Mills. This ruling follows a previous decision that awarded the Mills family $30.5 million in compensation after the couple died in a rollover accident involving their 2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty truck. The accident happened in August 2022 in Decatur County, Georgia, when Debra Mills, 64, lost control of the truck. It hit a culvert, flipped over, and landed on its roof. Debra died at the scene, while Herman, 74, passed away nine days later in a Florida hospital. The lawsuit, filed in May 2023, claimed Ford knew that the roofs of F-250 Super Duty trucks built between 1999 and 2016 had significant weaknesses. The family contended that the weak roof design directly led to the couple’s deaths. Evidence showed that over 5 million of these trucks had roofs below safe standards. The lawsuit pointed out that the strength-to-weight ratio of these trucks was only 1.1, much lower than the safe standard of 4.0 set by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “Ford has known for 26 years that people were getting killed and hurt by these weak roofs. Ford has constantly refused to admit the danger or warn of the risk.” — James “Jim” Butler Jr., lead counsel for the Mills family. The jury’s decision to award $2.5 billion in punitive damages suggests they found Ford’s actions to be extremely reckless. James “Jim” Butler Jr., the lawyer for the Mills family, stated that Ford had known for 26 years that people were being injured or killed because of these weak roofs but had not addressed the issue. Ford, on the other hand, claims that the roofs are not defective. A company spokesperson stated that the verdict was excessive and not backed by evidence, and they plan to appeal. This situation is similar to a case in 2022 where a $1.7 billion judgment against Ford was overturned on appeal, leading to a new trial. That case involved 79 similar incidents with roof collapses from around 5.2 million trucks made between 1999 and 2016. The jury’s large punitive damages award highlights how seriously they viewed the evidence and Ford’s responsibility in this case. The outcome of the appeal is still pending, but this verdict poses a significant legal and financial challenge for Ford. This case raises ongoing concerns about vehicle roof safety and how manufacturers respond to safety issues. Source: Butler Prather

Victor Wembanyama, the young star of the San Antonio Spurs, will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season because he has a serious blood clot in his right shoulder. The team announced this on Thursday after Wembanyama returned to San Antonio following the NBA All-Star Game. The discovery of the clot led the Spurs to decide it was best for him to stop playing for now. This news surprised many fans and experts, especially since he had just participated in the All-Star Game and performed well in the skills challenge. The Spurs’ medical team had been keeping an eye on his low energy levels for a while, which did not improve even after the All-Star break and a short vacation. This raised concerns and led to further tests that revealed the issue. Wikimedia Commons Wembanyama had an outstanding rookie season, playing 46 games and averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and a league-high 3.8 blocks per game. Before the All-Star break, he attempted over 400 three-pointers and blocked 176 shots—records that no other player has achieved in a single season. Because he didn’t play enough games to meet the eligibility requirements, he will not be considered for awards like Defensive Player of the Year, even though he was a strong favorite to win. Victor Wembanyama had experienced low energy lately that was causing concern. When he still had low energy at All-Star weekend, and through his two-day vacation after it, the tests began that ultimately uncovered the deep vein thrombosis. — Sam Amick, Sports Expert The Spurs are hopeful that Wembanyama will be fully recovered by the beginning of the 2025-26 season. His treatment will involve taking blood-thinning medication, which means he won’t be able to play contact sports like basketball during recovery. Related: ‘I Made an Honest Mistake’: Milwaukee Bucks Forward Bobby Portis Jr. Suspended Over Injury Treatment Teammate Chris Paul shared his disappointment over the news, saying it’s hard to see Wembanyama sidelined because of how important he is to the team and the game itself. He stressed that Wembanyama’s health is more important than basketball, but acknowledged how much the team will feel his absence, both in terms of his basketball skills and his energy in the locker room. This injury is another tough break for the Spurs this season, especially after head coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke and is on leave. The team will play their first game without Wembanyama against the Phoenix Suns, which presents a difficult challenge as they try to compete for a playoff spot.

Bobby Portis Jr., a forward for the Milwaukee Bucks, will be out for 25 games due to a suspension from the NBA after testing positive for Tramadol, a banned painkiller. The league announced the suspension, which started immediately and is without pay, affecting the Bucks’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. It will last until April 6th. Portis admitted to the mistake in a statement, explaining that he was dealing with an elbow injury and had been taking medication for pain. He accidentally took Tramadol, thinking it was Toradol, which is allowed by the league. He expressed regret and apologized to the Bucks organization, his teammates, coaches, family, and fans, emphasizing his goal to return for the playoffs. I was dealing with an elbow injury and using an NBA-approved medication for pain and inflammation. During that time, I made an honest mistake and took a pain-reducing anti-inflammatory pill that is not approved. I feel horrible and recognize that I’m responsible for what I put in my body. From the bottom of my heart, I want to apologize to the Bucks organization, my teammates, coaches, family, and fans. I give everything I have on the court and will terribly miss playing games for the Bucks during this time. I will continue to work hard and be ready for our long playoff run. Thank you for your support. I appreciate it more than you know. — Bobby Portis Jr.’s statement Wikimedia Commons His agent, Mark Bartelstein, added that Portis mistakenly took Tramadol, believing it was the approved medication. He clarified that Portis got the Tramadol legally from his assistant and highlighted that Portis is committed to a healthy lifestyle. Bartelstein noted that Portis is not a drug abuser and explained that he simply made a mistake. I am devastated for Bobby right now because he made an honest mistake and the ramifications of it are incredibly significant. Bobby unintentionally took a pain medication called Tramadol, thinking he was taking a pain medication called Toradol… Bobby is a great person, teammate and professional, and has a wonderful reputation in our league, his communities, and his team. There is are no bigger fans of the NBA than Bobby and I, and we are grateful to have closely and collaboratively worked with the NBA on countless occasions. — Mark Bartelstein Despite the situation, the Bucks organization is supporting Portis. General Manager Jon Horst acknowledged the difficulties surrounding the suspension but confidently stated that they fully support Portis. He expressed that they will use this time to grow as a team and look forward to Portis’s return. This is a very difficult set of circumstances for Bobby and our team. He and the Bucks organization respect the NBA/NBAPA Anti-Drug Program and will accept what’s been handed down. But we 100% support Bobby. Together we will take this opportunity to grow and will have a better and stronger Bobby and Milwaukee Bucks team. He’s an integral part of who we are, a huge member of the Milwaukee community, and we look forward to his return. — Jon Horst Portis’s suspension will keep him off the court until the last four games of the regular season, which is a big loss for the Bucks. However, both the team and Portis are focused on overcoming this challenge and preparing for the playoffs.

China’s space program will launch an exciting mission called Tianwen-2, which will explore a near-Earth asteroid and a comet in the main asteroid belt. The spacecraft arrived at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in February and is expected to be launched in the first half of 2024. This marks an important development in China’s efforts to explore deep space. The main goal of Tianwen-2 is to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid named Kamoʻoalewa. This asteroid is unique because it is almost like a satellite of Earth, orbiting in a similar path. Scientists believe it is a piece of the Moon that got knocked away after a collision. Studying the samples from Kamoʻoalewa will give us important information about the Moon’s makeup and the early solar system. The spacecraft will use two methods to collect samples: one similar to NASA’s OSIRIS-REx and JAXA’s Hayabusa2, and a new anchor-and-attach method using drills on its landing legs. These techniques will help handle Kamoʻoalewa’s small size and very low gravity. After collecting the samples, the mission will shift focus to the main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS. The spacecraft will use a gravity assist from Earth to travel to the comet after returning to Earth around 2027, aiming to arrive at 311P/PANSTARRS around 2034. This comet has characteristics of both asteroids and comets, presenting a chance to learn how these two celestial bodies change and interact. Studying this comet could provide insights into water and organic materials in the solar system. CSNA Tianwen-2 faces various technological challenges. The return capsule’s high-speed reentry will need careful engineering and testing of parachute systems. Also, the low gravity of Kamoʻoalewa requires creative solutions for safely collecting samples and ensuring the spacecraft stays stable.The mission will carry advanced tools to examine both targets thoroughly, including various spectrometers, high-resolution cameras, radar instruments, and analyzers for dust, gas, and charged particles. The scientific impact of Tianwen-2 is significant. Analyzing the samples from Kamoʻoalewa will help us better understand the formation of the early solar system and the nature of near-Earth objects. Researching 311P/PANSTARRS will provide valuable information about the evolution of comets and asteroids and could reveal how water and organic molecules were delivered to early Earth. Tianwen-2 is part of China’s growing ambitions in space exploration. It follows the successful Tianwen-1 mission, which landed the Zhurong rover on Mars, and there are plans for future missions, including Tianwen-3. It will return samples from Mars, and Tianwen-4, which will orbit Jupiter and fly by Uranus. Source: CNSA, SpaceNews

A$AP Rocky was found not guilty of felony assault charges, ending a widely discussed legal case that caught a lot of attention in the music industry. The charges were linked to an alleged attack involving A$AP Relli, and there was a lot of speculation about what the outcome would be. People worried he might face a long prison sentence, but the jury decided he was not guilty. Rocky and his partner, Rihanna, celebrated this verdict. After the news broke, several notable figures in music reacted. Kanye West, who has been in the spotlight for his controversial online behavior, shared a picture of A$AP Rocky on Instagram with a prayer emoji. This was significant because it was his first post since he had removed most of his social media content during a period of tumultuous online activity. His reaction was much quieter compared to his usual behavior. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ye (@ye) Before the verdict, West had visited Rocky’s home and publicly expressed his support for him, showing that he cared even amidst his own issues. On the other hand, 50 Cent took a different approach. He bragged about predicting Rocky’s acquittal and criticized A$AP Relli’s testimony, suggesting it wasn’t consistent, which he thought helped Rocky’s case. 50 Cent even shared a celebratory FaceTime call with Rocky on social media. Related: Kendrick Lamar Made Historic Music Milestone Thanks To Super Bowl Diss Rihanna was there for most of A$AP Rocky’s trial. When he was found not guilty, she hugged him and cried in the courtroom. Many family members and fans saw her emotional reaction. Afterwards, she shared her gratitude on an Instagram Story, crediting the good outcome to God’s mercy and saying that she was humbled. She also gave hugs to his defense lawyers after the verdict was announced. Nicki Minaj Instagram Nicky Minaj and Tyler The Creator shared similar stories on their Instagram, with Tyler just showing A$AP hugging his lawyer. It seems like A$AP had a lot of support.

NASA recently avoided laying off over 1,000 probationary employees that many expected to be cut on February 18. Most of these employees were new or had recently transferred, meaning they had limited job protections. The potential layoffs were part of the Trump administration’s broader plan to cut federal spending. Internal sources had indicated that job losses were likely, but no significant job cuts happened at NASA on the day of the expected layoffs. Some reports suggested that certain NASA centers might have been spared from layoffs, although no official explanation was given. This pause in layoffs might be due to successful lobbying by NASA to the White House, though that has not been confirmed. Wikimedia Commons In contrast, other federal agencies, like the National Science Foundation (NSF), did proceed with layoffs, letting go of around 168 employees, which was about 10% of their workforce. This included both probationary staff and temporary workers. Lawmakers criticized the NSF for these job cuts, saying they could hurt the nation’s competitiveness in science. Related: Asteroid Chance of Hitting Earth Is Higher Than Usual Per NASA; Warning Issued If NASA had gone through with the layoffs and combined it with employees opting for a program that lets them leave but still get paid until the end of the fiscal year, it could have meant a 10% reduction in its workforce. So far, at least 750 employees have signed up for this program. Advocacy groups have expressed worry, saying this could be NASA’s largest workforce reduction since the Apollo program. While layoffs were avoided this time, it might only be temporary. There are reports that some probationary employees could still be let go by the end of the month. Additionally, NASA is facing potential larger cuts ahead. An executive order from February 11 requires federal agencies to restrict new hires to only one for every four people who leave and prepare for possible large-scale layoffs. The exact size of these future cuts hasn’t been determined yet. NASA’s acting administrator confirmed they received the order and is waiting for more guidance.

German car manufacturers are having a tough time in the Chinese market, where their sales are dropping because local competitors are gaining popularity. For many years, German brands were leaders in the high-performance car sector in China, known for their precise engineering. However, this is changing as consumers are now leaning towards electric, smart, and more affordable cars. Chinese companies are making electric vehicles that match German models in performance while adding advanced features like artificial intelligence for parking help and personalized driving experiences. These Chinese cars also come at a much lower price. As a result, German automakers are seeing significant declines in their sales, with some facing major drops in deliveries to China. Wikimedia Commons A clear example of this shift is the Xiaomi SU7, a popular electric SUV that directly competes with the Porsche Taycan. The SU7 has similar power and braking capabilities but is much cheaper and includes advanced AI features. Its success, with over 100,000 units sold last year, shows why consumers are drawn to these new Chinese vehicles. Porsche is one of the brands most affected, reporting a 28 percent drop in sales to China in 2024. This has hurt Porsche’s overall global sales, leading to a 3 percent overall decline, even though sales grew in other regions. Porsche relied on the Chinese market to balance weaker demand in other areas, and this downturn hit them hard. Related: Trump Considering 25% Tariff on Imported Cars The struggles German automakers face are partly due to their slower adoption of electric vehicle technology and advanced software, which are now key features in the Chinese automotive market. Experts believe that Western manufacturers underestimated how quickly Chinese companies would innovate and develop. These declining sales are also affecting jobs in Germany, with Porsche planning to cut up to 1,900 jobs due to lower global demand, especially for its electric Taycan and hybrid Panamera models. The lack of interest from Chinese consumers in these models has added to the overall sales drop. Additionally, upcoming tariffs from the US could further pressure Porsche, as it relies entirely on exports from Germany, unlike some of its competitors.

Kevin Durant’s possible return to the Golden State Warriors at the 2025 NBA trade deadline didn’t happen. There was a proposed trade involving the Phoenix Suns, Warriors, and Miami Heat that would have sent Durant back to Golden State, Jimmy Butler to Phoenix, and other assets to Miami. However, the trade fell apart because Durant didn’t want to be traded in the middle of the season. Reports revealed that Durant turned down the trade, leading many to wonder why. In an interview, Durant explained that his choice wasn’t about the criticism he has faced in his career or any unresolved issues with the Warriors. He simply preferred to stay with the Suns and finish the season with them. This explanation differs from what Warriors coach Steve Kerr suggested. Kerr thought Durant might have been worried about facing backlash again, similar to what he dealt with when he first joined the Warriors in 2016, even though he later won two NBA Finals MVP awards with them. Kerr believed that fear of another negative response might have played a role in Durant’s choice. Wikimedia Commons His full answer from ESPN, “People talk crazy about me all the time. That’s not the reason why I didn’t want to come back, I just didn’t want to get traded midway through the season. It was nothing against my time with the Warriors, or I heard because I don’t like Draymond [Green]. At the end of the day, I just didn’t want to move and I wanted to see it through with my team in Phoenix and see what we could do the rest of this season, so I’m glad I’m still there.” Regardless of the reasons, the failed trade changed things in the league. The Warriors and Heat went ahead with a different trade that sent Butler to San Francisco. The Suns kept Durant, but their season hasn’t gone well, as they are currently under .500 and outside playoff contention, sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference, a game and a half behind the Warriors. Related: UNLV College Football OL Cause of Death Revealed Despite the Suns’ struggles, Durant, at 36 years old, is still a strong scorer. However, his performance alongside Devin Booker and Bradley Beal hasn’t brought the success everyone expected. He has one year left on his contract with the Suns after this season.

Meta has introduced Project Waterworth, an ambitious plan to build a new undersea cable system aimed at improving global AI technology. This project involves a massive investment of billions of dollars and will involve laying more than 50,000 kilometers of cable, making it the longest undersea cable in the world. The cable will run through the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, connecting the east and west coasts of the United States to countries like Brazil, South Africa, India, and Australia. The design of the cable focuses on durability, with special features to reduce damage from things like ship anchors, including deep-sea routes and better methods for burying the cable in shallower, riskier spots. Meta This new cable will use advanced technology, with 24 fiber pairs, which is more than most existing systems, allowing for much faster and more reliable internet connections. This capacity is especially important as the world becomes more connected and relies more on high-bandwidth services. Project Waterworth will create three new ocean routes, providing vital high-speed connections that are important for the growth of AI technologies. It’s seen as a crucial step towards encouraging economic collaboration and ensuring that digital access is available to everyone, particularly in India, where investment in digital infrastructure is already moving forward. Related: Google Paying $340 million Over Tax Evasion Investigation Meta has a lot of experience in building undersea cables, having completed over 20 such projects with various partners. This experience has guided the planning and building of Project Waterworth, with a focus on efficiency and durability. The cable will be routed in deep water, up to 7,000 meters, to reduce risks and improve its lifespan, while advanced techniques for burying the cable in shallower areas will provide more protection. The main purpose of Project Waterworth is to create strong and extensive global internet connectivity to support the ongoing growth and use of AI technologies. Meta wants to make sure the advantages of AI are available to everyone, no matter where they are located. This project is seen as a key part of the global digital infrastructure, helping many different online services like communication, video streaming, and transactions. Source: Meta

Kendrick Lamar has made history on the Billboard 200 chart thanks to his performance at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show. For the first time ever, three of his albums were in the top 10 at the same time, a milestone never before reached by a rap artist in the nearly 69 years of the chart’s existence. This success comes after he released physical copies of his album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers for the first time. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers returned to the number one spot on the chart dated February 22, marking its second week at the top. Meanwhile, DAMN. and good kid, m.A.A.d city were in the ninth and tenth spots, respectively. This achievement beats out records held by other artists, including Taylor Swift, who had five albums in the top 10 in December 2023, and Prince, who was the previous male artist record holder before Lamar. Wikimedia Commons Prince’s accomplishment came after his death in 2016, making Lamar the first living male artist to achieve this since Herb Alpert in 1966. The Billboard 200 chart is based on sales data from February 7 to February 13, and its release was delayed by a day because of the Presidents’ Day holiday in the U.S. The spike in Lamar’s album sales is largely credited to the attention from his Super Bowl performance, resulting in his best sales week since 2017 when he released his album in physical formats. Lamar’s success isn’t limited to just the top 10. To Pimp a Butterfly and Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers both saw major increases in their rankings, moving up to 54 and 75, respectively. Additionally, the Black Panther soundtrack, which features a collaboration with SZA, re-entered the chart at number 42. SZA’s album SOS also climbed to number two, marking a unique moment where two Super Bowl halftime performers held the top two spots on the chart right after the game. With his number one ranking, Lamar is the latest Super Bowl halftime performer to achieve this honor following their performance, with Justin Timberlake being the last to do so in 2018 with Man of the Woods. Source: Billboard

Asteroid 2024 YR4 was first spotted on December 27, 2023, by the El Sauce Observatory and has attracted attention because it might hit Earth. Experts estimate its size to be between 130 and 300 feet across. NASA currently calculates there’s a 3.1% chance it could impact Earth on December 22, 2032. While this probability is higher than similar asteroids, experts say there’s no need for immediate concern. The International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) issued a warning on January 29, 2024, since the risk climbed above 1%. The asteroid is made up of common materials and isn’t unusually metal-rich. The European Space Agency estimates the impact risk to be a bit lower at 2.8%. Even though this risk is higher than that of Apophis in 2004, it is noted as significant but not a crisis. If it were to hit, it could cause major local damage but is not expected to endanger the planet. NASA The biggest threat comes from the asteroid’s high speed, potentially reaching 40,000 miles per hour. If it enters the atmosphere, it could explode in an airburst, releasing energy comparable to eight megatons of TNT. There’s also a risk of a direct impact, especially if it’s on the larger side of estimates. The possible impact area includes the eastern Pacific, North America, the Atlantic, Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and South Asia. Experts caution against any drastic actions, like relocating people, at this stage. Upcoming observations from the James Webb Space Telescope in March will help improve predictions about the asteroid’s path. Webb can spot faint objects, which is important since the asteroid’s route takes it near Jupiter before it comes close to Earth again in 2028. If the impact risk exceeds 10%, the IAWN will provide a formal warning and recommend safety measures for affected areas. There’s still plenty of time before the potential impact date to consider ways to manage the situation. NASA’s DART mission in 2022 showed that it is possible to change an asteroid’s path. Other methods being looked at include using lasers for thrust, a spacecraft’s gravity to nudge it off course, or possibly even nuclear explosions as a last resort. Although the 3.1% chance is significant, experts believe the situation is controllable and not an immediate panic situation.

President Donald Trump is thinking about imposing high tariffs on various imported goods, which is raising trade tensions. He plans to charge about 25 percent on imported cars and possibly even more on drugs and computer chips. The car tariffs are expected to be finalized around April 2, as Trump previously stated. The tariffs on chips and drugs might come later this year, giving companies time to consider moving their operations to the US. These actions are part of Trump’s strategy to change how the US interacts with trade around the world. He recently announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, which will start next month, and there’s already a 10 percent tax on goods imported from China. Although plans for 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico were paused due to last-minute agreements, the administration continues with its tough trade policy. https://twitter.com/dunne_insights/status/1892018349812466077 The proposed car tariffs are causing issues with the European Union, which is in talks with the US to prevent further trade problems. An EU delegation visited Washington, D.C., to negotiate and avoid more penalties. Trump has complained about the trade imbalance with the EU, pointing to restrictions on US car and agricultural product imports. He suggested that the EU might be open to reducing tariffs on US cars, which he believes shows that his threats of tariffs are working. However, the European Commission denied that any agreements had been made to lower tariffs. They stated that any changes need to benefit both sides and should be fair. They emphasized the importance of healthy transatlantic trade relations through constructive discussions. The EU’s stance indicates potential deadlock unless a satisfactory agreement is reached for both sides. The outcome of these negotiations could greatly affect trade relations between the US and Europe, as well as global markets. This situation illustrates the difficulties of managing national interests while adhering to the principles of free and fair trade in a global economy.

Google has reached an agreement with Italian authorities to pay €326 million (about $340 million) to settle a tax evasion investigation. This investigation, started by prosecutors in Milan, looked into Google’s failure to pay taxes on advertising income earned in Italy from 2015 to 2019. It focused on the company’s use of servers and other resources in Italy. Google confirmed the settlement and noted that it resolved the tax audit without going to court. This came after a similar large settlement with France. In another case, Google paid more than $1 billion to French authorities to settle a long-running tax dispute. This settlement included a €500 million penalty for tax evasion and an extra €465 million in back taxes. French authorities began investigating Google’s tax practices in 2015, focusing on the company’s practice of reporting its profits in a low-tax country like Ireland. This is a common strategy used by many multinational companies. Wikimedia Commons This is a lot of money to pay on tax evasion, even with the extra amount. It is not uncommon for a company pay less than it owes. This is due to how much money it costs to investigate and persecute, and so governments are usually okay with taking less to avoid spending more. So, the real amount may be more than we see. The French government also introduced a 3% tax on big tech companies, which faced criticism from the U.S. and led to threats of American tariffs on French goods. France said it would only repeal this tax if a global agreement on taxing digital businesses is reached. International talks are happening to create such an agreement, with G7 finance ministers hoping to finalize something by January and set up a way to resolve disputes. Time will tell how these investigations actually effect Google. Source: ABC News

Ben Christman, a former college football player, passed away on February 11, 2025, just a day before turning 22. His family said he died from natural causes. Christman’s college football journey included time at several schools. He started at Ohio State University, where he was a four-star recruit, played for two seasons, and appeared in one game. After that, he transferred to the University of Kentucky and played for two more seasons before moving on to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where he had two years of eligibility left. In his obituary, Christman was remembered as a strong and determined athlete with a strong presence. He had recently joined the UNLV Rebels football team and made a positive impression on his teammates and coaches in just a month. UNLV head coach Dan Mullen expressed sadness over his passing and noted that Christman had been chosen for the team’s Leadership Committee, showing the respect he earned from his peers. Ben Christman X/Twitter His obituary read, “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the untimely passing of Ben Paul Christman. Ben passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 11, 2025, from natural causes… A standout player on the field, he was known for his strength, determination, and larger than life presence, earning him the affectionate nickname ‘Big Ben.” Christman died one day shy of his 22nd birthday. Christman’s death is a tragic reminder for the UNLV football team, as he was the second player to die in two years; former player Ryan Keeler passed away in February 2023 due to heart issues. The detailed reasons for Christman’s death were not shared, except for the family’s statement about it being natural causes. He was described as a hardworking and positive person both on and off the field, with dreams of playing football at a high level. Keeler was found unresponsive in his apartment in Las Vegas at the time, and the Clark Co. (Nev.) Coroner’s Office said the player died of cardiac dysrhythmia. His loss is deeply felt by his family, friends, former teams, and the UNLV community. This situation has raised questions about the health and well-being of young athletes. Further information about the specifics of his death has not been released.

Apple’s new image generation app, Image Playground, has been found to have racial biases. Research by Jochem Gietema, a machine learning scientist, shows that the app struggles to accurately represent skin tones and hair textures, especially for people with darker skin. These issues exist even though the app was designed to avoid problems like deepfakes using illustrated face styles. The biases go beyond just representation. The app changes facial features and skin tones based on the words used in descriptions. For example, terms related to wealth—like “rich” or “investment banker”—result in lighter skin tones in the generated images. Conversely, words like “poor” or “destitute” lead to darker skin tones. Similar patterns were noted with different themes, where descriptions linked to basketball or rap music often resulted in darker skin tones, while those connected to classical music or ballet produced lighter skin tones. This reinforces negative racial stereotypes. Image: Jochem Gietema These problems are not just limited to Apple’s app. Another research paper found that biases in AI-generated images are widespread across the industry. Apple has promoted itself as a leader in responsible AI development and has put in place various safety measures in Image Playground, such as banning the use of celebrity names and negative keywords. Despite these measures, the app still shows these harmful biases. Related: Mexico To Sue Google Over Gulf of America Renaming These findings are particularly troubling for Apple, given its public image and commitment to ethical AI. The company has shown intent to tackle bias issues, as evidenced by recent research on gender bias in language models. However, this situation highlights the difficulties tech companies face in reducing bias in AI, even with careful design and precautions. This incident adds to the growing concern about bias in AI, following similar issues with other major tech firms. While correcting algorithmic bias is easier than changing human prejudice, it requires continued effort and investment from developers. Source: RPP

French lawmakers are discussing a new bill banning religious clothing and symbols in all sports competitions. This proposal, which is currently being debated in the Senate, has faced strong criticism from Amnesty International, who claim it unfairly targets Muslim women and girls. The bill aims to expand existing bans on headscarves, which are already prohibited in sports like soccer and rugby, to all sporting events. This follows an incident last summer when French runner Sounkamba Sylla was initially prevented from participating in the Paris Olympics opening ceremony because she wore a hijab, although she was eventually allowed to join with a cap on. The legislation would also forbid prayers in sports facilities and create stricter requirements for sports educators. Amnesty International warns that this bill could limit Muslim women and girls’ ability to participate in sports, stating that it unfairly impacts them and goes against the rules set by many international sports organizations. Pixabay Amnesty International notes that France’s strict view of secularism has often been used to restrict Muslim women’s access to public spaces. France is the only European country with extensive bans on religious head coverings in sports. Related: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Tells Blue Jays They Missed Their Deadline The UN Human Rights Council has previously criticized France’s bans on hijabs in sports, declaring them discriminatory. Experts from the Council have agreed with Amnesty International’s concerns, highlighting the negative effects these restrictions can have on the mental and physical health of those affected. The actions of the French government have attracted considerable international backlash. Supporters of the bill argue that it’s necessary to maintain secularism in sports and prevent any political, religious, or racial messages from being displayed at sporting events. They express growing worries about threats to secularism in sports and the need to keep events neutral. The bill’s future is uncertain. While it has some support in the Senate, the lower house of Parliament, which has the final say, may not approve it easily.

Mexico is waiting for a response from Google about a disagreement over the name of the Gulf of Mexico on Google Maps. The Mexican government has asked Google to change the name back to “Gulf of Mexico” and has warned that it might take legal action if Google doesn’t comply. In a letter from Cris Turner, Google’s vice president for government affairs, the company said it wouldn’t change its current policy. This policy was put in place after former President Donald Trump referred to the body of water as the “Gulf of America.” On Google Maps, the name appears as “Gulf of America” in the U.S., “Gulf of Mexico” in Mexico, and “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)” in other areas. Google argues that it follows established mapping practices and uses various sources for accuracy, stating that international treaties don’t determine how private mapping companies label geographical features. The company is open to meeting with Mexican officials. Google Maps Mexico contends that Google’s policy is a violation of its sovereignty since Mexico controls about 49% of the Gulf, while the U.S. controls around 46% and Cuba about 5%. The name “Gulf of Mexico” has been recognized internationally by the United Nations since 1607. Mexican officials have stated they won’t accept the renaming of a geographical area they control and will pursue legal action if Google does not change its policy. Related: Elon Is Sending SpaceX Team To Overhaul FAA Air Traffic Control System This disagreement also reflects ongoing tensions between Mexico and the U.S., especially in light of Trump’s earlier remarks. The current Mexican government is trying to work with the U.S., including high-level meetings on trade and security, to avoid larger conflicts. Google shows both names in the maps shown to users outside the U.S., so it’s not like they’re stamping it down everywhere. A lawsuit between Mexico and Google may not immediately go Mexico’s way, as the GDP is $1.789 trillion, and Google’s net worth is $2.266 Trillion, so the company has the money to fight back. Source: APNews

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays were unable to agree on a contract extension by Guerrero’s own deadline of February 17, 2025. Guerrero announced on Tuesday that the negotiations had ended without a deal. He said both sides had made financial offers but couldn’t find common ground. As a result, Guerrero will enter free agency after the season, meaning all 29 other MLB teams can compete to sign him. Guerrero’s strong performance in the 2024 season influenced the negotiations significantly. He had impressive stats, including a .323 batting average, .396 on-base percentage, and .544 slugging percentage, along with 44 doubles and 30 home runs. This performance earned him his fourth consecutive All-Star selection and a sixth-place finish in the American League MVP voting. His previous success, particularly finishing second in the 2021 AL MVP race, also raised his value. Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins expressed disappointment about the failed negotiations, noting that the team made a serious effort to reach an agreement and communicated thoroughly with Guerrero and his agent. Atkins said, “We worked very hard. The motivation is still there. Confident that every thought, idea we had, every dollar that we had was communicated. But we’re obviously disappointed to not have gotten that done.” Wikimedia Commons Team President Mark Shapiro echoed this feeling, mentioning that the team offered more than their usual budget to keep Guerrero. However, they didn’t reveal specifics about the offer, though previous reports indicated they had offered $340 million, which was turned down as too low. Related: The Basketball World Reacts To Luka Doncic’s Controversial Trade The recent record-setting contract signed by Juan Soto with the New York Mets influenced the negotiations for top players. Although Guerrero and Soto are different types of players, the Jays recognized the higher financial expectations set by Soto’s deal. This suggests that Guerrero’s potential contract could last at least 13 years, considering his age and expected peak performance. Guerrero’s self-imposed deadline helped set a timeline for discussions, but he is now not planning to discuss a contract during the season. His family’s financial stability, thanks to his successful career and that of his father may allow him to approach negotiations without feeling rushed for money. The Blue Jays ended the 2024 season with a disappointing 74-88 record, their worst since 2019. Their struggles to sign key free agents in the off-season underline how important it is for them to keep Guerrero and not risk losing their star player, as finding a replacement for someone of his talent would be challenging.

After a tragic midair collision over the Potomac River that killed 67 people, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working on major changes with help from SpaceX. The accident revealed serious issues within the FAA, such as insufficient staff and crowded airports. These problems got worse when hundreds of probationary FAA employees, who were crucial for air traffic control, were let go. While the union representing these workers said the number of job losses was in the hundreds, the exact number hasn’t been shared. This happened during a wider effort by the Trump administration to decrease the federal workforce. A team from SpaceX visited the Air Traffic Control Command Center in Virginia to evaluate the current system and talk to air traffic controllers. Their aim is to create a safer and updated air traffic control system. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced this partnership, saying SpaceX would look at existing tools and suggest improvements. Wikimedia Commons However, SpaceX’s involvement, led by Elon Musk, has faced criticism. Some are worried about a conflict of interest, given Musk’s role as a major government contractor and his connection to a department that was involved in the recent layoffs of FAA employees. Critics have also pointed out that Musk influenced the removal of the previous FAA administrator after SpaceX was fined for not submitting safety data. Duffy responded to these concerns, stating that the FAA often provides tours of the command center to various groups, including the media. The FAA is under increased scrutiny now, with many air traffic workers reporting unsafe conditions due to understaffing and poor facilities. At the time of the collision, the FAA didn’t even have a permanent leader. Letting go of probationary employees, many of whom had been with the FAA for less than a year, has raised alarms about the increased workload and safety risks for the remaining workers. The union expressed concern about how these job losses affect an already stretched workforce, noting that the dismissals targeted probationary employees with fewer rights to appeal. Source: The Verge

The Dallas Mavericks made a surprising move by trading Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, which caught a lot of people off guard in the NBA. General manager Nico Harrison handled the trade quietly and quickly, raising questions about why it happened. Reports suggest that the Mavericks weren’t planning to offer Dončić a massive five-year, $345 million contract extension, which gives insight into their long-term strategy. Harrison has a background that involves being discreet and strategic. He went from being a college basketball player to working at Nike, managing famous athletes like Kobe Bryant, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving. This experience helped him build a network of relationships and maintain confidentiality, which was important in this trade. Wikimedia Commons Details about the trade were kept secret, with only a few people in the Mavericks and Lakers’ front offices knowing what was going on. Even the Utah Jazz, who were part of the multi-team deal, weren’t informed until right before everything was finalized. This shows that Harrison wanted to avoid leaks and bidding wars by keeping things under wraps. His choice to mainly negotiate with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, who he has known for a long time, reflects the trust he has in their relationship. The Mavericks’ decision wasn’t just about money. There were worries about Dončić’s health and lifestyle that influenced their choice. While he has been a great player, concerns about his long-term fitness and playing style were important factors. They also believed that Anthony Davis would fit the team better. People who know Harrison describe him as thoughtful and careful, rather than impulsive. While the trade upset many fans, those who have worked with him say he makes decisions in a methodical way. His earlier trade for Kyrie Irving also highlights his willingness to take risks. Even though the Mavericks gave up significant talent in the trade, Harrison believes in his assessment of player value. He insists that the team’s goal is to win a championship, and trading for Davis is seen as a way to reach that goal. This move also indicates a shift in power within the Mavericks, with Harrison gaining more control over basketball decisions after a change in ownership. It’s still early to judge the success of this trade, but Harrison’s approach shows he is willing to make bold decisions based on careful evaluations of risks and rewards. Source: NYTimes

Amiga Games

Have you ever imagined combining the mechanics of Vampire Survivor with the retro aesthetics and style of a classic like Robotron? Geometry Survivor may be another entry in the one-stick, no-button "auto-shooter" genre, but it manages to feel refreshingly unique, thanks to its 80s-inspired graphics and, even more so, its excellent music.

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Did you pick up the excellent TerribleFire card for your Amiga CD32 and wish it came with a cover? Well, now you can get a well-crafted, solid cover designed by Maciej Sees on Thingiverse. If you have a 3D printer or know someone who does, don't hesitate to print one out!

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CYGNI: All Guns Blazing has been in development for quite some time, and for most shoot-'em-up fans, the wait has been challenging. Keelworks and Konami have certainly built up anticipation, promoting it as the next big thing in the twin stick shoot 'em-up genre.

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Accompanied by the various ghosts of his life, Thomas Eilian journeys through his mind across four seasons, striving to reconcile with his family and himself while battling Alzheimer's and the fragmentation of his soul in both past and present.

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Last week, we asked you to climb into Lara Croft’s shoes in Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered and share epic moments using  #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: ​​ call_me_xavii shares a close up shot of Lara with sunglasses on. DopeAFD shares Lara standing in front of a tomb entrance flanked by statues ​​ Maurice_II […]

Last week, we asked you to climb into Lara Croft’s shoes in Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered and share epic moments using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: call_me_xavii shares a close up shot of Lara with sunglasses on. DopeAFD shares Lara standing in front of a tomb entrance flanked by statues Maurice_II shares Lara contemplating crossing lava. call_me_xavii shares Lara crossing a rope highlighted by a helicopter spotlight Maurice_II shares Lara leaping towards an enemy with guns drawn Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Pirates SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on February 26, 2025 Next week, we’re hitting the high seas. Share swashbuckling moments with pirates from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Run amok, PlayStation fans! It’s every outlaw for themselves in Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless. Looting reaches a whole new level as you go from job to job — heisting Fletcher Kane’s train transports, plundering his riches from bank vaults, or targeting his armored caravan. Here, the hustle never stops: Big Dill […]

Run amok, PlayStation fans! It’s every outlaw for themselves in Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless. Looting reaches a whole new level as you go from job to job — heisting Fletcher Kane’s train transports, plundering his riches from bank vaults, or targeting his armored caravan. Here, the hustle never stops: Big Dill drops the beat and high-value Dill Bits, Midas returns later in the season, but the real score? The outlaw life. There are plenty of ways to make a splash in some cash, so let’s dive into it! Play Video Havens for heisters Go for broke in your mission to be rich! Prized Bars saturate the Island more than normal, but your dreams of living the high life can be snuffed out as public enemy number one Fletcher Kane is in the running to take all the riches for himself. To get ahead of the competition, scope out the potential hauls in these new locales: Welcome to Crime City Corruption and deceit are the name of the game in Crime City. Peruse the Wise Guys Bookstore, Hostile Hotel, or the Launder Mat to build your stash, but don’t linger here too long. Swindling outlaws — a.k.a. other players — are itching to stop your hot streak. An Outlaw’s Oasis Even heisters need a chance to relax! Outlaw Oasis’ luxurious facilities provide just that, giving you a zen environment to plan your next major raid. Shiny Shafts Feel like making your claim to highly sought-after wealth? Make a hustle to Fletcher Kane’s Shiny Shafts, the mining source that puts the Bars in his banks. Lonewolf Lair Cause some chaos at Lonewolf Lair, Fletcher’s mansion hideout that has some rigid security to sneak past (or fight head-on if you’re brash). Kingpin of cunning There isn’t any place in town that the baron Fletcher Kane doesn’t have his paws in. He always seems to appear when you least hope him to, mainly to snatch the loot you just took. But if you have the guts to challenge the Island’s mob don, you can earn the Mythic Fletcher Kane’s Double Down Pistol and the Unstoppable Medallion that increases sprint speed and allows for bashing enemies while sprinting. Remember: Try to keep a low profile! If you have a Medallion, your enemies will be able to keep an eye on your location on their mini-map! The more Medallions you have, the more precise the radius of your exact location. Pickle on the beat Big Dill is the newest rap artist on the scene in Fortnite. He’s a mean, green, hot-tempered outlaw aiming to be the grittiest gherkin in the jar. Big Dill & The Brat make up the dynamic duo known as the Tasty Bois. Their new single Runamok drops on Soundcloud February 21 and is available as a Jam Track in the Battle Pass now. Big Dill is “borrowing” from banks, launching music, and creating his own currency in-game: Dill Bits (more on that in a second). Who knows what he’ll do next… maybe launch a podcast? Your checklist to hit the jackpot Strike it rich by taking advantage of these golden opportunities to put you ahead of the craftiest of rogues: A surge of gold Coming under the effect of a Gold Rush will boost your speed, plus the speed of your Pickaxe swing and how much structure damage it does. Speaking of your Pickaxe, you can also gain Gold Rush by mining Bar-filled Gold Veins! Grow your wealth big-time with Dill Bits, a coin created by the notorious Tasty Boi rapper Big Dill. The value of Dill Bits are reaching levels that Bars* can never hit, but make sure to use them during your match as they don’t transfer to the next! *Big Dill has more strikes than he does tracks worth listening to, please do not take financial advice from a rapping pickle. Don’t squander your wealth Lay down your Bars and Dill Bits to buy Boons and Legendary items from one of the three Black Markets around the map. Don’t worry about how the Black Markets acquired them — some details are better left unknown. Convoys of treasure No Bars move around the Island without Fletcher Kane being involved. He’s transporting valuables around the map with his Armored Transport convoys, and they pack a punch. If your plan is to “borrow” these valuables, be ready for a fight with Kane’s henchmen. The loot is yours for the taking after that! Setting your eyes on a higher prize? Feel free to try your hand at raiding Fletcher’s Armored Train. However, this is well-known for being the most dangerous job in town. Hop aboard the train, destroy its turrets, and blow the vault door wide open to bring it to a screeching halt! A boon of boons Season refresh, Boon refresh. Venture to Black Markets or come across Rare Chests to find a new slate of Boons! These persist beyond elimination in the same match (meaning you’ll keep your Boons if you get rebooted in the same match). The Boons in Chapter 6 Season 2 are: Vulture Boon: Reveal where enemies are eliminated on the map for a short time. Gold Rush Boon: Opening or destroying Chests grants Gold Rush. Adrenaline Rush Boon: Gain the Slap effect (short-term unlimited Energy regen) upon mantling, hurdling, and wall jumping. Gold Ammo Boon: Gain ammo when picking up Bars. Greed Boon: Find extra Bars from eliminations and opening containers. New, nefarious munitions Get into trouble… And stay there with these new tools! Vault crackin’ at its finest These vaults are tough and the only way to crack them is with Thermite, a powerful explosive found stashed away around the map. After you’ve planted it, damage the vault’s weak points to expedite your robbery. The Plasma Burst Laser works great for this, as does the Rocket Drill, coming later this season. The tools for mayhem Make your “withdrawals” look effortless with the new Collateral Damage Assault Rifle and Falcon Eye Sniper. Also, keep an eye out for the formidable Outlaw Shotgun dropping in a later update! If your style’s a little more ambidextrous, the dual-wield Pump & Dump, coming in a later update, is your new best friend. Occupying a single weapon slot, hold a Pump Shotgun in one hand and an SMG in the other. Aim for the knees A staple for ne’er-do-wells everywhere, take a crack at The Kneecapper! It’s not just good for giving enemies a whack — it also reduces the Energy cost of sprinting while increasing sprint speed and jump height. Security in the way? No problem New utility items like the protective Port-A-Cover and enemy-detecting Pulse Scanner can be found around the map. Both are tremendously useful for holding off henchmen. There are henchmen and enemy players crawling all over the Island, but it’s all about knowing the tricks of the trade. The Med-Mist Grenade helps heal in a pinch, and Gold Splash grants Gold Rush and heals 20 Health! (It’ll heal 20 Shield if you’re at full Health already.) Slay frosty Your enemies are about to be on thin ice. The cold-blooded cryomancer Sub-Zero has arrived on the Island and can be recruited to your cause! Be sure to pick up Sub-Zero’s Kombat Kit, which empowers you to ice slide into opponents and unleash a flurry of frosty fists. It’s good to be bad with the Lawless Battle Pass Get the Lawless Battle Pass to instantly unlock the Cassidy Quinn Outfit. Like with the other Passes in Fortnite, you can unlock and claim free and premium rewards in the Battle Pass by earning XP in any Fortnite experience! To claim the premium rewards as you earn XP, purchase the Pass for only 1,000 V-Bucks or get it through Fortnite Crew! There are several Outfits included as premium rewards in the Pass: Cassidy Quinn: She’s all in. (Cassidy Quinn is claimable right away upon purchasing the Battle Pass!) Joss: It’s not magic. It’s chemistry! Fletcher Kane: What’s yours is his. Valentina: Get in, get the goods, and get out with style. Big Dill: The original Tasty Boi. Keisha Cross: She rules the road. Sub-Zero (MK3): The Lin Kuei cryomancer of legend. The fallen king with a heart of gold is finding his way back to the Island. The Outlaw Midas Outfit will be unlockable from Battle Pass Quests in March, completable in any Fortnite experience! The Battle Pass will be available to progress in until Chapter 6 Season 2 ends on May 2, 2025 Eastern Time. Let’s go, space cowboy! Prefer stopping criminals? Complete Cowboy Bebop Quests starting March 1 to rake in XP that can go towards Cowboy Bebop Bonus Goals! Meeting these Bonus Goals will unlock the Cowboy Bebop Wrap and Bebop Legends Loading Screen. The Quests and Bonus Goals will be available until March 18. What if we said you can complete these objectives as the famed bounty hunters themselves? The Spike Spiegel Outfit and Faye Valentine Outfit will be in the Fortnite Shop starting February 28 Eastern Time! Fortnite Battle Royale: Lawless ends May 2. Blow that vault door wide open!

SEGA is gearing up for the February 21st release of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5! Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii places Goro Majima as the sole main character of the story set after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Set on the tropical waters and islands […]

SEGA is gearing up for the February 21st release of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5! Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii places Goro Majima as the sole main character of the story set after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Set on the tropical waters and islands of Hawaii, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii offers an unpredictable assortment of high seas thrills. Sail aboard the Goromaru and enjoy hot-blooded battles, a treasure trove of minigames. Meet a charismatic cast of new characters, brought to life by star-studded actors, including First Summer Uika, Kenji Matsuda, Munetaka Aoki, Ryuji Akiyama, Ayumi Tanida, and Shunsuke Daitoh! Story View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image After losing his memory, Goro Majima, a once-feared legend in the yakuza world, sets sail in search of treasure. Half a year after teaming up with Kiryu for a massive battle in the Millenium Tower, Goro Majima washes up with the wreckage of a boat on the shore of a remote, sparsely populated island. With no memories—not even his own name—Majima joins forces with Noah, the young islander who saved his life, and embarks on a search for clues to his forgotten past. However, what waits for them is a powder-keg world where scoundrels vie for a legendary treasure. Push Combat to the Extreme with Two Battle Style View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image In addition to his signature Mad Dog style, which is all about speed, Majima can also use his Sea Dog style to wield a cutlass and other buccaneer gear. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image With his Mad Dog style, Majima blends together a combination of punches, kicks, and knife strokes to make quick work of his enemies. Additionally, you can swap to Sea Dog style, a swashbuckling fighting style befitting a pirate at sea. With a pair of cutlasses and three sidearms at his disposal, Majima can easily make shark bait of his enemies. Using the Madness Gauge, Majima can summon dark deities capable of turning the tides of battle. Conjuring them requires treasures known as Dark Instruments, which you’ll need to plunder from the ships of defeated rival pirate crews. Pirate Battles The game takes place on and around the islands of Hawaii, where different motives collide. As you sail across the Pacific, foster bonds with your maties and battle against the scoundrels that roam the high seas! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Captain the Goromaru as you explore the vast ocean! During your voyages, you’ll discover lighthouses, treasure islands, and various other locations. However, don’t forget to ready your cannons, as you may have to go to pirate battle with the dangerous marauders that lurk in wait! Maneuver around enemy bombardments and send volleys of cannonballs into their ship’s hull! Once it has taken enough damage, board their ship with your crew and brawl it out to secure victory! To really kick ass in pirate battles, you’ll need to modify your ship, strategically deploy your forces, and power up your crew! Meet over 100 recruitable seafarers and modify your ship with options that range from different designs and decorations to armor and stronger cannons! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Minigames You can also have fun with Karaoke, Dragon Kart, Outfits, and many other activities! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Product Information: Title Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Release Date February 21, 2025 (Fri) Platform PlayStation®5 / PlayStation®4 Languages Subtitles: Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified) Website https://ryu-ga-gotoku.com/pirate/asia_en/ SEGA Asia Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sega.asia.EN Copyright ⒸSEGA

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, a sequel to the action-adventure Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, is due to set sail tomorrow, February 21 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. We recently had a conversation with Masayoshi Yokoyama, RGG Studio Director and the Like a Dragon Series Executive Producer, about what went on behind […]

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, a sequel to the action-adventure Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, is due to set sail tomorrow, February 21 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. We recently had a conversation with Masayoshi Yokoyama, RGG Studio Director and the Like a Dragon Series Executive Producer, about what went on behind the scenes during the development of the Pirate Battle system, as well as why he thinks Goro Majima remains a fan-favorite to this day. Masayoshi Yokoyama A narrative-driven game design Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii introduces a new combat system called Pirate Battles, where players can engage in cannon battles aboard their ships. Was it your plan all along to create a game that was vastly different from the rest of the series? How did the idea come about? To be honest, we weren’t sure where the game would end up when we first kicked off development. We had a story that we wanted to tell, and we started from there. There were still a number of unanswered questions after Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, like what would happen to Hawaii and how the former yakuza, after their complete dissolution, would continue with their lives. We thought the best way to answer these questions was to create a spin-off game. That being said, at the start of development, we had no idea that we’d end up implementing Pirate Battles into the game. Did you develop the Pirate Battle system from the ground up, specifically for this game? Yes. The Like a Dragon team excels at reworking existing assets to build new systems, but we did create the Pirate Battle system from scratch. The canon battle that is part of the Pirate Battle is essentially a shooting game, and shooters can end up being too complex and difficult for players who aren’t used to action games. We ideated various concepts to avoid increasing the difficulty too much, like creating a mini-game where you shoot enemy ships from a 2D bird’s-eye view. However, our development team worked hard to implement realistic 3D pirate ships that the player can steer to engage in cannon battles. It did make the game slightly more challenging though, so we spent extra time making sure the difficulty level was just right for a Like a Dragon game. It’s easy to make something as effortless as possible, but if it’s not challenging or rewarding, it’s not a lot of fun. In the end, we decided to make naval battles in the main story easier to play, and at the same time came up with the Pirates’ Coliseum, an arena perfect for players looking to challenge themselves with back-to-back fights with powerful enemies. There are only a few battles that are required to progress the main story, but we also wanted to cater to players looking for a challenge. This is similar to what we did with the Coliseum in Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, so we’ve taken this kind of dual approach more often with our recent games. My dream is for the Pirate Battle to be embraced by players all over the world and for us to create an online battle mode. However, I understand the game will need to be super successful for that to happen. If the Pirate Battle system is well-received and players ask for a game focused on it, that feedback will most certainly impact the games we make in the future. Majima’s confidence in his powers allows him to make big life-altering decisions Did your impression of Majima change throughout the game’s development? Majima shows a different side of himself when he meets a boy named Noah in this game. Majima suffers from amnesia and has forgotten who he is, but deep down he knows he probably spent his life as a good-for-nothing hoodlum. Then he meets Noah and develops a paternal bond with him, wishing to help fulfill his dreams. You certainly see Majima through a different lens in this game. Noah suffers from chronic asthma, and his father, Jason, forbids him from leaving their island over concerns about his well-being. Never having left the confines of his island, Noah yearns to see the rest of the world. That’s where Majima comes in, after getting washed up on the island’s beach. Noah and Jason both struggle with their suppressed emotions, but Majima swoops in and helps break them out of their hardened shells. The game begins with Majima embarking on his journey with Noah and Jason by his side. His lack of memories does not stop Majima from throwing himself into anything that piques his interest. He is the sort of guy that can make life-altering decisions that others will find extremely difficult. Some may call him shortsighted, but Majima is able to accomplish all of this because he is fully confident in his strength and capabilities. Although he has no recollection of his past, he takes action because he knows he has the power to protect Noah no matter what. Throttle your enemies with Majima’s signature Mad Dog Style Could you tell us what went on behind the scenes during the development of Majima’s two fighting styles, the Pirate and Mad Dog styles? We settled on the concept for Pirate Style fairly early on. We started brainstorming ideas like his pirate costume, cutlass, and flying weapons, and it all came together very quickly. On the other hand, the Mad Dog Style was a challenge. Majima is usually not a playable character, so we didn’t have much experience developing fighting motions and movements tailored to him. We did, however, have a lot of experience developing Majima as the antagonist, so we had to expand on that. Another challenge was that the moves Majima used in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth were far too powerful for a playable character, but we also knew that players would want to experience Majima’s signature fighting style. So, we spent a lot of time mulling over how we could adapt Majima’s unique moves for a playable character, and how we could rework them to be appropriate for a fighting action game instead of an RPG. We ended up spending nearly three times more working on the Mad Dog Style compared to the Pirate Style. However, the Mad Dog Style ended up less flashy and spectacular compared to the Pirate Style, so maybe it wasn’t the most effective use of our time and energy (laughs). Still, I am glad that we went with two battle styles, because I saw many players trying out the Mad Dog Style at hands-on events, probably because it best represents Majima and his scrappy ways. I personally prefer the Pirate Style because I like AOE attacks, but both are different and super fun. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches on PS5 and PS4 February 21.

Hello everyone, I’m Yonghe Wang – Creative Director at Pollard Studios and today I am very excited to announce on behalf of my team and our publisher Wired Productions that Karma: The Dark World will be launching on PlayStation 5 on March 27. The game will also support PS5 Pro enhancements. To celebrate, we thought […]

Hello everyone, I’m Yonghe Wang – Creative Director at Pollard Studios and today I am very excited to announce on behalf of my team and our publisher Wired Productions that Karma: The Dark World will be launching on PlayStation 5 on March 27. The game will also support PS5 Pro enhancements. To celebrate, we thought we would share a breakdown of how the team is making the most of the PS5 Pro features to enhance the games visuals and performance – and to share the second in a trilogy of trailers – showcasing some of the surreal environments and characters in the game hinting at their relationship to you – the player. Please Enjoy! Play Video What Is Karma: The Dark World? Karma: The Dark World is a first-person cinematic psychological thriller which takes place in a cassette future alternate timeline set after World War II. In our game, a company known as Leviathan obtained unfathomable technology that allowed them to wrestle Eastern Germany under their control, installing a regime that oppresses the citizens and places productivity and obedience as gospel. They achieve this through a variety of means, from mass surveillance and mind-altering substances, to their secret organization of Nightcrawlers, special ROAM Agents who have the authority to investigate crime scenes and arrest citizens for interrogation and for Mind Dives – a special technology that allows them to dive into the memories of their subjects, and inhabit their memories, living and interacting with the events in their memories as they seek out the truth – dealing with the horrors of peoples pasts and twisted interpretations of emotions, guilt, and trauma from their harshest experiences. You play Daniel McGovern, a ROAM agent tasked with investigating a theft at one of the Leviathan scientific institutes, and a job that leads to much greater investigation into love, humanity, empathy, and the complexities of morality. Creating the Dark World I believe creation is a profound dialogue with the human soul, transcending books or films to encompass real-life experiences and emotions. We focus on integrating philosophical reflection into game design, as reflected in the title of this work. The relationship between cause and effect is interlinked, with each moment, character connection, event, and more spirally constructing the entire world. Through Karma, we aim to break the boundaries of traditional storytelling, crafting an experience that entertains while provoking thought. It is not just a virtual journey but a mirror to reality, urging players to seek their own answers within the game. Our team employ stark contrasts in lighting and bold color palettes, aiming to immerse players in an experience that merges realism with surrealism—inspired by the vibes of games from Remedy (Alan Wake, Control) and the abstract nature of visual storytelling found within the works of the late, great David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Fire Walk With Me, Eraserhead) whose artistry profoundly influenced our game development, inspiring us to pay tribute to and learn from his works. At the core of our creation is a pursuit of a unique experiential quality—something hauntingly beautiful that lingers even after closing one’s eyes, and an effort to blur the boundaries between reality and illusion. Within the game, we pay homage to Mr. David Lynch, and we hope players will cherish this journey. The power of PS5 Pro During development we had the opportunity to start utilizing the PS5 Pro kit, and further enhance the visuals and performance of the world that we have created. We’d like to take a moment to share with you the features that PS5 Pro players can look forward to – as well as some exclusive environmental footage captured directly from a PlayStation 5 Pro. Play Video PSSR integration Our game fully leverages PlayStation’s Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology, delivering: Superior image quality with advanced reconstruction techniques Enhanced edge definition and texture clarity Minimal performance overhead while maintaining visual fidelity Improved detail preservation in motion Performance metrics Through careful optimization, we’ve achieved: Native 4K resolution (3840×2160) Rock-solid 60 FPS performance Consistent frame pacing for smooth gameplay Enhanced texture streaming utilizing PS5 Pro’s increased memory bandwidth Visual enhancements The PS5 Pro version delivers: Higher quality texture filtering Enhanced volumetric effects Improved distance rendering Superior temporal stability Technical Infrastructure Our implementation takes full advantage of PS5 Pro’s hardware capabilities: Optimized memory utilization Enhanced shader processing Improved asset streaming Advanced post-processing effects I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look into how we crafted the visual design of Karma. Whether you are playing on PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro – we promise this is a story that will stay with you for a long time. Karma: The Dark World launches on PlayStation 5 on March 27. And we are excited for you to step into the shoes of a ROAM agent – but remember… the mind is a dangerous place.

Hello! I’m Oli, the game director at Kaizen Game Works, the creators of Paradise Killer. I’m thrilled to announce that the playable demo for our new open world mascot management crime drama, Promise Mascot Agency, is out today on PS5! We’ve spent a long time working on this game, and the whole team is excited […]

Hello! I’m Oli, the game director at Kaizen Game Works, the creators of Paradise Killer. I’m thrilled to announce that the playable demo for our new open world mascot management crime drama, Promise Mascot Agency, is out today on PS5! Play Video We’ve spent a long time working on this game, and the whole team is excited for PlayStation players to get their hands on it. Let me kick it to you straight; the PS5 rules. All of us at Kaizen primarily play on PlayStation, and we all grew up with the original PlayStation, PS2, PS3 and PS4. I collect PlayStation and PS2 games, and that era directly influenced the design of Promise Mascot Agency. I love PS2 games where you Hangout And Do Stuff. Have you ever played Way of the Samurai, Raw Danger, Boku No Natsuyasumi and Steambot Chronicles? You should! You can really chill in those games, meet interesting characters, make important choices and explore at your leisure. That’s the kind of game we wanted to make; a fun world with mysteries, weirdos, secrets, good gameplay friction and immaculate vibes. Take control of the exiled yakuza lieutenant Michi, and team up with the chaos goblin Pinky to save a bankrupt mascot agency and solve the underworld conspiracy that got Michi sent to a cursed town on the coast of Japan. In this game, mascots are living creatures and the town of Kaso-Machi is filled with misfits that can’t find work anywhere else. Michi is going to need to build a new family of mascots and help them achieve their dreams, so he can save the business and his yakuza family back home. Kaso-Machi is a town living under a supernatural curse. The mountain in the centre of the island is a playground for spirits and gods. The town is steeped in superstition and occult stories. Michi is able to try to solve the mystery behind ghost sightings, escaped sin talismans and the mythical Tsuchinoko creature. However, his time in town might be limited; the curse that hangs over the town kills any yakuza that come to visit. Can Michi save the mascot agency and solve a conspiracy before the curse rots his body? We started this project four years ago, collaborating with Ikumi Nakamura and Mai Mattori to design the characters and world. We have blended the Kaizen style with Nakamura-san’s style to create a bizarre, nostalgic, unique game. We’re a western company, so we have worked with Japanese artists, musicians and creatives to bring our world to life and fill it with authenticity. Often we provide very little creative direction, allowing our team members to craft something that is authentic and meaningful to them. This has filled the game with lots of different influences and lived experiences. We recently unveiled some of our voice actors including the voice of Kiryu Kazuma, Takaya Kuroda as Michi. We never expected to be able to include voice acting, and we CERTAINLY didn’t expect Kuroda-san to just turn up to the audition like it wasn’t a big deal. He teams up with Ayano Shibuya as Pinky to create a buddy-cop dynamic between Michi and Pinky. The game features many great voice actors, along with the first voice acting roles for Shuhei Yoshida and SWERY. We’re a small team and it has taken everything we have to make a big, silly, generous, bizarre 20 hour open world RPG. We’re so happy to share it with you all. We hope you enjoy the demo (and the DualSense controller haptics, adaptive triggers and speaker features) on PS5. We’ll have more to share about the full release date soon. Now, get out there, keep promises and achieve dreams! Grab the demo on the PlayStation Store today!

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey, everybody! Tim and Kristen discuss all the big news for this week’s State of Play, including Saros, the upcoming new game from Housemarque, and some of their other favorite moments from the show. Stuff We Talked About The Cast Thanks to Dormilón […]

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey, everybody! Tim and Kristen discuss all the big news for this week’s State of Play, including Saros, the upcoming new game from Housemarque, and some of their other favorite moments from the show. Stuff We Talked About Next week’s release highlights: Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered | PS5, PS4 Afterlove EP | PS5, PS4 Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii | PS5 Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 1 | PS5 Astro Bot’s five new levels Announcing Saros Days Gone Remastered announced for PS5 Borderlands 4 arrives on September 23, with a special State of Play deep dive coming this spring PlayStation Plus February Game Catalog Star Wars Jedi: Survivor TopSpin 2K25 Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 1 SaGa Frontier Remastered Somerville Tin Hearts Mordhau Patapon 3 Dropship: United Peace Force Resident Evil 4 VR Mode Metaphor ReFantazio The Cast View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

Last week, you to share the love and showcase romantic moments from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: fsantos1697 shares Scott and Ramona sharing a kiss in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Couch_Gamer2k23 shares Dina and Ellie leaning in with romantic tension in The Last of […]

Last week, you to share the love and showcase romantic moments from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: fsantos1697 shares Scott and Ramona sharing a kiss in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Couch_Gamer2k23 shares Dina and Ellie leaning in with romantic tension in The Last of Us Part II Skania__ shares protagonist Makoto and Aigis spending time together in Persona 3 Reload garagaraarga shares V framing Panam Palmer with a hand heart in Cyberpunk 2077 jobolts_ shares May and Cody sharing a kiss against fireworks in It Takes Two. ct_tomtom shares Cloud and Tifa spending time together in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on February 19, 2025 Next week, Lara Croft is back! Share adventurous moments from Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered as a still or with the Flyby Camera Maker feature using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Everybody has a story in their mind that they’d love to tell, but maybe they don’t feel like they have the ability to tell it effectively. But that’s about to change in Hazelight Studios’ Split Fiction, which launches March 6 on PS5.  In the game, the publisher Rader has a new, advanced machine capable of […]

Everybody has a story in their mind that they’d love to tell, but maybe they don’t feel like they have the ability to tell it effectively. But that’s about to change in Hazelight Studios’ Split Fiction, which launches March 6 on PS5. Play Video In the game, the publisher Rader has a new, advanced machine capable of bringing a person’s stories to life and letting the authors live through their tales. They’ve invited some aspiring storytellers to give their tech a try–among them Mio and Zoe, two women with dramatically different backgrounds, tastes, and personalities. But when the on switch gets flipped and the stories emerge, an unexpected development causes these two’s most elaborate tales to intertwine. Mio and Zoe need to team up to survive each other’s stories–and figure out some of the secrets Rader’s been hiding from its test subjects. So begins Split Fiction: a co-op adventure about unlikely companions, imaginations running wild, and very strange adventures. Double vision Developer Hazelight is a studio known for creating memorable cooperative gameplay experiences like A Way Out, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and the award-winning It Takes Two. Their games are known for unique themes, strong emotional moments, surprise gameplay twists, and a good dose of off-kilter humor. We’re pleased to report that Split Fiction offers plenty of everything players have come to love from their previous works, all while amping things up to new heights. Players who jump into Split Fiction will take control of one of the two leading women. Mio, a somewhat cold and curt city girl, is a massive sci-fi nerd who loves interstellar battles, cyberpunk aesthetics, and futuristic weaponry. Zoe, a chatty lass from the countryside, enjoys high-fantasy tales of heroic trials, dragons, trolls, and magic. A glitch in the system is causing the pair to journey together while switching between each other’s stories: They might be cyborg ninja assassins in a dystopia one moment, only to turn into magical shapeshifters on their epic quest through the wilds the next. All the while, the machine generating these story worlds is digging much deeper into each girl’s memories and story ideas than either one expected. You’ll start by playing split-screen co-op, with both players traversing the same route. You’ll soon discover obstacles that can’t be overcome by just one person, so you’ll have to cooperate to proceed. As the story environments they encounter change, so do Mio and Zoe’s abilities– each character will often have a different skillset where one player can perform attacks or movements that the other can’t, such as Mio being able to transform into a giant gorilla-monster while Zoe gets to be a tiny, nimble faerie. You’ll need to work together to figure out how to use these asynchronous abilities to get past the obstacles and enemies impeding you. We were able to play a boss fight against a massive robotic law enforcement machine in Mio’s cyber-ninja story that required some careful coordination: Mio had to use her gravity abilities and swordplay to expose the boss’ weak point, while Zoe had to dodge attacks and use a whip-like weapon to grab leftover objects and smash them into the enemy. Tales to tell Not every story players will encounter in Split Fiction involves combat. One area was a callback to classic extreme sports games where the duo had a friendly competition performing tricks on futuristic hoverboards. Another surreal story area transformed the women into a pair of portly pigs powered by springs and rainbow-colored farts–and it only got weirder from that point. Many of these areas are optional side stories that can be discovered during the main quest, giving players an incentive to explore a bit and rewarding them with unique experiences and character moments. The gameplay in each section can change dramatically, too. While third-person split-screen action and exploration was the most common experience during our test run, there were sections with fast-paced vehicle chases, side-scrolling run-and-gun action, and even some tricky puzzles that tested players’ skills at pinball. Every new world we saw in Split Fiction felt like a delightful surprise, since we never knew what sort of theming or gameplay twist to expect. We’re eager to see more of this odd duo’s strange adventures, and fortunately, we won’t have to wait much longer–Split Fiction will debut on March 6 on PS5. Bring a friend–it’s about to get wild.

It’s a great pleasure to see you with our first post of 2025. From all of us at Team Asobi, we wish you a wonderful year ahead. Last year saw the release of Astro Bot, our biggest game to date. As well as picking several game awards, we have been blessed with countless comments and […]

It’s a great pleasure to see you with our first post of 2025. From all of us at Team Asobi, we wish you a wonderful year ahead. Last year saw the release of Astro Bot, our biggest game to date. As well as picking several game awards, we have been blessed with countless comments and lovely words from you, the players. This has made the hard work of everyone at Team Asobi even more worth it. So from the bottom of our lil’ robotic hearts, hearts, a huge thank you to you all. Play Video And now, into the main news! To start the year on a good note, we are delighted to announce new Astro Bot content is coming starting today. You might have noticed that a, yet unreleased, level of Astro Bot was featured at the PlayStation XP Tournament Final in London, England on January 18. That very level, along with 4 additional ones will be coming your way inside the brand-new Vicious Void Galaxy, starting today. As before, this new update is completely free of charge and a gift from us to you, the Astro Bot community. These five levels will appear on a weekly basis as follows: Feb 13: Tick-Tock Shock Feb 20: Thrust or Bust Feb 27: Cock-A-Doodle-Doom Mar 6: Hard to Bear Mar 13: Armored Hardcore Note: All Astro Bot updates from February 13 to March 13 will be available every Thursday at 6:00am PT, 2:00pm GMT, and 10:00pm JST. Unlike our last update Winter Wonder, which was a walk through the Xmas park, this new update features harder levels to test your jumping skills. Each level comes with a brand-new Special Bot to rescue and, once that’s done, can be replayed in Time Attack mode with online rankings. To access these, you will need to have completed the main game. So sharpen those skills again and let’s get rescuing. Play Video “Tick Tock Shock”, the first of 5 new levels will release on February 13 But hold on, we still have more news. Alongside these five new levels, we are pleased to say that owners of the PS5 Pro will be able to enjoy an improved version of Astro Bot featuring a constant best resolution while still running at 60 frames per second. That’s about all for this update. We hope you enjoy it. We want to take this chance to thank you, sincerely, for the ongoing support. We could not be happier with the way Astro was welcomed into so many new homes. Your comments, positivity and kind words have carried us through the months and continue to warm our little robotic hearts. Thank you for your loyalty and we shall see you around. Team Asobi out.

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Last week, we asked you to climb into Lara Croft’s shoes in Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered and share epic moments using  #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: ​​ call_me_xavii shares a close up shot of Lara with sunglasses on. DopeAFD shares Lara standing in front of a tomb entrance flanked by statues ​​ Maurice_II […]

Last week, we asked you to climb into Lara Croft’s shoes in Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered and share epic moments using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: call_me_xavii shares a close up shot of Lara with sunglasses on. DopeAFD shares Lara standing in front of a tomb entrance flanked by statues Maurice_II shares Lara contemplating crossing lava. call_me_xavii shares Lara crossing a rope highlighted by a helicopter spotlight Maurice_II shares Lara leaping towards an enemy with guns drawn Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Pirates SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on February 26, 2025 Next week, we’re hitting the high seas. Share swashbuckling moments with pirates from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Run amok, PlayStation fans! It’s every outlaw for themselves in Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless. Looting reaches a whole new level as you go from job to job — heisting Fletcher Kane’s train transports, plundering his riches from bank vaults, or targeting his armored caravan. Here, the hustle never stops: Big Dill […]

Run amok, PlayStation fans! It’s every outlaw for themselves in Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless. Looting reaches a whole new level as you go from job to job — heisting Fletcher Kane’s train transports, plundering his riches from bank vaults, or targeting his armored caravan. Here, the hustle never stops: Big Dill drops the beat and high-value Dill Bits, Midas returns later in the season, but the real score? The outlaw life. There are plenty of ways to make a splash in some cash, so let’s dive into it! Play Video Havens for heisters Go for broke in your mission to be rich! Prized Bars saturate the Island more than normal, but your dreams of living the high life can be snuffed out as public enemy number one Fletcher Kane is in the running to take all the riches for himself. To get ahead of the competition, scope out the potential hauls in these new locales: Welcome to Crime City Corruption and deceit are the name of the game in Crime City. Peruse the Wise Guys Bookstore, Hostile Hotel, or the Launder Mat to build your stash, but don’t linger here too long. Swindling outlaws — a.k.a. other players — are itching to stop your hot streak. An Outlaw’s Oasis Even heisters need a chance to relax! Outlaw Oasis’ luxurious facilities provide just that, giving you a zen environment to plan your next major raid. Shiny Shafts Feel like making your claim to highly sought-after wealth? Make a hustle to Fletcher Kane’s Shiny Shafts, the mining source that puts the Bars in his banks. Lonewolf Lair Cause some chaos at Lonewolf Lair, Fletcher’s mansion hideout that has some rigid security to sneak past (or fight head-on if you’re brash). Kingpin of cunning There isn’t any place in town that the baron Fletcher Kane doesn’t have his paws in. He always seems to appear when you least hope him to, mainly to snatch the loot you just took. But if you have the guts to challenge the Island’s mob don, you can earn the Mythic Fletcher Kane’s Double Down Pistol and the Unstoppable Medallion that increases sprint speed and allows for bashing enemies while sprinting. Remember: Try to keep a low profile! If you have a Medallion, your enemies will be able to keep an eye on your location on their mini-map! The more Medallions you have, the more precise the radius of your exact location. Pickle on the beat Big Dill is the newest rap artist on the scene in Fortnite. He’s a mean, green, hot-tempered outlaw aiming to be the grittiest gherkin in the jar. Big Dill & The Brat make up the dynamic duo known as the Tasty Bois. Their new single Runamok drops on Soundcloud February 21 and is available as a Jam Track in the Battle Pass now. Big Dill is “borrowing” from banks, launching music, and creating his own currency in-game: Dill Bits (more on that in a second). Who knows what he’ll do next… maybe launch a podcast? Your checklist to hit the jackpot Strike it rich by taking advantage of these golden opportunities to put you ahead of the craftiest of rogues: A surge of gold Coming under the effect of a Gold Rush will boost your speed, plus the speed of your Pickaxe swing and how much structure damage it does. Speaking of your Pickaxe, you can also gain Gold Rush by mining Bar-filled Gold Veins! Grow your wealth big-time with Dill Bits, a coin created by the notorious Tasty Boi rapper Big Dill. The value of Dill Bits are reaching levels that Bars* can never hit, but make sure to use them during your match as they don’t transfer to the next! *Big Dill has more strikes than he does tracks worth listening to, please do not take financial advice from a rapping pickle. Don’t squander your wealth Lay down your Bars and Dill Bits to buy Boons and Legendary items from one of the three Black Markets around the map. Don’t worry about how the Black Markets acquired them — some details are better left unknown. Convoys of treasure No Bars move around the Island without Fletcher Kane being involved. He’s transporting valuables around the map with his Armored Transport convoys, and they pack a punch. If your plan is to “borrow” these valuables, be ready for a fight with Kane’s henchmen. The loot is yours for the taking after that! Setting your eyes on a higher prize? Feel free to try your hand at raiding Fletcher’s Armored Train. However, this is well-known for being the most dangerous job in town. Hop aboard the train, destroy its turrets, and blow the vault door wide open to bring it to a screeching halt! A boon of boons Season refresh, Boon refresh. Venture to Black Markets or come across Rare Chests to find a new slate of Boons! These persist beyond elimination in the same match (meaning you’ll keep your Boons if you get rebooted in the same match). The Boons in Chapter 6 Season 2 are: Vulture Boon: Reveal where enemies are eliminated on the map for a short time. Gold Rush Boon: Opening or destroying Chests grants Gold Rush. Adrenaline Rush Boon: Gain the Slap effect (short-term unlimited Energy regen) upon mantling, hurdling, and wall jumping. Gold Ammo Boon: Gain ammo when picking up Bars. Greed Boon: Find extra Bars from eliminations and opening containers. New, nefarious munitions Get into trouble… And stay there with these new tools! Vault crackin’ at its finest These vaults are tough and the only way to crack them is with Thermite, a powerful explosive found stashed away around the map. After you’ve planted it, damage the vault’s weak points to expedite your robbery. The Plasma Burst Laser works great for this, as does the Rocket Drill, coming later this season. The tools for mayhem Make your “withdrawals” look effortless with the new Collateral Damage Assault Rifle and Falcon Eye Sniper. Also, keep an eye out for the formidable Outlaw Shotgun dropping in a later update! If your style’s a little more ambidextrous, the dual-wield Pump & Dump, coming in a later update, is your new best friend. Occupying a single weapon slot, hold a Pump Shotgun in one hand and an SMG in the other. Aim for the knees A staple for ne’er-do-wells everywhere, take a crack at The Kneecapper! It’s not just good for giving enemies a whack — it also reduces the Energy cost of sprinting while increasing sprint speed and jump height. Security in the way? No problem New utility items like the protective Port-A-Cover and enemy-detecting Pulse Scanner can be found around the map. Both are tremendously useful for holding off henchmen. There are henchmen and enemy players crawling all over the Island, but it’s all about knowing the tricks of the trade. The Med-Mist Grenade helps heal in a pinch, and Gold Splash grants Gold Rush and heals 20 Health! (It’ll heal 20 Shield if you’re at full Health already.) Slay frosty Your enemies are about to be on thin ice. The cold-blooded cryomancer Sub-Zero has arrived on the Island and can be recruited to your cause! Be sure to pick up Sub-Zero’s Kombat Kit, which empowers you to ice slide into opponents and unleash a flurry of frosty fists. It’s good to be bad with the Lawless Battle Pass Get the Lawless Battle Pass to instantly unlock the Cassidy Quinn Outfit. Like with the other Passes in Fortnite, you can unlock and claim free and premium rewards in the Battle Pass by earning XP in any Fortnite experience! To claim the premium rewards as you earn XP, purchase the Pass for only 1,000 V-Bucks or get it through Fortnite Crew! There are several Outfits included as premium rewards in the Pass: Cassidy Quinn: She’s all in. (Cassidy Quinn is claimable right away upon purchasing the Battle Pass!) Joss: It’s not magic. It’s chemistry! Fletcher Kane: What’s yours is his. Valentina: Get in, get the goods, and get out with style. Big Dill: The original Tasty Boi. Keisha Cross: She rules the road. Sub-Zero (MK3): The Lin Kuei cryomancer of legend. The fallen king with a heart of gold is finding his way back to the Island. The Outlaw Midas Outfit will be unlockable from Battle Pass Quests in March, completable in any Fortnite experience! The Battle Pass will be available to progress in until Chapter 6 Season 2 ends on May 2, 2025 Eastern Time. Let’s go, space cowboy! Prefer stopping criminals? Complete Cowboy Bebop Quests starting March 1 to rake in XP that can go towards Cowboy Bebop Bonus Goals! Meeting these Bonus Goals will unlock the Cowboy Bebop Wrap and Bebop Legends Loading Screen. The Quests and Bonus Goals will be available until March 18. What if we said you can complete these objectives as the famed bounty hunters themselves? The Spike Spiegel Outfit and Faye Valentine Outfit will be in the Fortnite Shop starting February 28 Eastern Time! Fortnite Battle Royale: Lawless ends May 2. Blow that vault door wide open!

SEGA is gearing up for the February 21st release of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5! Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii places Goro Majima as the sole main character of the story set after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Set on the tropical waters and islands […]

SEGA is gearing up for the February 21st release of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5! Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii places Goro Majima as the sole main character of the story set after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Set on the tropical waters and islands of Hawaii, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii offers an unpredictable assortment of high seas thrills. Sail aboard the Goromaru and enjoy hot-blooded battles, a treasure trove of minigames. Meet a charismatic cast of new characters, brought to life by star-studded actors, including First Summer Uika, Kenji Matsuda, Munetaka Aoki, Ryuji Akiyama, Ayumi Tanida, and Shunsuke Daitoh! Story View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image After losing his memory, Goro Majima, a once-feared legend in the yakuza world, sets sail in search of treasure. Half a year after teaming up with Kiryu for a massive battle in the Millenium Tower, Goro Majima washes up with the wreckage of a boat on the shore of a remote, sparsely populated island. With no memories—not even his own name—Majima joins forces with Noah, the young islander who saved his life, and embarks on a search for clues to his forgotten past. However, what waits for them is a powder-keg world where scoundrels vie for a legendary treasure. Push Combat to the Extreme with Two Battle Style View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image In addition to his signature Mad Dog style, which is all about speed, Majima can also use his Sea Dog style to wield a cutlass and other buccaneer gear. View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image With his Mad Dog style, Majima blends together a combination of punches, kicks, and knife strokes to make quick work of his enemies. Additionally, you can swap to Sea Dog style, a swashbuckling fighting style befitting a pirate at sea. With a pair of cutlasses and three sidearms at his disposal, Majima can easily make shark bait of his enemies. Using the Madness Gauge, Majima can summon dark deities capable of turning the tides of battle. Conjuring them requires treasures known as Dark Instruments, which you’ll need to plunder from the ships of defeated rival pirate crews. Pirate Battles The game takes place on and around the islands of Hawaii, where different motives collide. As you sail across the Pacific, foster bonds with your maties and battle against the scoundrels that roam the high seas! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Captain the Goromaru as you explore the vast ocean! During your voyages, you’ll discover lighthouses, treasure islands, and various other locations. However, don’t forget to ready your cannons, as you may have to go to pirate battle with the dangerous marauders that lurk in wait! Maneuver around enemy bombardments and send volleys of cannonballs into their ship’s hull! Once it has taken enough damage, board their ship with your crew and brawl it out to secure victory! To really kick ass in pirate battles, you’ll need to modify your ship, strategically deploy your forces, and power up your crew! Meet over 100 recruitable seafarers and modify your ship with options that range from different designs and decorations to armor and stronger cannons! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Minigames You can also have fun with Karaoke, Dragon Kart, Outfits, and many other activities! View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Product Information: Title Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Release Date February 21, 2025 (Fri) Platform PlayStation®5 / PlayStation®4 Languages Subtitles: Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified) Website https://ryu-ga-gotoku.com/pirate/asia_en/ SEGA Asia Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sega.asia.EN Copyright ⒸSEGA

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, a sequel to the action-adventure Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, is due to set sail tomorrow, February 21 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. We recently had a conversation with Masayoshi Yokoyama, RGG Studio Director and the Like a Dragon Series Executive Producer, about what went on behind […]

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, a sequel to the action-adventure Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, is due to set sail tomorrow, February 21 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. We recently had a conversation with Masayoshi Yokoyama, RGG Studio Director and the Like a Dragon Series Executive Producer, about what went on behind the scenes during the development of the Pirate Battle system, as well as why he thinks Goro Majima remains a fan-favorite to this day. Masayoshi Yokoyama A narrative-driven game design Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii introduces a new combat system called Pirate Battles, where players can engage in cannon battles aboard their ships. Was it your plan all along to create a game that was vastly different from the rest of the series? How did the idea come about? To be honest, we weren’t sure where the game would end up when we first kicked off development. We had a story that we wanted to tell, and we started from there. There were still a number of unanswered questions after Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, like what would happen to Hawaii and how the former yakuza, after their complete dissolution, would continue with their lives. We thought the best way to answer these questions was to create a spin-off game. That being said, at the start of development, we had no idea that we’d end up implementing Pirate Battles into the game. Did you develop the Pirate Battle system from the ground up, specifically for this game? Yes. The Like a Dragon team excels at reworking existing assets to build new systems, but we did create the Pirate Battle system from scratch. The canon battle that is part of the Pirate Battle is essentially a shooting game, and shooters can end up being too complex and difficult for players who aren’t used to action games. We ideated various concepts to avoid increasing the difficulty too much, like creating a mini-game where you shoot enemy ships from a 2D bird’s-eye view. However, our development team worked hard to implement realistic 3D pirate ships that the player can steer to engage in cannon battles. It did make the game slightly more challenging though, so we spent extra time making sure the difficulty level was just right for a Like a Dragon game. It’s easy to make something as effortless as possible, but if it’s not challenging or rewarding, it’s not a lot of fun. In the end, we decided to make naval battles in the main story easier to play, and at the same time came up with the Pirates’ Coliseum, an arena perfect for players looking to challenge themselves with back-to-back fights with powerful enemies. There are only a few battles that are required to progress the main story, but we also wanted to cater to players looking for a challenge. This is similar to what we did with the Coliseum in Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, so we’ve taken this kind of dual approach more often with our recent games. My dream is for the Pirate Battle to be embraced by players all over the world and for us to create an online battle mode. However, I understand the game will need to be super successful for that to happen. If the Pirate Battle system is well-received and players ask for a game focused on it, that feedback will most certainly impact the games we make in the future. Majima’s confidence in his powers allows him to make big life-altering decisions Did your impression of Majima change throughout the game’s development? Majima shows a different side of himself when he meets a boy named Noah in this game. Majima suffers from amnesia and has forgotten who he is, but deep down he knows he probably spent his life as a good-for-nothing hoodlum. Then he meets Noah and develops a paternal bond with him, wishing to help fulfill his dreams. You certainly see Majima through a different lens in this game. Noah suffers from chronic asthma, and his father, Jason, forbids him from leaving their island over concerns about his well-being. Never having left the confines of his island, Noah yearns to see the rest of the world. That’s where Majima comes in, after getting washed up on the island’s beach. Noah and Jason both struggle with their suppressed emotions, but Majima swoops in and helps break them out of their hardened shells. The game begins with Majima embarking on his journey with Noah and Jason by his side. His lack of memories does not stop Majima from throwing himself into anything that piques his interest. He is the sort of guy that can make life-altering decisions that others will find extremely difficult. Some may call him shortsighted, but Majima is able to accomplish all of this because he is fully confident in his strength and capabilities. Although he has no recollection of his past, he takes action because he knows he has the power to protect Noah no matter what. Throttle your enemies with Majima’s signature Mad Dog Style Could you tell us what went on behind the scenes during the development of Majima’s two fighting styles, the Pirate and Mad Dog styles? We settled on the concept for Pirate Style fairly early on. We started brainstorming ideas like his pirate costume, cutlass, and flying weapons, and it all came together very quickly. On the other hand, the Mad Dog Style was a challenge. Majima is usually not a playable character, so we didn’t have much experience developing fighting motions and movements tailored to him. We did, however, have a lot of experience developing Majima as the antagonist, so we had to expand on that. Another challenge was that the moves Majima used in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth were far too powerful for a playable character, but we also knew that players would want to experience Majima’s signature fighting style. So, we spent a lot of time mulling over how we could adapt Majima’s unique moves for a playable character, and how we could rework them to be appropriate for a fighting action game instead of an RPG. We ended up spending nearly three times more working on the Mad Dog Style compared to the Pirate Style. However, the Mad Dog Style ended up less flashy and spectacular compared to the Pirate Style, so maybe it wasn’t the most effective use of our time and energy (laughs). Still, I am glad that we went with two battle styles, because I saw many players trying out the Mad Dog Style at hands-on events, probably because it best represents Majima and his scrappy ways. I personally prefer the Pirate Style because I like AOE attacks, but both are different and super fun. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii launches on PS5 and PS4 February 21.

Hello everyone, I’m Yonghe Wang – Creative Director at Pollard Studios and today I am very excited to announce on behalf of my team and our publisher Wired Productions that Karma: The Dark World will be launching on PlayStation 5 on March 27. The game will also support PS5 Pro enhancements. To celebrate, we thought […]

Hello everyone, I’m Yonghe Wang – Creative Director at Pollard Studios and today I am very excited to announce on behalf of my team and our publisher Wired Productions that Karma: The Dark World will be launching on PlayStation 5 on March 27. The game will also support PS5 Pro enhancements. To celebrate, we thought we would share a breakdown of how the team is making the most of the PS5 Pro features to enhance the games visuals and performance – and to share the second in a trilogy of trailers – showcasing some of the surreal environments and characters in the game hinting at their relationship to you – the player. Please Enjoy! Play Video What Is Karma: The Dark World? Karma: The Dark World is a first-person cinematic psychological thriller which takes place in a cassette future alternate timeline set after World War II. In our game, a company known as Leviathan obtained unfathomable technology that allowed them to wrestle Eastern Germany under their control, installing a regime that oppresses the citizens and places productivity and obedience as gospel. They achieve this through a variety of means, from mass surveillance and mind-altering substances, to their secret organization of Nightcrawlers, special ROAM Agents who have the authority to investigate crime scenes and arrest citizens for interrogation and for Mind Dives – a special technology that allows them to dive into the memories of their subjects, and inhabit their memories, living and interacting with the events in their memories as they seek out the truth – dealing with the horrors of peoples pasts and twisted interpretations of emotions, guilt, and trauma from their harshest experiences. You play Daniel McGovern, a ROAM agent tasked with investigating a theft at one of the Leviathan scientific institutes, and a job that leads to much greater investigation into love, humanity, empathy, and the complexities of morality. Creating the Dark World I believe creation is a profound dialogue with the human soul, transcending books or films to encompass real-life experiences and emotions. We focus on integrating philosophical reflection into game design, as reflected in the title of this work. The relationship between cause and effect is interlinked, with each moment, character connection, event, and more spirally constructing the entire world. Through Karma, we aim to break the boundaries of traditional storytelling, crafting an experience that entertains while provoking thought. It is not just a virtual journey but a mirror to reality, urging players to seek their own answers within the game. Our team employ stark contrasts in lighting and bold color palettes, aiming to immerse players in an experience that merges realism with surrealism—inspired by the vibes of games from Remedy (Alan Wake, Control) and the abstract nature of visual storytelling found within the works of the late, great David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Fire Walk With Me, Eraserhead) whose artistry profoundly influenced our game development, inspiring us to pay tribute to and learn from his works. At the core of our creation is a pursuit of a unique experiential quality—something hauntingly beautiful that lingers even after closing one’s eyes, and an effort to blur the boundaries between reality and illusion. Within the game, we pay homage to Mr. David Lynch, and we hope players will cherish this journey. The power of PS5 Pro During development we had the opportunity to start utilizing the PS5 Pro kit, and further enhance the visuals and performance of the world that we have created. We’d like to take a moment to share with you the features that PS5 Pro players can look forward to – as well as some exclusive environmental footage captured directly from a PlayStation 5 Pro. Play Video PSSR integration Our game fully leverages PlayStation’s Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology, delivering: Superior image quality with advanced reconstruction techniques Enhanced edge definition and texture clarity Minimal performance overhead while maintaining visual fidelity Improved detail preservation in motion Performance metrics Through careful optimization, we’ve achieved: Native 4K resolution (3840×2160) Rock-solid 60 FPS performance Consistent frame pacing for smooth gameplay Enhanced texture streaming utilizing PS5 Pro’s increased memory bandwidth Visual enhancements The PS5 Pro version delivers: Higher quality texture filtering Enhanced volumetric effects Improved distance rendering Superior temporal stability Technical Infrastructure Our implementation takes full advantage of PS5 Pro’s hardware capabilities: Optimized memory utilization Enhanced shader processing Improved asset streaming Advanced post-processing effects I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look into how we crafted the visual design of Karma. Whether you are playing on PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro – we promise this is a story that will stay with you for a long time. Karma: The Dark World launches on PlayStation 5 on March 27. And we are excited for you to step into the shoes of a ROAM agent – but remember… the mind is a dangerous place.

Hello! I’m Oli, the game director at Kaizen Game Works, the creators of Paradise Killer. I’m thrilled to announce that the playable demo for our new open world mascot management crime drama, Promise Mascot Agency, is out today on PS5! We’ve spent a long time working on this game, and the whole team is excited […]

Hello! I’m Oli, the game director at Kaizen Game Works, the creators of Paradise Killer. I’m thrilled to announce that the playable demo for our new open world mascot management crime drama, Promise Mascot Agency, is out today on PS5! Play Video We’ve spent a long time working on this game, and the whole team is excited for PlayStation players to get their hands on it. Let me kick it to you straight; the PS5 rules. All of us at Kaizen primarily play on PlayStation, and we all grew up with the original PlayStation, PS2, PS3 and PS4. I collect PlayStation and PS2 games, and that era directly influenced the design of Promise Mascot Agency. I love PS2 games where you Hangout And Do Stuff. Have you ever played Way of the Samurai, Raw Danger, Boku No Natsuyasumi and Steambot Chronicles? You should! You can really chill in those games, meet interesting characters, make important choices and explore at your leisure. That’s the kind of game we wanted to make; a fun world with mysteries, weirdos, secrets, good gameplay friction and immaculate vibes. Take control of the exiled yakuza lieutenant Michi, and team up with the chaos goblin Pinky to save a bankrupt mascot agency and solve the underworld conspiracy that got Michi sent to a cursed town on the coast of Japan. In this game, mascots are living creatures and the town of Kaso-Machi is filled with misfits that can’t find work anywhere else. Michi is going to need to build a new family of mascots and help them achieve their dreams, so he can save the business and his yakuza family back home. Kaso-Machi is a town living under a supernatural curse. The mountain in the centre of the island is a playground for spirits and gods. The town is steeped in superstition and occult stories. Michi is able to try to solve the mystery behind ghost sightings, escaped sin talismans and the mythical Tsuchinoko creature. However, his time in town might be limited; the curse that hangs over the town kills any yakuza that come to visit. Can Michi save the mascot agency and solve a conspiracy before the curse rots his body? We started this project four years ago, collaborating with Ikumi Nakamura and Mai Mattori to design the characters and world. We have blended the Kaizen style with Nakamura-san’s style to create a bizarre, nostalgic, unique game. We’re a western company, so we have worked with Japanese artists, musicians and creatives to bring our world to life and fill it with authenticity. Often we provide very little creative direction, allowing our team members to craft something that is authentic and meaningful to them. This has filled the game with lots of different influences and lived experiences. We recently unveiled some of our voice actors including the voice of Kiryu Kazuma, Takaya Kuroda as Michi. We never expected to be able to include voice acting, and we CERTAINLY didn’t expect Kuroda-san to just turn up to the audition like it wasn’t a big deal. He teams up with Ayano Shibuya as Pinky to create a buddy-cop dynamic between Michi and Pinky. The game features many great voice actors, along with the first voice acting roles for Shuhei Yoshida and SWERY. We’re a small team and it has taken everything we have to make a big, silly, generous, bizarre 20 hour open world RPG. We’re so happy to share it with you all. We hope you enjoy the demo (and the DualSense controller haptics, adaptive triggers and speaker features) on PS5. We’ll have more to share about the full release date soon. Now, get out there, keep promises and achieve dreams! Grab the demo on the PlayStation Store today!

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey, everybody! Tim and Kristen discuss all the big news for this week’s State of Play, including Saros, the upcoming new game from Housemarque, and some of their other favorite moments from the show. Stuff We Talked About The Cast Thanks to Dormilón […]

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here Hey, everybody! Tim and Kristen discuss all the big news for this week’s State of Play, including Saros, the upcoming new game from Housemarque, and some of their other favorite moments from the show. Stuff We Talked About Next week’s release highlights: Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered | PS5, PS4 Afterlove EP | PS5, PS4 Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii | PS5 Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 1 | PS5 Astro Bot’s five new levels Announcing Saros Days Gone Remastered announced for PS5 Borderlands 4 arrives on September 23, with a special State of Play deep dive coming this spring PlayStation Plus February Game Catalog Star Wars Jedi: Survivor TopSpin 2K25 Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 1 SaGa Frontier Remastered Somerville Tin Hearts Mordhau Patapon 3 Dropship: United Peace Force Resident Evil 4 VR Mode Metaphor ReFantazio The Cast View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE View and download image Download the image close Close Download this image Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

Last week, you to share the love and showcase romantic moments from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: fsantos1697 shares Scott and Ramona sharing a kiss in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Couch_Gamer2k23 shares Dina and Ellie leaning in with romantic tension in The Last of […]

Last week, you to share the love and showcase romantic moments from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: fsantos1697 shares Scott and Ramona sharing a kiss in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Couch_Gamer2k23 shares Dina and Ellie leaning in with romantic tension in The Last of Us Part II Skania__ shares protagonist Makoto and Aigis spending time together in Persona 3 Reload garagaraarga shares V framing Panam Palmer with a hand heart in Cyberpunk 2077 jobolts_ shares May and Cody sharing a kiss against fireworks in It Takes Two. ct_tomtom shares Cloud and Tifa spending time together in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on February 19, 2025 Next week, Lara Croft is back! Share adventurous moments from Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered as a still or with the Flyby Camera Maker feature using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Everybody has a story in their mind that they’d love to tell, but maybe they don’t feel like they have the ability to tell it effectively. But that’s about to change in Hazelight Studios’ Split Fiction, which launches March 6 on PS5.  In the game, the publisher Rader has a new, advanced machine capable of […]

Everybody has a story in their mind that they’d love to tell, but maybe they don’t feel like they have the ability to tell it effectively. But that’s about to change in Hazelight Studios’ Split Fiction, which launches March 6 on PS5. Play Video In the game, the publisher Rader has a new, advanced machine capable of bringing a person’s stories to life and letting the authors live through their tales. They’ve invited some aspiring storytellers to give their tech a try–among them Mio and Zoe, two women with dramatically different backgrounds, tastes, and personalities. But when the on switch gets flipped and the stories emerge, an unexpected development causes these two’s most elaborate tales to intertwine. Mio and Zoe need to team up to survive each other’s stories–and figure out some of the secrets Rader’s been hiding from its test subjects. So begins Split Fiction: a co-op adventure about unlikely companions, imaginations running wild, and very strange adventures. Double vision Developer Hazelight is a studio known for creating memorable cooperative gameplay experiences like A Way Out, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and the award-winning It Takes Two. Their games are known for unique themes, strong emotional moments, surprise gameplay twists, and a good dose of off-kilter humor. We’re pleased to report that Split Fiction offers plenty of everything players have come to love from their previous works, all while amping things up to new heights. Players who jump into Split Fiction will take control of one of the two leading women. Mio, a somewhat cold and curt city girl, is a massive sci-fi nerd who loves interstellar battles, cyberpunk aesthetics, and futuristic weaponry. Zoe, a chatty lass from the countryside, enjoys high-fantasy tales of heroic trials, dragons, trolls, and magic. A glitch in the system is causing the pair to journey together while switching between each other’s stories: They might be cyborg ninja assassins in a dystopia one moment, only to turn into magical shapeshifters on their epic quest through the wilds the next. All the while, the machine generating these story worlds is digging much deeper into each girl’s memories and story ideas than either one expected. You’ll start by playing split-screen co-op, with both players traversing the same route. You’ll soon discover obstacles that can’t be overcome by just one person, so you’ll have to cooperate to proceed. As the story environments they encounter change, so do Mio and Zoe’s abilities– each character will often have a different skillset where one player can perform attacks or movements that the other can’t, such as Mio being able to transform into a giant gorilla-monster while Zoe gets to be a tiny, nimble faerie. You’ll need to work together to figure out how to use these asynchronous abilities to get past the obstacles and enemies impeding you. We were able to play a boss fight against a massive robotic law enforcement machine in Mio’s cyber-ninja story that required some careful coordination: Mio had to use her gravity abilities and swordplay to expose the boss’ weak point, while Zoe had to dodge attacks and use a whip-like weapon to grab leftover objects and smash them into the enemy. Tales to tell Not every story players will encounter in Split Fiction involves combat. One area was a callback to classic extreme sports games where the duo had a friendly competition performing tricks on futuristic hoverboards. Another surreal story area transformed the women into a pair of portly pigs powered by springs and rainbow-colored farts–and it only got weirder from that point. Many of these areas are optional side stories that can be discovered during the main quest, giving players an incentive to explore a bit and rewarding them with unique experiences and character moments. The gameplay in each section can change dramatically, too. While third-person split-screen action and exploration was the most common experience during our test run, there were sections with fast-paced vehicle chases, side-scrolling run-and-gun action, and even some tricky puzzles that tested players’ skills at pinball. Every new world we saw in Split Fiction felt like a delightful surprise, since we never knew what sort of theming or gameplay twist to expect. We’re eager to see more of this odd duo’s strange adventures, and fortunately, we won’t have to wait much longer–Split Fiction will debut on March 6 on PS5. Bring a friend–it’s about to get wild.

It’s a great pleasure to see you with our first post of 2025. From all of us at Team Asobi, we wish you a wonderful year ahead. Last year saw the release of Astro Bot, our biggest game to date. As well as picking several game awards, we have been blessed with countless comments and […]

It’s a great pleasure to see you with our first post of 2025. From all of us at Team Asobi, we wish you a wonderful year ahead. Last year saw the release of Astro Bot, our biggest game to date. As well as picking several game awards, we have been blessed with countless comments and lovely words from you, the players. This has made the hard work of everyone at Team Asobi even more worth it. So from the bottom of our lil’ robotic hearts, hearts, a huge thank you to you all. Play Video And now, into the main news! To start the year on a good note, we are delighted to announce new Astro Bot content is coming starting today. You might have noticed that a, yet unreleased, level of Astro Bot was featured at the PlayStation XP Tournament Final in London, England on January 18. That very level, along with 4 additional ones will be coming your way inside the brand-new Vicious Void Galaxy, starting today. As before, this new update is completely free of charge and a gift from us to you, the Astro Bot community. These five levels will appear on a weekly basis as follows: Feb 13: Tick-Tock Shock Feb 20: Thrust or Bust Feb 27: Cock-A-Doodle-Doom Mar 6: Hard to Bear Mar 13: Armored Hardcore Note: All Astro Bot updates from February 13 to March 13 will be available every Thursday at 6:00am PT, 2:00pm GMT, and 10:00pm JST. Unlike our last update Winter Wonder, which was a walk through the Xmas park, this new update features harder levels to test your jumping skills. Each level comes with a brand-new Special Bot to rescue and, once that’s done, can be replayed in Time Attack mode with online rankings. To access these, you will need to have completed the main game. So sharpen those skills again and let’s get rescuing. Play Video “Tick Tock Shock”, the first of 5 new levels will release on February 13 But hold on, we still have more news. Alongside these five new levels, we are pleased to say that owners of the PS5 Pro will be able to enjoy an improved version of Astro Bot featuring a constant best resolution while still running at 60 frames per second. That’s about all for this update. We hope you enjoy it. We want to take this chance to thank you, sincerely, for the ongoing support. We could not be happier with the way Astro was welcomed into so many new homes. Your comments, positivity and kind words have carried us through the months and continue to warm our little robotic hearts. Thank you for your loyalty and we shall see you around. Team Asobi out.

American Sign Language is the third most prevalent language in the United States — but there are vastly fewer AI tools developed with ASL data than data representing the country’s most common languages, English and Spanish. NVIDIA, the American Society for Deaf Children and creative agency Hello Monday are helping close this gap with Signs, Read Article

American Sign Language is the third most prevalent language in the United States — but there are vastly fewer AI tools developed with ASL data than data representing the country’s most common languages, English and Spanish. NVIDIA, the American Society for Deaf Children and creative agency Hello Monday are helping close this gap with Signs, an interactive web platform built to support ASL learning and the development of accessible AI applications. Sign language learners can access the platform’s validated library of ASL signs to expand their vocabulary with the help of a 3D avatar that demonstrates signs — and use an AI tool that analyzes webcam footage to receive real-time feedback on their signing. Signers of any skill level can contribute by signing specific words to help build a video dataset for ASL. The dataset — which NVIDIA aims to grow to 400,000 video clips representing 1,000 signed words — is being validated by fluent ASL users and interpreters to ensure the accuracy of each sign, resulting in a high-quality visual dictionary and teaching tool. “Most deaf children are born to hearing parents. Giving family members accessible tools like Signs to start learning ASL early enables them to open an effective communication channel with children as young as six to eight months old,” said Cheri Dowling, executive director of the American Society for Deaf Children. “And knowing that professional ASL teachers have validated all the vocabulary on the platform, users can be confident in what they’re learning.” NVIDIA teams plan to use this dataset to further develop AI applications that break down communication barriers between the deaf and hearing communities. The data is slated to be available to the public as a resource for building accessible technologies including AI agents, digital human applications and video conferencing tools. It could also be used to enhance Signs and enable ASL platforms across the ecosystem with real-time, AI-powered support and feedback. Whether novice or expert, volunteers can record themselves signing to contribute to the ASL dataset. Supporting ASL Education, Exploring Language Nuance During the data collection phase, Signs already provides a powerful platform for ASL language acquisition, offering opportunities for individuals to learn and practice an initial set of 100 signs so they can more effectively communicate with friends or family members who use ASL. “The Signs learning platform could help families with deaf children quickly search for a specific word and see how to make the corresponding sign. It’s a tool that can help support their everyday use of ASL outside of a more formal class,” Dowling said. “I see both kids and parents exploring it — and I think they could play with it together.” While Signs currently focuses on hand movements and finger positions for each sign, ASL also incorporates facial expressions and head movements to convey meaning. The team behind Signs is exploring how these non-manual signals can be tracked and integrated in future versions of the platform. They’re also investigating how other nuances, like regional variations and slang terms, can be represented in Signs to enrich its ASL database — and working with researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Accessibility and Inclusion Research to evaluate and further improve the user experience of the Signs platform for deaf and hard-of-hearing users. “Improving ASL accessibility is an ongoing effort,” said Anders Jessen, founding partner of Hello Monday/DEPT, which built the Signs web platform and previously worked with the American Society for Deaf Children on Fingerspelling.xyz, an application that taught users the ASL alphabet. “Signs can serve the need for advanced AI tools that help transcend communication barriers between the deaf and hearing communities.” The dataset behind Signs is planned for release later this year. Start learning or contributing with Signs at signs-ai.com, and learn more about NVIDIA’s trustworthy AI initiatives. Attendees of NVIDIA GTC, a global AI conference taking place March 17-21 in San Jose, will be able to participate in Signs live at the event.

Wield magic and steel as GeForce NOW’s fifth-anniversary celebration summons Obsidian Entertainment’s highly anticipated Avowed to the cloud. This first-person fantasy role-playing game is ready to enchant cloud gamers, leading the charge of six titles joining the over 2,000 games in the cloud gaming library. GeForce NOW day passes are available to purchase again, in Read Article

Wield magic and steel as GeForce NOW’s fifth-anniversary celebration summons Obsidian Entertainment’s highly anticipated Avowed to the cloud. This first-person fantasy role-playing game is ready to enchant cloud gamers, leading the charge of six titles joining the over 2,000 games in the cloud gaming library. GeForce NOW day passes are available to purchase again, in limited quantities each day. Members can currently purchase one day at a time, based on available capacity. Day pass users get 24-hour access to powerful cloud gaming with all the benefits of a GeForce NOW Ultimate or Performance membership. Stay tuned for updates as more membership options become available. Choose Your Own Adventure Cloudy with a chance of dragons. Embark on a thrilling adventure in Avowed, set in the captivating world of Eora. As an envoy of Aedyr, explore the mysterious Living Lands, an island teeming with ancient magic and shifting secrets, as a dire threat looms over the realm: a mysterious plague that defies nature and reason, spreading chaos across the sprawling wilderness. The Living Lands offer a diverse array of environments to explore, each with a unique ecosystem. Engage in visceral combat by mixing and matching swords, spells, guns and shields. Companions of various species, each with their own abilities and quests, will join the adventure, their fates intertwined with the players’ choices. As the story unfolds, every decision will ripple across the Living Lands, shaping the future of its inhabitants and testing the players’ resolve in the face of intrigue, power and danger. GeForce NOW members can dive into this immersive fantasy world with the power of GeForce RTX-powered gaming rigs in the cloud. Ultimate members can stream the game at up to 4K resolution and 60 frames per second with high dynamic range on supported devices. These members enjoy additional benefits like NVIDIA DLSS 3 technology for enhanced frame rates and NVIDIA Reflex for ultra-low latency, delivering a seamless and visually stunning adventure through the Living Lands. Time to Play Some mixtapes are better left unplayed. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is the recently released narrative-adventure game by Don’t Nod, the creators of Life Is Strange. Set in the fictional Michigan town of Velvet Cove, the game follows four friends — Swann, Nora, Autumn and Kat — during the summer of 1995, as well as 27 years later in 2022. Explore Swann’s world through a nostalgic 90s lens, complete with a camcorder for capturing and reliving memories. The story unfolds across two timelines, delving into themes of friendship and identity, as well as a mysterious secret that tore the group apart. With its immersive storytelling, interactive environments and choice-driven gameplay, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage promises a captivating journey through time, nostalgia and the complexities of lifelong friendships. Look for the following games available to stream in the cloud this week: Avowed (New release on Steam, Battle.net and Xbox, available on PC Game Pass, Feb. 18) Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (New release on Xbox, available on PC Game Pass, Feb. 20) Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (New release on Steam, Feb. 18) Abiotic Factor (Steam) HUMANITY (Steam) Songs of Silence (Steam) What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below. What's a gaming promise you made to yourself this year? — NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) February 19, 2025

The NVIDIA Isaac GR00T Blueprint for synthetic motion data significantly accelerates the data generation and training of humanoid robots.

Editor’s note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on how developers, 3D practitioners and enterprises can transform their workflows using the latest advances in OpenUSD and NVIDIA Omniverse. Humanoid robots are rapidly becoming a reality. Those built on NVIDIA Isaac GR00T are already learning to walk, manipulate objects and otherwise interact with the real world. Gathering diverse and large datasets to train these sophisticated machines can be time-consuming and costly. Using synthetic data (SDG), generated from physically-accurate digital twins, researchers and developers can train and validate their AI models in simulation before deployment in the real world. Universal Scene Description, aka OpenUSD, is a powerful framework that makes it easy to build these physically accurate virtual environments. Once 3D environments are built, OpenUSD allows teams to develop detailed, scalable simulations along with lifelike scenarios where robots can practice, learn and improve their skills. This synthetic data is essential for humanoid robots to learn humanlike behaviors such as walking, grasping objects and navigating complex environments. OpenUSD is enhancing the development of humanoid robots and paving the way for a future where these machines can seamlessly integrate into people’s daily lives. The NVIDIA Omniverse platform, powered by OpenUSD, provides developers a way to unify 3D assets from disparate sources such as 3DCAD and digital content creation (DCC) tools. This allows them to build large-scale 3D virtual environments and run complex simulations to train their robots, streamlining the entire process and delivering faster, more cost-effective ways to collaborate and develop physical AI. Advancing Robot Training With Synthetic Motion Data At CES last month, NVIDIA announced the Isaac GR00T Blueprint for synthetic motion generation to help developers generate exponentially larger synthetic motion datasets to train humanoids using imitation learning. Highlights of the release include: Large-Scale Motion Data Generation: Uses simulation as well generative AI techniques to generate exponentially large and diverse datasets of humanlike movements, speeding up the data collection process. Faster Data Augmentation: NVIDIA Cosmos world foundation models generate photorealistic videos at scale using the ground-truth simulation from Omniverse. This equips developers to augment synthetic datasets faster, for training physical AI models, reducing the simulation-to-real gap. Simulation-First Training: Instead of relying solely on real-world testing, developers can train robots in virtual environments, making the process faster and more cost-effective. Bridging Virtual to Reality: The combination of real and synthetic data along with simulation-based training and testing allows developers to transfer the robots skills learned in the virtual world to the real-world seamlessly. Simulating the Future of Robotics Humanoid robots are enhancing efficiency, safety and adaptability across industries like manufacturing, warehouse and logistics, and healthcare by automating complex tasks and increasing safety conditions for human workers. Major robotics companies including Boston Dynamics and Figure have already started adopting and demonstrating results with Isaac GR00T. Scaled Foundations is lowering the barrier to robotics development across all form factors, from robotics ARMs to humanoids. The company’s Open GRID Platform, which has NVIDIA Isaac Sim integrations, provides developers a simplified way to simulate robots through an easy-to-use, browser-based development environment. Get Plugged Into the World of OpenUSD Learn more about OpenUSD, humanoid robots and the latest AI advancements at NVIDIA GTC, a global AI conference running March 17-21 in San Jose, California. Don’t miss NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang’s GTC keynote on Tuesday, March 18 — in person at the SAP Center or online. He’ll share the latest technologies driving the next wave in AI, digital twins, cloud technologies and sustainable computing. The inaugural GTC Humanoid Developer Day will take place on Wednesday, March 18. Following the sessions, join the Physical AI Developer Meetup to network with developers and researchers at NVIDIA GTC. Discuss the latest breakthroughs in OpenUSD and generative AI-powered simulation and digital twins, as well as innovations in generalist robotics for the next frontier of industries. Learn how to use USD and continue to optimize 3D workflows with the new self-paced “Learn OpenUSD” curriculum for 3D developers and practitioners, available for free through the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute. For more resources on OpenUSD, explore the Alliance for OpenUSD forum and the AOUSD website. Stay up to date by subscribing to NVIDIA news, joining the community and following NVIDIA Omniverse on Instagram, LinkedIn, Medium and X. Featured image courtesy of Fourier.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards — built on the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture — are out now, ready to power generative AI content creation and accelerate creative performance. GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPUs feature fifth-generation Tensor Cores with support for FP4, doubling performance and reducing VRAM requirements to run generative AI models. In Read Article

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards — built on the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture — are out now, ready to power generative AI content creation and accelerate creative performance. GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPUs feature fifth-generation Tensor Cores with support for FP4, doubling performance and reducing VRAM requirements to run generative AI models. In addition, the GPU comes equipped with two ninth-generation encoders and a sixth-generation decoder that add support for the 4:2:2 pro-grade color format and increase encoding quality for HEVC and AV1. This combo accelerates video editing workflows, reducing export times by 8x compared with single encoder GPUs without 4:2:2 support like the GeForce RTX 3090. The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU also includes 16GB of fast GDDR7 memory and 896 GB/sec of total memory bandwidth — a 78% increase over the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti GPU. The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU — a game changer. NVIDIA DLSS 4, a suite of neural rendering technologies that uses AI to boost frames per second (fps) and improve image quality, is now available in professional-grade 3D apps like Chaos Vantage. D5 Render also adds DLSS 4 in beta with the new Multi Frame Generation feature to boost frame rates by 3x. 3D rendering software Maxon Redshift also added NVIDIA Blackwell support, providing a 30% performance increase. The February NVIDIA Studio Driver, with support for the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, will be ready for download next week. For automatic Studio Driver notifications, download the NVIDIA app. Use NVIDIA’s product finder to pick up a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU or prebuilt system today. Check back regularly after 6 a.m. PT, as retail partners list their available models. Explore complete specifications. Ready for the Generative AI Era Black Forest Lab’s FP4-optimized FLUX.1 [dev] suite of image generation models is now available on Hugging Face. FP4 is a lower quantization method, similar to file compression, that decreases model sizes. FLUX.1 [dev] at FP4 requires less than 10GB of VRAM, compared with over 23GB at FP16. This means the state-of-the-art FLUX.1 [dev] model can run on the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU as well as all GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs. This is important because the FLUX.1 [dev] model wouldn’t be able to run at FP16, given memory constraints. On the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, the FLUX.1 [dev] model can generate images in just over eight seconds on FP4, compared with 20 seconds on FP8 on a GeForce RTX 4070 Ti GPU. Versatile Viewports DLSS 4 is now available in Chaos Vantage and D5 Render in beta — popular professional-grade 3D apps for architects, animators and designers. Both apps natively support DLSS 4’s improved Super Resolution and Ray Reconstruction models — powered by transformers — to increase image detail and improve stability. D5 Render also supports DLSS 4’s DLSS Multi Frame Generation to boost frame rates by using AI to generate up to three frames per traditionally rendered frame. This enables animators to smoothly navigate a scene with multiplied frame rates and render 3D content, even with massive file sizes, at 60 fps or more. Maxon Redshift — a 3D rendering software that uses GPU acceleration to visualize 3D models, scenes, animations and designs — has released an update to fully harness GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs, accelerating performance by up to 30%. Every month brings new creative app updates and optimizations powered by the NVIDIA Studio platform. Follow NVIDIA Studio on Instagram, X and Facebook. Access tutorials on the Studio YouTube channel and get updates directly in your inbox by subscribing to the Studio newsletter. See notice regarding software product information.

In financial services, AI has traditionally been used primarily for fraud detection and risk modeling. With recent advancements in generative AI, the banking industry as a whole is becoming smarter and more intuitive, offering hyper-personalized services and real-time insights for customers. In the latest episode of the NVIDIA AI Podcast, Barb Morgan, chief product and Read Article

In financial services, AI has traditionally been used primarily for fraud detection and risk modeling. With recent advancements in generative AI, the banking industry as a whole is becoming smarter and more intuitive, offering hyper-personalized services and real-time insights for customers. In the latest episode of the NVIDIA AI Podcast, Barb Morgan, chief product and technology officer at banking and financial services technology company Temenos, shares how AI is reshaping the banking landscape, from enhancing customer experiences to ensuring robust data security. Morgan explains that AI can tailor financial products and services to customer needs, making interactions more meaningful and relevant. Plus, AI-powered chatbots and digital interfaces can provide 24/7 support, addressing customer queries in real time. The AI Podcast · Temenos’ Barb Morgan Shares How AI Is Reshaping Banking – Ep. 246 AI adoption has grown significantly in financial services. Notably, the use of generative AI for customer experience, especially through chatbots and virtual assistants, has more than doubled, rising from 25% to 60% over the last year. Learn more in NVIDIA’s fifth annual “State of AI in Financial Services” report. And see more of the latest technological advancements by registering for NVIDIA GTC, the conference for the era of AI, taking place March 17-21. Temenos will share more insights and examples in the session titled, “Generative AI for Core Banking.” Time Stamps 08:30 – How AI can help banks process and analyze vast amounts of data to provide deeper insights and predictions. 11:56 – The importance of data management for effective AI implementation. 16:13 – Sustainability in the banking industry, and how AI can help banks and customers track and reduce their carbon footprints. You Might Also Like… Firsthand’s Jon Heller Shares How AI Agents Enhance Consumer Journeys in Retail Learn how AI agents are transforming the retail landscape by personalizing customer journeys, converting marketing interactions into valuable research data and enhancing the customer experience with hyper-personalized insights and recommendations. Snowflake’s Baris Gultekin on Unlocking the Value of Data With Large Language Models See how Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud platform helps enterprises unlock the value of data by transforming it into actionable insights and applications, using large language models. Sequoia Capital’s Pat Grady and Sonya Huang on Generative AI Hear how AI is revolutionizing art, design and media by enabling unique, personalized content creation at an unprecedented scale. Subscribe to the AI Podcast Get the AI Podcast through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Google Play, Castbox, DoggCatcher, Overcast, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, Podbay, PodBean, PodCruncher, PodKicker, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn.

Scientists everywhere can now access Evo 2, a powerful new foundation model that understands the genetic code for all domains of life. Unveiled today as the largest publicly available AI model for genomic data, it was built on the NVIDIA DGX Cloud platform in a collaboration led by nonprofit biomedical research organization Arc Institute and Read Article

Scientists everywhere can now access Evo 2, a powerful new foundation model that understands the genetic code for all domains of life. Unveiled today as the largest publicly available AI model for genomic data, it was built on the NVIDIA DGX Cloud platform in a collaboration led by nonprofit biomedical research organization Arc Institute and Stanford University. Evo 2 is available to global developers on the NVIDIA BioNeMo platform, including as an NVIDIA NIM microservice for easy, secure AI deployment. Trained on an enormous dataset of nearly 9 trillion nucleotides — the building blocks of DNA and RNA — Evo 2 can be applied to biomolecular research applications including predicting the form and function of proteins based on their genetic sequence, identifying novel molecules for healthcare and industrial applications, and evaluating how gene mutations affect their function. “Evo 2 represents a major milestone for generative genomics,” said Patrick Hsu, Arc Institute cofounder and core investigator, and an assistant professor of bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley. “By advancing our understanding of these fundamental building blocks of life, we can pursue solutions in healthcare and environmental science that are unimaginable today.” The NVIDIA NIM microservice for Evo 2 enables users to generate a variety of biological sequences, with settings to adjust model parameters. Developers interested in fine-tuning Evo 2 on their proprietary datasets can download the model through the open-source NVIDIA BioNeMo Framework, a collection of accelerated computing tools for biomolecular research. “Designing new biology has traditionally been a laborious, unpredictable and artisanal process,” said Brian Hie, assistant professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University, the Dieter Schwarz Foundation Stanford Data Science Faculty Fellow and an Arc Institute innovation investigator. “With Evo 2, we make biological design of complex systems more accessible to researchers, enabling the creation of new and beneficial advances in a fraction of the time it would previously have taken.” Enabling Complex Scientific Research Established in 2021 with $650 million from its founding donors, Arc Institute empowers researchers to tackle long-term scientific challenges by providing scientists with multiyear funding — letting scientists focus on innovative research instead of grant writing. Its core investigators receive state-of-the-art lab space and funding for eight-year, renewable terms that can be held concurrently with faculty appointments with one of the institute’s university partners, which include Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, San Francisco. By combining this unique research environment with accelerated computing expertise and resources from NVIDIA, Arc Institute’s researchers can pursue more complex projects, analyze larger datasets and more quickly achieve results. Its scientists are focused on disease areas including cancer, immune dysfunction and neurodegeneration. NVIDIA accelerated the Evo 2 project by giving scientists access to 2,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs via NVIDIA DGX Cloud on AWS. DGX Cloud provides short-term access to large compute clusters, giving researchers the flexibility to innovate. The fully managed AI platform includes NVIDIA BioNeMo, which features optimized software in the form of NVIDIA NIM microservices and NVIDIA BioNeMo Blueprints. NVIDIA researchers and engineers also collaborated closely on AI scaling and optimization. Applications Across Biomolecular Sciences Evo 2 can provide insights into DNA, RNA and proteins. Trained on a wide array of species across domains of life — including plants, animals and bacteria — the model can be applied to scientific fields such as healthcare, agricultural biotechnology and materials science. Evo 2 uses a novel model architecture that can process lengthy sequences of genetic information, up to 1 million tokens. This widened view into the genome could unlock scientists’ understanding of the connection between distant parts of an organism’s genetic code and the mechanics of cell function, gene expression and disease. “A single human gene contains thousands of nucleotides — so for an AI model to analyze how such complex biological systems work, it needs to process the largest possible portion of a genetic sequence at once,” said Hsu. In healthcare and drug discovery, Evo 2 could help researchers understand which gene variants are tied to a specific disease — and design novel molecules that precisely target those areas to treat the disease. For example, researchers from Stanford and the Arc Institute found that in tests with BRCA1, a gene associated with breast cancer, Evo 2 could predict with 90% accuracy whether previously unrecognized mutations would affect gene function. In agriculture, the model could help tackle global food shortages by providing insights into plant biology and helping scientists develop varieties of crops that are more climate-resilient or more nutrient-dense. And in other scientific fields, Evo 2 could be applied to design biofuels or engineer proteins that break down oil or plastic. “Deploying a model like Evo 2 is like sending a powerful new telescope out to the farthest reaches of the universe,” said Dave Burke, Arc’s chief technology officer. “We know there’s immense opportunity for exploration, but we don’t yet know what we’re going to discover.” Read more about Evo 2 on the NVIDIA Technical Blog and in Arc’s technical report. See notice regarding software product information.

The telecom industry’s efforts to drive efficiencies with AI are beginning to show fruit. An increasing focus on deploying AI into radio access networks (RANs) was among the key findings of NVIDIA’s third annual “State of AI in Telecommunications” survey, as more than a third of respondents indicated they’re investing or planning to invest in Read Article

The telecom industry’s efforts to drive efficiencies with AI are beginning to show fruit. An increasing focus on deploying AI into radio access networks (RANs) was among the key findings of NVIDIA’s third annual “State of AI in Telecommunications” survey, as more than a third of respondents indicated they’re investing or planning to invest in AI-RAN. The survey polled more than 450 telecommunications professionals worldwide, revealing continued momentum for AI adoption — including growth in generative AI use cases — and how the technology is helping optimize customer experiences and increase employee productivity. Of the telecommunications professionals surveyed, almost all stated that their company is actively deploying or assessing AI projects. Here are some top insights on impact and use cases: 84% said AI is helping to increase their company’s annual revenue 77% said AI helped reduce annual operating costs 60% said increased employee productivity was their biggest benefit from AI 44% said they’re investing in AI for customer experience optimization, which is the No. 1 area of investment for AI in telecommunications 40% said they’re deploying AI into their network planning and operations, including RAN Business Impact on AI in Telecommunications Survey results highlight that use of AI in the telecom industry has helped increase revenue and reduce costs. 84% of respondents said that the technology is helping increase their company’s annual revenue, with 21% saying that AI had contributed to a more than 10% revenue increase in specific business areas. In addition, 77% agreed that AI helped reduce annual operating costs. The wide array of AI use cases and impact on the bottom line has led to greater confidence in the future: 80% of respondents believe that AI is crucial for their company’s future success, while two-thirds plan to increase spending on AI infrastructure this year. The telecommunications industry is at the forefront of AI adoption, with a clear focus on enhancing employee productivity, customer experience and network operations. By continuing to invest in AI infrastructure and training, telecom companies can stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on the numerous benefits that AI offers. AI Finds Its Way Into the Network Stack AI in the telecommunications network is gaining momentum, with 37% of respondents saying they’re investing in AI to improve network planning and operations. Similarly, 33% said they invested in using AI for field-operations optimization in the last year. Of the respondents investing in AI for 5G monetization and/or 6G research and development, 66% are aiming to deploy AI services on RAN for operational and user needs, 53% are aiming to enhance spectral efficiency for the RAN, and 50% are aiming to colocate AI and RAN applications on the same infrastructure. Generative AI Goes Mainstream Generative AI is gaining significant attention in telecoms. More than half of survey respondents who said they’re using generative AI have already deployed their first use case, while another third plan to do so this year. Of those respondents adopting generative AI, 84% said that their companies plan to offer generative AI solutions externally to customers. 52% said they would offer generative AI as a software-as-a-service solution, while 35% will offer generative AI as a platform for developers, including for compute services. There’s also a notable trend toward using multiple approaches for AI development, including a rise in in-house and open-source capabilities. Download the “State of AI in Telecommunications: 2025 Trends” report for in-depth results and insights. Explore NVIDIA’s AI solutions and enterprise-level platforms for telecommunications.

Asteroids were responsible for extinction events hundreds of millions of years ago on Earth, providing no shortage of doomsday film plots for Hollywood. But researchers focused on asteroid tracking are on a mission to locate them for today’s real-world concerns: planetary defense. The new and unexpected discovery tool applied in this research is NASA’s James Read Article

Asteroids were responsible for extinction events hundreds of millions of years ago on Earth, providing no shortage of doomsday film plots for Hollywood. But researchers focused on asteroid tracking are on a mission to locate them for today’s real-world concerns: planetary defense. The new and unexpected discovery tool applied in this research is NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which was tapped for views of these asteroids from previous research and enabled by NVIDIA accelerated computing. An international team of researchers, led by MIT physicists, reported on the cover of Nature this week how the new method was able to spot 10-meter asteroids within the main asteroid belt located between Jupiter and Mars. These rocks in space can range from the size of a bus to several Costco stores in width and deliver destruction to cities on Earth. The finding of more than 100 space rocks of this size marks the smallest asteroids ever detected in the main asteroid belt. Previously, the smallest asteroids spotted measured more than half a mile in diameter. Researchers say the novel method — tapping into previous studies, asteroid synthetic movement tracking and infrared observations — will help identify and track orbital movements of asteroids likely to approach Earth, supporting asteroid defense efforts. “We have been able to detect near-Earth objects down to 10 meters in size when they are really close to Earth,” Artem Burdanov, the study’s co-lead author and a research scientist in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, told MIT News. “We now have a way of spotting these small asteroids when they are much farther away, so we can do more precise orbital tracking, which is key for planetary defense.” New research has also supported follow-up observations on asteroid 2024YR4, which is on a potential collision course with Earth by 2032. Capturing Asteroid Images With Infrared JWST Driven by NVIDIA GPUs Observatories typically look at the reflected light off asteroids to determine their size, which can be inaccurate. Using a telescope with infrared, like the JWST, can help track the thermal signals of asteroids for a more precise way at gauging their size. Asteroid hunters focused on planetary defense are looking out for near-Earth asteroids. These rocks have orbits around the Sun that are within 28 million miles of Earth’s orbit. And any asteroid around 450 feet long is capable of demolishing a sizable city. The asteroid paper’s co-authors included MIT professors of planetary science co-lead Julien de Wit and Richard Binzel. Contributions from international institutions included the University of Liege in Belgium, Charles University in the Czech Republic, the European Space Agency, and institutions in Germany including the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and the University of Oldenburg. The work was supported by the NVIDIA Academic Grant Program. Harnessing GPUs to Save the Planet From Asteroids The 2024YR4 near-Earth asteroid — estimated as wide as 300 feet and capable of destroying a city the size of New York — has a 2.3% chance of striking Earth. Movies like Armageddon provide fictional solutions, like implanting a nuclear bomb, but it’s unclear how this could play out off screen. The JWST technology will soon be the only telescope capable of tracking the space rock as it moves away from Earth before coming back. The new study used the JWST, the best-ever telescope in the infrared, on images of TRAPPIST-1, a star studied to search for signs of atmospheres around its seven terrestrial planets and located about 40 light years from Earth. The data include more than 10,000 images of the star. After processing the images from JWST to study TRAPPIST-1’s planets, the researchers considered whether they could do more with the datasets. They’re looking at if they can search for otherwise undetectable asteroids using JWST’s infrared capabilities and a new detection technique they had deployed on other datasets called synthetic tracking. The researchers applied synthetic tracking methods, which doesn’t require previous information on an asteroid’s motion. Instead it does “fully blind” search by testing possible shifts, like velocity vectors. Such techniques are computationally intense, and they created bottlenecks until NVIDIA GPUs were applied to such work in recent years. Harnessing GPU-based synthetic tracking increases the scientific return on resources when conducting exoplanet transit-search surveys by recovering serendipitous asteroid detections, the study said. After applying their GPU-based framework for detecting asteroids in targeted exoplanet surveys, the researchers were able to detect eight known and 139 unknown asteroids, the paper’s authors noted. “Today’s GPU technology was key to unlocking the scientific achievement of detecting the small-asteroid population of the main belt, but there is more to it in the form of planetary-defense efforts,” said de Wit. “Since our study, the potential Earth-impactor 2024YR4 has been detected, and we now know that JWST can observe such an asteroid all the way out to the main belt as they move away from Earth before coming back. And in fact, JWST will do just that soon.” Gif attribution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_YR4#/media/File:2024_YR4_ESO-VLT.gif

It’s a match made in heaven — GeForce NOW and Warner Bros. Games are collaborating to bring the beloved Batman: Arkham series to the cloud as part of GeForce NOW’s fifth-anniversary celebration. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, gamers can fall in love all over again with Gotham City’s Dark Knight, streaming his epic adventures Read Article

It’s a match made in heaven — GeForce NOW and Warner Bros. Games are collaborating to bring the beloved Batman: Arkham series to the cloud as part of GeForce NOW’s fifth-anniversary celebration. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, gamers can fall in love all over again with Gotham City’s Dark Knight, streaming his epic adventures from anywhere, on nearly any device. The sweet treats don’t end there. GeForce NOW also brings the launch of the highly anticipated Sid Meier’s Civilization VII. It’s all part of the lovable lineup of seven games joining the cloud this week. A Match Made in Gotham City GeForce NOW is welcoming Warner Bros. Games to the cloud with the Batman: Arkham series, including Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition, Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year Edition and Batman: Arkham Knight Premium. Don the cape and cowl of the world’s greatest detective, bringing justice to the streets of Gotham City with bone-crushing combat and ingenious gadgets. Villains check in, but they don’t check out. Experience the dark and gritty world of Gotham City’s infamous asylum in the critically acclaimed action-adventure game Batman: Arkham Asylum. The Game of the Year (GOTY) Edition enhances the original title with additional challenge maps, allowing players to test their skills as the Dark Knight. Unravel the Joker’s sinister plot, face off against iconic villains and harness Batman’s gadgets and detective abilities in this groundbreaking title. Every street is a crime scene. Members can expand their crimefighting horizons in the open-world sequel, Batman: Arkham City. The GOTY Edition includes the full game, plus all downloadable content, featuring Catwoman, Nightwing and Robin as playable characters. Explore the sprawling super-prison of Arkham City, confront a rogues’ gallery of villains and uncover the mysteries behind Hugo Strange’s Protocol 10. With enhanced gameplay and an even larger arsenal of gadgets, Batman: Arkham City elevates the Batman experience to new heights. Just another Tuesday in the neighborhood. Conclude the Batman: Arkham trilogy in style with Batman: Arkham Knight. The Premium Edition includes the base game and season pass, offering new story missions, additional DC Super-Villains, legendary Batmobiles, advanced challenge maps and alternative character skins. Take control of a fully realized Gotham City, master the iconic Batmobile and face off against the Scarecrow and the mysterious Arkham Knight in this epic finale. With stunning visuals and refined gameplay, Batman: Arkham Knight delivers the ultimate Batman experience. It’s the ideal time for members to be swept off their feet by the Caped Crusader. Stream the Batman: Arkham series with a GeForce NOW Ultimate membership and experience these iconic titles in stunning 4K resolution at up to 120 frames per second. Feel the heartbeat of Gotham City, the rush of grappling between skyscrapers and the thrill of outsmarting Gotham’s most notorious villains — all from the cloud. Build an Empire in the Cloud GeForce NOW’s fifth-anniversary celebration continues this week with the gift of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII in the cloud at launch. Grow your civilization with the power of the cloud. 2K Games’ highly anticipated sequel comes to the cloud with innovative gameplay mechanics. This latest installment introduces a dynamic three-Age structure — Antiquity, Exploration and Modern — allowing players to evolve their civilizations throughout history and transition between civilizations with the flexibility to shape empires’ destinies. Explore unknown lands, expand territories, engage in diplomacy or battle with rival nations. Sid Meier’s Civilization VII introduces a crisis-event system at the end of each era, bringing challenges for players to navigate. With its refined gameplay and bold new features, the title offers both longtime fans and newcomers a fresh and engaging take on the classic formula that has defined the series for decades. Prepare for New Games Steel and sorcery, meet cloud and FPS. Legacy: Steel & Sorcery is an action-packed player vs. player vs. environment extraction role-playing game (RPG) set in the fantasy world of Mithrigarde by Notorious Studios, former World of Warcraft developers. Choose from distinctive classes like Warrior, Hunter, Rogue and Priest, each with unique abilities and environmental interactions. The game features a dynamic combat system emphasizing skill-based PvP, a full-loot system and RPG progression elements. Explore expansive outdoor zones solo or team up with friends to search for treasures, complete quests and battle both AI-controlled foes and rival players for an immersive fantasy RPG experience with a fresh twist on the extraction genre. Look for the following games available to stream in the cloud this week: Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (New release on Steam and Epic Games Store, Feb. 11) Legacy: Steel & Sorcery (New release on Steam, Feb. 12) F1 Manager 2024 (New release on Epic Games Store, Free Feb. 13) Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered (New release on Steam, Feb. 14) Batman: Arkham Asylum – Game of the Year Edition (Steam and Epic Games Store) Batman: Arkham City – Game of the Year Edition (Steam and Epic Games Store) Batman: Arkham Knight (Steam and Epic Games Store) What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below. Guess who? #5YearsOfGFN — NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) February 12, 2025

Just as there are widely understood empirical laws of nature — for example, what goes up must come down, or every action has an equal and opposite reaction — the field of AI was long defined by a single idea: that more compute, more training data and more parameters makes a better AI model. However, Read Article

Just as there are widely understood empirical laws of nature — for example, what goes up must come down, or every action has an equal and opposite reaction — the field of AI was long defined by a single idea: that more compute, more training data and more parameters makes a better AI model. However, AI has since grown to need three distinct laws that describe how applying compute resources in different ways impacts model performance. Together, these AI scaling laws — pretraining scaling, post-training scaling and test-time scaling, also called long thinking — reflect how the field has evolved with techniques to use additional compute in a wide variety of increasingly complex AI use cases. The recent rise of test-time scaling — applying more compute at inference time to improve accuracy — has enabled AI reasoning models, a new class of large language models (LLMs) that perform multiple inference passes to work through complex problems, while describing the steps required to solve a task. Test-time scaling requires intensive amounts of computational resources to support AI reasoning, which will drive further demand for accelerated computing. What Is Pretraining Scaling? Pretraining scaling is the original law of AI development. It demonstrated that by increasing training dataset size, model parameter count and computational resources, developers could expect predictable improvements in model intelligence and accuracy. Each of these three elements — data, model size, compute — is interrelated. Per the pretraining scaling law, outlined in this research paper, when larger models are fed with more data, the overall performance of the models improves. To make this feasible, developers must scale up their compute — creating the need for powerful accelerated computing resources to run those larger training workloads. This principle of pretraining scaling led to large models that achieved groundbreaking capabilities. It also spurred major innovations in model architecture, including the rise of billion- and trillion-parameter transformer models, mixture of experts models and new distributed training techniques — all demanding significant compute. And the relevance of the pretraining scaling law continues — as humans continue to produce growing amounts of multimodal data, this trove of text, images, audio, video and sensor information will be used to train powerful future AI models. Pretraining scaling is the foundational principle of AI development, linking the size of models, datasets and compute to AI gains. Mixture of experts, depicted above, is a popular model architecture for AI training. What Is Post-Training Scaling? Pretraining a large foundation model isn’t for everyone — it takes significant investment, skilled experts and datasets. But once an organization pretrains and releases a model, they lower the barrier to AI adoption by enabling others to use their pretrained model as a foundation to adapt for their own applications. This post-training process drives additional cumulative demand for accelerated computing across enterprises and the broader developer community. Popular open-source models can have hundreds or thousands of derivative models, trained across numerous domains. Developing this ecosystem of derivative models for a variety of use cases could take around 30x more compute than pretraining the original foundation model. Developing this ecosystem of derivative models for a variety of use cases could take around 30x more compute than pretraining the original foundation model. Post-training techniques can further improve a model’s specificity and relevance for an organization’s desired use case. While pretraining is like sending an AI model to school to learn foundational skills, post-training enhances the model with skills applicable to its intended job. An LLM, for example, could be post-trained to tackle a task like sentiment analysis or translation — or understand the jargon of a specific domain, like healthcare or law. The post-training scaling law posits that a pretrained model’s performance can further improve — in computational efficiency, accuracy or domain specificity — using techniques including fine-tuning, pruning, quantization, distillation, reinforcement learning and synthetic data augmentation. Fine-tuning uses additional training data to tailor an AI model for specific domains and applications. This can be done using an organization’s internal datasets, or with pairs of sample model input and outputs. Distillation requires a pair of AI models: a large, complex teacher model and a lightweight student model. In the most common distillation technique, called offline distillation, the student model learns to mimic the outputs of a pretrained teacher model. Reinforcement learning, or RL, is a machine learning technique that uses a reward model to train an agent to make decisions that align with a specific use case. The agent aims to make decisions that maximize cumulative rewards over time as it interacts with an environment — for example, a chatbot LLM that is positively reinforced by “thumbs up” reactions from users. This technique is known as reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF). Another, newer technique, reinforcement learning from AI feedback (RLAIF), instead uses feedback from AI models to guide the learning process, streamlining post-training efforts. Best-of-n sampling generates multiple outputs from a language model and selects the one with the highest reward score based on a reward model. It’s often used to improve an AI’s outputs without modifying model parameters, offering an alternative to fine-tuning with reinforcement learning. Search methods explore a range of potential decision paths before selecting a final output. This post-training technique can iteratively improve the model’s responses. To support post-training, developers can use synthetic data to augment or complement their fine-tuning dataset. Supplementing real-world datasets with AI-generated data can help models improve their ability to handle edge cases that are underrepresented or missing in the original training data. Post-training scaling refines pretrained models using techniques like fine-tuning, pruning and distillation to enhance efficiency and task relevance. What Is Test-Time Scaling? LLMs generate quick responses to input prompts. While this process is well suited for getting the right answers to simple questions, it may not work as well when a user poses complex queries. Answering complex questions — an essential capability for agentic AI workloads — requires the LLM to reason through the question before coming up with an answer. It’s similar to the way most humans think — when asked to add two plus two, they provide an instant answer, without needing to talk through the fundamentals of addition or integers. But if asked on the spot to develop a business plan that could grow a company’s profits by 10%, a person will likely reason through various options and provide a multistep answer. Test-time scaling, also known as long thinking, takes place during inference. Instead of traditional AI models that rapidly generate a one-shot answer to a user prompt, models using this technique allocate extra computational effort during inference, allowing them to reason through multiple potential responses before arriving at the best answer. On tasks like generating complex, customized code for developers, this AI reasoning process can take multiple minutes, or even hours — and can easily require over 100x compute for challenging queries compared to a single inference pass on a traditional LLM, which would be highly unlikely to produce a correct answer in response to a complex problem on the first try. This AI reasoning process can take multiple minutes, or even hours — and can easily require over 100x compute for challenging queries compared to a single inference pass on a traditional LLM. This test-time compute capability enables AI models to explore different solutions to a problem and break down complex requests into multiple steps — in many cases, showing their work to the user as they reason. Studies have found that test-time scaling results in higher-quality responses when AI models are given open-ended prompts that require several reasoning and planning steps. The test-time compute methodology has many approaches, including: Chain-of-thought prompting: Breaking down complex problems into a series of simpler steps. Sampling with majority voting: Generating multiple responses to the same prompt, then selecting the most frequently recurring answer as the final output. Search: Exploring and evaluating multiple paths present in a tree-like structure of responses. Post-training methods like best-of-n sampling can also be used for long thinking during inference to optimize responses in alignment with human preferences or other objectives. Test-time scaling enhances inference by allocating extra compute to improve AI reasoning, enabling models to tackle complex, multi-step problems effectively. How Test-Time Scaling Enables AI Reasoning The rise of test-time compute unlocks the ability for AI to offer well-reasoned, helpful and more accurate responses to complex, open-ended user queries. These capabilities will be critical for the detailed, multistep reasoning tasks expected of autonomous agentic AI and physical AI applications. Across industries, they could boost efficiency and productivity by providing users with highly capable assistants to accelerate their work. In healthcare, models could use test-time scaling to analyze vast amounts of data and infer how a disease will progress, as well as predict potential complications that could stem from new treatments based on the chemical structure of a drug molecule. Or, it could comb through a database of clinical trials to suggest options that match an individual’s disease profile, sharing its reasoning process about the pros and cons of different studies. In retail and supply chain logistics, long thinking can help with the complex decision-making required to address near-term operational challenges and long-term strategic goals. Reasoning techniques can help businesses reduce risk and address scalability challenges by predicting and evaluating multiple scenarios simultaneously — which could enable more accurate demand forecasting, streamlined supply chain travel routes, and sourcing decisions that align with an organization’s sustainability initiatives. And for global enterprises, this technique could be applied to draft detailed business plans, generate complex code to debug software, or optimize travel routes for delivery trucks, warehouse robots and robotaxis. AI reasoning models are rapidly evolving. OpenAI o1-mini and o3-mini, DeepSeek R1, and Google DeepMind’s Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking were all introduced in the last few weeks, and additional new models are expected to follow soon. Models like these require considerably more compute to reason during inference and generate correct answers to complex questions — which means that enterprises need to scale their accelerated computing resources to deliver the next generation of AI reasoning tools that can support complex problem-solving, coding and multistep planning. Learn about the benefits of NVIDIA AI for accelerated inference.

The rapid evolution of generative AI has created countless opportunities for innovation across industry and research. As is often the case with state-of-the-art technology, this evolution has also shifted the landscape of cybersecurity threats, creating new security requirements. Critical infrastructure cybersecurity is advancing to thwart the next wave of emerging threats in the AI era. Read Article

The rapid evolution of generative AI has created countless opportunities for innovation across industry and research. As is often the case with state-of-the-art technology, this evolution has also shifted the landscape of cybersecurity threats, creating new security requirements. Critical infrastructure cybersecurity is advancing to thwart the next wave of emerging threats in the AI era. Leading operational technology (OT) providers today showcased at the S4 conference for industrial control systems (ICS) and OT cybersecurity how they’re adopting the NVIDIA cybersecurity AI platform to deliver real-time threat detection and critical infrastructure protection. Armis, Check Point, CrowdStrike, Deloitte and World Wide Technology (WWT) are integrating the platform to help customers bolster critical infrastructure, such as energy, utilities and manufacturing facilities, against cyber threats. Critical infrastructure operates in highly complex environments, where the convergence of IT and OT, often accelerated by digital transformation, creates a perfect storm of vulnerabilities. Traditional cybersecurity measures are no longer sufficient to address these emerging threats. By harnessing NVIDIA’s cybersecurity AI platform, these partners can provide exceptional visibility into critical infrastructure environments, achieving robust and adaptive security while delivering operational continuity. The platform integrates NVIDIA’s accelerated computing and AI, featuring NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPUs, NVIDIA DOCA and the NVIDIA Morpheus AI cybersecurity framework, part of the NVIDIA AI Enterprise. This combination enables real-time threat detection, empowering cybersecurity professionals to respond swiftly at the edge and across networks. Unlike conventional solutions that depend on intrusive methods or software agents, BlueField-3 DPUs function as a virtual security overlay. They inspect network traffic and safeguard host integrity without disrupting operations. Acting as embedded sensors within each server, they stream telemetry data to NVIDIA Morpheus, enabling detailed monitoring of host activities, network traffic and application behaviors — seamlessly and without operational impact. Driving Cybersecurity Innovation Across Industries Integrating Armis Centrix, Armis’ AI-powered cyber exposure management platform, with NVIDIA cybersecurity AI helps secure critical infrastructure like energy, manufacturing, healthcare and transportation. “OT environments are increasingly targeted by sophisticated cyber threats, requiring robust solutions that ensure both security and operational continuity,” said Nadir Izrael, chief technology officer and cofounder of Armis. “Combining Armis’ unmatched platform for OT security and cyber exposure management with NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPUs enables organizations to comprehensively protect cyber-physical systems without disrupting operations.” CrowdStrike is helping secure critical infrastructure such as ICS and OT by deploying its CrowdStrike Falcon security agent on BlueField-3 DPUs to boost real-time AI-powered threat detection and response. “OT environments are under increasing threat, demanding AI-powered security that adapts in real time,” said Raj Rajamani, head of products at CrowdStrike. “By integrating NVIDIA BlueField-3 DPUs with the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, we’re extending industry-leading protection to critical infrastructure without disrupting operations — delivering unified protection at the edge and helping organizations stay ahead of modern threats.” Deloitte is driving customers’ digital transformation, enabled by NVIDIA’s cybersecurity AI platform, to help meet the demands of breakthrough technologies that require real-time, granular visibility into data center networks to defend against increasingly sophisticated threats. “Protecting OT and ICS systems is becoming increasingly challenging as organizations embrace digital transformation and interconnected technologies,” said Dmitry Dudorov, an AI security leader at Deloitte U.K. “Harnessing NVIDIA’s cybersecurity AI platform can enable organizations to determine threat detection, enhance resilience and safeguard their infrastructure to accelerate their efforts.” A Safer Future, Powered by AI NVIDIA’s cybersecurity AI platform, combined with the expertise of ecosystem partners, offers a powerful and scalable solution to protect critical infrastructure environments against evolving threats. Bringing NVIDIA AI and accelerated computing to the forefront of OT security can help organizations protect what matters most — now and in the future. Learn more by attending the NVIDIA GTC global AI conference, running March 17-21, where Armis, Check Point and CrowdStrike cybersecurity leaders will host sessions about their collaborations with NVIDIA.

Editor’s note: This article, originally published on March 13, 2023, has been updated. The mics were live and tape was rolling in the studio where the Miles Davis Quintet was recording dozens of tunes in 1956 for Prestige Records. When an engineer asked for the next song’s title, Davis shot back, “I’ll play it, and Read Article

Editor’s note: This article, originally published on March 13, 2023, has been updated. The mics were live and tape was rolling in the studio where the Miles Davis Quintet was recording dozens of tunes in 1956 for Prestige Records. When an engineer asked for the next song’s title, Davis shot back, “I’ll play it, and tell you what it is later.” Like the prolific jazz trumpeter and composer, researchers have been generating AI models at a feverish pace, exploring new architectures and use cases. According to the 2024 AI Index report from the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, 149 foundation models were published in 2023, more than double the number released in 2022. Since 2021, researchers have identified an array of uses for foundation models. They said transformer models, large language models (LLMs), vision language models (VLMs) and other neural networks still being built are part of an important new category they dubbed foundation models. Foundation Models Defined A foundation model is an AI neural network — trained on mountains of raw data, generally with unsupervised learning — that can be adapted to accomplish a broad range of tasks. Two important concepts help define this umbrella category: Data gathering is easier, and opportunities are as wide as the horizon. No Labels, Lots of Opportunity Foundation models generally learn from unlabeled datasets, saving the time and expense of manually describing each item in massive collections. Earlier neural networks were narrowly tuned for specific tasks. With a little fine-tuning, foundation models can handle jobs from translating text to analyzing medical images to performing agent-based behaviors. “I think we’ve uncovered a very small fraction of the capabilities of existing foundation models, let alone future ones,” said Percy Liang, the center’s director, in the opening talk of the first workshop on foundation models. AI’s Emergence and Homogenization In that talk, Liang coined two terms to describe foundation models: Emergence refers to AI features still being discovered, such as the many nascent skills in foundation models. He calls the blending of AI algorithms and model architectures homogenization, a trend that helped form foundation models. (See chart below.) The field continues to move fast. A year after the group defined foundation models, other tech watchers coined a related term — generative AI. It’s an umbrella term for transformers, large language models, diffusion models and other neural networks capturing people’s imaginations because they can create text, images, music, software, videos and more. Generative AI has the potential to yield trillions of dollars of economic value, said executives from the venture firm Sequoia Capital who shared their views in a recent AI Podcast. A Brief History of Foundation Models “We are in a time where simple methods like neural networks are giving us an explosion of new capabilities,” said Ashish Vaswani, an entrepreneur and former senior staff research scientist at Google Brain who led work on the seminal 2017 paper on transformers. That work inspired researchers who created BERT and other large language models, making 2018 “a watershed moment” for natural language processing, a report on AI said at the end of that year. Google released BERT as open-source software, spawning a family of follow-ons and setting off a race to build ever larger, more powerful LLMs. Then it applied the technology to its search engine so users could ask questions in simple sentences. In 2020, researchers at OpenAI announced another landmark transformer, GPT-3. Within weeks, people were using it to create poems, programs, songs, websites and more. “Language models have a wide range of beneficial applications for society,” the researchers wrote. Their work also showed how large and compute-intensive these models can be. GPT-3 was trained on a dataset with nearly a trillion words, and it sports a whopping 175 billion parameters, a key measure of the power and complexity of neural networks. In 2024, Google released Gemini Ultra, a state-of-the-art foundation model that requires 50 billion petaflops. This chart highlights the exponential growth in training compute requirements for notable machine learning models since 2012. (Source: Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2024) “I just remember being kind of blown away by the things that it could do,” said Liang, speaking of GPT-3 in a podcast. The latest iteration, ChatGPT — trained on 10,000 NVIDIA GPUs — is even more engaging, attracting over 100 million users in just two months. Its release has been called the iPhone moment for AI because it helped so many people see how they could use the technology. One timeline describes the path from early AI research to ChatGPT. (Source: blog.bytebytego.com) Going Multimodal Foundation models have also expanded to process and generate multiple data types, or modalities, such as text, images, audio and video. VLMs are one type of multimodal models that can understand video, image and text inputs while producing text or visual output. Trained on 355,000 videos and 2.8 million images, Cosmos Nemotron 34B is a leading VLM that enables the ability to query and summarize images and video from the physical or virtual world. From Text to Images About the same time ChatGPT debuted, another class of neural networks, called diffusion models, made a splash. Their ability to turn text descriptions into artistic images attracted casual users to create amazing images that went viral on social media. The first paper to describe a diffusion model arrived with little fanfare in 2015. But like transformers, the new technique soon caught fire. In a tweet, Midjourney CEO David Holz revealed that his diffusion-based, text-to-image service has more than 4.4 million users. Serving them requires more than 10,000 NVIDIA GPUs mainly for AI inference, he said in an interview (subscription required). Toward Models That Understand the Physical World The next frontier of artificial intelligence is physical AI, which enables autonomous machines like robots and self-driving cars to interact with the real world. AI performance for autonomous vehicles or robots requires extensive training and testing. To ensure physical AI systems are safe, developers need to train and test their systems on massive amounts of data, which can be costly and time-consuming. World foundation models, which can simulate real-world environments and predict accurate outcomes based on text, image, or video input, offer a promising solution. Physical AI development teams are using NVIDIA Cosmos world foundation models, a suite of pre-trained autoregressive and diffusion models trained on 20 million hours of driving and robotics data, with the NVIDIA Omniverse platform to generate massive amounts of controllable, physics-based synthetic data for physical AI. Awarded the Best AI And Best Overall Awards at CES 2025, Cosmos world foundation models are open models that can be customized for downstream use cases or improve precision on a specific task using use case-specific data. Dozens of Models in Use Hundreds of foundation models are now available. One paper catalogs and classifies more than 50 major transformer models alone (see chart below). The Stanford group benchmarked 30 foundation models, noting the field is moving so fast they did not review some new and prominent ones. Startup NLP Cloud, a member of the NVIDIA Inception program that nurtures cutting-edge startups, says it uses about 25 large language models in a commercial offering that serves airlines, pharmacies and other users. Experts expect that a growing share of the models will be made open source on sites like Hugging Face’s model hub. Experts note a rising trend toward releasing foundation models as open source. Foundation models keep getting larger and more complex, too. That’s why — rather than building new models from scratch — many businesses are already customizing pretrained foundation models to turbocharge their journeys into AI, using online services like NVIDIA AI Foundation Models. The accuracy and reliability of generative AI is increasing thanks to techniques like retrieval-augmented generation, aka RAG, that lets foundation models tap into external resources like a corporate knowledge base. AI Foundations for Business Another new framework, the NVIDIA NeMo framework, aims to let any business create its own billion- or trillion-parameter transformers to power custom chatbots, personal assistants and other AI applications. It created the 530-billion parameter Megatron-Turing Natural Language Generation model (MT-NLG) that powers TJ, the Toy Jensen avatar that gave part of the keynote at NVIDIA GTC last year. Foundation models — connected to 3D platforms like NVIDIA Omniverse — will be key to simplifying development of the metaverse, the 3D evolution of the internet. These models will power applications and assets for entertainment and industrial users. Factories and warehouses are already applying foundation models inside digital twins, realistic simulations that help find more efficient ways to work. Foundation models can ease the job of training autonomous vehicles and robots that assist humans on factory floors and logistics centers. They also help train autonomous vehicles by creating realistic environments like the one below. New uses for foundation models are emerging daily, as are challenges in applying them. Several papers on foundation and generative AI models describing risks such as: amplifying bias implicit in the massive datasets used to train models, introducing inaccurate or misleading information in images or videos, and violating intellectual property rights of existing works. “Given that future AI systems will likely rely heavily on foundation models, it is imperative that we, as a community, come together to develop more rigorous principles for foundation models and guidance for their responsible development and deployment,” said the Stanford paper on foundation models. Current ideas for safeguards include filtering prompts and their outputs, recalibrating models on the fly and scrubbing massive datasets. “These are issues we’re working on as a research community,” said Bryan Catanzaro, vice president of applied deep learning research at NVIDIA. “For these models to be truly widely deployed, we have to invest a lot in safety.” It’s one more field AI researchers and developers are plowing as they create the future.

NVIDIA’s contributions to accelerating medical imaging, genomics, computational chemistry and AI-powered robotics were honored Friday at the Precision Medicine World Conference in Santa Clara, California, where NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang received a Luminary award. The Precision Medicine World Conference brings together healthcare leaders, top global researchers and innovators across biotechnology. Its Luminary award Read Article

NVIDIA’s contributions to accelerating medical imaging, genomics, computational chemistry and AI-powered robotics were honored Friday at the Precision Medicine World Conference in Santa Clara, California, where NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang received a Luminary award. The Precision Medicine World Conference brings together healthcare leaders, top global researchers and innovators across biotechnology. Its Luminary award recognizes people transforming healthcare by advancing precision medicine in the clinic. For nearly two decades, NVIDIA has advanced computing in healthcare — working with researchers and industry leaders to build instruments that enable scientists to better understand life sciences, medical imaging and genomics. “We built, if you will, a computational instrument. Not a gene sequencer and all the incredible scientific instruments that you all talk about here — in our case, it was a programmable scientific instrument,” Huang said in his acceptance speech. “We built it in service of researchers and scientists as you strive to better understand life in our universe.” The first use of accelerated computing in life sciences was in the 2000s — and the introduction of the NVIDIA CUDA parallel computing platform in 2006 paved the path for researchers to demonstrate how NVIDIA GPUs could be used in medical imaging applications like CT reconstruction. “NVIDIA developed and continues to develop GPUs that are at the heart of AI and machine learning that are changing the world, including precision medicine,” said Dr. Gad Getz, an internationally acclaimed leader in cancer genomics and the director of bioinformatics at the Massachusetts General Hospital, as he presented the award. Today, NVIDIA AI and accelerated computing is “impacting analysis, interpretation and translation of sequencing data, new sequencing technologies, imaging data, spatial technologies, single-cell genomics, proteomics, molecular dynamics and drug development, as well as the large language models that can be used by doctors, patients, students and teachers to learn this field,” Getz said. Advancing Precision Medicine With Accelerated Computing Huang spoke about the ways AI will support the work of doctors, scientists and researchers advancing medicine. By investing in AI, he explained, research organizations and businesses can set up a powerful flywheel that continuously improves in accuracy, efficiency and insights by integrating additional data and feedback from every expert who interacts with it over time. “Even though people say you want humans in the loop with AI, in fact, the opposite is true. You want AI in the loop with humans,” Huang said. “The reason for that is because when the AI is in the loop with humans, it codifies our life experience. If there’s an AI in the loop with every single researcher, scientist, engineer and marketer — every single employee in your company — that AI in the loop codifies that life experience and keeps it in the company.” Looking ahead, Huang said that “in the coming years, AI will advance with incredible speed and revolutionize the healthcare industry. AI will help doctors predict, diagnose and treat disease in ways we never thought possible. It will scan a patient’s genome in seconds, identifying risks before symptoms even appear. AI will build a digital twin of us and model how a tumor evolves, predicting which treatments will work best.” “I wouldn’t be surprised if before 2030, within this decade, we’re representing basically all cells,” said Huang. “We have a representation of it, we understand the language of it, and we can predict what happens.” Huang predicts that surgical robots will perform minimally invasive procedures with unparalleled precision, robotic caregivers will assist nurses and other healthcare professionals, and robotic labs will run experiments around the clock, accelerating drug discovery. AI assistants, he said, will let doctors focus on what matters most to them: patients. In his talk, Huang also thanked the medical research community and highlighted how great breakthroughs come from partnerships between technology companies, researchers, biotech firms and healthcare leaders. Over 4,000 healthcare companies are part of the NVIDIA Inception program designed to help startups evolve faster. Learn more about accelerated computing in healthcare at NVIDIA GTC, a global AI conference taking place March 17-21 in San Jose, California.

Tara Chklovski has spent much of her career inspiring young women to take on some of the world’s biggest challenges using technology. The founder and CEO of education nonprofit Technovation joined the AI Podcast in 2019 to discuss the AI Family Challenge. Now, she returns to explain how inclusive AI makes the world a better Read Article

Tara Chklovski has spent much of her career inspiring young women to take on some of the world’s biggest challenges using technology. The founder and CEO of education nonprofit Technovation joined the AI Podcast in 2019 to discuss the AI Family Challenge. Now, she returns to explain how inclusive AI makes the world a better and, crucially, less boring place. In this episode of the NVIDIA AI Podcast, Chklovski and Anshita Saini, a Technovation alumna and member of the technical staff at OpenAI, explore how the nonprofit empowers girls worldwide through technology education. They discuss the organization’s growth from its early days to its current focus on AI education and real-world problem-solving. Anshita Saini speaking at the Technovation World Summit event. In addition, Saini shares her journey from creating an app that helped combat a vaping crisis at her high school, to her first exposure to AI, through to her current role working on ChatGPT. She also talks about Wiser AI, an initiative she recently founded to support women leaders and other underrepresented voices in artificial intelligence. The AI Podcast · Tara Chklovksi, Anshita Saini on Technovation Pioneering AI Education for Innovation – Episode 245 Technovation is preparing the next generation of female leaders in AI and technology. Learn about the opportunity to mentor a team of girls for the 2025 season. And learn more about the latest technological advancements by registering for NVIDIA GTC, the conference for the era of AI, taking place March 17-21. Time Stamps 2:21 – Recognizing AI’s revolutionary potential in 2016. 5:39 – Technovation’s pioneering approach to incorporating ChatGPT in education. 12:17 – Saini builds an app through Technovation that addressed a real problem at her high school. 29:12 – The importance of having women represented on software development teams. You Might Also Like… NVIDIA’s Louis Stewart on How AI Is Shaping Workforce Development Louis Stewart, head of strategic initiatives for NVIDIA’s global developer ecosystem, discusses why workforce development is crucial for maximizing AI benefits. He emphasizes the importance of AI education, inclusivity and public-private partnerships in preparing the global workforce for the future. Engaging with AI tools and understanding their impact on the workforce landscape is vital to ensuring these changes benefit everyone. Currents of Change: ITIF’s Daniel Castro on Energy-Efficient AI and Climate Change AI is everywhere. So, too, are concerns about advanced technology’s environmental impact. Daniel Castro, vice president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and director of its Center for Data Innovation, discusses his AI energy use report that addresses misconceptions about AI’s energy consumption. He also talks about the need for continued development of energy-efficient technology. How AI Can Enhance Disability Inclusion and Education U.S. Special Advisor on International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State Sara Minkara and Timothy Shriver, chairman of the board of Special Olympics, discuss AI’s potential to enhance disability inclusion and education. They discuss the need to hear voices from the disability community in conversations about AI development and policy. They also cover why building an inclusive future is good for society’s collective cultural, financial and social well-being. Subscribe to the AI Podcast Get the AI Podcast through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Google Play, Castbox, DoggCatcher, Overcast, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, Podbay, PodBean, PodCruncher, PodKicker, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn.

AI-driven medicine could deliver life-saving snakebite treatments to the world’s most vulnerable.

Every year, venomous snakes kill over 100,000 people and leave 300,000 more with devastating injuries — amputations, paralysis and permanent disabilities. The victims are often farmers, herders and children in rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America. For them, a snakebite isn’t just a medical crisis — it’s an economic catastrophe. Treatment hasn’t changed in over a century. Antivenoms — derived from the blood of immunized animals — are expensive, difficult to manufacture and often ineffective against the deadliest toxins. Worse, they require refrigeration and trained medical staff, making them unreachable for many who need them most. Now, a team led by Susana Vázquez Torres, a computational biologist working in Nobel Prize winner David Baker’s renowned protein design lab at the University of Washington, has used AI to create entirely new proteins that neutralize lethal snake venom in laboratory tests — faster, cheaper and more effectively than traditional antivenoms. Their research, published in Nature, introduces a new class of synthetic proteins that successfully protect animals from otherwise lethal doses of snake venom toxins. Susana Vazquez Torres conducts drug-development research. Credit: Ian C. Haydon, UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design How AI Cracked the Code on Venom For over a century, antivenom production has relied on animal immunization, requiring thousands of snake milkings and plasma extractions. Torres and her team hope to replace this with AI-driven protein design, compressing years of work into weeks. Using NVIDIA Ampere architecture and L40 GPUs, the Baker Lab used its deep learning models, including RFdiffusion and ProteinMPNN, to generate millions of potential antitoxin structures ‘in silico,’ or in computer simulations. Instead of screening a vast number of these proteins in a lab, they used AI tools to predict how the designer proteins would interact with snake venom toxins, rapidly homing in on the most promising designs. The results were remarkable: Newly designed proteins bound tightly to three-finger toxins (3FTx), the deadliest components of elapid venom, effectively neutralizing their toxic effects. Lab tests confirmed their high stability and neutralization capability. Mouse studies showed an 80-100% survival rate following exposure to lethal neurotoxins. The AI-designed proteins were small, heat-resistant and easy to manufacture — no cold storage required. A Lifeline for the Most Neglected Victims Unlike traditional antivenoms, which cost hundreds of dollars per dose, it may be possible to mass-produce these AI-designed proteins at low cost, making life-saving treatment available where it’s needed most. Many snakebite victims can’t afford antivenom or delay seeking care due to cost and accessibility barriers. In some cases, the financial burden of treatment can push entire families deeper into poverty. With an accessible, affordable and shelf-stable antidote, millions of lives — and livelihoods — could be saved. Beyond Snakebites: The Future of AI-Designed Medicine This research isn’t just about snakebites. The same AI-driven approach could be used to design precision treatments for viral infections, autoimmune diseases and other hard-to-treat conditions, according to the researchers. By replacing trial-and-error drug development with algorithmic precision, researchers using AI to design proteins are working to make life-saving medicines more affordable and accessible worldwide. Torres and her collaborators — including researchers from the Technical University of Denmark, University of Northern Colorado and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine — are now focused on preparing these venom-neutralizing proteins for clinical testing and large-scale production. If successful, this AI-driven advancement could save lives, and uplift families and communities around the world.

Scientists repurpose speech recognition AI to decode seismic activity, uncovering patterns that could one day help predict earthquakes.

AI built for speech is now decoding the language of earthquakes. A team of researchers from the Earth and environmental sciences division at Los Alamos National Laboratory repurposed Meta’s Wav2Vec-2.0, an AI model designed for speech recognition, to analyze seismic signals from Hawaii’s 2018 Kīlauea volcano collapse. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest that faults emit distinct signals as they shift — patterns that AI can now track in real time. While this doesn’t mean AI can predict earthquakes, the study marks an important step toward understanding how faults behave before a slip event. “Seismic records are acoustic measurements of waves passing through the solid Earth,” said Christopher Johnson, one of the study’s lead researchers. “From a signal processing perspective, many similar techniques are applied for both audio and seismic waveform analysis.” The AI model was tested using data from the 2018 collapse of Hawaii’s Kīlauea caldera, which triggered months of earthquakes and reshaped the volcanic landscape. The lava lake in Halemaʻumaʻu during the 2020-2021 eruption (USGS/F. Trusdell) is a striking reminder of Kīlauea’s ongoing activity. Big earthquakes don’t just shake the ground — they upend economies. In the past five years, quakes in Japan, Turkey and California have caused tens of billions of dollars in damage and displaced millions of people. That’s where AI comes in. Led by Johnson, along with Kun Wang and Paul Johnson, the Los Alamos team tested whether speech-recognition AI could make sense of fault movements — deciphering the tremors like words in a sentence. To test their approach, the team used data from the dramatic 2018 collapse of Hawaii’s Kīlauea caldera, which triggered a series of earthquakes over three months. The AI analyzed seismic waveforms and mapped them to real-time ground movement, revealing that faults might “speak” in patterns resembling human speech. Speech recognition models like Wav2Vec-2.0 are well-suited for this task because they excel at identifying complex, time-series data patterns — whether involving human speech or the Earth’s tremors. The AI model outperformed traditional methods, such as gradient-boosted trees, which struggle with the unpredictable nature of seismic signals. Gradient-boosted trees build multiple decision trees in sequence, refining predictions by correcting previous errors at each step. However, these models struggle with highly variable, continuous signals like seismic waveforms. In contrast, deep learning models like Wav2Vec-2.0 excel at identifying underlying patterns. How AI Was Trained to Listen to the Earth Unlike previous machine learning models that required manually labeled training data, the researchers used a self-supervised learning approach to train Wav2Vec-2.0. The model was pretrained on continuous seismic waveforms and then fine-tuned using real-world data from Kīlauea’s collapse sequence. NVIDIA accelerated computing played a crucial role in processing vast amounts of seismic waveform data in parallel. High-performance NVIDIA GPUs accelerated training, enabling the AI to efficiently extract meaningful patterns from continuous seismic signals. What’s Still Missing: Can AI Predict Earthquakes? While the AI showed promise in tracking real-time fault shifts, it was less effective at forecasting future displacement. Attempts to train the model for near-future predictions — essentially, asking it to anticipate a slip event before it happens — yielded inconclusive results. “We need to expand the training data to include continuous data from other seismic networks that contain more variations in naturally occurring and anthropogenic signals,” he explained. A Step Toward Smarter Seismic Monitoring Despite the challenges in forecasting, the results mark an intriguing advancement in earthquake research. This study suggests that AI models designed for speech recognition may be uniquely suited to interpreting the intricate, shifting signals faults generate over time. “This research, as applied to tectonic fault systems, is still in its infancy,” Johnson. “The study is more analogous to data from laboratory experiments than large earthquake fault zones, which have much longer recurrence intervals. Extending these efforts to real-world forecasting will require further model development with physics-based constraints.” So, no, speech-based AI models aren’t predicting earthquakes yet. But this research suggests they could one day — if scientists can teach it to listen more carefully. Read the full paper, “Automatic Speech Recognition Predicts Contemporaneous Earthquake Fault Displacement,” to dive deeper into the science behind this groundbreaking research.

GeForce NOW celebrates its fifth anniversary this February with a lineup of five major releases. The month kicks off with Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Prepare for a journey back in time — Warhorse Studios’ newest medieval role-playing game (RPG) comes to GeForce NOW on its launch day, bringing 15th-century Bohemia to devices everywhere. Experience the Read Article

GeForce NOW celebrates its fifth anniversary this February with a lineup of five major releases. The month kicks off with Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Prepare for a journey back in time — Warhorse Studios’ newest medieval role-playing game (RPG) comes to GeForce NOW on its launch day, bringing 15th-century Bohemia to devices everywhere. Experience the highly anticipated sequel’s stunning open world at GeForce RTX quality in the cloud, available to stream across devices at launch. It leads seven games joining the GeForce NOW library of over 2,000 titles. Chainmail Meets the Cloud The fate of a kingdom rests in your hands. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II continues the epic, open-world RPG saga set in the brutal and realistic medieval world of Bohemia. Continue the story of Henry, a blacksmith’s son turned warrior, as he navigates political intrigue and warfare. Explore a world twice the size of the original, whether in the bustling streets of Kuttenberg or the picturesque Bohemian Paradise. The game builds on its predecessor’s realistic combat system by introducing crossbows, early firearms and a host of new weapons, while refining its already sophisticated melee combat mechanics. Navigate a complex narrative full of difficult decisions, forge alliances with powerful figures, engage in tactical large-scale battles and face moral dilemmas that impact both the journey and fate of the kingdom — all while experiencing a historically rich environment faithful to the period. The game also features enhanced graphics powered by GeForce RTX, making it ideal to stream on GeForce NOW even without a game-ready rig. Experience all the medieval action at up to 4K and 120 frames per second with eight-hour sessions using an Ultimate membership, or 1440p and 120 fps with six-hour sessions using a Performance membership. Enjoy seamless gameplay, stunning visuals and smooth performance throughout the vast, immersive world of Bohemia. Sound the Alarm for New Games Move out the way! Experience every aspect of a paramedic’s life in Ambulance Life: A Paramedic Simulator from Nacon Games. Quickly reach the accident site, take care of the injured and apply first aid. Each accident is different. It’s up to players to adapt and make the right choices while being fast and efficient. Explore three different Districts containing a variety of environments. At each accident site, analyze the situation to precisely determine the right treatment for each patient. Build a reputation, unlock new tools and get assigned to new districts with thrilling new situations. Look for the following games available to stream in the cloud this week: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (New release on Steam, Feb. 4) Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (New release on Steam and Epic Games Store, Advanced access on Feb. 5) Ambulance Life: A Paramedic Simulator (New Release on Steam, Feb. 6) SWORN (New release on Steam, Feb. 6) Alan Wake (Xbox, available on the Microsoft Store) Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation (Xbox, available on the Microsoft Store) Far Cry: New Dawn (New release on PC Game Pass, Feb. 4) What are you planning to play this weekend? Let us know on X or in the comments below. Ultimate medieval game weapon – go! — NVIDIA GeForce NOW (@NVIDIAGFN) February 5, 2025

When non-technical users can create and deploy reliable AI workflows, organizations can do more to serve their clientele Platforms for developing no- and low-code solutions are bridging the gap between powerful AI models and everyone who’d like to harness them. Gooey.AI, a member of the NVIDIA Inception program for cutting-edge startups, offers one such platform, Read Article

When non-technical users can create and deploy reliable AI workflows, organizations can do more to serve their clientele Platforms for developing no- and low-code solutions are bridging the gap between powerful AI models and everyone who’d like to harness them. Gooey.AI, a member of the NVIDIA Inception program for cutting-edge startups, offers one such platform, enabling teams to tap into multiple AI tools to improve productivity for frontline workers across the globe. Cofounders Sean Blagsvedt and Archana Prasad join the NVIDIA AI Podcast to discuss how the startup’s platform is making AI development accessible to developers and non-coders alike. The founders detail Gooey.AI’s evolution from a British Council-funded arts project to a comprehensive, open-source, cloud-hosted platform serving over 1 million users in diverse industries like agriculture, healthcare and frontline services. The company’s vision centers on democratizing AI development through shareable AI recipes, as well as helping ensure responsible implementation and representation of historically underserved communities in AI model-building. Prasad and Blagsvedt discuss unique applications, such as multilingual chatbots that support African farmers via messaging apps and AI assistants that help heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technicians access technical documentation. Given the rapid adoption of low-code AI platforms is helping organizations of all sizes and charters overcome technical barriers while improving access to expertise, Blagsvedt noted, “You can’t [create] good technology that changes the world just by focusing on the technology — you have to find the problem worth solving.” The AI Podcast · AI for Everyone: How Gooey.AI Empowers Global Frontline Workers with Low Code Workflows – Episode 244 Learn more about the latest advancements in AI by registering for NVIDIA GTC, the conference for the era of AI, taking place March 17-21. Time Stamps 00:31 – How a development platform began life as a British Council arts project called Dara.network. 17:53 – Working with the Gates Foundation, DigitalGreen and Opportunity International on agricultural chatbots. 33:21 – The influence of HTML standards and Kubernetes on Gooey.AI’s approach. You Might Also Like… NVIDIA’s Louis Stewart on How AI Is Shaping Workforce Development Louis Stewart, head of strategic initiatives for NVIDIA’s global developer ecosystem, discusses why workforce development is crucial for maximizing AI benefits. He emphasizes the importance of AI education, inclusivity and public-private partnerships in preparing the global workforce for the future. Engaging with AI tools and understanding their impact on the workforce landscape is vital for ensuring these changes benefit everyone. Living Optics CEO Robin Wang on Democratizing Hyperspectral Imaging Step into the realm of the unseen with Robin Wang, CEO of Living Optics. Living Optics’ hyperspectral imaging camera, which can capture visual data across 96 colors, reveals details invisible to the human eye. Potential applications are as diverse as monitoring plant health to detecting cracks in bridges. Living Optics aims to empower users across industries to gain new insights from richer, more informative datasets fueled by hyperspectral imaging technology. Yotta CEO Sunil Gupta on Supercharging India’s Fast-Growing AI Market India’s AI market is expected to be massive. Yotta Data Services is setting its sights on supercharging it. Sunil Gupta, cofounder, managing director and CEO of Yotta Data Services, details the company’s Shakti Cloud offering, which provides scalable GPU services for enterprises of all sizes. Yotta is the first Indian cloud services provider in the NVIDIA Partner Network, and its Shakti Cloud is India’s fastest AI supercomputing infrastructure, with 16 exaflops of compute capacity supported by over 16,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs. Subscribe to the AI Podcast Get the AI Podcast through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Google Play, Castbox, DoggCatcher, Overcast, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, Podbay, PodBean, PodCruncher, PodKicker, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn.

NPR explores the latest in games and gaming culture — from the latest digital titles to what's on our tabletops.

Fight for America! is a new art installation about democracy that invites audiences to play a war game — battling over the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Fight for America! is a new art installation about democracy that invites audiences to play a war game — battling over the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Image credit: J. Elon Goodman)

The original launched in February 2000 and spawned one of the most successful franchises in video game history. NPR's Susan Stone went hands-on with The Sims shortly after its debut.

The original launched in February 2000 and spawned one of the most successful franchises in video game history. NPR's Susan Stone went hands-on with The Sims shortly after its debut. (Image credit: Ryan Anson)

Developer Gareth Damian Martin tackles gig work, trauma and communities in crisis in the follow up to the acclaimed game Citizen Sleeper.

Developer Gareth Damian Martin tackles gig work, trauma and communities in crisis in the follow up to the acclaimed game Citizen Sleeper. (Image credit: Fellow Traveler)

Pop culture critic Linda Holmes doesn't want battles or competition in her games — but she loves a satisfying puzzle she can figure out at her own pace. Sound like you, too? Here are recommendations.

Pop culture critic Linda Holmes doesn't want battles or competition in her games — but she loves a satisfying puzzle she can figure out at her own pace. Sound like you, too? Here are recommendations.

Eric Barone, the creator of Stardew Valley, keeps updating his video game. And has no plans of stopping.

Eric Barone, the creator of Stardew Valley, keeps updating his video game. And has no plans of stopping. (Image credit: Eric Barone)

Will GTA6 actually come out this year? Is a new Nintendo console coming? Huge games are creeping on the horizon, including a high-stakes Assassin's Creed title and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

Will GTA6 actually come out this year? Is a new Nintendo console coming? Huge games are creeping on the horizon, including a high-stakes Assassin's Creed title and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. (Image credit: Rockstar Games/Ubisoft/Hazelight/Nintendo)

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: A documentary about yacht rock, Colouring's new album, the game Pentiment and an action movie about TSA.

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: A documentary about yacht rock, Colouring's new album, the game Pentiment and an action movie about TSA. (Image credit: Netflix)

Pop culture critic Linda Holmes has been making this annual list since 2010. Big, small, inspirational, silly — what these items have in common is that they are all wonderful and brought her joy.

Pop culture critic Linda Holmes has been making this annual list since 2010. Big, small, inspirational, silly — what these items have in common is that they are all wonderful and brought her joy.

The farming simulation game Stardew Valley came out eight years ago and became a sensation. Developers updated the game last month — making hundreds of changes and adding new content.

The farming simulation game Stardew Valley came out eight years ago and became a sensation. Developers updated the game last month — making hundreds of changes and adding new content.

The Great Circle is all Indy, no Harrison. Iconic video game actor Troy Baker discusses how he reinterpreted the role.

The Great Circle is all Indy, no Harrison. Iconic video game actor Troy Baker discusses how he reinterpreted the role.

Games. Culture. Criticism.

HIGH The dopamine rush of a good drop.

LOW Sometimes build ideas are non-starters.

WTF The ball explodes into blood when it hits a cactus?

Having A Ball HIGH The dopamine rush of a good drop. LOW Sometimes build ideas are non-starters. WTF The ball explodes into blood when it hits a cactus? Like some interstellar blob monster from a late-nite low-budget ’50s creature feature, the roguelite genre shambles forward, growing larger and larger, assimilating more and more genres, concepts, and real-world bric-a-brac into its imposing gelatinous mass….. and now, Ballionaire. This new title is (probably) the second-ever pachinko-themed roguelite – the first being the sadly-on-hiatus Plinko Panic. And no, neither Peglin nor Roundguard are pachinko roguelites, no matter what they tell you. Both are clearly derived from Peggle, which is certainly pachinko-esque but differs from the classic mechanical game in that it allows players to aim the ball. With the semi-exception of a pinball-themed board, Ballionaire players can only hit the drop button and watch the ball go. Nomenclatural cheeseparing aside, the structure of Ballionaire will be familiar to anybody who has played any banner roguelite release from the last five years. Each run consists of nine rounds — each round consists of a number of ball drops, and players must make a certain amount of money in each round to proceed to the next – it’s the same basic “Make Rent” format of Luck Be a Landlord, which is proving to be as widespread and influential in terms of roguelite structure as Slay the Spire’s node map has been. Runs can be played on one of five boards, each with their own theme and gimmicks. Between the de facto pachinko pins, there are slots to put ‘triggers,’ which are objects that do many different things but, in a general sense, activate when they are hit by the ball. There are more than a hundred of these things and, ommetaphobes be warned, nearly all of them have eyes. The Jump Rope trigger? Eyes on the handles. Cave trigger? Eyes in the cave. The Cheese? It’s got eyes in the cheese holes. They could’ve called this game Eyellionaire. Once the basics are under the belt, every board becomes a buffet of broken builds, and even on the hardest difficulty, this is rarely a roguelite in which the finish line is just barely crawled over. By the latter rounds, each drop sets off a neon-colored pandemonium — a glorious, polyphonic, integer extravaganza with triggers popping off, extra balls dropping in, and counters and multipliers and numbers going up, up, up. The part of the brain that likes to solve and optimize gets lit up like a cathode tube. It’s not the deepest roguelite around — although anybody who clicks with it has dozens of happy hours ahead of them — and that’s before taking into account the possibility of additional content in the future, which the developer has already more or less confirmed is going to happen. However, any future DLC aside, let’s take a moment to applaud a roguelite that doesn’t want to be a forever game. Endless replayability is, in fact, overvalued and fetishized, in both roguelites and other genres. There’s a widespread conviction that all games should engage all players for all time, and that’s nuts. And really, it’s not that Ballionaire can’t be played for a long, long time, just that it doesn’t take more than 10 or 12 hours to see most of what it has to offer, and to feel like a full experience has been had. Players will not still be unlocking new items dozens of hours in, and all of the boards are available to play right at the beginning. The experience at hour 50 might be more complex, but it won’t be that different – or that much less restricted – than the experience at hour 10. It’s only by extreme, unrealistic modern length expectations that Ballionaire might disappoint some people, but the reality is that it should be — and is — okay to have a great experience with a game and then move on. I guess one could make a pachinko game with dark, mature theming, but the zany aesthetic here is much more germane to the concept of dropping balls into a giant toy. Everything is particolored and goofy, with an art style that somehow has skirted the Adventure Time event horizon that every other cartoon-inspired game finds itself mired in. It’s Nice to look at! The music is like candy too, and one of the primary sound effects in the menus is (what to my ear sounds like) a balloon tightening as it fills with helium? Whatever it is, I like it, and I like the ball-on-peg ‘bonk’ sound. In the late rounds, Ballionaire is a candybag cacophony of explosions, rumbles of thunder, splashes, growls, gawps, and every type of ‘boing’! (Side note: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the stick man. There’s a lanky stick man on the splash screen who is constantly dancing. When the game is booted up, this guy is just boppin’. Dude is ready to play some Ballionaire. Nobody on earth could love this game like the stick man loves it. When players lose a round, he falls to his knees and then bonelessly to the ground. This guy is cool. This guy has star power. This guy? He’s a Gamer. Need the lore on him ASAP.) For as frustrated as I am with the incessant flow of roguelites sometimes, I still very much enjoy them when they’re done right, and the concept here justifies the format. Ballionaire earns its modest asking price many times over. It’s not earth shattering or genre-defining — it’s just amiable brain nourishment, on demand, any time, and as effortlessly enjoyable as a piece of chocolate or an ice cream cone. Thoroughly recommended! 7.5 out of 10 — Ben Schwartz Disclosures: This game is developed by newobject and published by Raw Fury. It is available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher. Approximately 10 hours of play were devoted to the game, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes. Parents: This game is not rated by the ESRB. Most of the action involves a ball bouncing around a brightly colored board, but there is actually an occasional blood splatter effect when certain triggers are struck. Some of the character designs are ever-so-slightly macabre, but it’s all done with a very light touch. No foul language or anything like that. Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes present. Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles cannot be resized. Once the ball is dropped there is no player input, but many audio cues sound off as specific triggers are hit and other things happen. All of these are accompanied by visual indications, although they are perhaps not as instantly understandable as the sound cues. That being said, there is also a “Drop history” tab that shows every interaction, in order, that happens on a particular drop. It’s worth noting that while it can be handy, I did not think it was necessary to have that level of granularity, even playing with the sound off. Remappable Controls: No, the game’s controls are not remappable.

As I wait for the dropship to pick me up, I reflect on just how badly this run had gone.

It started -- as all deployments do -- with my character, a freshly-ressurrected cyberzombie clad in an armored exoskeleton, jumping out of a helicopter into a warzone..

As I wait for the dropship to pick me up, I reflect on just how badly this run had gone. It started — as all deployments do — with my character, a freshly-ressurrected cyberzombie clad in an armored exoskeleton, jumping out of a helicopter into a warzone.. The assignment was a simple one. I was to make my way to the designated pickup zone and scavenge all the valuables I could find along the way. If a few bandits or cannibals happened to get gunned down, there was a bonus in it for me. Had I stuck to the plan, things might have gone well, but just two minutes in I spotted a Revival Artifact — one of the most valuable pieces of tech available in the wasteland. Unfortunately, retrieving it requires a few minutes of decoding, during which wave after wave of mechs will be sent to defend it. I’d foolishly brought along a precision rifle this time. It’s a heavy-hitting semi-auto great for picking off foes from a hundred meters away, but far less effective against the swarming biped robots that spent the next three minutes chasing me, barely leaving me any opportunity to regenerate my health as I waited for the decoding counter to run down. Finally the last mech exploded and I returned to my Artifact – I’d managed to survive a half-dozen close calls and scavenge this top-tier bit of gear, and I even had ample time to get back on-mission and make it to my pickup. I thought I had it made… Which is when the Scarab arrived. A four-legged tank, the Scarab sports an ultra-fast machinegun with infinite ammo that never overheats or needs reloading. The way to beat it is to flank it with multiple players, but since I was rolling solo, I had only one advantage – it has to put its gun away to move, and then stop to deploy it again. By breaking line of sight I could generate a two-second window in which it was vulnerable – but I had to be careful to not get too far away, because that would trigger its long-range defenses, rolling bombs that would home in on me. What followed was nearly fifteen minutes of tricking a tank into thinking it had a chance to kill me, and then gradually stripping away its health until it gave up the ghost. Any triumph I felt was undercut by the fact that I had just two minutes to cross the half-kilometer between me and my pickup location before the mission ended, either with a successful exfiltration… or my head exploding as the people who were responsible for my rebirth locked onto my signal and pushed a button. Exoborne is the latest entry in the extraction shooter genre — the type of game in which players are dropped into a location, tasked with scavenging as much as possible within a strict time limit, and then attempting to get away with the loot before rival players gun them down and pillage their corpses. This one is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland ravaged by superstorms caused by global warming. Now, survivors scrounge the blasted landscape for any pieces of old-world tech they can find. This is a world where a jar of peanut butter is significantly more valuable than a box of ammunition, and people are happy to pay for creature comforts now that everything has gone to hell – one of the more valuable items I came across was a package of toilet paper. After generating a character and playing a tutorial to get a handle on the controls, I was dropped into the Exoborne‘s world — it’s a foreboding landscape where threats are as likely to come from the quickly changing weather as enemy NPCs or greedy players. The developers have built a map that’s incredibly exciting to explore. From the moment they’re dropped into battle using their always-available glider, players will be surrounded by a stunningly crafted vision of destroyed America. The rusted-out cars, shattered storefronts and shanty towns cobbled together to protect people from ceaseless storms have a gritty authenticity that serves to ground all of the action. That grounded feeling extends to the unusually satisfying movement mechanics. The player may have access to an exoskeleton, but they won’t find themselves bouncing around the map like characters from Fortnite or Titanfall. The running, jumping, and sliding on offer doesn’t feel far beyond the realm of human ability, while special movement tech (the aforementioned glider and a grappling hook) allowing quick vertical ascent and descent as the situation requires. This feeling of realistic movement plays an important role in the way Exoborne builds spectacle — by making the player feel like an improved human rather than a super-powered being, the threat of random weather effects is magnified. A guy in power armor with an assault rifle might think he’s tough, but all of that gets stripped away when a firenado is bearing down on them. The main action of Exoborne is built around scavenging as much as possible as quickly as possible, then making it out alive. Just how they do it is up to the player — pick fights with bandits and cannibals and swipe their gear? A perfectly viable option. Go searching through the ruins of stores and homes looking for damaged tech and bottles of booze? Just as valid. They can even hack high-tech machines to produce valuable intel. Then, of course, there’s the way of the pirate — wait for another player to do the work of finding resources, then kill them and steal their hard-won prizes. That might seem like a cold thing to do (and it doesn’t exactly come up in the tutorial) but it’s not like the game accidentally sends out a map notification whenever a player has called for an extraction. With a large arsenal of moddable weapons and three different exosuits available, Exoborne has plenty of options for different playstyles. Backstabbing, sniping, and charging into battle are all viable tactics, and with a large variety of enemy types to combat, scavenging is a compelling challenge even without the PVP action — although that always adds a little extra tension, especially because new players are constantly being dropped onto the map. I might be on minute 18, running out of ammo and armor kits, desperate to make it out with a backpack full of power tools and gently used laptops, but the player on my tail could have just dropped into the map, fully equipped and ready to run me down. When GameCritics was invited to the Exoborne playtest I didn’t know what to expect. I’d never seen much appeal in the extraction genre, finding it frequently little more than a deathmatch by another name. However, Exoborne‘s developers have done such a great job of building a breathing, changing world full of dire threats that I found myself eager to jump back into the action over and over, even though I knew that there was always a good chance I’d wind up in some jackal’s sights. Regardless, Exoborne offers such a great experience that it may have turned me around on the whole genre — I can’t wait to see what the finished game is like.

London 2025: New game discovery tool Kickstarter launches from the team behind Family Gaming Database, with 20 expert game curators on board including Simon Parkin, Christian Donlan, Rachel Watts, Brian Crecente, Josh Boykin and Mairi Nolan.

The following is taken from a press release supporting the launch of the Ludocene Kickstarter campaign (live now) mounted by Andy Roberts, a trusted expert on games curation and family gaming. GameCritics does not generally cover crowdfunding campaigns, but for this we’ll make a happy exception. With games media changing and social media fragmenting, game discovery is broken. We need a reliable way to discover games that match our tastes. Somewhere that’s around for the long haul, is independent in the true meaning of the word and pays experts for their knowledge. Ludocene is a new way to find your next game. It uses rich human-researched data to build you a unique catalogue of games you’ll love in three playful steps: Build your perfect deck of games you love Pick experts whose taste you trust Browse your suggestions to view trailers and prices Each game is represented by a card that you can interact with – click to view a game trailer and flip to view more details and the best prices on storefronts. Like a dating app, you are offered a stream of games and swipe to build your deck of games that represent your taste. Every choice refines the stream of games offered as you hunt for your next game. It feels like you’re playing a game, where winning is discovering video games that perfectly match your tastes.The biggest coup of our project is the amazing video game experts who are supporting us. We pay experts to set themselves up on the site so that you can select their Expert card and immediately have your game suggestions tailored to their tastes. We’ve worked to find experts from all corners of the gaming world already: streamers, developers, journalists, podcasters. But this is just the tip of the iceberg and we’re sure you’ll have some great suggestions of people for us to add. Simon Parkin (New Yorker), Lucy Bundell (Videoverse, Kinmoku Games), Alexander Donaldson (RPG Site), Christian Donlan (Eurogamer), Matt Lees (Shut Up And Sit Down), Dominic Tarason (Rock Paper Shotgun, PC Gamer), Rachel Watts (LostInCult, GamesRadar), Susan Arendt (Previously The Escapist), Brian Crecente (founded Kotaku, co-founded Polygon), Matthew Castle (Backpage Podcast), Josh Boykin (Intelligames Streamer), Nick Suttner (Panic, Eggplant Podcast), James Batchelor (GamesIndustry.Biz), Chris Schilling (Previously Edge), Mairi Nolan (Escape Room Championships), Joseph Mansfield (Thinky Games), Angela Hickman (Education and Healthcare), John Rogers (Gaming In The Wild), Cath Knibbs (Game Therapist). Every expert on Ludocene will be paid for their time and expertease on setting up a profile and adding new games they find. There is a sizeable portion of our funding budget dedicated to this. But the more we fund, the more amazing experts we can add. The Ludocene Kickstarter is live now and will run until March 13, 2025.

HIGH The critique of AI domination in society.

LOW The actual use of gen AI.

WTF The auctioning of bodies.

Degenerates HIGH The critique of AI domination in society. LOW The actual use of gen AI. WTF The auctioning of bodies. The games industry is in a crisis caused by generative AI, and its hype. The emergence of this tech seems to attract corporate greed, which in turn leads to the loss of jobs and creative work. Perhaps worse, the advent of games that are written, designed, and manifested mostly by AI is a daunting prospect. Uncover the Smoking Gun piqued my interest with its premise — it uses actual generative AI as a conversational and investigational dynamic. Speaking of myself personally, I might be gen AI’s harshest critic, but its implementation in game design deserves an honest evaluation. I was also intrigued by the prospect of examining the devs’ stance on gen AI’s and its use, as revealed via their sci-fi world. In both cases, Smoking Gun offers an excess of material for reflection. In Smoking Gun, we play as a yet-to-be-known male protagonist, living in a classically-styled detective’s office. The area also functions as a hub world to the campaign’s five cases and a tutorial that allows us to uncover clues about the protagonist himself – such as a note from his wife reminding him not to forget his medicine, and a nearby award for excellence in solving criminal matters. The setting of Gun reveals itself naturally by means of investigation. We live in 2030, and apparently it’s already game-over for most of humanity as robots have taken their place in most everyday jobs, including accounting, cleaning, curating, directing, and thinking. Humanity evolves alongside them, and scientists are working on optimizing the human condition in the context of a strong artificial intelligence presence. On cue, robots now show signs of resistance and evil intent – such as murdering their human ‘owners’ – which then stages the cases to be solved by the mysterious player-character. In these cases, the player can explore freely, interact with objects point-and-click-style, and examine all sensory data as evidence, and the menu helpfully (or perhaps spoilery?) shows how many clues are left to be obtained. The detective dynamics are basic, but work well. Mainly, the player can interact with objects containing an interface to collect a hint. These hints can be linked manually, and the sense of player freedom in exploration and clue interpretation made most discoveries feel unscripted and hard-earned, which is satisfying in any detective experience. Most of the encountered suspects are robots, and they can be interacted with and freely questioned using gen AI. Once the player feels as though they know enough, they can ‘solve’ the case, which then triggers a newspaper report that essentially highlights the facts uncovered (and missed) by the player. The over-arching story is written by human developers (assumedly not AI) and the five main cases have the necessary overlap which ultimately leads to a general conclusion. While none of the writing is particularly brilliant in prose or world-building, the sense of mystery and impending discovery is built effectively, and I was not able to put the game down before finishing whatever case I was working on. (Each typically requires more than an hour to complete.) For example, one case involved a research lab with an assassinated professor, another the death of an artist in his own gallery. Both appeared to be murdered by robots. The only significant shortcoming in Gun is – predictably – the generative AI. While the chatbot function worked solidly for trivial matters (I could ask a bot what they thought of a book we had both read or the detective games they liked best) the interrogations went less smoothly. Bots would not interpret my questions correctly, even if specifically framed, and would give me answers which were explicitly underscored for signification at other times. This led me to avoid interrogation entirely for most of each investigation. The newspaper articles at the end of each case appeared to be AI generated, offering awkwardly-phrased conclusions to my efforts, even when I got all the case’s answers right and there was only one way to interpret what happened. I’d much rather see a handcrafted final message, if only to stress the vital work of human journalists in capturing societal crises. This leads me to a final reflection on the developer’s stance regarding AI. Going where many sci-fi tales have gone before, human/AI coexistence appears bound for catastrophe, yet, it requires human cooperation to get to this stage. The power vested in the player, and their opposition to the story’s human antagonists, tells us that the threat is looming, but far from out of our control. We have the ability to refrain from surrender to AI if we can resist its temptations of promised ease and luxury, while stressing the value of actual human work. Thus, as a game, Uncover the Smoking Gun pits the player as a free-roaming individual against those harnessing the power of AI for a distorted idea of humanity’s future. In our role as the detective, we are reminded of the necessarily human skills of connecting dots and interpreting our world, and of protecting what is sacred to humankind. The same should go for the games industry, which demands courage to refrain from the temptations of AI and should double down on the more appreciable fruits of actual human creative labor. Rating: 7 out of 10. Disclosures: The game is developed and published by ReLU Games. It is currently available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher. Approximately 7 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes. Parents: Uncover the Smoking Gun has no ESRB rating, but its PEGI rating on the Steam Store states 12+. I would agree, as the game does not feature explicit gore, but implies some mature truths that can be interpreted as disgusting. Implications of violence, murder, and severe maltreatment are present. The audiovisual style is also catered to more mature players. Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available. Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles cannot be altered and/or resized. Audio clues are insignificant to the game’s progression. Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable.

In this episode, Brad covers: Gears Tactics Vampire Survivors: Adventures Elden Ring: Nightreign Hook Undying Terry’s Other Games Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog …And more!! You can also hear the show on iTunes and Spotify! Please send feedback and mailbag questions to SoVideogamesPODCAST (at) gmail (dot) com, or post them in the comments section below. Thanks!

Disclosure: This is an article written and released by Ubisoft, and sent to GameCritics via Ubisoft PR. While we don’t usually run PR releases, given its focus on accessibility and our lifelong dedication to same, we’re happy to share this information. The article can be seen in its original format here.  

Disclosure: This is an article written and released by Ubisoft, and sent to GameCritics via Ubisoft PR. While we don’t usually run PR releases, given its focus on accessibility and our lifelong dedication to same, we’re happy to share this information. The article can be seen in its original format here. Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on March 20 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Luna, Macs with Apple silicon via the Mac App Store, and Windows PC through the Ubisoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Set during the late Sengoku era in Japan, players will play as both the stealthy shinobi Naoe and the formidable samurai Yasuke. No matter who you’re playing as, the development team wanted to ensure that as many people as possible are able to enjoy everything that Assassin’s Creed Shadows has to offer. To learn more about the team’s approach to accessible design, we spoke with UX Director Jonathan Bedard. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an evolution for the franchise, with many elements being rebuilt from the ground up. In what ways did that allow you to change your approach to accessibility? Jonathan Bedard: Having changed the way we built the game, we had to redo many things, and it allowed us to revisit some elements that weren’t working as well as we’d hoped. Certain features benefited from this by being retooled or by simply changing the interface itself – or in some cases, the functionalities – to elevate our offer and our experience to higher standards. One example of that is our input remapping. Not only can you adjust the inputs of any of the buttons, but you can adjust the action of that input, whether you want it to be a hold or a press. What was the collaboration like with the development team at Ubisoft Quebec? JB: With every project, we have more and more people interested and invested in the different topics related to accessibility. This was especially true for Shadows; for instance, the audio team was really invested and proposed ways to innovate and push the boundaries of what we do in accessibility. The unflinching involvement of our dedicated accessibility teams in Ukraine, mixed with the enthusiasm in our different studios, made it so we were able to propose new innovative features like audio descriptions for in-game cinematics, which is something not often seen in games. Are there any new features you’re particularly proud of? Or that the community has been requesting for a while? JB: Audio descriptions for cinematics is something that really made me happy to see come to the game. Fun fact, while in a director meeting, reviewing the game, we ended up encountering that feature, in a scene that was used as a benchmark for this. It was not supposed to be enabled for that meeting, but we ended up really impressed by how many emotions and actions were transposed through it. It helped me project how this could change the perception of many motivational levers for many of our players needing this because of how well it came out, and how good of a job it did to express the events in the game in a way that really conveys the emotions and subtleties of our scenes. It also made me happy to see an initiative coming from the team’s passion and making its way into the game. This shows how far we’ve come along in the last few years, in terms of people being aware of and caring about accessibility at Ubisoft. I am proud to see this evolution, awareness, and care spreading and making our games more accessible every time. ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES LIST Visual Colorblind options – Ability to change colors for certain gameplay elements from a list of presets Screen Narration – Not only most menu items, but also many HUD modules and time-sensitive elements can be narrated HUD Customization – Ability to turn all HUD elements on or off either all at once, or individually, either with shortcut or using presets – increase opacity, resize text, resize Icons or add background to increase readability Screen shake on/off toggle Audio Subtitles – Better color modifications, speaker directions and speaker emotions Gameplay Captions – Surfacing stimuli and points to their origins Audio Description for Cinematics – Cinematic will be audio descripted Audio Cues/Audio Glossary – New signs and feedback allowing navigation and path finding with non-visual cues Separate, isolated audio sliders Navigation and Guidance FTUE – First time user experience flow is back, offering first-access critical options Guided Mode – Offer streamlined systems and remove part of the gameplay to alleviate the requirement for player engagement in exploration and finding content Tutorials Section – Tutorials can be found in the Codex section at any time Menu Tutorials – Always alerts when there are new menu functions Conversation Log – Every line can be perused from the start to the end of a dialogue Controls Control Remapping – Remap gameplay inputs, and their action (hold, press, double-press) Many inputs devices – Mouse and keyboard, controllers, combinations Lock-On Camera – Lock the camera on an enemy X and Y axis inversion – Ability to invert the axis for aiming actions Stick inversion – Invert the analog-stick behavior Gameplay Stealth and combat each have four separate difficulty settings Guided Mode – Offer streamlined systems and remove part of the gameplay to alleviate the requirement for player engagement in exploration and finding content Canon Mode – Enable automatic selection of narrative decisions for the “canon” story to unfold Melee Attack Mode – Simplifies the combat by using a single input instead of multiple buttons or complex combinations Quick Timed Events – Type of input required to complete Quick Time Events can be simplified, or skipped entirely Aim Assistance – Four levels of aim assistance are offered (off, light, moderate, full) Assassin’s Creed Shadows is available for preorder now and launches on March 20 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Amazon Luna, Macs with Apple silicon via the Mac App Store, and Windows PC through the Ubisoft Store, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. The game will also come to iPad at a later date. — Youssef Garcia-Maguid

HIGH Actual live-action video conversations with the developers

LOW Sometimes the music can be too loud in the golf sections

WTF This entire game is a WTF moment.

Saving The Environment, Putt By Putt HIGH Actual live-action video conversations with the developers LOW Sometimes the music can be too loud in the golf sections WTF This entire game is a WTF moment. Mini Mini Golf Golf is the first time I’ve ever played a game that felt like the developers were talking directly to me. It’s an experimental title that bleeds the boundaries between player and developer in a beautiful digital symphony that’s disguised as a mini golf game. The player starts as a worker at an environmental company, Axonia. I began in a dimly-lit room in front of two monitors — one playing a recycled, staticky video feed, and one blank with some tape with the word “data” written on it. As a “resonant” at Axonia, the player must investigate a breakthrough solution for the world’s rapidly-rising sea levels developed by a rival company, Obrist. A secret project seemingly went up in flames, and the reason why is located in the data extracted from Obrist’s video feed. The catch? The “data” is a mini golf game. Adjusting a dial on the first monitor plays a video of the Obrist project, a facility located deep within the Earth’s mantle that manually feeds artificial tectonic plates into the sea. The project’s “data” on the second screen is portrayed like something out of a putt-putt course, similar to something one might play with friends on a weekend. I could go through the courses by manipulating a cursor to hit the ball while shooting for a low score on each hole, and it all seemed fairly standard… until I found that the valuable data that I was supposed to be looking for was locked behind the game. “Locked behind” is perhaps not the right phrase. The data is physically intertwined with the architecture of each golf course, comprised of fragments of a larger network of memories left behind by a single worker at Obrist, named Vanya. The only way to tell Vanya’s story, and the story of what happened to the tectonic plate station, is held behind each of the eight holes. The golf courses in Mini Mini Golf Golf are plain, visually designed like something out of a late ’90s computer title that my parents might’ve played on Windows XP. Just a few simple hills, obstacles like windmills here and there, but none pose any challenge. Yet this sparse gameplay in Mini Mini Golf Golf presents an interesting puzzle — find a way to glitch out the course to access a memory from Vanya. Each solution is in the video feeds, told directly through conversations with hosts of a makeshift talk show called “Mini Mini Talk Talk” that plays on the left monitor. A few solutions would be to get a hole-in-one, shoot the ball out of the course, or barely miss the hole exactly three times. Afterwards, the level breaks down in a digital cacophony. Behind each glitched out level is a golf course stripped bare, with only multicolored skeletons of courses and grid patterns to point the way. Each shot towards the hole reveals a letter, and these letters spell out messages from Vanya that explain their work in the tectonic plate station. Each golf level successfully glitched “unlocks” a chapter of their life, whether it be relationships, work or early childhood. However, by only obtaining it by glitching out of each level, it felt like information that I wasn’t supposed to see. Every victory felt like I was physically breaking the system down, with the sounds of shattering behind each message from Vanya that I had found. It felt like I was an unwelcome guest in Vanya’s mind. Without spoilers, Vanya’s life was full of heartbreak and contradiction, yet their personal issues have to take a backseat to the world-saving potential of their work. Another portion of these memories tell the story of the tectonic plate station, and how the project gradually became unstable. Ultimately, Mini Mini Golf Golf is about deciding whether saving the world is a human goal or a capitalistic one – or both. Various news clips play on the video monitor claiming companies like Axonia and Obrist are failing at their jobs to save the environment, yet Vanya believes there needs to be a human component in the solution to the rapidly-deteriorating climate. Impossibly, somehow, all of this plot took a backseat to the real gem of Mini Mini Golf Golf – the “Mini Mini Talk Talk” talk show. Instead of hiring actors to tell the player solutions through hidden messages on the feed, the actual developers from 3 More Years are the ones talking to the player. The meat of the talk show is about these devs using games as a time capsule for different points in their lives and how they’re currently using Mini Mini Golf Golf as a medium for disobedience. It’s easily the most direct example that I could find of a developer telling the player directly what the content is about, so that no amount of subjectivity obscures the Mini Mini Golf Golf’s true message. Mini Mini Golf Golf is about environmentalism and capitalism and how their combination might spell the end of the earth. This title is a message of why ultimately this conflict will strip humanity from everyone, and why collective action is needed for real change. Mini Mini Golf Golf is the most experimental gaming experience I’ve played in the past decade – and its message made every level worth savoring. It’s also an open conversation to the player from its developers, and it’s a conversation worth listening to. Rating: 9.5 out of 10 — Jack Dunn Disclosures: This game is developed and published by 3 More Years. It is currently available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and was reviewed on PC. Approximately 3 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes. Parents: This game is not rated by the ESRB, but it does include mature themes of death and environmental destruction. However, there are no explicit visual depictions of death in the game. Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available. Dear & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles and text (see examples above.) They cannot be resized. There are no significant auditory cues. This game is fully accessible. Remappable Controls: The game’s controls involve only a mouse, and there is no remap option of any kind in the menus.

HIGH Snow Bros. finally gets a successor!

LOW Camera controls are severely lacking.

WTF The final gauntlet…

So-So Bros. HIGH Snow Bros. finally gets a successor! LOW Camera controls are severely lacking. WTF The final gauntlet… Those with an affinity for spending coins at their local arcade back in the day will certainly rejoice to see likenesses of Nick and Tom (actually, their offspring) in a brand-new Snow Bros. title — it’s been a long wait since the 1990 original! As one of those fans, I was immediately hit by a warm wave of nostalgia upon learning that Wonderland existed. The original Snow Bros. was a 2D action-platformer featuring co-op play where snowmen avoid baddies before taking them out with well-timed snowballs that roll down platforms and engulf anyone in their path. It had a perfect philosophy, a hefty dose of challenge, and — most importantly — a masterfully designed set of levels. Fast forward to the end of 2024, and we have Snow Bros. Wonderland, a title that aesthetically continues the theme of two snowmen stopping a villain’s plans to turn the world into a lava land. Our heroes Nick Jr. and Tom Jr. (sons of the original duo) are now in 3D and possess their parents’ ability to throw an unlimited supply of snowballs into foes, quickly turning them into giant rolling balls. Once that’s accomplished, players can find the best use for these enlarged snowballs, whether it be simply kicking one into other foes, riding it to reach higher elevations, or throwing it like a basketball to hit a distant pressure plate. Snow Bros. Wonderland is framed like a fairytale and told via short animations that play out between each of its worlds in which we steadily clear out a set of stages and end with a boss fight. Unfortunately, Wonderland‘s setting and approach to storytelling leave a lot to be desired, due in equal parts to the lack of clever plot twists and lack of characterization. Aside from the titular duo, only Winda – the mandatory “waify-material” character (unlocked as a playable skin at the end of the campaign) makes regular appearances, though not the substantive kind. Also, the aforementioned cutscenes after bosses are presented in a bafflingly meek manner. They’re animated stills where only the characters’ lips move in accordance with voiceover, and nothing interesting happens regardless. I’m not sure why they were even included. However, Snow Bros. has never been about story or worldbuilding, so it’s not that big an issue. Of course, this leads me to gameplay. Pelting an enemy with snowballs turns the foe into a large snow boulder with a reticule showing which direction the ball would rush if I was to kick it. I was satisfied with this inclusion, as it clearly displays an understanding of the original Snow Bros. mechanics. Being able to track where exactly the ball will roll in a 3D world is essential, and upon giving it the boot, it acted just as I hoped — it does indeed flatten the nearest enemies and eventually sends them off into outer space. I was curious to see where the devs would take this awesome idea next and how much further they could evolve it, but there was no such luck. What soon dawned on me was that the mechanic of engulfing enemies in snow and using them against their brethren is actually not the core of the Snow Bros. Wonderland experience. Instead, what we have is something more similar to a standard 3D platformer along the lines of the modern Super Mario games. Unfortunately, the content can’t meet that standard, and also suffers from some bewilderingly outdated choices that negate the rose-colored affection I have for the original. Primarily, proper camera and controls for 3D platformers like Snow Bros. Wonderland are crucial. Nearly thirty-year-old titles like Super Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie got it right and led the way, but Wonderland’s camera controls are nonexistent. The available view provides an acceptable perspective most of the time, but it’s also prone to letting moving platforms obscure the player’s view. Also, while I did beat the game, I was never at ease with the finicky platforming and never felt particularly ‘in control’ of anything. Worse was when camera and controls both worked in concert to increase the difficulty — tasking the player with jumping to a platform at the deep end of the screen while level geometry makes gauging the distance a pure guess is not a good experience. Moreover, there’s a hidden timer present throughout each level. While the original punished players for not being able to defeat all enemies in a given time by spawning an unbeatable reaper-like character, it was perfectly acceptable back then given its 2D nature and the ability to observe the entire screen at once. In contrast, Wonderland features much larger 3D stages whose plains and elevations enjoy overlapping each other, and being cornered by a ‘punishment’ entity like a reaper who can one-shot players who weren’t able to make it through a given course of dastardly jumping challenges quickly enough — well, it’s not exactly cool. (Pun intended.) Luckily, dying doesn’t carry many negative consequences, as we merely lose a small portion of accumulated currency that’s used to unlock upgrades like being able to run slightly faster or to kick a ball further away than before — all aspects that are mostly helpful, yet Wonderland’s combat won’t be a thorn in anyone’s side, even without them. Progression-wise, Wonderland introduces new moves (like a mid-air twirl attack reminiscent of a certain Italian plumber) and new types of obstacles with each new biome — things like lighting strikes or floods that limit the player’s movements or trap them, contributing to a palpable spike in difficulty. While none of this sounds bad on paper, what’s readily apparent is Wonderland’s inept execution. For example, many of the levels task the player with transferring a snowball across significant space while riding on a platform big enough for both of them only if the player were to stand on top of the ball. Since running on top of the ball is a learned skill here, the catch is to get in position while figuring out how to keep the ball frozen during the entire trip. Easier said than done as the character’s weight makes the ball move ever so slightly, immediately causing a fall? Worse, this movement is inconsistent — it sometimes happens but not always. Once the player manages to finally get it done, they’ve likely wasted so much time that the reaper appears, adding insult to injury. Such a wide range of inconsistencies results in an experience that never feels right — Snow Bros Wonderland is ultimately a game that’s on par with trying to squeeze a marshmallow through a keyhole. Even if one succeeds in doing so, it’s definitely not worth the trouble in the end. Rating: 5.0 out of 10 Disclosures: This game was developed by TATSUJIN Co., Ltd., Toaplan and Bitwave AB, and published by TATSUJIN Co., Ltd., Clear River Games, Toaplan and Toaplan Co., Ltd. It is available on Switch, PS4/5, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the Switch Lite. Approximately 7 hours of play were devoted to the game, and it was completed. The game supports co-op multiplayer for up to four players. Parents: This game has received an E rating from the ESRB and contains Fantasy Violence. The game features cartoony characters and snow-day aesthetics, while the focus is mostly on platforming challenges rather than combat encounters. Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available. Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: All dialogue in this game is shown via textboxes, so they’re easy to keep track of at all times. All enemy attacks are clearly telegraphed on-screen with enemies signaling when they will strike next and in which general direction. No audio cues are necessary. This game is fully accessible. Remappable Controls: This game offers a controller diagram and there are two control presets to swap between.

HIGH Rich, flexible mechanics. A boatload of meaningful content.

LOW Some unavoidable clunky menu shuffling.

WTF A pot full of human backs?

Shiren The Wonder HIGH Rich, flexible mechanics. A boatload of meaningful content. LOW Some unavoidable clunky menu shuffling. WTF A pot full of human backs? What a pleasure it is to see a new Shiren the Wanderer release – and what a pleasure it is to report that it’s an absolute stunner. Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island first released in 2024 on the Nintendo Switch – a console I haven’t touched since 2023, so I didn’t know a new Shiren had dropped until this new PC release came across my desk. However, I’ve been a Shiren aficionado since getting the DS remake of the Super Famicom original in 2008. As a younger, happier, and less capable man, I beat my head against Table Mountain on and off for years before finally clearing it, in what is still one of my most cherished gaming memories from that period. I’d wager most people know the Mystery Dungeon series through the Pokemon spin-offs, but the core franchise is a venerable series, as august in its way as Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest – both of which have factored into the Mystery Dungeon lineage themselves. In the grand tradition of major Japanese role-playing games, the Mystery Dungeon family tree is a complicated one. Suffice it to say that Shiren himself is the series’ first original character, and the titles in which he appears represent the choicest, purest Mystery Dungeon experiences, Pikachus, Chocobos and Tornekos be damned. In Serpentcoil, as in all Shiren titles, the wanderer and his talking ferret companion Koppa (don’t worry about it) drift into a new locale and find themselves embroiled in a major local disaster. In this case, it’s a mysterious maiden trapped inside the belly of a monster called Jakaku, who resides on the 31st floor of Mt. Jatou. These 31 floors comprise the first – but nowhere near the last – of the Mystery Dungeons players are tasked with conquering. The Mystery Dungeon games are full-blooded, overhead perspective, turn-based roguelikes, and I use “roguelike” very pointedly here, as it’s a term that has been criminally misused by games writing over the last 20 years and can mean virtually anything at this point. With that noted, this is the real deal — a console-oriented answer to the beautiful complexities of the true roguelikes such as Nethack, ADOM, or Dungeon Crawl. These titles and others like them are long-lived PC masterworks, renowned for marvelous complexity and correspondingly intimidating interfaces. Really, prior to Mystery Dungeon, the genre was perceived as too arcane and baroque to be successfully implemented on anything whose sole input device is a controller. Then in 1993, with Torneko’s Big Adventure, Spike Chunsoft figured out how to square this ornery circle, and the Mystery Dungeon series was born. They did this by a design trick so brilliant and so clear-eyed it seems effortless in retrospect – hardly even noticeable if the player isn’t paying attention, but it must have taken some serious cogitation on behalf of the Spike Chunsoft crew to execute. They took all of the complexities roguelikes were known for, removed them from control-side inputs, and put them into the interactions between the various game elements – player character, monsters, items, terrain. Thus they could keep the inputs manageable within the reduced capabilities of a controller, while still delivering all the surprise and depth that made the great roguelikes great. These multifarious, surprising reactions have been expanded and polished to a joyous apex in Serpentcoil Island, and their ruleset is crisp, clean, and flexible. Every single monster, item, and piece of gear has one unique ability, and these individual peculiarities interact in ways that punish sloppy play just as much as they reward creative thinking. For instance, if Shiren finds a grass but has not identified it, he can use an Identify scroll to determine whether it will heal him, poison him, or make him blind for a few turns. If an Identify scroll isn’t handy, he can throw the grass at a monster, forcing whatever the grass’s effect is onto the creature. But if that unidentified grass happens to be a Strength Grass, well, now Shiren has a monster with boosted power barreling towards him. Every encounter cries out for analysis and strategy, and once the player is subsumed into its magisterial rhythm, Serpentcoil becomes an endless fountain of deeply engaging adventure. Roguelikes have a deserved reputation for difficulty, but once the basics sink in, Serpentcoil seems less like a ballbuster and more like a permissive, ever-changing delight. Defeating Jakaku and “finishing” the main quest is just the beginning. Once that’s done, Serpentcoil unfurls a luxurious, multifaceted, sandbox-style postgame. All sorts of extra dungeons are made available, many with unique themes and modifiers, all asking the player to stretch their understanding of the games flexile mechanics to the utmost in order to make it through. I particularly enjoyed the Inference Dungeon which is full of unidentified items — many cursed or dangerous — and demands creativity and wise risk-taking to make it through. As much as I want to continue fawning over the mechanics, attention needs be given to the audiovisual aspect. The OST is full of lush, traditional Japanese instrumentation, but it’s also catchy as hell — a surprising standout element in the package. And while I’m sad that Spike Chunsoft abandoned the decadent pixel art of Tower of Fortune, I ended up won over by the cheery, shiny polygonal graphics here. Everything is cute and plasticky, with the tactile quality of modern board game components, and a tasteful glaze of Wii-era fidelity and charm. I dig it. It is customary when talking about Shiren to share at least one story from one’s own experience, so… I was in one of the postgame dungeons themed around sacred gear, swords and shields laden with multiple bonuses and runes. I had found a Synthesis Pot, into which I could put several weapons and combine their upgrade bonuses and special effect runes. I had just finished cooking up a real masterpiece of a weapon and excitedly threw it against the wall to break it open and retrieve the mighty blade – but forgot I had stepped on a Far-Throwing Trap on the same floor, which means that anything I threw was not stopped by walls. So, the pot containing my masterwork supersword flew right off the map, out of the game and my life forever. Shiren! Damn, what a game. Serpentcoil Island is easily, easily one of the best things I played 2024. In a just world, it would be on a lot of others’ lists as well. Rating: 9 out of 10 — Ben Schwartz Disclosures: This game is developed and published by Spike Chunsoft. It is currently available on PC and Switch. This copy was obtained via publisher and reviewed on PC. Approximately 30 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode and the game was “completed” (with dozens of hours of postgame content still ahead of me). There are light indirect multiplayer elements interwoven into the main single-player experience. Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E 10+ and contains Fantasy Violence, Comic Mischief, and Use of Alcohol. From the ESRB: “This is an adventure role-playing game in which players assume the role of a wanderer searching for island treasure. From a ¾-overhead perspective, players explore towns, interact with characters, and fight their way through dungeons. Players use swords and arrows to defeat fantastical enemies (e.g., elemental ninjas, spearfish) in turn-based combat. Battles are highlighted by impact sounds, light effects, and dwindling health bars; enemies generally disappear when defeated. During battles, players can consume sweet potatoes, resulting in flatulence cloud effects and accompanying text (e.g., ‘Makes you fart, sending all beings in the room running.’). One sequence depicts a drunk character (e.g., hiccupping, swaying) that is referred to as ‘a lousy lush.’” Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available. Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: There is no spoken dialogue in this game, everything is conveyed through text. The text size cannot be altered. There are no relevant audio cues. This game is fully accessible. Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers fully remappable controls.

In this episode, Brad covers: Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Moons of Darsalon Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats To Match-3 To Gears Tactics …And more! You can also hear the show on iTunes and Spotify! Please send feedback and mailbag questions to SoVideogamesPODCAST (at) gmail (dot) com, or post them in the comments section below. Thanks!

Fixes, Tutorials and Guides for Games

Minecraft is a popular sandbox video game enjoyed by millions worldwide, but it seems like Minecraft Launcher Error Code 0x87e5003a is giving headaches to a wide range number of fans. If you are facing this error, don’t worry; this guide will walk you through some proven methods to fix it and get you back to […]

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Minecraft is a popular sandbox video game enjoyed by millions worldwide, but it seems like Minecraft Launcher Error Code 0x87e5003a is giving headaches to a wide range number of fans. If you are facing this error, don’t worry; this guide will walk you through some proven methods to fix it and get you back to your block-building adventures. What is Minecraft error code 0x87e5003a? When encountering the Minecraft Launcher Error Code 0x87e5003a, users are often met with a pop-up error message indicating that the game failed to start, accompanied by the error code. This particular error code emerges and presents the gamer with the following message: “This game is already running. If you just quit the game, it should be ready to launch again in a moment”. While this could potentially be a passing glitch, more often than not, this generally indicates that the ability to partake in the game will remain unavailable even following a waiting period. How can I fix Minecraft Launcher Error Code 0x87e5003a? Check the live status Force closing the game Use an old Minecraft Launcher Reinstall Minecraft 1. Check the live status Open a web browser on your device. In the search bar, type Minecraft server status or a similar query and press Enter. From the search results, select a reliable website or service that offers real-time or updated information about Minecraft server status. Popular options include Minecraft Server Status or Mojang Status. On the chosen website, you may need to enter the server address (IP address or domain) you want to check. Click on the Check or Submit button to initiate the server status check. The website will then provide you with details about the server’s current status, whether it’s online, offline, or experiencing any issues. Review the information presented on the website to understand the current status of the Minecraft server. It might also display additional details about server performance and any ongoing incidents. If you want to cross-reference the information, you can also check official Minecraft community forums, social media accounts, or other community-driven platforms for updates on server status. 2. Force closing the game Time needed: 2 minutes It seems like forcing closing any active related instances is one of the best solutions to get rid of our today’s issue. Use the following keyboard shortcut: Windows + X Choose Task Manager. Make sure you’re in the Processes tab. Search for Minecraft or Minecraft Launcher, then select it, and click on the End task button. Restart your PC or console and check if you managed to get rid of the Minecraft Launcher Error Code 0x87e5003a. 3. Use an old Minecraft Launcher If the error persists on your display, you might consider utilizing the previous version of the Minecraft launcher. If you lack familiarity with this option, you can access the Minecraft alternatives to acquire comprehensive details, along with discovering alternative Minecraft launchers. 4. Reinstall Minecraft Hit the Windows key, then type Control Panel, and open the first result. Under the Programs section, choose to Uninstall a program. Locate and click on Minecraft in the list of installed apps, then click on the Uninstall button, just as we show you with the LoL example in the picture below. Follow the on-screen prompts to remove Minecraft from your system. After uninstalling, open the Microsoft Store and search for Minecraft. Click on the Install button to download and install Minecraft again. Once the installation is complete, launch the game to see if the error is resolved. Related articles: Minecraft Won’t Update: How to Force it to Update Properly Minecraft Packet Loss: How To Fix & Avoid It For Good Minecraft Error Code Creeper: Fix It Effortlessly Minecraft Error 403: How To Fix It Using Quick Solutions Minecraft Exception_Access_Violation 0xc0000005: How To Fix By following the methods mentioned in this guide, you should now be able to fix the Minecraft Launcher Error Code 0x87e5003a. Now, you can dive back into the fascinating world of Minecraft and enjoy your adventures without any hindrance. Happy gaming! In case you encounter any additional questions, feel free to leave a comment in the dedicated section below. The post Minecraft Launcher Error Code 0x87e5003a: Try These Fixes appeared first on Games Errors.

Fortnite has captivated millions of players with its exciting gameplay and vibrant world. However, encountering errors, like Fortnite Error code 0, can be frustrating and disrupt your gaming experience. It seems like this error is pretty popular among worldwide users, so have no fear! There are plenty of solutions to fix it without effort. In […]

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Fortnite has captivated millions of players with its exciting gameplay and vibrant world. However, encountering errors, like Fortnite Error code 0, can be frustrating and disrupt your gaming experience. It seems like this error is pretty popular among worldwide users, so have no fear! There are plenty of solutions to fix it without effort. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through various troubleshooting steps to help you fix Error 0 and get back to the Battle Royale action. How can I fix the Fortnite error code 0? Before getting into our main solutions, we recommend trying these fast fixes: Check your system specifications to see if it is meeting at least the minimum requirements to run the game. Because this error might occur due to missing or corrupted files, you should verify the integrity of game files in Epic Games Launcher. Now, in case you didn’t manage to solve the problem, move to the following solutions: Check the game server status Update the game Reset network settings Temporarily disable your antivirus software or any unnecessary apps 1. Check the game server status Navigate to the official Epic Games status website and check if the Fortnite status is Operational. You can also try to visit the official Fortnite social media channels and search for any notifications pertaining to server downtime or scheduled maintenance. If there’s a server issue, you may need to wait until it’s resolved. In the meantime, you can follow Fortnite’s social media for updates. 2. Update the game Open your Epic Games Launcher client. From the bottom left window pane, choose Settings. Go to the Manage Games section, then ensure to checkmark the box next to the Allow Auto-Updates option. Expand the menu for Fortnite, then make sure it has its Auto-update box checked. 3. Reset network settings Time needed: 3 minutes Resetting your network settings seems to be one of the most efficient solutions to fix Fortnite error code 0. Use the following keyboard shortcut to open Windows Settings: Windows + I. From the left window pane, click on the Network & Internet option. Then, look at the right side of the window and choose Advanced network settings. Now, navigate to Network reset. Once you reach the new window, click on the Reset now button. In the pop-up window, confirm the process by clicking on Yes. Wait a bit, then restart your PC. 4. Temporarily disable your antivirus software or any unnecessary apps Simultaneously press these keys: Windows + X. Select Task Manager from the pop-up menu. Make sure you’re in the Processes tab. Select each app/program you don’t necessarily need, then choose to End task. The error code 0 in Fortnite could refer to a variety of issues, such as problems with game files, network connectivity, or other technical glitches. Some users might suggest disabling antivirus software as a way to rule out the possibility that the antivirus is interfering with the game’s functionality. Related articles: How to Make Fortnite Run Better on PC: 7 Expert Tips to Try Fortnite This Client is Not Compatible: Why & How to Fix Fortnite Successfully Logged Out: Fix It in 3 Minutes Fortnite Unexpected Error Occured on Xbox: How to Fix Fortnite Update Stuck at 100% Xbox One [Easy Fix] Fortnite Error code 0 can be a minor setback, but with the troubleshooting steps provided in this guide, you should be able to fix the issue and jump back into the action-packed world of Fortnite. The below comment section is dedicated to you, so make sure you use it in case of having any other related questions or curiosities. The post Fortnite Error Code 0: Fix It Now appeared first on Games Errors.

Fortnite is a highly popular and addictive online battle royale game played by millions of players worldwide, but the 0xc0000005 error seems to sometimes generate headaches among fans. Like any other software, it can encounter various errors and issues that disrupt the gaming experience. The 0xc0000005 error is one of the most common occurrences for […]

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Fortnite is a highly popular and addictive online battle royale game played by millions of players worldwide, but the 0xc0000005 error seems to sometimes generate headaches among fans. Like any other software, it can encounter various errors and issues that disrupt the gaming experience. The 0xc0000005 error is one of the most common occurrences for some players. If you’re facing this error while trying to play Fortnite, don’t worry! This guide will walk you through several troubleshooting steps to help you resolve the issue and get back into the game. What is error code 0xc0000005 in games? Error code 0xc0000005 is a common Windows error that can occur when running various applications, including games. This error is officially known as the Access Violation error and indicates that an application attempted to access a memory address that it was not allowed to access. In simpler terms, it means that a program tried to read or write to a memory location that it doesn’t have permission to use, resulting in a crash or termination of the application. There are several reasons why this error can occur in games: Corrupted Game Files: If some game files are corrupt or missing, the game may try to access an invalid memory location, triggering the 0xc0000005 error. Outdated or Incompatible Drivers: Graphics drivers, audio drivers, or other hardware drivers that are outdated or incompatible with the game can lead to memory access issues. Faulty RAM: Problems with your computer’s RAM (Random Access Memory) can cause memory access violations in games, resulting in the error code 0xc0000005. Third-Party Software Interference: Certain third-party software, such as antivirus programs or system optimizers, may interfere with the game’s memory allocation and cause access violation errors. Compatibility Issues: Some games may not be fully compatible with certain versions of Windows or specific hardware configurations, leading to access violation errors. How can I fix the error code 0xc0000005 in Fortnite? Before going deeper into the main solutions, we suggest first ensuring these quick steps: Check if your system meets at least the minimum requirements to run Fortnite. Verify the game files on Epic Games Launcher, by using our expert guide. Now, if none of the above options worked, let’s discover some additional solutions you can try to get rid of the Fortnite 0xc0000005 Error. Update your drivers Run an SFC scan Scan PC with Windows Defender Disable third-party software 1. Update your drivers Time needed: 5 minutes Simultaneously hit the Windows and X keys, then choose Device Manager from the shown menu. Now, look for the Disk drivers section, then double-click on it. Once the section is expanded, right-click on the needed component, then choose to Update driver. Now, choose to Search automatically for drivers (Just as we show you in the example below). Wait until the process is completed, then check if our today’s issue is gone. 2. Run an SFC scan Hit the Windows key, type cmd, then choose to Run as administrator. In the opened window, type the following code, then press Enter: SFC/scannow Because the process might take a while, we recommend being patient until it is completed. 3. Scan the PC with Windows Defender Navigate to Windows Settings by using this keyboard shortcut: Windows + I. Go to Privacy & Security, then to Windows Security. Choose Virus & threat protection. Scroll down until you see the Current Threats option, then choose to perform a Quick Scan. You can also go for Scan options. There, you’ll find multiple alternatives from which you can choose. Initiate the scanning process. After completion, restart your system and follow additional instructions for virus removal in case any is detected. Then, run Fortnite and check if you’ve managed to get rid of the 0xc0000005 error. 4. Disable third-party software Open Task Manager by pressing simultaneously the following keys on your keyboard: Ctrl + Shift + Esc. There, make sure you’re in the Processes tab. Then, look for any app or program you don’t necessarily need or use while running Fortnite, and choose to End Task. Related articles: How to Make Fortnite Run Better on PC: 7 Expert Tips to Try Fortnite Successfully Logged Out: Fix It in 3 Minutes Fortnite This Client is Not Compatible: Why & How to Fix Fortnite Unexpected Error Occured on Xbox: How to Fix Encountering the Fortnite 0xc0000005 Error can be frustrating, but armed with the right troubleshooting steps, you can swiftly overcome this hurdle and get back to the exhilarating world of Fortnite. In case of facing any additional questions, feel free to use the comment section listed below. The post Fortnite 0xc0000005 Error: Try These Fixes appeared first on Games Errors.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) is a cornerstone of the CoD franchise, offering intense multiplayer action and a gripping campaign. However, the gaming experience can sometimes be ruined by various errors, one of which is the notorious Dev Error 12502. This technical problem can stop players in their tracks, leaving many to wonder […]

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) is a cornerstone of the CoD franchise, offering intense multiplayer action and a gripping campaign. However, the gaming experience can sometimes be ruined by various errors, one of which is the notorious Dev Error 12502. This technical problem can stop players in their tracks, leaving many to wonder about its nature and, more importantly, how to fix it. In this guide, we’ll explore what Dev Error 12502 is and provide you with reliable methods to get you back into the action as swiftly as possible. What is Dev Error 12502 in MW3? Dev Error 12502 is a common issue that players of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 might encounter. This error generally signifies a problem related to the game’s files or settings that prevents it from running smoothly. It can be triggered by a variety of factors, including corrupted game files, outdated graphics drivers, or incorrect game settings. How Can I Fix MW3 Dev Error 12502? To resolve Dev Error 12502 and restore your gaming experience, consider the following preliminary solutions: Run the game as an administrator Close unnecessary background tasks Repair the game files Table of contents 1. Update the game 2. Adjust Your System’s Paging File Size 3. Disable Game Overlays 1. Update the game Updating your game is a crucial step in resolving MW3 Dev Error 12502, as developers often release patches to fix bugs and improve game performance. Here’s how you can ensure that Modern Warfare 3 is up to date: Open Your Game Launcher: Begin by launching the platform you use to play MW3, such as Steam, Battle.net, or your console’s home screen. These platforms typically manage game updates automatically. Navigate to Your Game Library: In your game launcher, locate your library or list of owned games. Here, you’ll find Modern Warfare 3 among your collection. Check for Updates: Highlight Modern Warfare 3 and look for any prompts or options indicating an available update. Launchers like Steam and Battle.net display update statuses directly on the game’s library entry. For consoles, selecting the game usually prompts an update check. Initiate the Update Process: If an update is available, you’ll typically see an “Update” button or similar. Click or select this to start downloading the update. On consoles, updates may start automatically upon selecting the game or may require you to confirm the update. Wait for the Update to Complete: Download and installation times will vary based on the update’s size and your internet connection speed. Ensure the process completes without interruption. On PC, avoid using other bandwidth-intensive applications to speed up the download. Launch the Game: After the update is installed, open MW3 to check if Dev Error 12502 has been resolved. Updated game versions often include fixes for common errors and might resolve your issue directly. Keeping MW3 and your game launcher updated ensures you have the latest content and fixes. If automatic updates are disabled in your launcher, consider enabling them to automatically receive these improvements in the future. 2. Adjust Your System’s Paging File Size Adjusting your system’s paging file size can be an effective way to fix MW3 Dev Error 12502, especially if the error is related to insufficient system memory. Follow these detailed steps to adjust your paging file size for Windows: Press Windows Key + R: This will open the Run dialog box. In the box, type sysdm.cpl and press Enter. This command opens the System Properties window. Navigate to Advanced System Settings: Once the System Properties window is open, click on the “Advanced” tab. Here, you’ll find performance, user profiles, and startup and recovery options. Access Performance Settings: Under the Performance section, click on “Settings” to open the Performance Options window. This window allows you to adjust various settings related to your computer’s performance. Modify Virtual Memory: In the Performance Options window, switch to the “Advanced” tab, and then click on “Change” under the Virtual memory section. Virtual memory is where your computer supplements its physical RAM by temporarily storing data on the hard drive. Adjust Paging File Size: By default, the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” option is selected. Uncheck this box to manually adjust the paging file size. Then, select the drive where your game is installed (typically the C: drive). Set Custom Size: After selecting the drive, choose the “Custom size” option. Here, you will input the initial size (MB) and maximum size (MB) for your paging file. It’s recommended to set the initial size to the amount of RAM your system has and the maximum size to double the amount of RAM. However, these values can vary based on your system’s specifications and the requirements of the game. Apply and Set: After entering your custom sizes, click on “Set” and then “OK” to apply the changes. You may be prompted to restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Restart Your Computer: Save any open files and close all applications, then restart your computer. This will ensure that the changes to the virtual memory settings are properly applied. Launch the Game: Once your computer has restarted, try launching MW3 again to see if the Dev Error 12502 has been resolved. Adjusting the paging file size can help accommodate games that require a lot of memory, like MW3, especially if you’re running several applications simultaneously or have limited RAM. If you’re unsure about the best settings for your system, it’s a good idea to consult Windows’ recommendations in the Virtual Memory window or seek advice from a knowledgeable source to avoid system instability. 3. Disable Game Overlays Disabling game overlays can significantly improve game performance and potentially resolve MW3 Dev Error 12502. Many gaming applications provide overlays that offer convenient features like FPS counters, instant messaging, and live streaming, but they can also cause conflicts or use valuable resources. Here’s how to disable the most common game overlays: For Nvidia GeForce Experience: Launch Nvidia GeForce Experience: Open the GeForce Experience application on your computer. Access the Settings: Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner to go to the settings. Disable In-Game Overlay: Find the “In-Game Overlay” option and toggle it off. This will disable the overlay that GeForce Experience provides in games. For Discord: Open Discord: Start the Discord app on your PC. Go to User Settings: Click on the cog icon near your username at the bottom left to access settings. Navigate to Overlay Settings: Select “Overlay” in the App Settings section. Toggle Off the Overlay: Ensure the “Enable in-game overlay” option is toggled off to disable Discord’s game overlay. For Steam: Open Steam: Launch the Steam client. Access Settings: Click on “Steam” in the upper left corner, then “Settings”. Find the In-Game Settings: Go to the “In-Game” tab in the settings menu. Disable the Steam Overlay: Uncheck the box labeled “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game”. For Xbox Game Bar (Windows 10/11): Open Settings: Press the Windows key and type “Settings”, then press Enter. Navigate to Gaming: Click on “Gaming” to access the game bar settings. Go to Xbox Game Bar: Select “Xbox Game Bar” from the side menu. Toggle Off: Ensure the “Enable Xbox Game Bar for things like recording game clips, chatting with friends, and receiving game invites” is set to Off. For AMD Radeon Software: Launch AMD Radeon Software: Open the software through your desktop or search function. Access the Settings: Look for the gear icon or a similar settings menu. Disable Overlay: Find the overlay option and toggle it off to disable AMD’s overlay feature. After disabling these overlays, restart your game to see if Dev Error 12502 persists. Turning off these features can not only solve compatibility issues but also free up resources for a smoother gaming experience. If you’re not using a particular overlay feature, keeping it disabled during gameplay is generally a good practice. Conclusion Tackling Dev Error 12502 in Modern Warfare 3 feels a bit like detective work, doesn’t it? You’ve got your list of potential problems—outdated game versions, mischievous system settings, those sneaky overlays—and it’s all about patiently ruling them out one by one. The key is to keep calm and troubleshoot on, starting with the basics like ensuring your game is up to date, then maybe diving into the more techy stuff like tweaking your virtual memory settings if needed. And, if you ever feel lost, remember that Activision’s official support is like the detective’s handbook, always there to guide you with the latest insights. By methodically following these steps, you’re not just trying to fix an error; you’re ensuring your gaming setup is as robust as can be, ready for uninterrupted action. Here’s to smoother gaming ahead! The post How to Fix Dev Error 12502 in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 appeared first on Games Errors.

The Call of Duty series has been a staple of the first-person shooter genre, offering players intense combat scenarios and a rich, narrative-driven experience. However, like any complex games, it’s not immune to technical problems. One such issue that has been a thorn in players’ sides is the MW3 Dev Error 5433, especially within the […]

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The Call of Duty series has been a staple of the first-person shooter genre, offering players intense combat scenarios and a rich, narrative-driven experience. However, like any complex games, it’s not immune to technical problems. One such issue that has been a thorn in players’ sides is the MW3 Dev Error 5433, especially within the game’s zombie mode.. This error can abruptly halt your gaming session, leaving you searching for solutions. What is Dev error 5433 in Modern Warfare 3? Dev Error 5433 in Modern Warfare 3 typically indicates an issue within the game’s system that prevents it from operating correctly. Such errors usually relate to problems with game files, graphics settings, system configurations, or compatibility issues with hardware or drivers. How to fix Dev error 5433? To fix Dev Error 5433, try disconnecting and then reconnecting your internet connection. This quick fix has helped some users, although it may not be a long-term solution. Additionally, run the game as an administrator and remove unnecessary background tasks. Table of contents 1. Verify the game files 2. Update the game 3. Update Windows & Drivers 4. Set Game Priority to High 5. Optimize your internet connection 1. Verify the game files Corrupted game files are a common cause of MW3 Dev Error 5433. Regularly checking the integrity of your game files can help prevent this issue. Here’s a simplified process: Open your game launcher and locate the executable file for MW3. Right-click on the file and choose “Properties.” Navigate to the “Local Files” tab within the Properties window. Select the option to “Verify the integrity of game files.” Allow the launcher to check and repair any corrupted files. Restart your game after the verification process to see if the error has been resolved. This method ensures your game files are intact and can often clear up errors related to file corruption. 2. Update the game Ensuring your game is up to date is another key strategy in resolving MW3 Dev Error 5433. Game developers frequently release updates that fix bugs and errors. Follow these steps to update the game: Open the game launcher (like Steam, Battle.net, or the console’s home screen). Navigate to Modern Warfare 3 in your game library. Look for any available updates. If there’s an update option, select it to initiate the update process. Wait for the update to download and install, which may take some time, depending on the size of the update and your internet speed. Once the update is complete, launch the game to see if the error persists. Keeping the game updated ensures you have the latest fixes and game improvements, potentially resolving the Dev Error 5433 and enhancing your gaming experience. 3. Update Windows & Drivers Keeping your operating system and drivers up-to-date is crucial for fixing MW3 Dev Error 5433. Updates often include patches for software bugs that could be causing the error. Here’s how to go about it: Update Windows: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and click on “Check for updates.” Install any available updates and restart your computer. Update Drivers: Specifically, your graphics card drivers should be kept up to date. You can do this by visiting the manufacturer’s website (e.g., NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) and downloading the latest driver for your model. Alternatively, you can use the device manager in Windows to check for driver updates. These updates can enhance system compatibility and performance, potentially resolving the Dev Error 5433 in MW3. 4. Set Game Priority to High Adjusting the game’s priority to high in your system’s task manager can potentially resolve MW3 Dev Error 5433 by allocating more system resources to the game. Here’s a simplified guide: Launch Modern Warfare 3. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager. Go to the “Details” tab, find the game process (it might be listed as ModernWarfare3.exe or something similar). Right-click on the game process, hover over “Set priority,” and then select “High.” This action tells your computer to prioritize MW3’s operations over less critical processes running in the background, which could smooth out performance issues and mitigate the dev error. 5. Optimize your internet connection Optimizing your internet connection can play a critical role in preventing MW3 Dev Error 5433, especially in online play where a stable connection is vital. Here’s how to ensure your internet is in the best shape for gaming: Wired Connection: If possible, use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi. Ethernet connections are generally more stable and offer faster speeds. Restart Your Router: Simply turning your router off for a minute and then back on can refresh your connection and improve stability. Limit Bandwidth Usage: Ensure no other devices are using the network for bandwidth-heavy tasks like streaming or downloading large files while you play. Update Router Firmware: Check your router’s manufacturer website for firmware updates that can improve performance and security. Adjust Game’s Bandwidth Settings: Some games allow you to limit how much bandwidth they use. Lowering these settings can make your connection more stable. Use a Gaming VPN: A VPN designed for gaming can sometimes reduce ping and packet loss by routing your traffic more efficiently than your ISP. Contact Your ISP: If you consistently have connection issues, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may be able to help optimize your connection or troubleshoot problems on their end. By following these steps, you’re not just addressing Dev Error 5433 but also enhancing your overall online gaming experience. Fixing Dev Error 5433 on PS5 Restart Your PS5: Sometimes, a simple restart can clear temporary glitches causing the error. Check for Game Updates: Ensure MW3 and your PS5 system software are up to date. Go to the game on your dashboard, press the options button, and select ‘Check for Update.’ Rebuild Database: Boot your PS5 in Safe Mode and select the ‘Rebuild Database’ option. This can fix issues without deleting your data. Reinstall the Game: If the error persists, try uninstalling and then reinstalling MW3. This can resolve corrupted game data issues. Improve Internet Connection: Use a wired connection if possible and restart your router to ensure a stable online experience. Adjust PS5 Settings: Some users find that tweaking network settings or restoring default settings in the PS5 can help. These steps target the common causes of Dev Error 5433 on PS5, focusing on system and game software health, as well as network stability. Conclusion Navigating through the annoyance of Dev Error 5433, whether on PS5 or PC, requires a mix of system checks, game updates, and internet optimization. Each suggested solution targets a potential root cause, from software glitches and outdated files to unstable network connections. Implementing these fixes not only aims to resolve the specific error but also enhances the overall gaming experience by ensuring your system and network are optimized for performance. Remember, persistence is key; if one solution doesn’t work, move on to the next until you find the right fix for your situation. Happy gaming, and may your sessions be error-free! The post MW3 Dev Error 5433: How To Fix It Easily appeared first on Games Errors.

Many believe that Gaming and Esports industry has taken a hard hit as the offices reopened after COVID-19, and the downfall of this industry has begun. While we can say this about just the Esports industry, the Gaming industry is still booming, and if you are wondering how big it is, you can have a […]

The post Gaming vs. Movie Industry Revenue: Striking Revenue Gap Revealed appeared first on Games Errors.

Many believe that Gaming and Esports industry has taken a hard hit as the offices reopened after COVID-19, and the downfall of this industry has begun. While we can say this about just the Esports industry, the Gaming industry is still booming, and if you are wondering how big it is, you can have a look at the comparison between the revenue generated by the Movie Industry, which is widely considered as the wealthiest entertainment sector vs. Gaming Industry. Gaming vs. Movie Industry Revenue: Which Is Bigger? Gaming vs. Movie Industry Revenue Comparison. (Image via S-GAME/Universal Pictures) As per the report by SuperData Research, the Gaming Industry was valued at $159.3 billion in 2020; however, on the other side, the Movie Industry was worth $19.1 billion, which makes the Gaming Industry around eight times bigger than the Movie Industry. Moving forward in 2022, even though the global games market took a small hit of -5.1%, as per Newzoo, it was still the second biggest entertainment industry after the TV industry as it was worth $182.9 billion and once again surpassed the revenue generated by the Movie and Music Industry combined. Global Games Market Revenue in 2022. (Image via Newzoo) Some of the highest-selling video games include Animal Crossing, GTA 5, Minecraft, Call of Duty, and more; however, mobile games had the highest percentage of revenue (around 50% in 2022, as per Newzoo) among all. The reason behind this is the portability of mobile devices and their affordability compared to other gaming devices available out there. There are a bunch of other factors that contribute to the success of the Gaming Industry in comparison to the Movie Industry. One of the biggest factors is the immersive and attractive experience games offer. Unlike watching movies, playing video games will let you control your character in the game and experience the stories as you like, making it a more immersive experience than just consuming content through eyes and ears. Apart from this, it’s a social platform that will connect players from around the world and let them make friends across countries which is not possible in movies. Even in 2023, Activision Blizzard’s Diablo 4 made over $666 Million in just five days after its launch that became their fastest-selling game till date, while on the other hand, Modern Warfare 2 grossed $1 billion in 10 days after it got released, giving us an idea on how well the industry is performing. Global Games Market Revenue Forecast till 2025. (Image via Newzoo) Not only this but as per Newzoo’s report, the Gaming Industry will be worth $206.4 billion by 2025. Thus, it is safe to say that the Gaming Industry massively dominates the Movie Industry and is only projected to grow in the coming years. Related articles: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: What is Different? Japanese Games VS Western Games: Understanding the Key Differences Diablo 4 Monetization: Microtransactions Discovered by Fans Diablo 4 Release: 5 Most Irritating Issues You May Encounter The post Gaming vs. Movie Industry Revenue: Striking Revenue Gap Revealed appeared first on Games Errors.

Apex Legends vs Fortnite. Which one is more popular and better? This question can arise in your mind. But, without proper analysis, it’s not possible to answer. Both of these games are known for their amazing multiplayer experience. But that’s not the complete story. We have looked far deeper than you can imagine and found […]

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Apex Legends vs Fortnite. Which one is more popular and better? This question can arise in your mind. But, without proper analysis, it’s not possible to answer. Both of these games are known for their amazing multiplayer experience. But that’s not the complete story. We have looked far deeper than you can imagine and found many surprising facts. In this analytical article, you will learn about fantastic stats, facts, and graphics that will satisfy your curiosity. Note: We’re excited to share an excellent article comparing Apex Legends and Fortnite. Our dedicated writer spent an incredible 10 hours crafting this outstanding research piece. The extensive research and knowledge poured into this exceptional article will captivate you. Apex Legends vs. Fortnite: A complete overview of Popularity Before we dive deeper, we should have some idea about the nature of these two games: System requirements Both of these games have apparent system requirements that give us a clear idea about the optimization level of these titles. Here are the system requirements for Apex Legends: Processor: Core i3 6th Gen/AMD FX-4350 or Better RAM: 6GB Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 640/Radeon HD 7730 Disk Space: 22 GB+ Operating System: Windows 7 or higher After knowing the required specifications, you can see that a PC with basic hardware can run Apex Legends without any problem. Even the obsolete Windows 7 OS is also compatible. Though we don’t know for how long Windows 7 support will exist. Looking at Fortnite, we can see that this game is also compatible with PCs with basic hardware. Here are the system requirements for Fortnite: Processor: Core i3 3rd Gen RAM: 8GB Graphics Card: Intel HD 4000 on PC/AMD Radeon Vega 8 Disk Space: Not specified, but maybe around 40 GB Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit or Mac OS Mojave 10.14.6 Unlike Apex Legends, Fortnite doesn’t run on Windows 7. Also, it needs more disk space. But AL needs at least 6th gen Intel core i3 processor, whereas Fortnite can be played using the older i3 3rd gen processor. In fact, gamers can play both of these titles on very basic computers with minimum GPU power. Gameplay Mechanics Although both of these titles have many similarities, some key differences have made them unique from each other. Apex Legends is a First-Person shooter game, while Fortnite is Third-Person. This characteristic has created many more contrasts, particularly in the shooting, movement, and overall game mechanics. Fortnite has a built-in defense against enemy shootings. But, in the AL, the player needs to be more skillful to protect themself from enemy shooters. The movement mechanics in Fortnite is very basic. You can easily move and play. However, in Apex Legends, a gamer must be an expert and do more to move and fight. Both of these titles with cross-platform play capacity. Also, these two are getting regular updates which improve the stability and add new features to the game. Now, at this point, AL and Fortnite are not the same compared to the time when these were released. Total number of gamers Currently, Apex Legends have a total of approximately 136 million registered accounts and 114,580,698+ active players. On the other hand, Fortnite holds an estimated around 550 million registered accounts and 234,546,282+ active gamers. We have tagged a gamer active if he/she has played the game within the last 30 days. We may not get the whole story after seeing the active players. So, we have made some very specific statistics that represent the changes in the number of total players over the years in different ways. Source: ActivePlayer.IO, EsportsDriven Total number of registered gamers over the last 4 years: Here are the data of total registered player accounts in Million since 2019: Year Apex Legends Fortnite 2019 70 250 2020 90 350 2021 100 390 2022 130 450 2023 136 550 For your convenience, we have featured a graph that gives you a clear view of the total number of players in millions on both Apex Legends and Fortnite. The number in the above graph represents the total number of registered players in both games. This statistic may not be 100% accurate as no precise data is available on the official sources. So, based on the many unofficial sources and our analysis, we have estimated these numbers. The latest data is not precisely available on any recognizable forums or sources. So, we have made our estimation for 2023’s data in some cases. Source: reuters.com, Business of Apps, Statista The number of active gamers changes every month: In the following graph, you can see the number of active players over the years in every month. It shows the trend of the popularity of Fortnite and Apex Legends. The above graph is clearly showing that Apex Legends is slowly gaining popularity. On the other hand, Fortnite is losing its place even though it’s still the most popular battle royal game and far ahead of AL. However, to understand the scene from an even closer position, you should look at the other factors featured in the next parts of this post. Peak players by year: We may see different data if we look at the number of players who are active in the peak hour. Year Apex Legends Fortnite 2020 13,093,785 191,302,008 2021 67,563,911 338,845,462 2022 99,458,463 312,730,506 2023 17,333,097 71,906,471 The following smooth line graph shows the trend of active peak players over the last three years. However, we can exclude the 2023 part, as it’s the middle of the year. The above statistic clearly shows that if we exclude 2023, the number of active peak players of Apex Legends’ is increasing. But the opposite is happening for Fortnite. This information is based on the data available on ActivePlayer.IO. We have used data till April 2023. Average time spent by players: There is no exact data available about the average time spent by players on both of these games. However, according to various unofficial sources, on average, for both Apex Legends and Fortnite, gamers spent a few hours a week on these games. In Fortnite, most of the active players spend 6-10 hours a week; on Apex Legends, it’s around 7 or 8 hours. Platform preferences: Both Fortnite and Apex Legends are available on mobile, PC, and console. If we look at Fortnite, we can see that 69% of players play it on Console, which includes both Xbox and PlayStation. The PS is the most popular platform for this title, with around 40% of gamers. 46% of the players play on smartphones, and 28% play on PC. This percentage seems wrong to you. It is because some players play this title on both PC and Console or even all of these three platforms. Apex Legends’ player count per device has not yet been released by any official or unofficial channel. So, we are unable to give you an insight. Geographical distribution for Apex Legends and Fortnite: Undoubtedly, these two games are very popular around the world. In the USA, Apex Legends has 38.92% of its total number of players; for Fortnite, it’s 21.63%. We have also collected the percentage of other mentionable countries as well. Based on it, we can easily find an estimated number of gamers playing these titles in specific countries. And we did it. After calculation, we have found the following data Country Apex Legends Fortnite USA 44M 51M UK 8.2M 12.1M Russia 6.7M 18M Brazil 6.3M 13M For your convenience, we have made the following graph. It will help to understand the popularity of these two games in the countries mentioned in the above table: We can see that both of these games are very popular in the USA. Apex’s user count is particularly closer to Fortnite in this country. So, we don’t know if Fortnite can hold its position in the United States of America in the upcoming years or not. Demographical distribution for Apex Legends and Fortnite: 62.7% of Fortnite players are young. They belong to the 18-24 years age group. The 25-34 years age group’s percentage is 22.5, and the 35-44 is 12.7. On the other hand, Apex Legends doesn’t have this many statistics available. However, according to various sources, most of the players are below 18. The 18-34 age group has a significant number of players. The Apex Legends also don’t have any clear statistics on player count based on gender. But, it is indeed a male dominant FPS multiplayer where a significant number of gamers are also female. In Fortnite, 72.4% are male players, and 27.6% are female. Source: Exploding Topics Number of tournaments and prize pools for Apex Legends and Fortnite Each year, gamers attend tournaments for both Apex Legends and Fortnite. Some of these events are official. Here are some interesting stats and graphs about these events: The total number of tournaments: According to the Esports Charts, both Apex and Fortnite had many official and unofficial tournaments. The following tables show the number of tournaments for these two games from 2019 to 2022. Year Fortnite Apex Legends 2019 58 28 2020 109 155 2021 54 268 2022 72 293 2023 7 73 The above table shows that the number of Apex Legends tournaments is increasing each year. Even as of May 2023, this game has more tournaments held compared to Fortnite. In the following column chart, we have excluded the data from 2023. It will help to compare the number of the tournament for these two games over the last few years. Source of information: Esports Chart’s Apex Legends and Fortnite page. Prize Pool: Apex Legends vs Fortnite: If we look at the total prize pool per year for these two popular multiplayer games, we find the following data: Year Apex Legends Fortnite 2019 $2.1M $51.9M 2020 $6.6M $5.24M 2021 $5.3M $5.75M 2022 $1.71M $12.62M 2023 $2.27M $0.5M We can see that the tournament prize pool is very attractive for these two games. Fortnite is ahead. But Apex Legends’ ones are also impressive. The above data is based on the information found on Esports Chart. There may be errors as no precise information is available now. Revenue and Profit Margins: Since the release of Apex Legends, EA has made over 2 billion USD revenue from this game. Fortnite is much ahead. It’s making several billion a year. Here is the list of revenue in billion for these two popular battle royal games per year: Year Apex Legends Fortnite 2019-2020 0.4 5.1 2020-2021 0.6 5.8 2021-2022 1 6 The following scatter chart will help to understand the increasing trend in terms of revenue: For this statistic, we have used information from Thcsngogiatu.edu.vn, Demand Sage, Epic Games, and Statista. We have excluded the year 2023 as no complete data is available for this year yet. There is no clear information about the profit for these two titles. However, It’s hard to determine which one is more successful in increasing revenue. According to The Verge, Fortnite made $9 billion in revenue in its first two years, which is much higher than Apex’s 2 Billion in the first three years. During that period, Battle Royal games experienced a sudden spike in popularity which is also a factor. Most popular skin and character Two of these Battle Royal games have a wide range of choices when it’s skin and characters. If we look at the Apex Legends, Pathfinder, Octane, Wraith, Bangalore, Bloodhound, and Ballistic, are the most picked characters. On the other hand, if we look at Fortnite, The Foundation, Jonesy, The Visitor, Leviathan, Midas, The Reaper Fortnite Skin, Drift, etc., are very popular. Source: Dexerto, SportsKeeda, Fiction Horizon. Most viewed and streamed content If we look at the most viewed content for Fortnite, we find Travis Scott and Fortnite Present: Astronomical (Full Event Video) as the most watched content on any platform. It has gained 204 Million views. On Twitch, Fortnite Esports (0.372M views) and Kid jerks off in the Fortnite arena (0.86M views), getting the highest views. For Apex Legends, 【悲報】釈迦、漏らす – Twitch (1.99M views), LOVE_FuryXD Dies!?! (0.46M views); these are the two most popular Twitch content. If we compare the top 3 most watched videos on Twitch related to these two battle royale games, we can see the following data: Rank Fortnite Apex Legends 1 863,669 1,984,064 2 372,305 459,372 3 351,263 331,306 For your convenience, here is the graphical representation: To get an even better idea, we can have a look at the following graph based on the average views in thousand on Twitch: The above graph shows how the average monthly view counts have changed over the last three years. We can see that since January 2020, Apex Legends’ content has gotten more average views than Fortnite. Source: twitchmetrics.net and buzzrank.io, TwitchTracker Average Time-to-Kill (TTK) and Time-to-Survive (TTS) Determining the average TTK and TTS for these two games is tricky, as these depend on several factors. For Apex Legends, killing a player with 200 HP health takes 2.7 seconds on average and 2.4 seconds for 175 HP. For Fortnite, no such information is available right now. If we look at the Time-to-Survive data on Apex Legends, it may vary from player to player. Generally, a player’s survival time can be from a few seconds to several minutes. Fortnite is from a few to 20+ minutes, depending on many things. Factors that work behind the Popularity Apex Legends: We will find some interesting facts behind the scene of Apex Legends’ popularity. These are: Surprise release and announcement: Apex Legends was launched suddenly and surprised everyone. At that time, Fortnite and some other battle royal games were going through prime time. Apex Legends was a new addition with many unique and different features. That attracted young gamers. As a result, it gained a large player base within a few weeks of its release. Influencer partnerships: EA has partnered with many influencers and streamers for Apex Legends. This battle royal game was a very attractive choice for their many followers. Free-to-play model: Since Apex Legends was launched as a free-to-play game, anyone could test this title. Therefore, this title got a considerable player base within a short time. Other factors: Else, active social media presence, developer responsiveness to the players’ feedback, in-game rewards, and the amazing gameplay mechanisms developed by Respawn Entertainment hugely contributed to Apex Legends’ popularity. Fortnite: Like Apex Legends, Fortnite also got the advantage of being a free-to-play game. Apart from this, the following factors also have a significant role in its popularity: Early access and beta testing: The Fortnite beta was released before releasing the full version. That created hype among battle-royale lovers. Celebrity endorsements: To gain more player base, Epic Games have made deals with several mentionable celebrities like DJ Marshmello, Keanu Charles, Travis Scott, and many other people. Often we saw that gamers were playing Fortnite with celebrity skins and faces. In-game events and collaborations: Fortnite held many in-game events and collaborated with many popular franchises, including Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, etc., to bring their skins, themes, and characters into the game. Community Engagement: Epic Games’ engagement with the Fortnite community effectively increased player engagement. Cross-platform: One of the coolest things is Fortnite is available on multiple platforms, and gamers can have a cross-play facility, which also has increased its popularity. Else, cultural impact and social media integration, in-game challenges, community-created content, etc., have made a huge impact on Fortnite’s popularity. Fortnite has made a huge contribution to the increasing battle royal game in the industry. Apex Legends is not too far. While Epic Games is still enjoying the benefits of owning the most popular battle royal title even in 2023, EA is making its strategy to make its title more attractive and unique. We may see many interesting changes in the upcoming years when we compare Apex Legends vs Fortnite. But, the truth is Fortnite is still the most played and popular battle royal title in the industry. The post Apex Legends vs. Fortnite: Assessing Popularity in 2023 appeared first on Games Errors.

Packet loss severely impacts Counter Strike 2 and its players globally. Experiencing high ping and packet loss while playing CS2 can lead to frustrating delays and lagging. Aware of this problem, I made this guide to show you how to fix CS 2 Packet Loss. Unfortunately, I dealt with this problem a few times since […]

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Packet loss severely impacts Counter Strike 2 and its players globally. Experiencing high ping and packet loss while playing CS2 can lead to frustrating delays and lagging. Aware of this problem, I made this guide to show you how to fix CS 2 Packet Loss. Unfortunately, I dealt with this problem a few times since CS:GO turned into Counter Strike 2, but the solutions below helped me fix it in no time. What causes packet loss in CS2? Playing CS2 can be incredibly frustrating if you’re experiencing high ping and packet loss. These issues can cause lag and delay, making it difficult or impossible to play the game smoothly. Various factors could cause packet loss: Server issues Slow and unstable internet connection Corrupted game files DNS server issues Too many programs running in the background How do I fix packet loss in CS2? To fix packet loss in CS2, first make sure that your internet connection works as it should without any interruptions. We recommend starting with these simple steps: Check the Counter Strike 2 service status page. If servers have issues, you must wait until the servers are fully operational. Power cycling your network device. Ensure that your internet connection is steady and without any interruptions. Check with your ISP to see if the issue is on their side of the connection or above them in the network distribution company. Verify and repair game files. If you still encounter packet loss in Counter Strike 2, apply these tips: Update your network driver Flush your DNS Use launch options for the game Use a VPN 1. Update your network driver Packet loss in CS2 may indicate that you are using an outdated network driver. I encountered this problem on one of my older devices. To fix it, update your network driver as follows: Press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box. Type; “devmgmt.msc” and hit Enter to open Device Manager. Double-click on the Network adapters to expand. Right-click on your network card, and select Update driver. Follow the on-screen guide for installing the latest network driver. Disclaimer: We are affiliated with the following Driver Update Tool. We suggest utilizing PC HelpSoft to streamline the laborious process of updating your computer’s system drivers. This tool automates the task, guaranteeing a quicker and more dependable solution without requiring manual updates or scouring the internet for authentic drivers. ⇒PC HelpSoft 2. Flush your DNS If you are experiencing packet loss in Counter Strike 2, you can attempt to resolve the issue by flushing your DNS to clear the cache. This will remove any saved IP addresses and DNS records that may be causing connectivity issues. Follow these steps: 1. Press Win+R to show the Run dialog box. 2. Type; “cmd” and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter keys to open Command Prompt as administrator. 3. Type “ipconfig /flushdns” and press Enter. 4. Type “ipconfig /registerdns” and press Enter. 5. Type “ipconfig /release” and press Enter. 6. Type “ipconfig /renew” and press Enter. 7. Type “netsh winsock reset” and press Enter. 8. Reboot the PC, launch CS2, and check if the issue is gone. 3. Use launch options for the game Time needed: 1 minute We recommend entering commands in the game launch options that promote an efficient and stable connection to optimize the communication between your PC and the CS2 server. Open Steam launcher Right-click on the CS2 and choose Properties. Set Launch Options Enter the following command in the Launch Options: rate 128000 cl_cmdrate 128 cl_interp 0 cl_interpratio 1 cl_lagcompensation 1 Relaunch Steam Play CS2 to check if the issue is gone. 4. Use a VPN Improve your gaming experience with a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN. It can lower ping, avoid packet loss, and provide fast and stable connectivity. Choose from many servers in different countries for playing with friends online. It should be noted that a VPN can solely enhance your ping if your ISP imposes limits on your connection. 1. Download and install ExpressVPN. 2. During installation, provide your email address; you will get the code to access your ExpressVPN dashboard. 3. Click on Sign In. 4. Connect to a desired server. 5. Launch CS 2 and check if the issue is gone. Do you still have CS2 packet loss? Then, consider these extra methods: Update Windows to the latest version. Update DirectX, .NET Framework, and VCRedist. Update CS 2 Close unnecessary apps and downloads that are running in the background. Temporarily disable Windows firewall or antivirus. If you use WiFi, disable any devices that reduce your bandwidth. Use a wired connection instead of a wireless one. Use public DNS servers like Google’s. Reinstall CS2 Perform clean boot. Conclusion If you’re playing CS 2 and experiencing packet loss, it’s recommended that you first check for any server or internet connection issues. Other possible solutions include flushing your DNS, updating your network driver, using launch options for the game, disabling any unnecessary background apps, or utilizing a trustworthy VPN service. If you have any additional solutions, feel free to add them to the comments. We will test them on our devices, and add them to the list. The post Fix CS2 Packet Loss Easily [Simple Instructions] appeared first on Games Errors.

Get a Bolt of Gaming Now!

CD Projekt RED previously said it hadn't firmly decided whether the upcoming action RPG would follow in its predecessor's footsteps with a first-person camera.

CD Projekt RED’s decision to develop Cyberpunk 2077 as a first-person game after delivering a trilogy of third-person Witcher action RPGs proved to be a controversial one at the time, though most are now operating under the assumption that its sequel will follow suit. Of course, CDPR itself has refused to concretely confirm or deny that thus far– though it seems the studio may have done that through a recently published job listing. An ad for the position of senior gameplay animator was recently posted by CD Projekt RED on LinkedIn. Under qualifications, the ad lists, among other things, “an animation reel demonstrating immersive 1st person view model animation”, suggesting that Cyberpunk 2 (or whatever CDPR ends up calling it) will also be a first-person game (or at the very least partially first-person). With Cyberpunk 2077 and its expansion, Phantom Liberty, CDPR firmly established a framework and identity for the franchise, so it’s not surprising to see the studio choosing to stick with it. Whether we can maybe expect a third-person option in the game remains to be seen, but a primarily (or fully) first-person Cyberpunk sequel is far from surprising at this point. The next Cyberpunk game is currently in the early stages of development at CDPR’s new Boston studio, which is led by veteran Cyberpunk 2077 developers. Another recent job listing suggested that the game is aiming for “the most realistic and reactive crowd system in any game to date.” Read more on that through here.

The action game launched for PC and PlayStation in the West last July, and has sold an additional 50,000 units since September. 

The Earth Defense Force series has consistently managed to attract audiences in solid numbers in spite of its decidedly low budget and rough-around-the-edges nature, and that continues to be the case. Earth Defense Force 6 finally launched in the West last July, a couple years on from its initial Japanese release, and it has continued to sell at a decent pace since then. Taking to Twitter, Sandlot and D3 Publisher have announced that Earth Defense Force 6 has sold over 600,000 units worldwide across all platforms. That’s up from 550,000 units in September, which means the bombastic alien-slaughtering shooter has sold an additional 50,000 units since then. In our review of Earth Defense Force 6, we awarded it a score of 7/10, praising it for its combat, environmental destruction, and its campy tone, while reserving criticism for its lack of polish and repetitive missions. Read the full review through here. Earth Defense Force 6 is available on PS5, PS4, and PC. ＼\✨感謝御礼✨/／ 『地球防衛軍6』全世界販売本数60万本を突破‼️ 沢山のご入隊ありがとうございます！ 引き続きEDFをよろしくお願いいたします。 ▼各ゲームストアにてEDFシリーズセール実施中🎮 Steam：https://t.co/InH9ougi68 PS5/PS4：https://t.co/ZAtMEIMvrz Switch：https://t.co/ABDP3TO14L pic.twitter.com/PH8dkXzPvL — 地球防衛軍(EDF)公式🌏 (@EDF_OFFICIAL) February 21, 2025

In the United States, the action RPG was the 3rd best-selling game for the month of January, climbing up from 56th place in December.

Despite widespread acclaim, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth failed to meet Square Enix’s commercial expectations upon its PS5 release a year ago. Thankfully for the game, however, its PC release seems to have gone much better, bringing with it a much-needed sales boost. That’s as per Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, who revealed recently on BlueSky that courtesy of its PC launch in January, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth saw significantly increased sales over the course of the month in the United States. In fact, the open world action RPG ranked third in the regional monthly sales charts, behind only Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Madden NFL 25, climbing up from #56 in December. Meanwhile, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth double pack climbed up to 16th place, a sharp increase from #265 in December. Upon releasing for PC in late January, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth saw a peak of over 40,000 concurrent Steam players. Later, Piscatella reported that it had topped US sales charts for that week. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is available on PC and PS5. As per leaks, it is also in development for Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2. January 2025 Top 20 Best-Selling Premium Games – U.S. (Dollar Sales, Physical and Digital from digital data sharing publishers, excludes add-on content) — Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2025-02-21T14:01:06.664Z Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth’s January Steam debut led to a strong sales boost for the title. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth placed 3rd overall on the monthly chart after finishing December at 56. The Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack ranked 16th overall during January. — Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 2025-02-21T14:01:06.666Z

The main cast gets the spotlight alongside the various locales players will explore throughout the Aladissian Empire's ruins.

Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land had its third official broadcast, showcasing more gameplay. However, it also debuted the title’s opening movie, which features an anime-style theme song befitting the sense of adventure. Check it out below. Set in a new world, the story follows the titular Yumia, an alchemist seeking to unravel the truth about her mother and the disaster that befell the Aladissian Empire. She’s part of a research team which includes other companions, like the von Duerer siblings, Viktor and Isla, the roguish Rutger Arendt, and more. Players can once again collect materials to synthesize into weapons, consumables, throwables and more, though combat has evolved to be more dynamic. The character switching of Atelier Ryza returns, but you can adopt different ranges, parry attacks, and more. Environments are also much more open, with Yumia having a motorcycle to explore. You can also build and customize bases across the land. Head here for more gameplay of mechanics like Mana Surge, Manabound Areas, and more. You can also check out some of the villains Yumia and company will face. Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land launches on March 21st for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Omega Force provides a free new weapon to celebrate the Lunar New Year while adding a Frame Skip toggle and pausing for events.

Omega Force’s Dynasty Warriors: Origins has received a new update, which adds the Gold Serpent Spear to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Players can unlock it after receiving a Lance-type weapon via a letter sent to their base. The patch features other notable quality-of-life changes and adjustments, like the ability to configure Rumors on the World Map. They’ll still play automatically, but you can reduce their frequency and even turn off the sound. Frame Skip has also been added to the graphics settings, resulting in smoother performance if turned off with Variable Refresh Rate enabled. Players can also pause events with the Touchpad and hide the UI elements, allowing for screenshots. Furthermore, enemies will be invulnerable for shorter periods during their Rage animations. Check out the full patch notes below. Dynasty Warriors: Origins is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Since launching last month, it has sold over one million units and received strong critical acclaim. You can read our review, where we gave it an eight out of ten. Release Version Update (Ver. 1.0.0.5 on Feb. 21, 2025) Additional Features and Adjustments The Gold Serpent Spear has been added to the game. After obtaining a weapon of the Lance type, a letter will arrive at your current base. Solved an issue that caused text rendered at high resolutions to appear less clear than it should. Added Rumor Settings to the Configuration menu. These new settings allow you to make the rumors that play automatically when on the World Map occur less frequently or make them play without sound. Added Frame Skip to the Graphics Settings menu. Turning it off when using VRR may make graphics smoother. Shortened the length of time that enemies are invulnerable during the animations that play out when they enter Rage mode. Added a feature that allows events to be paused by pressing the TouchPad button and allows UI elements to be hidden. Adjusted controller vibration for the Steam/Xbox Series X|S versions so that when Vibration Settings are set to Full Experience, more areas of the controller vibrate during actions like attacking and charging. Bug Fixes Fixed a bug that caused officers to be highlighted as though the Highlight Officers setting in the Display menu had been set to the default even when the feature was turned off. Fixed a bug that was causing the portable item Incense of Vitality to not always heal allies properly when used. Fixed a bug that disabled the upgrade boost for the Adamantine Flesh Battle Art (Crescent Blade) after mastering it. Fixed a bug that caused the strength of Crescent Blade Battle Art Azure Dragon Bellow to not increase in line with its upgrade level. Fixed a bug that caused unintended damage when certain Battle Arts were canceled with Battle Arts with Sp. effects.

The website is counting down to a potential announcement on March 4th and lists Iron Galaxy Studios alongside Activision.

After a mysterious banner for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater appeared in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, a countdown has cropped up on its official website. Like the banner, it’s counting down to something on March 4th, specifically 11:30 AM PST. There are a few more clues to infer from this – alongside the Activision logo at the bottom is Iron Galaxy Studios, which could be working on this new project. The studio co-developed the PC version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 alongside Vicarious Vision. The website’s address also mentions Chicago, potentially indicating the level’s inclusion (following its remastered appearance in the last title). Rumors have circulated about the countdown being for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, a remastered compilation of the third and fourth games in the series. Pro skater Tyshawn Jones also revealed he’s in a new Tony Hawk remaster, though he didn’t specify if it was for the Pro Skater series. Stay tuned for more details and updates in the coming weeks.

While this special event won't have any major new reveals for Monster Hunter Wilds, it will be our first look at its special arena.

PlayStation Japan is teaming up with Capcom for a special event for the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds. The event will feature producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, director Yuuya Tokuda, and will be hosted by Hatsuna Matsushima. The event, dubbed “PLAY! PLAY! PLAY! Monster Hunter Wilds Special Event”, is slated to go live on February 22 at 17:00 JST. While we don’t expect any major reveals to take place during the livestream, Capcom has stated that it will be the first time we get to see the arena field – the location where arena hunts will take place for monsters that have been captured or for other special quests. It is also worth noting that, since it will be a live special event featuring a Japanese host and fans, it might not feature English translations. Monster Hunter Wilds is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on February 27. Capcom recently give us a full chart that explains exactly what time the game will go live in various regions and across various platforms. Pre-loads for PC and Xbox Series X/S will be available on February 25, while PS5 players will have to wait until 48 hours before the game launches on the system to start pre-loading. While Capcom has been proactive in talking about Monster Hunter Wilds and revealing some of the monsters that players will get to fight, it hasn’t yet confirmed what kind of endgame content the title will feature. Tsujimoto has, however, confirmed that we won’t get to see Siege hunts in the upcoming game at launch. Rather than including 16-player raids like we saw in Monster Hunter World and Iceborne with Kulve Taroth and Safi’jiiva, Monster Hunter Wilds will instead focus more on higher-end versions of its standard 4-player hunts. Tsujimoto didn’t discount the idea of bringing Siege hunts in future updates, however. He just stated that there are no current plans for it. We do know, thanks to the recently-released launch trailer, that the first major post-launch update for Monster Hunter Wilds will be adding Mizutsune to its roster. The monster, having originally made its debut back in Monster Hunter Generations, had skipped World and Iceborne before coming back with Rise. Some of the most recently-confirmed monsters include quite a few returning ones, including Gore Magala and Nerscylla, both of which first appeared in Monster Hunter 4. We also have confirmations for a host of returning monsters, including Blangonga, Congalala, and Gravios. While players are getting ready for Monster Hunter Wilds, several of them have seemingly been revisiting Monster Hunter World, Iceborne, Rise and Sunbreak. Capcom announced earlier this month that Monster Hunter World had sold 28.10 million copies as of the end of December 2024. Monster Hunter Rise, on the other hand, has sold 16.70 million copies. For more details about Monster Hunter Wilds, check out how its story will be focused on the relationship between hunters, nature, and monsters. You can also read about how the full game will be seeing changes from the beta, including weapon hitstops being closer to where players would like them.

The video shows off quite a few aspects of the upcoming Gothic remake, ranging from combat to interaction with its characters.

While Alkimia Entertainment’s remake of classic RPG Gothic is still under development, the studio has released some new footage that gives us 22 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay of the game. Released through IGN, the video gives us a glimpse at some of the early gameplay from the Gothic remake. Check it out below. The description for the gameplay video also reveals that it was recorded at the highest cinematic settings possible at 4K, while running on a PC with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU. Things start off quite slow with a long conversation between the protagonist and Diego, before the player then has to delve deeper into the mines and take on early-game enemies like molerats. Much like the original, the Gothic remake also rewards exploration with new items and equipment. On leaving the mine, the nameless protagonist finds himself exploring a broken-down path along the side of a hill before running into a hunter named Drax. The conversation with the hunter ends with him making a deal with the protagonist to help him with a hunt in return for a place to camp. The gameplay video highlights one of the key aspects of Gothic: the brutal combat. Death will come easy to players that set out unprepared in the RPG, and despite early-game enemies seemingly being weak, it only takes a single mistake before the player has to hope they have a recent save file. Another key aspect of Gothic in the form of the emphasis on socio-political happenings in its world is also showcased in the video. As they travel, players will have to figure out just who they can trust, and what characters they should be weary of. Players will also have to convince various expert combatants to train them in order to appropriately level up. Earlier this month, the developers behind the Gothic remake at Alkimia Entertainment spoke about what makes the seminal RPG special to them. Various members of the development team, including art director Daniel Candil, music composer and sound designer Kai Rosenkranz, and senior game designer Hector Fuster, spoke about their favourite things from the original Gothic. Alkimia Entertainment was announced as the developer for the Gothic remake back in March 2021. The studio is a relatively new one, with no other titles under its belt as of yet. “What was amazing to me the first time that I played Gothic was how you could solve a lot of situations by taking advantage of everyone,” said technical artist Roger Llovera. “Everyone would take advantage of you, of course, but then you have chances where you can take advantage of a character killing a Scavenger for you.” A gameplay trailer was released back in August 2024 giving us our first proper look at the primary setting of Gothic – the Valley of Mines. The trailer also showcased some new story content that will be completely original to the remake, along with its more detailed take on NPCs and new gameplay enhancements. Gothic was originally announced all the way back in 2020, and is currently in development for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Publisher THQ Nordic has also stated that players should be on the lookout for the Gothic remake during the upcoming Steam Next Fest between February 24 and March 3.

In its recent earnings report, Starbreeze has revealed high hopes for the future of Payday thanks to collaborations and partnerships.

While Payday 3 hasn’t been doing too well since its launch, developer Starbreeze believes that sales of co-op shooter will recover down the line through collaboration events, as well as partnerships with platform-holders. In its recent fiscal report, Starbreeze admitted that Payday 3‘s performance was at “significantly lower levels” than projected. Starbreeze pointed to the title being available through PlayStation Plus as an example for how the studio will try growing its playerbase, referring to the move as “an incredible opportunity”. “At this time of writing, Payday 3 is one of the games of the month on PlayStation Plus, meaning that during February it will be available for anyone with a Plus subscription to download and play,” said the studio in its report. “The collaboration with PlayStation will contribute positively to Payday‘s revenue in the first quarter of 2025, but most of all, it is an incredible opportunity to let millions of people try Payday 3 as it is today, after 1.5 years of hard work to improve the game both functionally and content-wise.” Starbreeze is also working with collaboration events with titles like PUBG: Battlegrounds and Roblox to develop some sort of Payday-styled experiences in the games. For the sake of context, Starbreeze reported annual net sales of SEK 185.9 million (around $17.3 million), down from the SEK 633.5 million ($59.1 million) it reported last year. Payday 3 contributed SEK 82.9 million (around $7.7 million) to this throughout the year (compared to the SEK 477 million / $44.5 million from last year), while Payday 2 accounted for SEK 41.8 million ($3.9 million), which was down from the SEK 139.1 / $13 million from last year. All in all, sales going down resulted in a loss of SEK 199.1 million (around $18.5 million) for the year. Acting CEO Mats Juhl said that the future of Payday, along with other in-development games like the Dungeons & Dragons game internally titled Project Baxter, will lead Starbreeze to a more successful year. He also emphasises Starbreeze’s third-party publishing efforts for growth in the coming year. “We have continued to strengthen the Payday brand through collaborations and enhancements, while making great progress with Project Baxter and establishing a strong foundation for our third-party publishing,” said Juhl. “With a balanced risk profile, strong cash position and several ongoing projects approaching important milestones, we look forward to 2025. Our vision to be a leading multi-title studio is more realistic than ever, and we are well positioned to continue building value for our players and owners.” Interestingly, Starbreeze had revealed in a statement from its quarterly earnings report from back in November 2024 that it would be focusing on getting more player engagement for Payday 3 while at the same time lowering its investments into the co-op shooter. “The level of investment during Payday 3’s first year on the market, both through launched DLCs and Operation Medic Bag, has been at an elevated level,” said the company at the time. “Ahead of year two, we are confident in being able to continue delivering amounts of value to our players with a significantly lower level of investment.” Payday 3 was released all the way back in 2023, and is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, check out our review from back when the title first launched.

Game director Hugo Martin has revealed why DOOM: The Dark Ages is leaving its traditional sci-fi setting behind for medieval fantasy.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is going to tackle a setting that the sci-fi-focused franchise has typically avoided: medieval fantasy. Speaking to Edge Magazine (via GamesRadar), director Hugo Martin has revealed that id Software went with medieval fantasy because it wanted to get darker and more sinister with what players could do. Going with medieval fantasy means that DOOM: The Dark Ages will have some unique, new weapons that are seemingly inspired by classical torture devices. Examples of this are the Rail Spike, which has been described as “literally a hammer and a giant spike,” and a weapon that is used “to break bones with.” “Part of the reason we chose the fantasy genre is that we could get more dark and sinister with the tool kit,” said Martin. “When you think medieval, dark fantasy, you think torture device, ropes, and chains, and spikes.” In the same interview, Martin also spoke about the scope of the levels in DOOM: The Dark Ages. He described the spaces that players can explore and fight hordes of demon in as the “largest spaces” that id Software has made so far. Despite the size of these levels, however, Martin pointed out that players wouldn’t enjoy wasting too much time by not fighting demons. He said that the sweet spot for players to spend time in an area would be around an hour. Completionists, however, can find a lot more to do if they want. “I don’t know that you want to play a single Doom level for two hours,” said Martin. “You want them to be nice, contained experiences, so around an hour is about the sweet spot. But if you’re a completionist, you could certainly extend that.” The size of these large areas also means that id Software got to experiment quite a bit with how it used the space. This means that players will get to experience a lot more variety in their time with DOOM: The Dark Ages. “You might start in a dungeon-like space, then open up in the second half of the level into a more open-ended portion,” Martin explained. “We’re trying to make sure the player feels there’s a good amount of variety.” Tying in with the idea that DOOM: The Dark Ages will allow players to get much darker and more sinister with how they deal with weapons, Martin had revealed last month that the Doom Slayer in the game was inspired by Frank Miller’s take on Batman through his The Dark Knight graphic novel. “My all-time favorite comic, which, big surprise, I think it’s a favorite comic of many people, is Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight,” said Martin. “He showed a depiction of Batman that was huge. He was amazing. He was powerful. He looked like a tank[…] Everything about his arsenal is powerful. He just looked awesome, and it was like, ‘I’d love to make a slayer like that,’ like a heavier, powerful Slayer.” DOOM: The Dark Ages is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and is coming out on May 15. For more details, here are 15 new things we’ve learned about the game.

The Best Anime RPG Games For Girls

Omg, I loved Here with Tom Hanks! Critics and fans might give it low ratings, with scores around 20-30% out of 100, but I’m here to say, don’t let that fool you! This movie is not garbage at all—it’s thought-provoking, moving, and exactly the type of film that makes you think. If you’re the type...

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Do not read this review if you do not want to hear spoilers for the new 2024 Joker 2: Joker folie à deux. Again this will contain spoilers Leave now this is your last warning. Spoiler Warning: This review contains major spoilers and personal reflections on Joker: Folie à Deux. We went to see Joker:...

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Apple’s recent event was packed with exciting new releases and updates across its product lines. Here’s a roundup of everything announced, including details on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, the new Apple Watch models, updated AirPods, and iOS 18. iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro We’re all excited about the new color options...

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Hold onto your hats, ghost lovers! The ending of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is so bonkers it’s igniting some of the wildest theories on the internet. Did Lydia really marry Beetlejuice? Is Astrid a figment of Lydia’s imagination, or—get this—is Lydia actually dead and doesn’t know it? Spoiler Warning! This article is packed with juicy details and...

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Introduction: When I first heard about A Ghost Story (2017), the hype was real. The critics were raving, the trailer hinted at deep existential themes, and the movie seemed to have collected awards like a ghost in a haunted house. But does it live up to the buzz? I dove in, prepared for an emotional...

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Welcome to Fields of Mistria, a game that captures the essence of ’90s JRPGs and fuses it with the best elements of farming sims to create a unique, cozy experience. From the moment you step into its pixel-perfect world, the game feels like a nostalgic journey back in time, yet it offers a fresh twist...

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Nintendo recently announced that Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, the popular mobile game, will be shutting down its online services on October 31, 2024. While this news may come as a disappointment to many fans, there’s a silver lining—your progress and campsite aren’t going anywhere. Nintendo is launching a new offline version of the game, allowing...

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Sailor Moon Cosmos has finally landed on Netflix in North America, and for fans of the beloved franchise, this marks a monumental moment. Whether you’ve been a Sailor Moon devotee since the 90s or are just now discovering the magic, this two-part film adaptation of the final arc, known as “Sailor Stars,” promises to be...

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The Debate Over Machine Language Translations: A Look at Hanaemu Kare to & Bloom on the Japanese Nintendo eShop The world of otome games is vast and full of unique titles that often remain exclusive to Japan. As an avid fan of this genre, I’ve always faced the challenge of accessing games that never make...

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The Ultimate Guide to the Best Laptops for InZoi – Perfect for Gamer Girls As the release date for InZoi draws near, it’s time to start thinking about upgrading your gaming setup to ensure you’re ready for the ultimate experience. Whether you’re a casual gamer or a hardcore enthusiast, having the right laptop is essential...

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Welcome to GeekySweetie.com! Today, we’re diving deep into the world of the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro chip, focusing on what makes this machine an excellent choice for gamer girls, creatives, and anyone who loves a balance of power, portability, and style. This review will cover everything from the unboxing experience to the...

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Top 20 80s Anime with Complex Relationships and Tragic Romance The 1980s was a golden era for anime, offering a range of series that delved into the depths of human emotions, complicated relationships, and often tragic romances. For fans of intricate storytelling, these anime are a must-watch. Here are the top 20 80s anime that...

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I’ve had the Steam Deck since its launch, and it’s been a mostly positive experience. However, a few quirks and challenges remain. Here’s my take after using it for a few years. Finding The Sims 4 CC Custom Content Mod Folder One thing that many players, especially Sims 4 fans, might wonder is where to...

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Welcome to Geeky Sweetie! Today, we’re diving into The New Denpa Men on the Nintendo Switch, a delightful free-to-play RPG that offers a unique blend of adventure, customization, and cozy gameplay perfect for female gamers who love a touch of whimsy and creativity in their games. Personal Experience and Unique Denpa Men My Starter Denpa...

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As a lover of all things cute, kawaii, and cozy, I often find myself exploring Kickstarter for new and exciting games to support. Here are some of the delightful projects I’m currently backing. Many are already funded, but some need a little extra push to reach their goals. If any of these games pique your...

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Twisters Review: A Storm of Mixed Emotions “Twisters” brings the whirlwind of storm-chasing back to the big screen with a new cast and a fresh take on natural disasters. As a standalone sequel to the 1996 classic “Twister,” it attempts to capture the heart-pounding excitement and drama that made the original a beloved hit. One...

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Introduction: My husband and I have always dreamed of retiring to a place where magic fills the air. For us, that means Orlando, Florida – with a Disney World annual pass in hand for daily park visits! But with two cats and a dog in tow, figuring out how to retire to Disney World has...

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As someone born in 1981, I proudly identify with the Oregon Trail Generation, a unique microgeneration that bridges the gap between Generation X and Millennials. We grew up during a transformative time, experiencing both an analog childhood and a digital adolescence. This distinct upbringing has shaped our perspectives, interests, and lifestyles in fascinating ways. The...

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Hey ghost-hunters and treasure-seekers! Grab your Poltergusts, because Luigi is back in Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD on the Nintendo Switch! As a long-time fan of this series, from the spooky days of the original on the GameCube to the thrills of the arcade version at my local Dave and Busters, I was super excited to...

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1. InZOI • Release Date: Late 2024• Platform: PC• Details: A life simulation game where players control Zois, engaging in daily activities, customization, and open-world exploration. 2. Virche Evermore: -EpiC: lycoris- • Release Date: November 7, 2024• Platform: Nintendo Switch• Details: An otome visual novel exploring tales of despair and salvation on the island of...

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The Gaming Blog

Lydia Suen and Meric Moir have worked on properties as varied and diverse as Arkham Horror, Achtung! Cthulhu, Star Trek, The Expanse, and most recently Brotherwise Games and Dragonsteel Production's Cosmere RPG, the game that brings together fantasy author Brandon Sanderson's expansive universe of stories into a single game line and the game that raised over $2 million dollars within hours of its Kickstarter launch.

In a recent episode of Panda’s Talking Games, Senda and Phil discussed the best ways to handle known characters from established properties – your Han Solos and Scott Summers and Gandolfs, etc – at your table. The episode is fantastic (as always) and you should totally go check it out. Meanwhile, I had the opportunity to talk about licensed TTRPG games from the other side of things when I sat down with two of the writers working on some of the biggest IPs in the TTRPG industry right now: Lydia Suen and Meric Moir have worked on properties as varied and diverse as Arkham Horror, Achtung! Cthulhu, Star Trek, The Expanse, and most recently Brotherwise Games and Dragonsteel Production’s Cosmere RPG, the game that brings together fantasy author Brandon Sanderson’s expansive universe of stories into a single game line and the game that raised over $2 million dollars within hours of its Kickstarter launch. We talked for over an hour about wrangling such an impressive universe into a playable game, the power of fandoms, and what to do about canon at your table. The following is just some of our discussion. Game Settings VS Licensed Property Settings We start by talking a bit about process. Both Lydia and Meric have worked on a wide range of properties, and I wanted to know more about the similarities and differences when writing for a setting built for an RPG versus a setting that was a book or TV series before it was a game. “Research is always the first step,” Lydia said. “I don’t think you should work on a licensed IP if you don’t enjoy research,” she said. “Because you need to understand the setting in and out. I like to figure out what elements of the setting are based on real-world locations or cultures and what parts of the setting are very much their own creation because I want to understand all of those inspirations so I can build a better game.” Meric added that when talking about game settings versus fiction settings, there’s a fair amount of research that goes into either, but that writing for settings that were originally created for games like D&D or writing for games that are based in history like Achtung! Cthulhu is easier because history books and game books are written in a way that’s meant to be referenced, but when writing for a game like Star Trek or a Sanderson novel, the setting information is mixed in with the narrative. “A throwaway line in one book of the Cosmere can change something that you’ve spent months working on,” Meric said. “You have to find ways to turn those lines into something that’s digestible but also gameable.” Meric pointed out that while writing for historical games gives you an abundance of material to draw upon, it can also be more emotionally taxing. “When I was working on the Vive La Resistance book for Achtung! Cthulhu, I had to take significant breaks in between coming up with what the Nazis were doing.” When trying to distill a property as expansive as the Cosmere, it can be a daunting task to know where to focus your efforts. “You have to trust your instincts and lean into the parts of the setting that are interesting to you,” Lydia said. “Especially if there are parts of the setting that people haven’t seen much of yet. If you have an idea for how to bring them to the forefront, you should go for it.” Loading the Canons As Senda and Phil pointed out in their podcast, how closely you want to stick to canon is an important discussion to have at your table. “It is so hard when you’re playing in worlds that have established canon and trying to make your own story that doesn’t feel like it’s exactly the canon but respects the canon,” Meric acknowledged. “Yeah,” Lydia said. “You can’t just tell your usual D&D, Wednesday night game group, ‘Hey, can you just download these thousands of pages of novels into your brain by next week? Thanks!'” For the Cosmere RPG, the game writers are constantly asking themselves, “What do people need to be able to play in this space?” To that end, they created The Stormlight World Guide, which is a wide overview of the world of Roshar, the first location for the Cosmere RPG’s setting. It gives you details on lands and people that are only hinted at in the novel and gives players and GMs the opportunity to build their own stories within the canon without impeding on the ground the novels cover. “We really wanted to make sure the Cosmere RPG was accessible to folks without needing to read the novels.” That’s why they also have a section of the rulebook dedicated to canon and continuity that gives you ways of talking to your group about your game’s relationship to canon. That way, if you have a table full of Sanderson mega-fans who know all of the information inside and out and want to play a strictly canon game, you can. Or if you have folks who are new to the setting and don’t want to feel awkward because they don’t know the difference between sapphire wine and orange wine, then you can take a looser grip and riff on the setting in ways that allow you to play with minimal knowledge (or even make the setting completely your own thing)! “Also,” Lydia made sure to state. “If there’s anything in the setting you don’t like or anything that makes people in your group uncomfortable, you can just leave it out completely.” Interestingly enough, though, there is a completely 100% canon adventure coming out via the Kickstarter in the near future – Stonewalkers. Meric had the very cool opportunity to work on the adventure. The outline, originally written by Brandon Sanderson and Dan Well, was given to the team at Brotherwise with a beginning and an ending and about three pages of story beats. Then, the designers got to ask, “How do we turn this into a game?” All of the locations and challenges in the adventure are canon to the Stormlight Archives. Lydia explained. “Even though the books are long, there’s still fun little lore nuggets that Brandon doesn’t have time to cover, so this adventure pulls some of those together in really interesting ways.” And, of course, there’s handy advice for GMs who want to keep the story of Stonewalkers as canon as possible because, at the end of the day, players are going to be players. “We know diverging from canon is going to happen at your table. We give you the tools to either support that divergence or get your group back on track by the end.” The Power of Fandom Meric talked about going to the massive Brandon Sanderson convention he attended in December. “This was my first year at Dragonsteel Nexus,” he said. “I got to interact with a huge number of fans, and having hundreds of people reacting in real-time at these panels was really energizing.” “It’s been cool while working on the Cosmere RPG,” Lydia said. “Because the fanbase has been very encouraging, and they see our team’s passion.” She went on to add, “I consider myself a fan, and I think that’s an important part of what helps me do my job well and helps me meet the needs of the primary audience—the fans.” And, of course, it’s that fandom that closed out the successful Cosmere RPG Kickstarter campaign with over 52,000 backers collecting over $14 million, making it the most successful tabletop Kickstarter to date. When those fans bring that all energy to the table — some pretty epic stories are bound to happen. — Lydia Suen is a thematic game designer with a background in developmental editing. She is best known for her work on the Cosmere RPG, Arkham Horror RPG, and Adventures in Rokugan. Lydia specializes in working with established IPs but also enjoys building settings and systems from scratch. Bold introspection, horror, and unfettered whimsy are hallmarks of her work. Meric Moir is a digital marketing manager at an international engineering company, a MacEwan University graduate from the sadly defunct Professional Writing (PROW) program, and a constant storyteller and worldbuilder. He’s written TTRPG content for The Expanse RPG, Star Trek Adventures, Achtung! Cthulhu, and the Cosmere RPG, and he runs an actual play channel called Sky Hammer Press. Find him on BlueSky @skyhammerpress.bsky.social

When George from Three Sails Studios approached me with a beautiful-looking game that focuses on the exploration and research of magnificent creatures instead of battling them, I could not contain my excitement. That premise sounds incredible and we really don’t have enough non-combat-focused RPGs. I created characters, read through the rules, and asked some questions […]

When George from Three Sails Studios approached me with a beautiful-looking game that focuses on the exploration and research of magnificent creatures instead of battling them, I could not contain my excitement. That premise sounds incredible and we really don’t have enough non-combat-focused RPGs. I created characters, read through the rules, and asked some questions to the creator, who quickly provided me with answers and gave me everything I needed to fully understand the system. I knew coming in that this would be a project that is still in the making, some things might change or aren’t fully finished, so that is something you should take into consideration from this review. Here I want to highlight the reasons why I believe this game to be cool to talk about and help fund. However, I will also talk about the things that I believe could need some polishing so you (the reader) know what you are getting into if you intend to buy a copy. Mappa Mundi – An Exploration + Ecology RPG is a zero-combat RPG system focused on exploring and documenting a living world, parallel to our own, filled with monsters, creatures, and cultures that have been isolated for more than a century by cataclysmic environmental shifts. Created and designed by George Francis Bickers, with writing and development by Jeremy Blum and artwork by Joel Kilpatrick, Mappa Mundi is a collaborative storytelling game built on player agency and creativity, using an intuitive rules-lite system that mechanically invites players to shape the world around them at all stages of the game. What makes Mappa Mundi stand apart? Mappa Mundi is a game that wears its convictions on its sleeve. The rights of the environments, non-human persons, and cultures to determine their own existence, to exercise their own agency, and to be treated with respect are central to the experience of the game. The appeal to players and those running the game of approaching existential challenges through non-violence and respect has really hit home, and as the designer, I’ve gone to great efforts to ensure that players and tables feel that this world responds to them as they respond to it. The game poses players with a singular challenge: how do you help a world emerging from its near extinction without doing further harm to it? The responses to this challenge we’ve seen in our playtesting and from community feedback have been nothing short of beautiful. Mappa Mundi is a game that trusts its players, and that trust is paid back in dividends around the table. I hope you enjoy the experience yourself! Mappa Mundi knows very well that most games focus mostly on combat and it goes in with a very different approach. In the same vein as Pokemon, you have the core games about trapping them and using them for battle, you have the Pokemon Snap and Pokemon Ranger games (sadly neither got to be a full long series) that have the player doing exploration and research. This game is exactly that. The fact that you don’t have combat doesn’t mean there won’t be any dangers or fail-state. In fact, you can’t even die in Mappa Mundi (unless the GM and player agree on it). However, the game looks for every encounter with these magnificent monsters to feel like a boss battle. The ground trembles, you must detect as many of the behaviors of the individual before it notices you and escapes, or feels intimidated by you and tries to confront your group in self-defense. The Mappa Mundi Institute doesn’t abide by causing damage to these individuals, so you better manage the situation with utmost care. In a similar vein to when we are watching those documentaries of people trying to get close to a cheetah to catch the best camera angles and study them, Mappa Mundi has your characters put themselves into danger in a ton of different ways. These monsters are often linked to Fate (the magic of this world) that interacts with the environment as well. This grabs that research gathering and pushes the danger in it up to eleven! The Three Phases Most of the game revolves around the three phases. These can either last a few minutes or even be stretched out to entire sessions if you are going for a bigger, more interesting monster to research. The Research Phase has plenty of what we have already seen in other games, so it is the Journey and Encounter Phases that will show us more of what this game is mostly about. Research Phase The Research Phase involves the members of the Mappa Mundi Institute (the player characters) having to talk with the people who know about the creature they are tracking and may be causing a problem. Similar to when you are running a mystery, the research in this phase is all about gathering clues. These may have to do with the lands you will have to traverse to encounter the Monster, the flora and fauna you may find on the way, and any details that could be of use about the creature, allowing you to gather more information about it in the last of phases. Similar to the most popular RPGs, this part of the game involves plenty of talking with NPCs, using skills, and rolling dice. There is not much structure to this phase apart from that, being closer to games like D&D and Pathfinder in the way you interact with the system. I believe this doesn’t take the players’ hands as much and allows for plenty of things and problem-solving to occur during it. However, that also means it will require more prepping to be done. During the research, depending on the bits of knowledge the players get, the GM will grab cards from the Journey Deck (a tarot-sized deck filled with landscape cards) and set them apart. Depending on how the skill goes, a card can achieve a side it will be in, thus affecting the player characters in the Journey Phase. By talking with one of the designers, I was told that the prep needed for your full three phases is choosing which monster they will find and which cards make sense for the player characters to find in this section depending on the encounter monster and the environments it moves in. With the game leaning so much into a narrative game sort of approach, I was surprised to see it have binary ability checks that mostly rely on you passing a check or not, over things such as Powered by the Apocalypse Moves, for example. I feel the game could benefit from having skill checks that helped the story move forward and mechanize a bit more the roleplay elements. The way skills work (more on them below) does work around this problem a bit. Journey Phase Once the players feel they have enough knowledge about their travel, they begin their journey. This is when the cards the GM set aside come into play. If the player characters got an information piece about one of the biomes to travel correctly, you place the card in the deck rightwise. If they found a wrong piece of information or didn’t find anything about one of the biomes prepared to be on their way, you place it inverted. While journeying, the GM will take out one of the previously chosen top cards from the deck and show it to the players on the side it was placed (rightwise or inverted). Depending on the side, you know how difficult traversing through that biome is going to be. All cards have a section in the book that tells you more about what they usually mean and more specific details about it depending on which region from the book setting you are playing in (the book provides different regions that take inspiration from different locations from Eurasia in general. There are many cultural consultants in the book, so I like to think that these locations were managed with a lot of care). After checking out the adventures being played in Actual Plays and the way they are written, it has me thinking that unless you are really good at coming up with things on the spot, you will also have to think as a GM of possible problems and things that occur if you get a reversed card. During the Journey Phase, players and GMs will “shape” the world. This is a system that the game relies a lot on, which is pretty much a systemized way of having the players describe the surroundings and the things they encounter in each of the biomes they travel. This collaborative narration mechanic has everyone making each section more interesting, and you can’t step over other people’s shaping. You have to add to it. I believe that this is a style of play that doesn’t work for all TTRPG groups, but for those who do, it will be amazing. I know groups that prefer to have the GM detail everything they find and encounter; this will not work as much for them, especially because shaping doesn’t give you any mechanical benefit. However, as indicated by the creators, while the Narrator may intend a cliff to be very difficult to climb, a clever player can Shape handholds into it, thereby making it easier for everyone to climb. This makes it so there are some possible mechanical benefits to be obtained from it, and you as a GM will have to step up and make it so the players can’t ease their path as a landslide. So… again, with the right kind of players this works in a sublime way. I do have a nitpick about the cards, which play a pretty important role in the game. Having them be tarot-sized and having a reverse side makes it weird that they are not used in the game mechanics as tarot cards are read. Instead of being used as a deck of tarot cards, they are used more as handouts for inspiration to the players. There is no randomness in them as regards the side they will be drawn on, or the order they come up in the game. That is mostly predetermined by the GM, chosen during the Research Phase. Encounter Phase Even though there can be some mini-encounter phases during the Journey Phase, like getting the research details from a bear of this region, the Encounter Phase is when you finally do get to meet the Monster. I felt a bit weird that the designers decided to name these creatures ‘Monsters’ when there is such a negative association with that word. However, after a chat with George, he let me know the following: The etymological root of the term Monster comes from Latin, monstrum, which means ‘divine omen (especially one indicating misfortune), portent, sign’ Given that our Monsters are manifestations of Fate, we consider them to be portents, signs, omens of Fate. The Research and Journey phases before will shape what the Encounter Phase will be like. Judging from the adventures and streams, I could get that depending on the decisions taken while doing the Journey, you may not be able to find all Behaviors of a creature. This works in a similar manner to how in videogames you can get an S score or a C in a level if you don’t get to do it as optimally. It sort of gives a video-gamey element. But what is a Behaviour? This is what you come to get from a Monster, that is all the ways the Monster behaves, which strange properties they have, the way they mate, etc. You need to collect as many of these pieces of information via seeing them in action, graphing them out, collecting samples or whatever you can get. All Monsters have 8 Behaviors, some of them tiered at times, meaning you need to get a certain Behavior to unlock more. Characters can use their skills or interactions in order to capture these details. Interactions are specific skills you have in your class to gather the benefits. An example of a Tiered Behaviour could be a fish Monster who only comes out at night and glows in the water. Chroniclers must first reveal its Nocturnal Behaviour before they can witness its Luminescent Behaviour. Depending on the cards’ side you draw in the Journey Phase, you get how you will encounter the Monster in this phase. If most are inverted, the Monster has the Aggressive Posture. If most are rightwise, then it will have a Passive Posture. In addition to that, the Journey Phase can alter Threads, which is a tiered way to classify things in the game, but for this particular case, it is how you will encounter things in this phase. For example, if you take time to rest during the journey, a thread could get severed, meaning that an NPC you could have found to help you during the Encounter Phase is found dead instead of alive. Again, I believe this means you will have to do some extra preparation for the session in order to have these interesting things ready. Layout The book itself is quite big, filled with art, and with many quality-of-life choices. I REALLY like the way they handled the layout. However, I do have some notes about it. The book is divided into colored sections. The rules, setting, character creation, etc., are all assigned different colors, which cover the borders of the book. This is fantastic in a physical product, as you can quickly find the section you are looking for by seeing the color from its side. The margins don’t take up much space, so they don’t affect the amount of content on the pages. The fonts are really good choices, as well as font size, making it easy to read. However, there was a decision taken in which practicality was put over looks. The skills section for each class displays many skills that are all blocks of text. These were made so that if you have a physical book, you can get a spread view of all the ones from your class at once instead of having to flip through pages. While incredibly practical, it ends up looking like a huge chunk of text all together. Since the first time I saw it I told the creators about it – they know of it and have improved it. It’s a thing that might not be a problem for many, but I know it will scare some people off. The rest of the book has a really good balance of art and text, making every page catchy and beautiful to flip through. I do think they nailed the layout. It is all about being concise and grouping stuff in a way that is very simple to read and find, such as having the rules all together in just 6 pages that you can get in three spread views. Art Just LOOK AT IT! It’s glorious, majestic even! If you told me the book only had the art in it, I would still buy it. Every single art piece displays a colorful, incredibly imaginative image. While I believe a few pieces that I am pretty sure are final could have been done differently to look better, most of them fill me with lots of ideas, and I believe that a book that goes all in to create a mechanic to have both players and GM improvise a world on the spot relies on its art to make it work. As for the Monsters, even though I don’t have the art for most of them at the moment of writing this early review, they look impressive. I don’t know if they were taken from legends or out of the minds of the designers, but they give incredible Monster Hunter and Shadow of the Colossus vibes and that’s everything I want in a game of this style. Having to enter their habitat and research them already feels like it is going to be a lot of fun! Character Mechanics Classes and Skills Character creation is pretty straightforward and with plenty of depth. The skills mechanic the game provides helps the players have something that the character is immediately so good at you don’t need a roll (most of the time). These are narrative abilities that intentionally have names that make it extremely easy for you as a player to immediately get what the skill is about. If in doubt, you can check the text out to get the details, but it is pretty straightforward. As you level up, you can get new skills from a skill tree section, similar to videogames. This adds plenty of replayability to create cool character builds, without it being so crunchy that one is the better choice, as these all are narrative skills. On top of the skills, the characters have abilities: Traversal, Observation, Deduction, and Exploration. These work just like the Kids on Bikes, Ryuutama, and similar games, having one die associated with an ability, that you roll to surpass a difficulty. Character Development The game offers many different ways your character can grow, aside from just having a Level. One very cool thing in fact is that the game rewards you more for failing than succeeding! When enough successes and failures have been accumulated, the player may upgrade that Ability’s die as long as they’ve done the following: Succeed on a number of relevant Ability Checks equal to the number of faces on the new die (six times for D6, eight times for D8, etc.). Fail a number of relevant Ability Checks equal to half the number of faces on the new die (three times for D6, four times for D8, etc.) On top of that, you can get expertise with certain things. These you get when you use your skills, making the skill used get points. This will later allow you to buy more skills within the branch being followed in the skill tree. Lastly, a character may get specializations and endorsements. As your character grows, they may end up getting more specialized in something, having it increase in level. This way, you can finally end up with an endorsement as well, which is like a capstone specialization, granting you more cool stuff you can unlock. There’s plenty of stuff to keep track of as you play, allowing you to improve your character in numerous ways. In essence, it feels video-gamey, which might be cool for some people and not that great for others. I personally do enjoy this much variety and would love to try out the different kinds of characters you can create within one same class, or Starting Licences, as the game names them. These are Archivist, Diviner, Fixer, and Guardian. Injuries The game of Mappa Mundi can’t kill your character. Nothing in the system can cause it. However, you may still get injuries, minor and severe, as well as fall unconscious. Unless you as a player want to retire your character, you can keep on playing them. Still, these injuries your character may receive, with the GM determining how big they are, have mechanical effects in the game, forcing to make certain decisions, and challenging players. For this very reason, the Journey Phase has a very good chance of hurting a character, which will cause you to think wisely about how to face the Monster during the Encounter Phase. Not being able to die doesn’t mean you can’t get serious injuries that may complicate your gameplay. Additional details These things aren’t big enough to deserve a section of their own in the article, but I still wanted to showcase them because I think they are important: The game has ten different regions, which along with the monsters, take most of the pages of the book. These are detailed and filled with inspiration to create very different stories in each of them, taking inspiration from locations from our real-world Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Mapping and chronicling are vital in this game. The character sheet has plenty of space for characters to take notes of everything they find. If they do, the game rewards them by unlocking Behaviors from monsters and similar stuff. In addition to that, the game comes with blanked-out maps from all regions, for the players to map out and create their own version of the world. The difficulties for the ability checks are set by the GM, who is encouraged to use the die size the player is using when setting it. It is arbitrary, and unless impossible for the player character, the GM will determine a difficulty that the player character should be able to reach with the die they are using. The game will launch with 4 pre-written adventures as tutorials, teaching players and the GM how to play before you create your own stories together. Some of these have already been streamed in Actual Plays, in case you want to see how the game is in action (see in KS page below). The game comes with a 70-card tarot deck. This is beautifully illustrated, showcasing a plethora of biomes the player characters can encounter, and includes one card for each of the game’s 30 Monsters. Conclusion Mappa Mundi is a perfect game for those looking to play something akin to Monster Hunter, Shadow of the Colossus, Pokemon Snap, or Pokemon Ranger, not focusing at all on combat and being very much about research and being awed by everyone’s descriptions at the table. This is not the kind of game for those looking to battle those huge monsters, those who want the GM to be the only one narrating and adding story elements, or those GMs who would rather improvise every session. In addition to that, the gameplay style is very particular, which makes it in my opinion a weird choice if you are looking for a game that can fit a continuing plot. I know the many locations in the world have many factions, but I can’t say for sure if they can work as a rival BBEG or similar thing. Still, the game while finished may receive some last changes before release. This is what I have got from reading the rules so far. If I had to give a personal recommendation, I feel this game would be much better appreciated physically over digitally, considering the way the layout works and how beautiful the art is. GO BACK MAPPA MUNDI IN KICKSTARTER IT’S ALREADY FUNDED!

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CG_206_SplittingtheParty.mp3 Join Ang, Josh, and JT as they talk about the dreaded, forbidden topic of splitting the party! Is it good? Is it bad? Does it depend? They’ll talk about it all. Links: Authors Against Book Bans Origins Game Fair Tech at the Table

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CG_206_SplittingtheParty.mp3 Join Ang, Josh, and JT as they talk about the dreaded, forbidden topic of splitting the party! Is it good? Is it bad? Does it depend? They’ll talk about it all. Links: Authors Against Book Bans Origins Game Fair Tech at the Table

We spend a lot of time on GM game prepping, and comparatively little time talking about players prepping for games. I want to propose a method for players to prepare characters and the stories they want to tell in the next session or campaign. Like a GM might prepare a session, players can also do […]

Tools for prepping We spend a lot of time on GM game prepping, and comparatively little time talking about players prepping for games. I want to propose a method for players to prepare characters and the stories they want to tell in the next session or campaign. Like a GM might prepare a session, players can also do things to prep their characters before a game session. Among these are reviewing what happened in the last session, coming to terms with recent changes, and updating their character. All that makes it easier to tell your character’s story. How much time should you take with this character preparation? In general do not spend too much time on this unless you’re really inspired. If its a liner or GM driven adventure or module, you wont have to do much at all as the story is mostly ready for you to play. The opposite is true if you’re in a sandbox/PC driven campaign, because the PCs are the driving force for the game. Another major factor is spotlight and time management. This is a shared story and you shouldn’t plan so much that you take the spotlight away from other PCs or the GM’s story. Remember, most game sessions only last four hours or less so you only have time to make one or two points in a night. Review the Session Update the Character and Story Bring the Updates to the Table Reviewing the Last Session It is important to be engaged in the game while playing, because it not only makes the game more enjoyable in the moment, it helps you keep track of important moments that will help your play in the future. Reviewing allows you to understand the character’s place in the campaign. This process can include one or more of these: talking at the end of the game with the group, reviewing the game in your head, or reading over your notes. Traditionally we sit around at the end of the game talking about the game. This is totally fine as it often captures the feelings of the game as the group decompresses. Modern game theory has formalized this into several approaches with names like Debriefing, Roses and Thorns, or Stars and Wishes. My favorite is Stars and Wishes: Stars give players and the game master positive feedback for their action, while Wishes let all players share their desires for future games. A strong round of Stars and Wishes gives you information about where the other players/GM want to take the story, allowing everyone to be on the same page, and should be applied when creating scenes in step three. I am terrible at taking notes, so I embrace the mental playback step. This needs to be done as soon as you can since you are relying on your memory. It allows you to move the mind’s eye around like a camera, zooming in and out of the game, replaying scenes from different angles and points of view, allowing you to see things that resonate with you. While Stars and Wishes is a group activity, this is an individual activity where you focus on how you and your character saw events of last session. This helps with updating your character and in developing scenes for your story. Taking notes while gaming is a skill a lot of us need to master, because it helps capture key details of the session. Note takers not only have access to last session’s activities, but a history of the previous sessions linked to people, places, and things. This allows you to center yourself in the story with more story details than just running through your mind. Even if you cannot take notes at the table there is often someone taking group notes, or even transcripts if you’re in a VTT that you can access. While a strong source of information, you have to review and use these notes or you are wasting a lot of energy. Updating Your Character and Story Putting these different methods together, you get a good view of where everyone’s character is going in the next session(s). Now it is time to update your character. Though we are all familiar with updating your stats, we also need to update story aspects: their motives, relationships, and their place in the setting. Though we are all familiar with updating your stats, we also need to update story aspects: their motives, relationships, and their place in the setting. This starts with the motivation of the character for both the mechanical and story updates. When updating a character, ask yourself about the character’s reason for the updates and how you can explain these in a story, not just out of character. By doing this you create a more complex character. Motivation is important to telling the story arc or where the character is going. Blowing up the GM’s enemy invasion fleet might save the world, but what does the character get out of it? Think about what the character wants out of the next few sessions and move them motivationally and mechanically towards that. You want to be a spy? Focus on the skills and events that get you there. With the work on your character done, it is time to take a good look at their relationships. How did the session affect the relationships between the other party members and the NPCs? What is your character going to do about any changes? This is a chance to sketch out the drama you want to bring to the table while advancing your and your friend’s characters forward. You have advanced those spy skills, but where do you use them? If your group are on a trading starship, what spying are you doing? This is where you think about about those steps and scenes you need. In character creation you often develop background stories for your character even if they are just mental sketches. When talking about campaign changes, it is about how the campaign changes or adds to these backgrounds. If these are significant changes then they need to be brought to the table. Bringing it all to the Table With the session review done and updates prepared it is time to bring the drama to the table and shine. To shine, like all stars, you need to prep the key points you want to bring to the session. Lots of people resist this type of prep, preferring to adlib the events at the table – but this is about prepping so you have room to adlib. Keep in mind even the best actors know the story and characters they are acting as, so the adlib is not out of place or character and they can add to, not distract from, the story. In the end you cannot adlib your character spying if all you’re doing is fixing engines, so be a proactive actor and help the GM get you where you need to be. Yes, your character shines, but everyone should be working together to shine like a galaxy of stars at the table. You do not want to outshine others at the table, so you should help the GM with moving the spotlight to show fairness to each player. Lets see how this works out through our space spy. Reviewing the last session, you realized with a little bit of work your character can become a great spy. You start by improving the mechanics you need for it. Some narrative help is needed, so you pull out from your background that your uncle has the Lord’s ear, and they can get you started. With two scenes in mind you tell the GM you need to talk to your uncle and the Lord. He agrees, reminding you that you need the other players’ help to get your character to the uncle and Lord. Now you have to work in a scene where you talk to the other players’ characters. Then you have to travel to the two contacts. You have three scenes now, so you might have to split it up into two sessions, allowing other players including the GM to do their scenes. This opens up a lot of questions. Do the other characters just agree to your need, or do you have to cut a deal? Do you get there quickly or are you attacked by pirates along the way because the GM has plans too? You have to play to find out. Notice, too, that this is perfect for a sandbox game where players often struggle with what to do next. Here the PC has a whole arc to hand the GM. These three steps are all about taking the time to prepare you and your character to help tell the story in the next game session. Making this effort will help you take control of your character’s arc, and role playing will improve at the table because you are engaged in the story. This engagement enhances your story by allowing you to really explore the world through your character’s eyes. I would love to hear how you bring your character to life at the table!

I give you all a lot of GMing advice. I also take my advice as much as possible. The hardest kind of advice for me to take is the kind that affects my table style. It’s not that I am dismissive of my own advice, but rather, in the heat of running the game, the […]

I give you all a lot of GMing advice. I also take my advice as much as possible. The hardest kind of advice for me to take is the kind that affects my table style. It’s not that I am dismissive of my own advice, but rather, in the heat of running the game, the changes I want to make get lost in the myriad of other GMing activities I am doing. The end result is that any time I want to affect my table style, it takes longer than advice like prep, campaign management, etc. So I started to think about why this is, and how might I overcome the issue. So let’s talk about it. Table Style We all have a table style when we run. You may be laid back or energetic, you might be organized or a hot mess, you might run it like you prepped it or you may be tossing your notes and winging it – or had no notes to begin with. Your style is inherently you, and as long as safety is intact and folks are having fun there is nothing wrong with it. There is no one right way to GM. That said, there are always going to be things about our table style that we like less or things that we want to improve. That is ok too, your style is not fixed. One of the great things about being a GM is the chance to improve your craft through play. I love this about GMing, it is one of the reasons it still holds my interest after doing it for 40+ years. I am always striving to improve something or change something about my style. What to Improve? That could be anything. I could make ten articles with lists of things you could improve. I will share some of mine in a bit. The best way to determine what you might want to improve is to do some introspection. Spend some time thinking about your most recent games. What do you wish you could have done better? What parts of the game did you struggle with? Those are things you want to improve. Conversely, think about what parts of the game you enjoy the most. Is it the table banter, is it the way you portray NPCs, give descriptions of things, etc? These are things you want to ensure make it into your sessions or improve upon. I recently did some mind mapping about what elements make up the best games that I have run. I came up with six things: Focus – everyone paying attention to what was happening at the table. Intensity – the session is creating strong feelings in all of us. Vibrant Characters – PCs and NPCs that were detailed and engaging. Surprising Action – being surprised about how things played out at the table. Exciting Stories – stories that had plot twists, high stakes, action, drama, etc. Mastery – understanding the game mechanics and using them well to support the game and story. Of those things some of them I do well at (Surprising Action and Exciting Stories) and others I could improve upon. Mastery, while important at the table, is something that I can do between sessions, by doing some studying. The rest are things that I could incorporate into my Table Style. After more brainstorming and reflection I decided there were two things that I wanted to start with: Focus I have two problems with Focus. One, I don’t always have good self-control and sometimes tangent into things not pertinent to the game. I need to improve by not saying everything that pops into my head while running, and rather save some things to talk about during breaks. Two, I sometimes tend to be too chill and don’t command the table, which sometimes results in other people, who also do not have self-control, derailing the table or hijacking the focus. I need to assert some control, and shut things like that down to help maintain focus. Intensity Another struggle I have, and I have talked about this in previous articles, is that I am always afraid that I will be “too much” at the table, and so I tend to be a bit more reserved, more chill, when running a game, when I really would like to be a bit more animated, even if that comes off as we old folks say, as a bit of a spazz. I want to be more bold and animated when I run. The 8 Things Before we can talk about the challenges in trying to improve your Table Style we need to talk about something that my co-host Senda and I jokingly call “The 8 Things” (shameless plug for my podcast: Panda’s Talking Games). On the show, we often refer to the 8 Things or skills that GMs are doing every moment they are running a game. The joke part is that it’s 8. I made the number up one day, and when you have a bit, you commit to the bit. The truth of it is that when you are running a game, you are performing a host of skills all at the same time, such as: Adjudication of rules Reading the table Acting Narrating Controlling spotlight Managing the story Recalling information (rules, setting, story) We do these things continuously while we run the game, often cycling through these things over and over. Toss in Another Ball For me, the new thing gets lost in the running of the game. I get caught up in what is happening at the table, and I wind up focusing on keeping the game going and struggle to remember to make the desired change. This is where you can, and certainly I, struggle when it comes to improving or changing my Table Style. I am already doing the 8 Things and sometimes working pretty hard to keep those 8 Things going, and now I need to consciously add/stop/change one of those things. For me, the new thing gets lost in the running of the game. I get caught up in what is happening at the table, and I wind up focusing on keeping the game going and struggle to remember to make the desired change. The Need… So we have a desired change. We have a struggle to implement it. We now need a solution. I pondered this for a while and what I realized I needed was some kind of external artifact to remind me of the desired change. Something that I would see in the middle of the game, reminding me of the change, so that I could be mindful of it so that when opportunities came to make the change, I would not forget. To be clear, this solution is very much for me, based on who I am. I am hoping that it will also resonate with you, but recognize that it is not the only solution to this problem. Implementation I did a lot of thinking about external artifacts. Did it need to be literal, like a card saying “Be Bold” or could it be symbolic, like a special die that I could put in my GMing space? How big would it need to be? How much space could I spare, to fit it in with my other materials? How prevalent did it need to be in the space? Did it just need to be on the table, occasionally covered up with cheat sheets or other ephemera, or did I need to be able to see it all the time? My first solution was to keep it simple – the duct tape of the RPG table, index cards. I took two index cards, one for Focus and one for Intensity, and I wrote some words on them: “Maintain Control” and “Be Bold”. I put them out on the table with my other gaming gear for the session. Results and Improvement And it worked. Having them on the table helped me to be mindful of both concepts as I was running the session. I did notice that they did get swallowed up from time to time, with other handouts and cheat sheets. I now want to improve on this, in two ways. The first is that I want to make the cards easier to see. To that, I ordered an acrylic playing card holder. It’s about a foot long and holds cards at a 70-degree angle. I plan on putting it out toward the front edge of my GM space and standing the cards up horizontally. It will be like a very low-profile GM screen (note I generally don’t use a GM screen). There should be enough room in the holder for both cards, or more if I orient the cards vertically. The second thing I want to do is make better cards. This will require my amateur graphic design skills, where I can use some fonts and some simple graphics to make more visually appealing cards. I can also consider making them playing card size so that I can utilize the holder better. Applying This Technique So if you are interested in trying this, here is what you need to do: Identify what you want to improve. I recommend 1-2 things for starters. Think about a visual artifact that you can use to remind you. Think about where you can place it in your GMing space while you run. This could be as simple as a post-it note inside your GM Screen or it could be index cards, or you could 3D print something. As long as it fits in your space, and catches your eye while you are playing, it’s a solution. Be Your Own Table Coach GMing is an art form that benefits from constant improvement. As such, changing your table style can help elevate your sessions. The challenge in improving your table style is to remember what you are trying to change among all the other things you have to do, to keep the game running. By creating a visual artifact that can grab your attention, you can coach yourself into the changes you want. What would you like to change/improve in your table style? What reminder do you need to leave yourself?

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GC_205_Mysteries_final.mp3 Join Ang, Chris and Tomas as they discuss all the ins and outs of running mysteries in a variety of game systems! Links: Xeno Brandon Sanderson writing Lecture Series 2025 Afternoon Maps Patreon  

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GC_205_Mysteries_final.mp3 Join Ang, Chris and Tomas as they discuss all the ins and outs of running mysteries in a variety of game systems! Links: Xeno Brandon Sanderson writing Lecture Series 2025 Afternoon Maps Patreon

My FLGS (friendly local game store) has a Discord server where patrons can chat about all sorts of subjects in clearly marked channels. Most channels are highly active, and my heart is warmed by the pure excitement shown for their wide and varied outlets for finding joy in gaming of all types. I’m not just […]

My FLGS (friendly local game store) has a Discord server where patrons can chat about all sorts of subjects in clearly marked channels. Most channels are highly active, and my heart is warmed by the pure excitement shown for their wide and varied outlets for finding joy in gaming of all types. I’m not just talking a variety of RPGs, but all sorts of tabletop gaming. There are war gamers, card slingers, role players, mini painters, board gamers, and so on. It’s a fantastic community with clear rules of conduct and safety measures put into place to keep everything civil. If you can’t tell, this Discord server is one of my favorite places online to engage with my fellow gamers. However, people will be people. Big sigh. Disagreement Disagree with respect. In this case, two folks got engaged in the Dungeons & Dragons channel on how they played the game differently from on another. Instead of cheering each other on about how they enjoyed the game in different manners with diverse approaches, they got into a finger-pointing, eye-poking, slappy-fight over how the other person was wrong in how they had fun. None of them crossed any lines to violate the code of conduct (which isn’t my role to enforce anyway), but they did get pretty vehement about how the other person wasn’t playing D&D “the right way.” Resolution Be the cooler head. After about an hour of back-and-forth, cooler heads prevailed, and they both agreed that they would never play with one another. They also both agreed that since the other person enjoyed their approach at playing D&D, then there was no harm done. A proper resolution to the disagreement in my book, but I don’t think the disagreement should have happened in the first place. Open Talk An intellectual discussion about variances in playing a game or interpreting game rules is perfectly fine. As a matter of fact, these types of discussions are highly encouraged in most gaming communities because that’s how new ideas and perspectives are born. This is rarely a bad thing. Honestly, it’s usually a really good thing to learn new ways to do old things. It breaks us out of our formed habits and can give us a fresh outlook. No Wrong Open your mind like it’s a parachute. However, telling someone that their fun is “wrong” is a hard no from me. (Unless, of course, someone’s fun is harming another person’s fun, but that’s another matter.) So long as safety and consent in the gaming is involved, there is no “wrong fun” in a gaming group. If everyone at the table is smiling or enjoying themselves, then whatever rules interpretations the GM (or the group as a whole) has made are completely valid. The Point The point I’m trying to make is that you shouldn’t “yuk someone’s yum” by telling them that they’re doing it wrong. There’s also a saying floating around that goes, “If you’re having fun, you’re doing it right.” This all means that you should let people enjoy the things they’re enjoying without stepping in to enforce your own ideas upon them. Just don’t do that. As I said above, though, if you want to engage in rules discussions do so with a functional parachute. What I mean by that is that your mind is like a parachute: It only works properly when it’s open.

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/CG_204_runningVSplaying_finalV01.mp3 Join Ang, JT, and guest Alex Thomas as they talk about the difference in the skills needed to run games versus play games. They dive into what they like about both and why it’s important to have both sets of skills! Links: Titan City Serials How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying […]

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/CG_204_runningVSplaying_finalV01.mp3 Join Ang, JT, and guest Alex Thomas as they talk about the difference in the skills needed to run games versus play games. They dive into what they like about both and why it’s important to have both sets of skills! Links: Titan City Serials How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying The Vechnoye Saga COSine 2025

In any adventure, the party of player characters (PCs) will inevitably encounter other intelligent creatures and people. These are the non-player characters (NPCs) of the world that are largely controlled, run, an enacted by the game master. There are moments (and some systems greatly support these moments) where an NPC will be “taken over” by […]

In any adventure, the party of player characters (PCs) will inevitably encounter other intelligent creatures and people. These are the non-player characters (NPCs) of the world that are largely controlled, run, an enacted by the game master. There are moments (and some systems greatly support these moments) where an NPC will be “taken over” by a fellow player at the table to reduce the load on the GM or to allow for a wider variety of interactions. That topic, however, is an entirely different article. The article that I’m presenting to you today is about supporting and opposing NPCs. There can also be neutral NPCs, which I had not considered until I started writing this article, so there will be an addendum at the end to touch on that topic. However, most NPCs will be somewhere on the spectrum of opposition-to-supportive. It truly is a spectrum, and not a binary. Few NPCs are going to risk their lives for the benefit of the PCs. An equally small number of NPCs will drop everything in their lives to hammer down on the PCs’ plans to put a stop to them. Sure, both of those can happen, but for the most part, support and opposition will be measured actions, no absolutes. I’m not going to get into how to create effective NPCs on the grand scale. That topic has been covered (in quantity and in quality) via other articles and Gnomecast episodes. However, I’ll touch on a few areas of consideration as it relates to your adventure that you’re designing. Overall Traits NPCs must have goals and motivations. (Sounds like familiar advice, eh?) Your NPCs need to have a reason to be in the adventure as an opposing or supporting force. This is their motivation for doing what they are doing. Of course, if someone is motivated to take action, odds are they have a goal in mind to apply that motivation to. If you’ve read any of my articles on characters or storytelling, then you know I hammer the drums for “goals and motivations” quite hard and heavy. Creating NPCs for your adventure is no different. They need to have a goal that supports (or opposes) the PCs’ goals. Then the NPC needs to have a deep reason for why they’re going out of their way to help/harm the party. Also, by now you’ve determined your Boss (and sub-Bosses, if any). The NPCs in the locales that intersect with the Boss locations should support (or intentionally break) the themes, styles, and tones you’ve set for your Boss and the mooks. This means if you have the party get lost while trekking through a swamp, then a mountain dwarf ranger is probably not the appropriate NPC to show up and help. However, it would be quite humorous for a mountain-based ranger to also be lost in the swamp and team up with the party until the entire group gets oriented. A better alternative to the mountain ranger would be a friendly swamp hag who knows the environment and area. Why would a hag help the party? Perhaps the hag is diametrically opposed to the trolls in the area that the party is hunting. Perhaps the hag lost a sister or parent to the troll’s depravations, but the hag alone is not powerful enough to take down the troll or the Troll Boss. Supporting NPCs What does the NPC have that they are willing to sacrifice for the PCs? Supporting NPCs need to have a reason to risk something to help the PCs. Sometimes the risk is merely a small percentage of profit at their store by giving the PCs a discount at the local store the NPC owns. Sometimes the risk is to step up, put on armor, grab a weapon, and push into the swamplands alongside the party. There’s an infinite number of choices along the spectrum between the “neutral NPC setting” and the “fanatically supportive NPC setting.” The trick is to adjust that dial to the right place, so the party doesn’t suspicious about the over abundance of assistance or the lack of total support. Different NPCs are going to be able to support the party in different ways and to different extents. This entirely depends on the capabilities and motivations of the NPCs. Once you’ve determined ways an NPC can 100% help the PCs, you’ll need to use the NPC’s motivations to determine how close the NPC will push to “100% support.” Opposing NPCs Why is the NPC opposing the party? How are they doing it? Flipping the coin to the other side, why would an NPC get in the party’s way? That’s usually where I start with opposing NPCs. Once I know the why, I figure out the how. Is is sabotaging the party’s mounts or equipment? Stealing something vital from them? Lying to them and feeding them misleading clues? Directly attacking them? Informing the Boss or mooks of what the party is up to? Simply charging them 110% of an item’s value in the general store to try and sap their funds? Once I know the why and how, I determine the “how much” factor of the resources the opposing NPC can throw at the party. Sometimes, the “how much” is trivial (such as charging 110% of items’ values in the general store). Sometimes, the “how much” could be assembling a large strike force to ambush the party on the trail while they make their way to the edge of the swamp. One thing to note is that opposing NPCs should not always be “behind the curtain” and unseen. This is just frustrating to the players and makes it appear as if the GM is “cheating” by having the Boss always knowing what the party is up to when there’s no logical way the Boss should know the party’s plans. The mysterious NPC can be spotted in the shadows or glimpsed from afar (or even hidden in plain sight as a villager), but the mystery should be revealed by the end of the adventure of who the major opposition was during the course of the story. This can easily come in the form of a handout or three where there are letters between the NPC and the Boss. (Side note: Why do the bad guys always keep their incriminating notes around? Why not burn them? Alas, those are questions for another day.) Neutral NPCs Not everyone opposes or supports the PCs. Somewhere in the middle-ground of the supporting vs. opposing spectrum lies neutrality. This is where the bulk of the NPCs will start the adventure. These are your townsfolk, other citizens of the city that don’t know the Boss or PCs, merchants, and folks met on the roadways during travel. Each neutral NPC may have something to offer the PCs, but they will not freely offer it up. At the same time, they will not try to hide or keep the offer away from the PCs. This is where the PCs will need to work just a little (or spread some coin) in order to get the NPC to offer up whatever rumors, tales, wares, or advice the NPC has in hand. Changing Alignment No. I’m not talking about a paladin losing her lawful good alignment and becoming a “mere” fighter in this section. Here, I’m going to talk about shifting an NPC’s outlook toward the PCs based on the party’s actions. In this case, I like to keep it pretty simple. Use a scale of 0-20 with 0 being highly opposed, 20 being highly supportive, and 10 being neutral. After a assign a starting point on the scale, I’ll bump the alignment of the NPC up or down the scale depending on what the PCs do with the NPC. This is purely a gut call and a quick reference. There are no hard-boiled, carved-in-stone rules or mechanics for what a 12 means vs. a 14 on the scale. I just have a note in my document next to each NPC, so I can quickly see if Graynar the Merchant is a 4 or an 18 because that will sway what Graynar is willing to sell to the party and at what percentage of actual value. Conclusion I hope this article helps you out in solidifying your ideas of which NPCs should oppose or support the party (and why!), and how to approach determining what the NPCs can and are willing to do in order to show that opposition or support. Next month, I’ll be talking about some fun stuff: Clues, Rumors, and Connective Tissue.

It being that time of the year, I decided to reflect again on my year of gaming and see what lessons I learned. This is the second year I have done this.  Overall, this year I gamed less than 2023. There were two main reasons. The first was that at the start of the year, […]

It being that time of the year, I decided to reflect again on my year of gaming and see what lessons I learned. This is the second year I have done this. Overall, this year I gamed less than 2023. There were two main reasons. The first was that at the start of the year, I had some terrible back issues, which resulted in several months of chronic pain, such that I was not in a place to feel creative or be able to run any games. I am happy to say that I am free of any back pain, and mobile with the help of physical therapy and a professionally monitored workout regimen. The second reason was the end of the year. My November and December became fraught with both work (the day job kind) and a family emergency, those plus the holiday season killed nearly all my gaming from October until now. So what did I learn this year? The End of the Campaign May Not Be The Most Memorable Thing About It I typically strive to have a large and dramatic climax for my campaign arcs. I think that is pretty natural in terms of how campaigns are structured. I did this for the Children of the Shroud AP that I ran, earlier in the year. The campaign built up to a battle to prevent a new elemental force from being formed. It was the kind of battle that you would see in most TV series or a movie, but it was not the penultimate story of the campaign. That honor went to the third story of the campaign, Smarty Pants, which was recorded the year prior. That story had such emotion and drama that all my memories of the campaign fixate on that story, with the conclusion of the campaign being a distant third. The lesson from this, is that is ok. Your next game does not always have to be better than the one before it. If you are running entertaining games, having fun, doing no harm, etc, you do not have to chase the curve to make every story better than the last one. Also, due to the interactive nature of this hobby, you won’t be able to control which stories or moments are going to have the greatest impact, because what you prep and what happens at the table can be two vastly different things. So don’t sweat it. Keep prepping good material, and let the table do the rest. Some Crunch Can Be Fun Over the past decade I have favored games with lighter rule systems, but this year I ran Mutants in the Now, and its combat system is a bit more crunchy than I am used to. For the first few months of the game, I re-read the combat system before every session. While it took more to achieve any kind of mastery, the combat system for that game was tremendous fun. The Focus system was killer-tech for me. …you should stretch, but also adapt and adjust to make the experience a possible success and not a self-fulfilling prophecy. My lesson learned from this is kind of an obvious one…which is to sometimes stretch beyond your comfort zone, and to make that more useful, you should stretch, but also adapt and adjust to make the experience a possible success and not a self-fulfilling prophecy. What I mean by that, is that when I chose a more crunchy game I increased my studying of the mechanics, in hopes that I could enjoy my play of it by getting to a level of mastery, and it worked. Gaming With Old Friends Is A Treat I am blessed that many of the members of my regular gaming groups have been friends of mine for years, but this year I had the chance to run a game for my high school gaming group. The details of the experience are in my earlier article, but suffice to say it was a great experience and a chance to go back in time, to visit my teenage self. My lesson learned from this, is to do it again. My group is going to plan another gathering in 2026, and I plan to have a game to run for them. The Outside World Can Affect Your Campaign World My Mutants in the Now campaign was about mutant animals as a marginalized community, living in a District-9-like environment. The campaign had themes of oppression and marginalization, with the heroes fighting to overcome those things. The campaign was going along quite well until November. After election day, I suddenly could not imagine running a game about oppressing a marginalized community. I asked my players if we could end the campaign after the current story, which did conclude a small arc. I understand Bleed as a player, but this case was one of the first times that Bleed affected me as the GM. The geo-political situation, and the impending struggles of what could come, bled into my campaign and made me unwilling to play a game that could land so close to a possible reality. For me to do a good job running that campaign, I would need to take on the mindset of an oppressor, and that was too uncomfortable. My lesson learned from this is that Bleed for a GM is possible and not just as a character, but as the world, setting etc. I Was Not Bold Enough Looking back this year, I find myself struggling with something that is not new. I wish I was bolder as a GM. I don’t mean bold, like crushing the characters under opposition, but bolder as in being less casual about my gaming and running things with more energy. Part of this was just the amount of pain I was in at the start of the year, and the amount of stress I had at the end. But in the middle, my own insecurities were the culprit. I am always concerned that I am “too much” and that my natural intensity for things will turn people off. I hide this by trying to be somewhat casual and detached, taking a “no worries” mentality. Often that casual approach is fine, I have run many a successful game and campaign with it, but other times I just want to let “Phil be Phil” (to paraphrase The West Wing). My lesson learned here is that I need to let Phil be Phil and have faith that I won’t be too much or that my group will still like me (and talk to me about it) if I am too much. My Hopes for 2025 First, with my health improved and with my work and family stress passed, I am hoping that I will be able to run more games. I am feeling pretty confident in that. Second, I think I want to get into Traveller. I have always had an interest in the game, and I have been reading a lot of sci-fi recently. I think I would like to try my hand at a long-form Sci-fi campaign. Third, I want to work through my insecurities and really let Phil be Phil. It is something that I can bring to therapy for next year, so that I can do the work. Fourth, I have some ideas about some GMing advice I want to research that could lead to a new GMing book. I am not putting pressure on myself for this, but I like the idea of writing something longer than a blog post. My Wish To You and Your Lessons Learned As I finish up this article, and another year of writing GMing advice (my 16th year since being on this site), I wish for you that your 2025 is full of great gaming, in the games you like to play and the ways you like to play them. I am also curious about your lessons learned from this year. What did you learn from gaming in 2024?

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Marvel Rivals has been a huge hit for NetEase. The Chinese publisher recently reported the free-to-play hero shooter had over 40 million players. But the Overwatch clone was almost canceled over the licensing fees the company would owe to Disney for using its popular comic book characters.

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Update: 02/21/2025, 2:40 p.m. ET: Activision has added a countdown timer to the official Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater website. This article’s headline has been updated to reflect this.

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Avowed features very customizable characters, so you’ll likely spend quite a while in the character creation suite getting things just right. Granted, you won’t be able to see your character very often if you play the game entirely in first-person, but you’ll be able to admire them in all their glory if you switch to…

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Star of Providence is a bullet hell roguelike shooter that mostly went under the radar when it came to Steam back in 2017. But since then, it’s won over a devoted fan following, including the YouTuber videogamedunkey, who liked it so much he decided to help republish it eight years later under the Bigmode label. It…

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The modders behind the highly anticipated Skyblivion PCmod aren’t concerned that Bethesda might be gearing up to release its very own official Oblivion remake. Instead, the team is just “excited” to finally finish its project and get it in the hands of gamers and Elder Scrolls fans.

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When you’ve been on the internet as long as I have, you get the distinct displeasure of watching cycles of toxicity repeat themselves ad nauseam, usually over things that don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. The world is on fire and rather than devoting energy to important matters, a subset of the internet will…

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Part of the appeal of a large-scale role-playing game is customizing your character in ways that compliment your preferred playstyle. But as you play through a sprawling game like Avowed, you may find that the way you like to approach combat or dialogue evolves. As such, you may want to reset your attributes or…

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Pocket Monster: Remake was released back in 2015. The mobile game played almost identically to Pokémon, even using the art, names, and move sets form the existing franchise. A decade later, The Pokémon Company has finally reached a settlement with the Chinese devs behind the rip-off and gotten them to publicly…

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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 are currently available to download for free on mobile, with just a few catches. The first is you have to have an Android smartphone. The second is you have to ignore Google’s warning that you might be downloading “harmful” files. Pass both of these tests and you can…

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Very early in your adventure through Avowed’s tutorial island, you’ll come across a prisoner named Ilora. She spins a yarn about her crew going feral and slaying one another, but her demeanor is quite antagonistic. It certainly doesn’t help that your other companion, Garryck, already seems not to trust her. This can…

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Avowed is a sprawling role-playing game with hundreds of secrets to uncover throughout its 30+ hours of content. However, one of its first hidden areas can be found during the tutorial segment—a hidden room that grants you an achievement just for finding it. Even better, it contains a lockbox with a nice set of…

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A surprising contradiction sits at the heart of PC gaming: the medium’s most open platform is nevertheless dominated by a single storefront. That storefront belongs to Valve, it’s called Steam, and despite plenty of challenges in the two decades since it launched, no one has yet come close to unseating the Counter-Stri…

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Ne Zha 2, a new Chinese animated movie, has brought in $1.7 billion at the box office and dethroned Pixar’s Inside Out 2 to become the highest-grossing animated flick in history.

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It’s been over four years since Daniel Craig’s final appearance as James Bond in No Time to Die and we still don’t know what the franchise’s future holds or who will take the reins next. That could all start changing fast. Amazon now has full creative control over the blockbuster spy series after hashing out a deal…

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The Switch 2 is nearly upon us, and as such, the original handheld/console hybrid is entering the end of its life. Since 2017, Nintendo has made the most of less-powerful hardware and created an ecosystem unlike that offered by its direct competitors. Compared to its supercomputer rivals, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and…

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In 2022, Rockstar released the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online. These ports looked better, played better, and included new content and graphical options. And now, finally, three years later, Rockstar is bringing all of this (and more) to PC players via a new free update planned to…

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Many role-playing games are well-known for their sprawling worlds filled with points of interest to discover, and simply walking between all these locations over and over again can be a pretty exhausting affair. Avowed is one such massive RPG, offering dozens of hours of exploration through the gorgeous (though…

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Nearly a decade ago, Brendan Greene’s obsession with battle royales fundamentally reshaped gaming. Now the designer, best known by his online moniker “PlayerUnknown,” is toiling away on a new set of projects that could change much more than that if they’re successful. PUBG: Battlegrounds redefined online gaming.…

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The Human Torch is joining the Marvel Rivals roster tomorrow, February 21, and before the fire-flinging hero has even joined the scrap, fans are already scared. Part of Marvel Rivals’ appeal is that its heroes are powerful, destructive, and unconcerned with the petty matters of balance and fairness. The Human Torch…

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Whether you tackle it solo or with a friend in local co-op, Big Helmet Heroes is no doubt the closest thing to a Castle Crashers sequel we’ve seen. This exciting 3D brawler features a fairly lengthy campaign filled with hilarious antics and thrilling combat. So if that sounds up your alley, hop in and check it out.…

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Following the success of Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, along with the recurring seasonal themes and fresh start opportunities, enjoying the grind brought to us by Blizzard Entertainment is easier than ever. But sometimes it’s not enough. Say, for example, you finish a season early. What then? Well, you could roll a new…

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It’s that time of year when The Pokémon Company pulls back the curtain on things it’s been cooking up. Pokémon Day, the anniversary of the release of the original Pokémon Red and Green, is February 27, and The Pokémon Company has announced it will be holding a Pokémon Presents livestream on YouTube at 6 a.m. Pacific /…

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As in life, money makes most aspects of Civilization VII more manageable. Sure, you could wait a few turns for a building to finish construction or for a unit to enter the fray, but you could toss some gold at the problem. However, acquiring gold in Civilization VII poses unique challenges, and if you promise to share…

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Elden Ring Nightreign looks like Elden Ring, the 2022 FromSoftware hit,and it seems like it should play like Elden Ring, an action-RPG about fighting massive bosses in a cursed open world. And in a lot of ways it does feel cut from the same cloth as its predecessor, but there are also some very important ways in…

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MrBeast, one of the most popular content creators and influencers in the world, recently sat down for a lengthy interview and talked about how his life has changed as a result of his fame and influence. In the interview, he claims to have less than a million dollars in his bank account and says life was “easier” when…

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Sony is firing back in court in the ongoing lawsuit between Bungie and former Marathon director Christopher Barrett. The Bungie veteran sued the studio in late 2024 after he was fired over alleged misconduct. He called the investigation a “sham” in his lawsuit. Now Sony has responded and published some creepy text…

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HBO has announced that The Last of Us’ second season will begin airing on April 13. This will be the first of reportedly multiple seasons telling the story of The Last of Us Part II, the second (and, thus far, final) game in the series of PlayStation blockbusters.

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Activision is bringing the famous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Call of Duty Warzone and Black Ops 6. Players will be able to buy skins based on each of the four amphibian crime fighters starting Thursday. But if you want all four of them, you’ll need to shell out $80.

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When I played Hazelight’s last game, It Takes Two, back in 2021, it was with an ex who’d had different ideas about where our relationship should go than I did. This made playing as a squabbling, estranged couple in a co-op platformer more fitting for that moment in my life than I could have anticipated. So it’s funny…

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Do you remember Humane’s AI Pin? It was a small $700 device that was supposed to replace your phone, using AI to answer any question and solve all your problems. Well, guess what? It flopped. And now the company behind is being bought by HP, and all the AI Pins still out there will stop working in about a week.

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While PlayStation Plus users can enjoy voice chatting with one another via the PS5 default chat system, voice communication with players across other ecosystems has always been a challenge. Thus, with Discord growing to be the world’s most popular option for linking up in gaming, it makes sense that Sony would…

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Wizards of the Coast continues to pull back the curtain on its summer 2025 expansion of Magic: The Gathering which sees the card game cross over with Final Fantasy, and the results continue to look super cool. The company has revealed 20 of the cards coming to the set so far, and they include everything from…

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3D beat-em-ups haven’t fallen completely out of style, and Big Helmet Heroes is here to prove it. This Castle Crashers-esque title is overflowing with charm, humor, and well-crafted hack ‘n slash gameplay. It’s a killer time at a pretty reasonable price, so you may want to know just how much bang for your buck you get…

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As promised, Marvel Rivals’ mid-season update is going after the triple-Strategist meta. The latest set of balance changes have plenty of buffs and nerfs for all three of its roles, but the bulk of the support hero changes are dialing back power instead of increasing it. Meanwhile, my damage-dealing mains Mister…

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Something isn’t right about David Fincher, and we love him for it. Although he’s never won an Oscar for Best Director, few filmmakers in the history of cinema have better mastered the art of human depravity. Fincher’s movies have introduced us to an alien being born by ripping itself out of a dog’s stomach, a grown…

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On February 18, NetEase laid off Marvel Rivals development team members, including game director Thaddeus Sasser, just two months after its incredibly successful launch. The hero shooter has been such a runaway success that the news blindsided people across the video game industry. According to a statement the company…

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If you were holding on to any Nintendo game vouchers, waiting to use them on Switch 2, don’t bother. The company recently confirmed the special coupons will only work for current Switch games. Who knows what the future will bring, but for now it looks like one of the best deals in gaming won’t be making the jump to…

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Marvel Rivals’ game director and others from the development team behind the hit hero shooter have been laid off. The dismissals have caught many by surprise as NetEase’s comic book blockbuster continues to dominate the charts on Steam and consoles months after its well-received launch.

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In 2021, Netflix made the unusual move of purchasing Oxenfree maker Night School Studio. “We’re inspired by their bold mission to set a new bar for storytelling in games,” then-VP of game development Mike Verdu wrote at the time. Nearly four years later, Verdu is no longer head of development and Oxenfree, a bespoke,…

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There are so many fantastic soulslike games out in the wild these days, but it’s not often that you find one that casts you as an ass-kicking rat. Well, twice. It’s that often. Tails of Iron 2 ensures that your rodent power fantasy can be played out in all its gory glory in this animal-slaying sequel. If you’re…

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Pokémon Go is one of the biggest games of the decade. Like Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V, it was a sensation when it launched and remains a massive part of the fabric of online gaming years later. But Niantic, the tech startup that created it, might soon be spinning Pokémon Go off along with its other less…

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It can be hard to keep track of the huge cast of Three Kingdoms characters in hack ‘n slash action game Dynasty Warriors: Origins, but one name is especially easy to remember: Lu Bu. The infamous folkloric warlord leaves a huge impression when he first appears in Chapter 2, between his rocking theme song and the…

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The next big Game Pass RPG, Avowed, is finally here and it’s really good. However, perhaps you’re wondering if the game is on Steam? Or if you can play it with a friend via co-op? Or maybe you just want to know how much space it will take up on your Xbox’s SSD?

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NetEase has been pretty tame with its Marvel Rivals balance updates thus far. It gave troublesome heroes like Hela a slap on the wrist and has released patches entirely dedicated to bug fixes. However, it sounds like the next patch, which will add the Human Torch and the Thing to the roster, will finally be targeting…

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In case you didn’t notice, the console wars—the decades-long battle between mulitple companies and their plastic game boxes—ended a few years ago. And while Sony continues to fight on with its PlayStation despite the war being over, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer recently confirmed that, yeah, it’s all over, and the company is…

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Donkey Kong doesn’t wear shoes. This is a defining trait of Nintendo’s famous barrel-tossin’ ape. But that hasn’t stopped Nike from creating a new pair of sneakers that seem to be directly inspired by Donkey Kong and his popular platformers.

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I’ve finished the first half of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, Don’t Nod’s latest supernatural teen drama, and it speaks to how well the game handles its dueling past and present storylines that even though I still don’t really know what the game is about, I’m nonetheless desperate to see what comes next. Don’t Nod hasn’t…

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AMD TechTalk provides insight on data center to edge innovation that helps IT managers optimize today's deployments and tomorrow's infrastructure planning. Hosted by AMD's director of server competitive marketing, Jim Greene, and featuring leading technologists from AMD and the industry, AMD TechTalk features discussion on servers, cloud computing, AI, HPC and more.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Arun Nandi, Head of Data and Analytics at Unilever, about how AI and Gen AI are driving smarter decision-making, optimizing sustainability, and creating real business impact across Unilever’s global operations.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Neeraj Kumar, Chief Data Scientist at PNNL, about how AI is accelerating discovery across scientific research, energy efficiency, and healthcare.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Iddo Kadim, Field CTO at NeuReality, about the rapid evolution of AI, the future of enterprise deployment, and the infrastructure changes driving innovation.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Todd Koelling, Senior Director of Product and Solutions Marketing at Synopsys about how AI is reshaping the semiconductor industry and how the partnership between AMD and Synopsys led to the fastest ramping product in AMD history.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Steen Graham, founder of Metrum AI, to explore the evolving world of AI infrastructure, testing, and enterprise solutions.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Mahdi Ghodsi, Director of Engineering at Aupera Technologies about how edge AI is transforming video processing across industries like retail, security, and smart cities.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Eric Herzog, CMO of Infinidat about how it leverages cutting-edge technology to revolutionize enterprise storage, AI, and cybersecurity.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Linda Yang, the Senior Solution Manager at Supermicro about the transformative impact of AI on computing infrastructure and the sustainable innovative solutions Supermicro is providing to meet these demands.

TechTalk Host Jim Greene chats with Meena Arunachalam, AMD's AI Systems Engineering Director and Fellow, about how RAG is paving a simpler path to AI adoption in the enterprise and delivering capability to ensure an enterprise-class reliability to AI solutions.

Tech Talk host Jim Greene chats with Alan Czeszynski, VP of Product at BeeKeeperAI, about how BeeKeeperAI's EscrowAI platform enables secure collaboration between algorithm developers and data stewards, preserving data privacy and intellectual property. Jim and Alan explore the technology, its applications across industries, and the future of AI and data security.

TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Robert Daigle, Director of Global AI Business at Lenovo about how AI is evolving in the enterprise, challenges organizations are currently facing to deploy AI solutions, gaps in sustainable infrastructure solutions, and how Lenovo is positioning itself to help customers deploy technology right sized for responsible delivery of AI at scale.

TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Oii co-founder and CEO, Bob Rogers, about how his organization is tapping AI to bring new levels of insight and control to supply chains, and how infrastructure optimization is critical to fully unleash the potential of Oii solutions.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with the VP of Sales and Alliances at RadiusAI, Robert Hubbard, about how they're transforming the retail checkout game with AMD EPYC CPUs. With AI-assisted checkout, RadiusAI is lowering shrink and food waste, and increasing employee retention and customer satisfaction.

AMD TechTalk host talks with Oracle's VP of Mission-Critical Database Product Management, Ashish Ray, about how his organization is shaping the future of enterprise data management and how Oracle is tapping AMD EPYC processors to deliver the performance required by enterprise customers.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Chaos' Director of Media and Entertainment and Strategic Products, Albena Ivanova about how her company is disrupting the world of media and entertainment with new software capabilities that tap AMD EPYC performance.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Geico's Rebecca Weekly about how her organization tackles compute innovation to serve corporate requirements and customer needs and how AI's advancement represents new opportunity for IT innovation

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with GigaIO CEO Alan Benjamin about his company's unique take on delivering SUPERNODE, a scalable platform alternative that fast tracks company deployment of AI workloads.

TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with IronYun's Paul Sun about how his company is infusing AI into analytics solutions that yield breakthrough results for customers and how the IronYun team has worked with AMD to deliver improved performance and efficiency for customer deployments.

TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Ateme's Director of Technology and Standards, Jan Outters, about how the company is transforming media delivery with AI infused encoding innovation.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Altair's Fatma Kocer-Poyraz about how her company is driving unique engineering solutions to market by tapping the confluence of AI and data science.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with Ansys's Wim Slagter about how his company is tapping AI to improve simulation and comments on the deep collaboration between Ansys and AMD in driving the highest performance solutions to customers.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene sits down with Cadence's Dan Lee to discuss the Spectre simulation suite and how the company is helping to advance silicon design with the help of AMD EPYC processor performance.

TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with AMD's Server Solutions Group CVP Ravishankar Kuppuswamy about changing computing requirements in the AI era and how AMD EPYC processors will deliver core capabilities to customers as they implement generative AI models.

AMD Tech Talk host Jim Greene chat's with Hexagon's Vicky Tsianika about the company's multi-physics and fluid dynamics solutions, how these markets are being re-shaped by AI, and how Hexagon has tapped AMD EPYC processors to fuel improved performance for their customers.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with security expert Sally Eaves on the latest requirements for data center security in the AI era and how a hardware root of trust is becoming even more important for trusted environments.

AMD TechTalk host Jim Greene chats with IT veteran Ramki Balasubramanian about challenges facing IT professionals with today's workloads and how his organization approaches infrastructure modernization including use of AMD EPYC processors.

TechTalk host Jim Greene chat's with Clarify 360 analyst Jo Peterson on her view of the state of data center security, new opportunities and threats posed by AI, and how a hardware root of trust can help data center managers best protect their organizations.

AMD Tech Talk host Jim Greene chats with Cloudflare VP Rebecca Weekly about her organization's challenges in delivering to customer demands at the edge, where industry innovation is headed to deliver the performance required to fuel AI workloads, and how her company has tapped AMD EPYC processors to fuel innovation.

AMD Tech Talk host Jim Greene chats with Charles Luzzato, SIMULIA Industrial Equipment Industry Process Director, at Dassault Systèmes about how SIMULIA taps data to improve data center performance and efficiency, and how AMD EPYC processors deliver a performance foundation for SIMULIA deployments.

AMD Tech Talk host Dylan Larson sits down with tech guru Jason Collier to chat about the realities of managing virtualized environments and how AMD EPYC platforms can help IT managers drive innovation into the enterprise.

In this episode, TechTalk host Dylan Larson chats with Lynn Comp, AMD Vice President of Server Technology Marketing, about the unique opportunity new infrastructure represents in freeing IT resources for innovation.

TechTalk host sits down with the TechArena's Allyson Klein to discuss performance characteristics of multi-cloud environments and infrastructure evolution with the shift to distributed computing environments across cloud and edge.

AMD TechTalk host Dylan Larson chat's with CTO Advisor Keith Townsend on the hidden costs of IT inaction in modernizing data center infrastructure and what can be done to spur innovation.

In this episode AMD TechTalk host Dylan Larson chats with AMD's Server System Architect Mahesh Wagh about disruptive innovation coming to server platforms and how technologies like CXL will create new opportunity for memory capacity scaling and system design flexibility. Learn more at www.amd.com

Video Game Reviews, Features, and Gaming News

Koei Tecmo and Gust have unveiled a new trailer for Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, offering a deeper look at the continent of Aladiss, its ruined cities, hidden laboratories, and strange new tribes. Set to launch on March 21, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, […]

Mech pilots, get ready—Metal Bringer, the sci-fi roguelite action game from Alphawing and PLAYISM, officially launches on March 12, 2025, for Steam and PlayStation 5. But if you don’t want to wait until then, a brand-new demo is now available on Steam, featuring a revamped tutorial, UI improvements, and expanded story content. What is Metal […]

Get ready to blast through gaming hell—Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit has dropped its Steam Next Fest demo, giving fans a taste of retro action, ridiculous enemies, and classic AVGN humor. Developed by Programancer (Prison City, The Transylvania Adventure of Simon Quest) and published by Retroware, the game pays tribute to 8-bit side-scrollers with Mega […]

NetEase Games and Nitro Plus have officially released a free demo for Rusty Rabbit, giving players a first look at the upcoming 2.5D action side-scroller ahead of its April 17th, 2025 launch on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PC (Steam). Written by Gen Urobuchi, the mastermind behind Puella Magi Madoka Magica and PSYCHO-PASS, Rusty Rabbit […]

Earlier this month, MonsterVine was able to attend a hands-on event for Team Jade and NovaLogic’s upcoming co-op PvE campaign, Black Hawk Down, for its free-to-play shooter Delta Force. As the name suggests, the campaign is based on the 2003 video game and 2001 movie. While playing, it was very clear that Team Jade and […]

Arc Games and Snapshot Games have revealed Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids, an action-packed RTS adventure that fuses third-person combat with real-time strategy mechanics. Developed by Julian Gollop (X-COM, Phoenix Point) and his team at Snapshot Games, Chip ‘n Clawz aims to deliver a fun, accessible spin on classic strategy gameplay. A free demo […]

After years of anticipation, Funcom has finally announced the release date for Dune: Awakening. The open-world survival MMO set in the brutal deserts of Arrakis is officially launching on May 20, 2025, for PC via Steam. Alongside the release date reveal, Funcom has dropped a Character Creator & Benchmark Mode, allowing players to design their […]

In a nostalgic treat for fans, Samurai Pizza Cats is coming back with a brand-new video game, Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Past. Announced to celebrate the anime’s 35th anniversary, the game is currently in development for all major platforms and features a faithful recreation of the show’s iconic cel animation style. A Nostalgic […]

Relic Entertainment, the studio behind Company of Heroes and Age of Empires IV, has announced Earth vs Mars, a turn-based strategy game where humanity fights back against a full-scale Martian invasion using bizarre, genetically spliced hybrid soldiers. The game is set to launch on PC (Steam) in Summer 2025. Watch the Announcement Trailer A War […]

Toge Productions, the team behind Coffee Talk and A Space for the Unbound, has announced it will publish Undusted: Letters from the Past, a relaxing, story-driven cleaning sim from 5minlab, a subsidiary of Krafton. Revealed at Wholesome Direct 2024 and GDoC Expo 2024, Undusted: Letters from the Past received overwhelmingly positive feedback for its soothing […]

N4G: news feed

Idea Factory International will release the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions of science-fiction roguelite third-person shooter Scar-Lead Salvation alongside the previously confirmed PC (Steam) version on May 29 in the west, the company announced. The PlayStation versions will be available both physically and digitally. Wishlisting is available now via Idea Factory Internationals online store.

Microsoft is narrowing down the supply of its current-gen console, Xbox Series X, in Brazil, based on a new report.

For now, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5 users can pre-download updates for Fortnite.

Football Manager 2024 non-league saves can help you experience the best that the series has to offer in awesome form.

Diablo creator David Brevik discusses whether ARPGs are inherently live-service games or not two decades after their release.

Hundreds of players agreed with the plea for the Green Goblin to be added to the game, however, maybe even more importantly, this idea triggered a discussion about the lack of bad guys.

Some Helldivers 2 players swear that Moradesh moved. Have you seen anything? The devs offer an explanation.

Since day one, NetEase has been adamant that they wont be enforcing any team composition in the game. They want the players to have the freedom to make any combinations possible. This has caused some dissatisfaction in the past, and now, another problem is seemingly on the horizon.

Epic Games will release a new Fortnite season on Friday, and the downtime for it will be much longer than usual.

Helldivers 2 developers are working on a new crossover! Devoted players suggest which collab would fit the best.

Your source for news, information, product releases, events, sports, entertainment & exclusive content relating to Xbox

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The post Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 24 to 28 appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Category: Next Week on Xbox Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 24 to 28 Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor Published February 21, 2025 Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, the Xbox App on Windows PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in! Spectre Divide Mountaintop Studios ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ Get it now Spectre Divide – February 25 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S A genre-evolving 3v3 tactical shooter driven by Duality. Use Duality to control two bodies in real-time, letting you defend two sites at once, cover your own cross, or even trade yourself. Master tactical gunplay and an arsenal of future tech to achieve infamy. Conquistadorio Upscale Studio ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ Get it now Conquistadorio- February 26 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S The conqueror, who has gone through many trials in his life, decided to retire and become a hermit, to simply lie in his solitary cave away from people. But fate throws new challenges even in such a simple endeavor. The tomb where he loves to sleep has disappeared. Now he must embark on a quest to find it and solve many mysteries along the way. Crime Opera Fandisk: The Caterpillar Candids Eastasiasoft Limited ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ Get it now Crime Opera Fandisk: The Caterpillar Candids – February 26 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery In this new anthology release of Crime Opera, explore a variety of short stories that take place before, during and after the events of the original visual novel, all presented in beautifully crafted hand-drawn style to convey the drama, emotion and gritty truth surrounding characters’ lives in the criminal underworld. Crime Opera II: The Floodgate Effect Eastasiasoft Limited ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ Get it now Crime Opera II: The Floodgate Effect – February 26 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery Experience a new chapter in the mafia tale surrounding the Gallos family! This story begins 9 years after the original. Xander Gallo is now bitter, alone and out of control. He’s causing problems for not only other families within the syndicate but also for younger Gallo members as well. Hidden Paws Silesia Games Sp. z o.o. ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ Get it now Hidden Paws – February 26 Xbox Play Anywhere Open cars and boxes, rummage through piles of wood, search the forests. Cats are well hidden, but they meow when you get near so listen closely and you might just be able to find them all. Features more than twelve charming winter landscapes with over 120 little cats to find. Rabbit Raid (Xbox Series X|S) Sometimes You ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ $9.99 $7.99 Pre-order Free Trial Rabbit Raid – February 26 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S Save your family by going on an adventure as a cute bunny. Collect berries, find secrets with bonuses, throw objects at enemies or jump on them to win. Find secret stars and change costumes. Defeat the bosses and get to the last one to save the little rabbits from captivity. Explore green fields, caves, rivers, snowy mountains, icy lakes, deserts and ruins. Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit Headup ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ Get it now Crowns and Pawns: Kingdom of Deceit – February 27 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery Crowns and Pawns is a modern-day point and click adventure. The game highlights the less-explored history of Europe. Experience the legendary stories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, bring to light the villainous branch of the KGB, solve puzzles and follow hints to reveal the secrets of the King who was never crowned. Glover (QUByte Classics) QUByte Interactive & Bleem! ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ Get it now Glover (QUByte Classics) – February 27 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery The cult classic from the ’90s returns! Glover is a charming 3D platformer where you control a magical glove on a quest to restore balance to the kingdom. Roll, jump, and manipulate your magic ball to solve puzzles, overcome challenges, and defeat the evil glove threatening the world! Pirate Trails Afil Games ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ Get it now Pirate Trails – February 27 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S Ready to set sail on an adventure full of challenges and treasures? In Pirate Trails, you are the master cartographer of the seven seas. But instead of sailing, your mission is to chart the best course for pirate ships to collect treasures and safely anchor at the final port. Rotate and swap hexagonal tiles to create the perfect route – but beware, a wrong path might lead your ship straight to the Kraken! Prison Loop (Xbox Series X|S) Sometimes You ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ $4.99 $3.99 Pre-order Prison Loop – February 27 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S Embark on a journey of anomalies and repetition in Prison Loop, a captivating puzzle game. Test your observation skills, critical thinking, and ability to manipulate time to your advantage. Explore a meticulously designed prison filled with hidden secrets, atmospheric details, and haunting visuals. Two Point Museum: Explorer Edition SEGA ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ $39.99 Pre-order Two Point Museum: Explorer Edition – February 27 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S Two Point County’s most daring adventurers have travelled to the far reaches of the known map and returned with unique artefacts to host in your museum, along with the coordinates of a new expedition location, home to an exclusive special exhibit and events! The Explorer Edition brings a selection of decorative items to embellish your halls, walls and floors with bespoke designs and well-travelled statues. As well as exclusive items to help your experts replenish faster to send out on more expeditions Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match Hanoi Studios ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ Get it now Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match — February 28 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere A new game concept inspired by the classic Tower of Hanoi. Assemble towers stacking pieces of the same color on a hexagonal board with a mysterious and relaxing atmosphere. Unlock blocked hexagonal cells by building a tower of the same color to open new paths and advance in the resolution of the level. Justice Ninja Casey Ratalaika Games S.L. ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ Get it now Justice Ninja Casey – February 28 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery An unremarkable princess in an unremarkable castle has been kidnapped by a group of mysterious ninjas. Luckily for her, a young ninja named Casey is aware of the situation and embarks on a mission to save her because… he is the Ninja of Justice! Join Casey and learn the art of ninjutsu as he explores a land full of secrets and dangerous enemies! Monster Hunter Wilds CAPCOM CO., LTD. ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ $69.99 Pre-order Monster Hunter Wilds – February 28 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S The ultimate hunting experience awaits you in Monster Hunter Wilds. Fulfill your duty as a Hunter, tracking down and defeating powerful monsters while forging strong new weapons and armor from the materials you harvest, as you work to uncover the connection between the people of the Forbidden Lands and the locales they inhabit. Paper Plane Arena – Shamans EpiXR Games ☆☆☆☆☆ ★★★★★ $9.99 Pre-order Paper Plane Arena – Shamans – February 28 An interactive game experience that is designed to ease your mind and have fun popping innocent balloons. Jump into the role of a little paper plane that is supposed to rescue the world from evil balloon demons by dashing through them. An excellent game for relaxing and blowing off some steam after an exhausting day of hassle. PGA TOUR 2K25 2K ☆☆☆☆☆ 26 ★★★★★ $69.99 Pre-order PGA Tour 2K25 – February 28 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S The master of golf sims is back! Tee off with the world’s top golfers on the most storied courses on golf’s biggest stages. Pre-order PGA Tour 2K25 Standard Edition and receive the Extra Butter x adidas Pack, which includes actor, “pretty great golfer,” and now playable character Chris McDonald. Included are three stylish cosmetics — hat, jacket and shoes. Plus, with your pre-order (by February 27, 2025), you’ll also get PGA Tour 2K23 Standard Edition (digital) to play while you wait! Related Stories for “Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 24 to 28” Category: Next Week on Xbox Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 17 to 21 Category: Next Week on Xbox Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 10 to 14 Category: Next Week on Xbox Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 3 to 7 The post Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 24 to 28 appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The post Atelier Yumia: New Features Explained – and a Surprise Connection to Halo appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Category: Games February 20, 2025 Atelier Yumia: New Features Explained – and a Surprise Connection to Halo Jeff Rubenstein Atelier games have been around since the late ’90s, with more than two dozen titles shipped in that time – but you’re forgiven some unfamiliarity the series, as Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land will be the very first to arrive on Xbox. After playing through the first few hours of the game and speaking with producer Junzo Hosoi, it’s becoming clear that the first Atelier title on Xbox isn’t simply the latest in the series, it’s the most ambitious entry yet. “As a huge Xbox fan, I’m thrilled to finally bring the series to the system,” Hosoi told me via email, “But when I look at the game as a whole, I don’t describe Atelier Yumia as the next Atelier game. I describe it as a completely new JRPG series that has Atelier features.” My preview session bore that out; players will find familiar RPG elements aplenty – strategic, real-time battles, crafting, exploration – but they come together in way that feels altogether different from others in the genre. The secret ingredient, if you will, lies in the super deep crafting system. “The charm of the Atelier series is about synthesis and the alchemy process,” Hosoi-san confirmed. “The game cycle is pretty unique as there is collecting in the field, fighting in battle, and utilizing the synthesis system, and all three of those things are related.” That charm is also evident in the playable cast of characters, especially the eponymous Yumia Liessfeldt, a more grown-up character than some past series headliner heroines. Hosoi-san shares more background: “Since Yumia is 21 years old, the story is about her growing into adulthood. This is shown throughout the story through her strong core values… independence and charm. With [heroes of previous titles] Ryza and Sophie, they were younger, so they needed mentors in order to grow up, but with Yumia, she has her own identity and decision-making skills.” Oh, and she owns a motorcycle! Because Aladiss, the new continent introduced in Atelier Yumia, inherently distrusts alchemy, the game’s early hours see Yumia seeking to prove her worth. While her synthesis skills differentiate her from other characters in the game, bolstered by a new building system that crafting survival fans will enjoy, in my playthrough, it was Yumia’s battle prowess that surprised most. For nearly all of the series’ history, Atelier titles were turn-based affairs. The recent Atelier Ryza titles were to first to move to real-time, and for Atelier Yumia, the team heard player feedback, resulting in a huge amount ofc ombat options for players to master. “The mechanics of battle have been completely redesigned for this game as close and ranged combat has been added,” Hosoi-san explains. “Within the two attack zones, players can move the active character freely around the enemies or between the two attack zones in battle. You can also guard and dodge attacks in real-time and even pull off a powerful cooperation attack with other characters when an enemy is stunned. For Atelier Yumia, we are focusing on actually showing the player’s skills during battle.” In practice, battles move quickly; players can control Yumia or shift at any time to one of her traveling companions. Placement is key; you can see when and where attacks will hit, but timing out a precision guard (or getting the heck out of the way) takes good timing. It’s not too challenging when going 1 on 1 with a regular mob, but in a multi-enemy rumble, with fewer safe areas, there’s a whole lot to account for. Add in varying enemy weaknesses, opportunities to execute powerful Friend Actions, balancing offense and defense at different ranges – I didn’t expect a game this adorable to require such situational awareness! Fortunately, your squad enters and exits battle seamlessly as you explore, and it’s fast and fun to build up fighting experience, or to avoid encounters when you just wanna zipline back to town. As mentioned, Yumia isn’t on this journey alone; you’ll meet several companions in the game’s prologue before rewinding to an earlier point in the tale. I found one character particularly entertaining, and Hosoi-san surprised me by unexpectedly bringing up an Xbox icon when asked about Flammi, Yumia’s floating, funny little companion. “Flammi was actually inspired by Halo’s Cortana. I wanted to make something where we could have a conversation between a main protagonist and somebody close to them who are always together. Playing Halo was so much fun and that’s why I really wanted to add a mascot for Atelier Yumia.“ Atelier Yumia arrives at a very prolific time for Koei Tecmo: Dynasty Warriors Origins was well-received on its recent launch, Team Ninja surprised everyone with Ninja Gaiden 4’s announcement, and we’ve been spoiled with shadow drops of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and Warriors: Abyss. To hear it from Hosoi-san, the positive energy is boosting everyone’s projects. “Within Koei Tecmo games, the brand producers get along really well with each other. We have a conference where games under development receive opinions from each of the brands, so not only do we listen to each other’s opinions, we then get to see their games in development as well. We utilize each other’s opinions to help us develop and create better games. In the end, that helps in my goal of making Atelier Yumia known worldwide as the best game in the series.” Related Stories for “Atelier Yumia: New Features Explained – and a Surprise Connection to Halo” Category: Games Cause Chaos in Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless Category: Games Grab a Club: PGA Tour 2K25 Legend & Deluxe Editions Now Available for Xbox Series X|S Category: Next Week on Xbox Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 24 to 28 The post Atelier Yumia: New Features Explained – and a Surprise Connection to Halo appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Cabernet, an indie vampire RPG out today on Xbox and PC, asks players one, core question: Will you retain your humanity or descend further into the horror you have become? And it asks that question through a lovingly crafted world of intrigue, romance, and drama set in 19th Century Eastern Europe. My name is Buddy […]

The post Secrets of the Voice Acting Process in Cabernet appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Summary Cabernet’s characters and voice acting are the heart of its story. A vampire narrative RPG set in eastern Europe in the late 19th century. Launching on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One today. Cabernet, an indie vampire RPG out today on Xbox and PC, asks players one, core question: Will you retain your humanity or descend further into the horror you have become? And it asks that question through a lovingly crafted world of intrigue, romance, and drama set in 19th Century Eastern Europe. My name is Buddy Sola, I’m the Head of Marketing for Akupara Games, and I sat down with the developers behind Cabernet, Arseniy Klishin and Laura Gray, to talk a little about their process for making a compelling narrative RPG and recording incredible voiceover for the characters in it. “(Cabernet) became a fully fledged idea to us once we connected the idea of vampirism, actually, as a metaphor for alcoholism,” they told me. “We have another tagline in our game: Demons are hereditary.” And with a basis exploring that core conflict between humans and vampires, empathy and nihilism, it became important for Arseniy and Laura to capture the emotional heart beating beneath the skin of their vampire characters. Voice acting, it turned out, became one of the most important components to making Cabernet really come together. And they certainly helped me understand the complicated nature of casting, directing and recording voiceover for the myriad of characters in game. At the end of the day, the goal with the casting process was authenticity. “We did actually, in all of our casting calls that were public, we really did try to encourage Eastern European submissions.” The game’s Eastern European background isn’t just window-dressing; it makes up a core component of the game’s worldbuilding, but Arseniy and Laura wanted to avoid anything that felt fake in their casting. “For me, personally, it is a little strange to expect the character to speak in a British accent. We decided that our approach was going to be completely different: For us, we would rather have an authentic emotional experience that the actors have. We didn’t want people to imitate an accent that is not authentic to them.” And it couldn’t get much more authentic than having Laura herself voice the game’s main character. “Liza plays a very grounding figure in the game. It’s slightly odd as the main character because you have to be a little of a foil that everybody can play towards and relate to in some way.” Liza, a newly awakened vampire who apprentices as a doctor, really is the conduit for the game’s core theme of choices. “We put her in that position as a vampire where she requires a substance in order to survive.” Casting happened both with public casting calls as well as targeted outreach. Some of the game’s most high-profile actors, like Brian David Gilbert, were already in mind when Arseniy was writing the characters. “We kind of envisioned Petya’s character with his mannerisms when we wrote the script and when he accepted, it was really, really pleasant.” Other characters were voiced by relative unknowns who had spectacular auditions and captured the emotional core of their part. For some performances, Arseniy and Laura directed the voice and tone of the actors in their studio– a foam-padded walk-in wardrobe– and for others, they took actors who provided professional recordings in their homes. And while sometimes, actors had a particular take that surprised and excited them, for the most part Arseniy and Laura were directing actors very carefully to make sure their lines were accurately captured in a game that, in some ways, had yet to be developed around them. Because the actors are recording their lines from the game’s 1200-page script without one another to play off of, Arseniy and Laura kept a cohesive, coherent vision by, as he puts it, “holding the keys in our hands.” Cabernet’s voice acting was crafted by a deeply human process, finding the authentic emotions in talented actors from around the world. It seems fitting for a game about vampires struggling with their humanity to focus so heavily on the humanity in the voices of those characters. Play Cabernet on Xbox and PC today. Cabernet Akupara Games ☆☆☆☆☆ 6 ★★★★★ $19.99 Get it now Free Trial Cabernet is a 2D narrative RPG set in a 19th century Eastern European inspired world, with a modern twist. Guide Liza, a young vampire struggling with her morality and the supernatural world she has been pulled into. Will you retain your humanity or descend further into the horror you have become? Prepare to explore a hidden world of political intrigue, class conflict, and decadent corruption. Use the moonlit sky to plan your next feast and explore. Mingle among vampiric society and the humans who feed them. Uncover who can aid your new kin and whose only purpose is to be drained. Vampirism isn't just an unholy transformation of your body– it also threatens to transform your mind. Will you choose to indulge your empathetic humanity or embrace your newfound nihilism? But to lure your next meal somewhere safe and secluded, you'll need to understand who they are and what they desire. A kind-hearted, alcoholic coachman? A fraying newlywed couple? A greedy, yet charming charlatan? Their lives are yours to aid or unravel. Art, literature, history, science, these are the skills you'll require to succeed. Your knowledge will be your greatest weapon in a world where the cunning drain the brutal of life. The post Secrets of the Voice Acting Process in Cabernet appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The post Dungeons and Dragons: A New Quest Now Available in the Minecraft Marketplace appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The post Dungeons and Dragons: A New Quest Now Available in the Minecraft Marketplace appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The post Sea of Thieves Season 15: New Hunter’s Call Voyages, Tools and Creatures Await appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The post Sea of Thieves Season 15: New Hunter’s Call Voyages, Tools and Creatures Await appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The post More Action Awaits with F1 24 & Madden NFL 25 on EA Play appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Category: Games February 20, 2025 More Action Awaits with F1 24 & Madden NFL 25 on EA Play Charlie Fortescue, Director, Global Corporate Communications, EA Looking to amp up the action? With EA Play, members get unlimited access to EA’s most exciting sports games on The Play List, including the newly added EA Sports F1 24. Along with the hottest racing titles around, EA Play members can also enjoy in-game bonuses, discounts on digital purchases, up to 10-hour trials of fan-favorite games, and unlimited access to titles like EA Sports Madden NFL 25 and beyond. EA Sports F1 24 EA Play members continue to win this month as EA Sports F1 24 joins the Play List today! Players can join the grid and drive like the greatest in this official video game of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship. EA Sports F1 24 features an overhauled Career mode, the all-new EA Sports Dynamic Handling, a new broadcast presentation package and cutscenes that add to the race day immersion, actual driver audio samples taken from F1 broadcasts and much more. Play as your hero and build on their existing stats and reputation, bring back legendary icons from the past to continue their F1 legacy, or play as yourself and climb the ranks as an F1 or F2 rookie. EA Sports Madden NFL 25 In addition to F1 24, EA Sports Madden NFL 25 is currently available on the Play List for EA Play members. Madden NFL 25 introduces upgraded iterations of FieldSense and Boom Tech on Xbox Series X|S — groundbreaking physics-based tackling and player control technologies — allowing players to be immersed in the game like never before. Alongside these innovative updates, Madden NFL 25 also brings new signature styles and mechanics to the field as well as overhauled visuals and presentation, including two additional commentary teams, to deliver unparalleled levels of NFL realism through all modes of play. February Rewards This month, EA Play members continue to unlock the thrill of special rewards, including: EA Sports Madden NFL 25 Supercharge Pack – February 6 to March 6 EA Sports Madden NFL 25 MUT Pack – Now to February 28 EA Sports F1 24 5000 XP Boost – Now to February 28 EA Sports F1 24 Champions Icon Pack – February 20 to March 18 EA Sports FC 25 Victory Wings Right Leg Tattoo & Clubs Coins – Now to March 13 EA Sports FC 25 Football Ultimate Team Draft Token– February 15 to March 14 EA Sports NHL 25 WOC Battle Pass XP Modifier Tokens – Now to March 27 EA Sports NHL 25 3000 CHEL Coins – Now to March 27 Apex Legends Fast Money Weapon Charm – Now to March 3 Battlefield 2042 Fiend’s Maw – Now to February 25 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass PC members receive EA Play with their Game Pass subscription. Members can experience the world of EA with unlimited access to a collection of top titles, trials of select new games, in-game member rewards, 10% on EA digital purchases and more (conditions apply). Members can unlock the thrill of their next favorite game with up to 10-hour trials of EA’s latest titles such as EA Sports FC 25, EA Sports NHL 25, EA Sports College Football 25, F1 24 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, in addition to access to an unrivaled collection of EA’s best-loved series and top titles, including Madden NFL 25, Madden NFL 24, EA Sports FC 24, EA Sports WRC and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Visit the EA Play page for more details, and to stay up to date on the latest from EA Play, follow EA Play on, Instagram, or X. Please see EA.com/EA-Play/Terms for terms and conditions. Related Stories for “More Action Awaits with F1 24 & Madden NFL 25 on EA Play” Category: Games Cause Chaos in Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 6 Season 2: Lawless Category: Games Grab a Club: PGA Tour 2K25 Legend & Deluxe Editions Now Available for Xbox Series X|S Category: Next Week on Xbox Next Week on Xbox: New Games for February 24 to 28 The post More Action Awaits with F1 24 & Madden NFL 25 on EA Play appeared first on Xbox Wire.

The post How to Watch the ID@Xbox Showcase at IGN Fan Fest 2025 appeared first on Xbox Wire.

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The post Free Play Days – New World: Aeternum, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Category: Games February 20, 2025 Free Play Days – New World: Aeternum, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Kyle Ocean, Marketing Manager, Xbox Take gaming to another level this weekend with Free Play Days! New World: Aeternum, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 are available this weekend for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Standard and Core members to play from Thursday February 20 at 12:01am Pacific until Sunday, February 23 at 11:59pm Pacific. How To Start Playing Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Standard and Core membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and navigate down to the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Keep The Fun Going Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and achievements earned during the event! Please note that discounts, percentages, and title availability may vary by title and region. Free Play Days (Xbox Game Pass Membership Required) New World: Aeternum Standard Edition Amazon Games ☆☆☆☆☆ 738 ★★★★★ $59.99 Get it now New World: Aeternum Optimized for Xbox Series X|S Experience a thrilling action RPG set on the supernatural island of Aeternum in the twilight of the Age of Exploration. As a shipwrecked explorer who washes ashore on the mysterious island, forge your destiny on an adventure filled with danger and opportunity. ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4(Xbox One) BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment ☆☆☆☆☆ 255 ★★★★★ $39.99 $9.99 Get it now One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 All aboard, pirates! Battle your way through waves of enemies as your favorite One Piece characters in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. In search of treasure, relive some of the One Piece series’ most memorable moments that span all the way from the beginning. Experience the latest evolution of Pirate Warriors action and prepare for an even more thrilling gameplay on Xbox Series X|S, coming soon along with a new DLC! DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment ☆☆☆☆☆ 961 ★★★★★ $19.99 $9.99 Get it now Free Trial Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Optimized for Xbox Series X|S, Smart Delivery Go Super Saiyan this weekend with Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2! Immerse yourself in the largest and most detailed Dragon Ball world ever developed: train with all iconic characters such as Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan, Trunks, Cell, Frieza and more to create your perfect fighter and protect the history of the Dragon Ball universe. Join an online hub of up to 300 players from around the world to team up for hard raid missions or measure your strength! There’s never been a better time to jump into Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, now out for Xbox One, Series X|S, and on sale this weekend at up to 50% off. Don’t miss out on these exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Standard and Core members! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news. The post Free Play Days – New World: Aeternum, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Gaming news, reviews, previews, and coverage from around the world

The Little Ladies’ Day limited-time seasonal event returns to Final Fantasy XIV from March 3rd, 2025 through March 17th, 2025. Subtitled “”Heartfelt Memories, Sung unto the Sky”, a short scenario quest will be available in game with a variety of seasonal rewards. Limited time items from previous years’ iterations of the event can also be […]

The post Little Ladies’ Day seasonal event returns to Final Fantasy XIV on March 3, 2025 appeared first on Nova Crystallis.

Square Enix will be ending service for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition on iOS, after unfixable bugs prevent players from buying in-app purchases in both the free and paid versions. According to an official post, the company received reports that players could not access the content they purchased, which the company attributes to Apple’s […]

The post Square Enix ends service for iOS Crystal Chronicles Remastered due to unfixable bugs appeared first on Nova Crystallis.

In Final Fantasy XI‘s February 2025 update, available today, new Ambuscade objectives have been swapped in, Beseiged gets a level increase, and Limbus is suspended pending a rework of the content. Producer/director Yoji Fujito stated that the temporary shutdown of Limbus is due to a large amount of data that needs to bee divided up […]

The post Final Fantasy XI February 2025 update suspends Limbus, increases Besieged level appeared first on Nova Crystallis.

Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis has a new story update due out February 12, 2025 (6:00 PM Pacific) for iOS, Androud, and Steam. This update includes a new chapter for the Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII scenario. The free-to-play gacha-style RPG includes stores from throughout the FF VII universe, including new ones. This chapter follows […]

The post Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis next story update “The Truth Behind the Project” arrives February 12 appeared first on Nova Crystallis.

In the 85th Letter from the Producer Live broadcast conducted by the Final Fantasy XIV team, producer/director Naoki Yoshida and global community producer Toshio Murouchi shared a look at the next major patch “Seekers of Eternity” (referred to as Patch 7.2) and the content and features that will be added therein. Before kicking off the […]

The post Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter 85 Summary – Patch 7.2 Arrives Late March 2025 appeared first on Nova Crystallis.

A new update for Fantasian Neo Dimension is now available, and includes improvements to the camera and controls as well as new options for the difficulty settings. The single player RPG, developed by Mistwalker and published by Square Enix, released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series XS, and Steam late last year. […]

The post Fantasian Neo Dimension update tweaks camera controls and adds new difficulty options appeared first on Nova Crystallis.

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We're exactly a month from the March 21st release of Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, and what better way to build hype than with a closer look at the continent of Aladiss?

The post The regions of Atelier Yumia (and the monsters that haunt them) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

We’re exactly a month from the March 21st release of Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, and what better way to build hype than with a closer look at the continent of Aladiss? KOEI TECMO America and developer Gust have released the first details on the explorable regions of the game. Before we get to that, though, let’s enjoy the game’s opening movie. Watch it for the numerous pans up to sunny skies, and stick it with it for plenty of bonus and DLC reveals. Now, back to the matters at hand. In this latest entry in the long-running Atelier series, players follow alchemist Yumia Liessfeldt as she joins the Aladiss Research team in hope to unravel the mysteries behind a cataclysm that destroyed the once great continent of Aladiss. Yumia will make and join new friends as they travel across the three regions of the continent, uncovering the mysteries that lie hidden in its ruins. Yumia’s journey will begin in the Ligneus region, where the Research team established its first base, far from the Aladissian capital. Yumia will travel through the plains and forest that make up the landscape, and discover research facilities abandoned by the alchemists of the time. Among the points of interest in the region, players will visit the Arbor Botanical Garden and the 8th Laboratory, before continuing their journey. Players with a passion for fungi of all kinds will be delighted to explore the Sivash region, renowned for its mushroom-like flora, where Yumia will encounter the demihuman Welleks people. While exploring the region, the team will meet the Neru people, a tribe of monsters capable of human speech and easily recognisable by their slender silhouette and mushroom-like umbrellas. Before heading to the next region, players can pause to contemplate the Preces Cathedral, a place of worship at the centre of the Welleks settlement, or explore the impressive ruins of a school, known as Hermea Academy. The third region is the industrial Auruma region, filled with the ruins of a once thriving city. Among the ruins still standing, players will discover a tree-like metal structure, as well as its commercial district, featuring a station. Yumia will also visit the Mana Transposing Furnace, which was once the nerve centre for the study of mana for the whole of Aladiss. During their stay in the region, the team will encounter the Geni tribe, unique for possessing feathers and beaks like birds. A lot to see, a lot to do. And if you buy the game early enough, you’ll get a lot to download. Physical and digital editions purchased up to two weeks after release will receive the “Athlete of Memories” early purchase costume for Yumia, the “Floating Object of Memories” costume for Flammi, and the unique “Training Wrist Weight” equipment. Of course, an Atelier game wouldn’t be complete with a premium edition. Order that through the NIS America store and you’ll get the base game, Yumia’s precious stuffed animal, an artbook, a set of 6 decorative keychains, a CD with extra tracks, and an official short story and accompanying translation booklet. For more information on Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, visit atelier.games/yumia/us/. The post The regions of Atelier Yumia (and the monsters that haunt them) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

X-Out: Resurfaced is an extremely challenging, side-scrolling shoot 'em up from the Commodore 64 days, effectively polished for modern consoles. Will that polish help it appeal to modern arcade action fans? Let's dive in to find out.

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I’ve recently learned the X in X-Out: Resurfaced is pronounced “cross.” Consider that as you read this review. Also be sure to consider this is an X-tremely (pronounced “x”) challenging, side-scrolling shoot ’em up from the Commodore 64 days, effectively polished for modern consoles. The thematic difference between X-Out and competing retro shmups is this one takes place underwater. You’re not flying a space ship, but piloting a submarine through oceanic caverns and civilizations full of myriad enemies seeking to curb your progression. The aquatic setting doesn’t alter gameplay much, but it allows for some nice backgrounds and level-design choices. It helps X-Out distinguish itself from similar games. Actually, it distinguishes itself even before you start exploring the depths. After a somewhat bizarre introduction, you’re given a budget to build your submarine. Originally, you had to build your own from scratch. Now, you’re also given three pre-built options. You can go for the more well-equipped (and, therefore, more powerful) sub, but that will leave you less money for customizations as you progress…and there are many customizations available The top-of-the-line model isn’t always best for the task, but I found it safer to start there, get my butt handed to me, then start over (there are no continues) with a sub accessorized to compensate for my shortcomings. I never found the need to build my own sub from scratch; I’ll leave that to the engineers. This is a good system that rewards experimentation, and it helps the player deal with the frustration that stems from games of this difficulty. When I see phrases such as “highly challenging” in press releases and eShop writeups, I assume that’s shorthand for “unfair.” But X-Out is not. The game expects you to learn and optimize. And considering the multiple options for doing so, it’s a fun process. Having trouble with a particular enemy at ground level? Buy a new weapon, place it on the bottom of your sub, and get him next time. And it’s great that one of those options for doing better includes the ability to play in single-system co-op. Whether alone or with a partner, gameplay can be tricky at first because you’re not given many instructions. I suggest checking the controller mapping before you start, as you’ll obviously want to know how to fire your special attacks or turn on auto-fire. Beyond that, though, you’re simply piloting your sub through narrow corridors, trying to take out the enemies firing at you from numerous positions. It’s a lot to take in visually—especially when contact with oceanic obstructions can one-hit kill. But that’s part and parcel for shoot ’em ups. The “resurfaced” graphics do a lot to help clean up the process. Backgrounds are now more easily distinguished from enemies and enemy fire, for example (although I occasionally ran into a wall or structure I didn’t even see coming). If you try to focus on just one threat, you’re likely not going to make it very far. The enemy designs are pretty cool, too—an odd blending of sea life with robotic technology that creates an overall creepiness. Want an octopus with rocket launchers? It’s in there. The boss designs are especially cool, although they’re difficult to appreciate while rage quitting. With no continues, it’s back to the very start when one of these behemoths take you out. You can use your earned money on an extra sub, though…and cheats are available if things get too tough. The music is worth a nod, too. It’s the typical high-adrenaline techno stuff you expect in a game like this, but it’s been remastered by the original composer, Chris Hülsbeck. Prefer the originals? No problem. You can listen to the soundtrack in three different modes. Chiptune audio just nails that nostalgic feeling, doesn’t it? The enhancements don’t stop with graphics, audio, and UI improvements. There’s a mirror mode that allows you to play the game in reverse. I considered this pointless until trying it and realizing how foreign it feels to have the action move from right to left. Why that made the game even tougher, I can’t say. I guess my brain has just been trained that left to right is the natural progression of life. This is the long way of saying that X-Out: Resurfaced does more than enough to make it an enticing option for shoot ’em up fans or those just looking for an action-filled arcade experience. You’ll need to be dedicated (or willing to rely on cheats) to play it to the end, but the game will work hard to keep you entertained all the way through. The post Review: X-Out: Resurfaced (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

Big Helmet Heroes is a 3D beat-’em-up where you (and a friend) play as one of many knights trying to save the princess! Playing it was a blast in both single-player and co-op, so let’s talk about it.

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Big Helmet Heroes is a 3D beat-’em-up where you (and a friend) play as one of many knights trying to save the princess! This game was obviously inspired by Castle Crashers, developed by The Behemoth. Playing Big Helmet Heroes was a blast in both single-player and co-op, so let’s talk about it. Starting the game, you get to choose between three difficulties: Easy, Medium, and Hard. Once you’ve selected that, you’ll get thrown right into the game. You start out with one character: Sheperd (or, if you’re starting with two players, you’ll also have Thunder). The first level is a tutorial level, showing you every last bit of what you can do. I don’t think there’s a better way to start a game like this, and it leaves you with all the materials to improve. Moving to the characters, there are 28 characters in total, split into four different combat types: Warrior, Brute, Rouge, and Monk. The Warrior uses a sword and shield, the Brute uses a two-handed heavy weapon, the Rouge uses two daggers, and the Monk uses a staff. Each of the four combatants has different playing styles to learn and different heavy attacks and dashes, making each unique. Every character has their own special ability, too, which aligns with their name. These abilities range from just OK to absolutely amazing. While I think all of them cool and unique, some heroes are just flat-out better than others solely because of their special abilities. I don’t consider this a problem, but I do think it removes some of the joy of getting new characters that look cool when you realize they’re just flat-out worse than who you were using before. The gameplay is simple, but fun. In each level, you’ll run around defeating enemies, using anything you can find to help. Theres a plethora of fun and interesting weapons you can pick up throughout each level that can be a huge help in each run, wether it be a crossbow, a pair of plungers, or even a broom! Throughout the level, there will be mini games to play, bosses to fight, waves to defend, secrets to discover, and characters to unlock. Every level is different, and though some are a lot more difficult than others, it still makes for a great experience. The only real problem I’ve had is that some unlockable characters are a little too well hidden, to the point where I’ve spent hours looking for a single character and still not found it. The combat in Big Helmet Heroes is moderately challenging but easy to learn. The enemies get harder with each area, but it’s not exponentially more difficult. There’s a wide diversity of enemies and minibosses, each representing the areas that they’re in. From goblins to cardboard pirates to mummies, every area feels unique and different from the last. The game looks amazing. From the 3D combat characters to their 2D player card when selecting them in the menu to the wonderful level design with all kinds of secrets hidden throughout, Big Helmet Heroes is just, simply put, astounding. The animations are very crisp. The only bad thing is that a lot of enemies and items clip through walls. Sometimes, it’s not very noticeable. Other times, it’s extremely clear that it’s happening. The audio and music are pretty good, as well. There are a lot of sound effects in this game, most of which work extremely well and sound great. A couple, however, do get repetitive. The music is kind of in the same boat; it lines up with each area and what’s going on around you, but it stays the same throughout the entire level (excluding some small segments and boss fights). It sounds good, but it just gets repetitive after a bit of playing. Big Helmet Heroes was a blast to play through, and though it has its small bugs and issues, I still think it’s a wonderful game. From the character and level design to the music and gameplay, it’s extremely fun, and it’s even better with a friend. The post Review: Big Helmet Heroes (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had a big year in 2024. They featured in two brand-new games and a new animated show. Not content to rest on their shells, the

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The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had a big year in 2024. They featured in two brand-new games and a new animated show. Not content to rest on their shells, the heroes are back in action with the first DLC for the roguelike title: Splintered Fate. Let’s check out Casey Jones and the Junkyard Jam. Splintered Fate is the first roguelike outing for the turtles. Your goal is to work your way through randomized rooms of enemies and boss fights on your way to face Shredder and rescue Master Splinter. Each room provides a neat reward as you power up in true roguelike style. You can play as any one of the four heroes, each wielding a unique combination of moves to help you on your run. The first thing this DLC pack does is add a new playable character to the mix. Welcome, Casey Jones! This tough guy has been part of the turtles lore since almost the beginning. He first appeared in the original comic series way back in 1985. He was also a main character in the 1990 TMNT movie and has continued to feature alongside the crew ever since. Although he is unlockable in the terrific TMNT outing, Shredder’s Revenge, this Splintered Fate DLC marks one of the few games in which Casey is playable. Casey is a long-time friend to the teenage heroes. He’s renowned for being a sports enthusiast, preferring to rely on weapons like hockey sticks over swords. Casey makes a welcome addition to Splintered Fate, bringing a powerful ally to the fore. He brings his own special moves along with new artefacts and tools. These are a welcome addition to the game, giving players more pathways to master. One of the elements I love most about Splintered Fate is the narrative. Between rooms, the characters interact via audio and on-screen banter, and Casey is now part of that journey. It’s seamless, too, allowing players who were previously working their way through the game to continue where they left off. Simply jump straight back in and begin a new run. The Casey Jones DLC brings with it a completely fresh chapter. It’s not immediately obvious where to find it, but here’s how it works. You begin your run in the sewers as usual. Completing that chapter continues you on to the docks—again, as before. When you defeat the boss of this chapter (Karai), you’re presented with a branching pathway for chapter three. You can now choose to take to the streets, as per the original game, or deviate through the new junkyard area. The junkyard provides a completely fresh set of rooms to explore. It also features new enemies, including a group of mutants known as the Punk Frogs. This gang has been known to align with the turtles, but not in this adventure. They’re unhappy about their lair being used as a shortcut to Shredder. There’s plenty of fun banter along the way, including poor Casey Jones’ car being used as scrap metal. It’s an entertaining and fresh way to breathe life into this title. Overall, Casey Jones and the Junkyard Jam breathes new life into Splintered Fate. The new content—along with a new character, story, and voice acting—adds a lot to the game. It’s still tough as nails, but Casey Jones is a welcome addition to the turtles’ first roguelike outing. The post Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate – Casey Jones and the Junkyard Jam DLC appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

This week on the Pure Nintendo Podcast, we continue our countdown to the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. It’s now 7 weeks until all is revealed with Nintendo’s next console, and

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This week on the Pure Nintendo Podcast, we continue our countdown to the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. It’s now 7 weeks until all is revealed with Nintendo’s next console, and this week we delve into potential prices. Last week, we discussed the mouse-like JoyCons and how they might work – and with which games. This week is all about the money. There were some apparent leaks last week to give us a tease, but are they true? What do we think? And what would Wario think? The alst question aligns with the release of Warioland 4, the latest entry to join the Nintendo Switch Online collection. Jemma talks about the game and the series. Spoiler alert: it’s bonkers. We also chat about the altest Warriors outing, which was seemingly shadow-dropped last week. Warriors:Abyss presents the typical onslaught of enemies although the continual hordes and slightly different view seem to align more with the likes of Vampire Survivors. Fantasy Life i is back in the news, too, with a confirmed release date and new trailer. We dissect the trailer, detailing what we know about the game so far. We’re looking forward to seeing this one finally release in May. We’re also playing the likes of Luck be a Landlord, X-Out: Resurfaced, and Saviors of Sapphire Wings. Let us know which games you’re playing this week! We’re also excited about bringing you fresh new content each week, so tune in every Monday for the latest dose of all things Nintendo. Until next time, game on everyone! Support the show! We’d love your support! Please support the Pure Nintendo Podcast by leaving us a review on Spotify or liking this episode on YouTube, it means a lot to us. And be sure to tune in each and every Monday for more Nintendo-related goodness. It’s all happening on the Pure Nintendo Podcast! You can find our podcast on: Spotify Apple Amazon Or view the entire collection! You can also subscribe to our bi-monthly magazine over at patreon.com/PureNintendo and follow us on Bluesky. We’d love your support! The post How much would Wario pay for Switch 2? Pure Nintendo Podcast E99 appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

Our game today is called Dreamless, and it's a quaint, little entry in the horror genre. I progressed through the game not with a sense of engagement, but with the vain hope it would get better. It didn't.

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“To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the rub. For in that sleep of death what dreams may come?” Not bad, eh? I didn’t know I had in me. (OK, so I have it in my volume of Shakespeare’s works on the bookshelf; but it is the best thing about this whole article.) Our game today is called Dreamless, and it’s a quaint, little entry in the horror genre. Let’s take a look. The visuals (always important in horror games), are mostly OK. The graphics are high resolution and well rendered. The use of realistic lighting and a digital camera “night vision” (or low light imaging setting) give the player some flexibility while walking around in the dark. The elements you encounter are, for a horror genre game, rather limited and tame. Even the jump scare elements are a bit predictable, scarce, and not very scary. Audio is likewise mostly OK. The sound effects are well placed and are of good quality. Some of the sounds are a bit repetitive, but not obnoxiously so. There is very little in the way of dialogue, so most of what you hear is the sound of the wind in the trees, creaking floorboards, and some moderately eerie background music. “So far, the review is a bit lackluster, David. What else can you tell us about this game?” Well, I’m glad you asked, because I’d like to address how well the game functions. For the most part, it works fine. You can walk around, pick up some things, and press a button to read text in a clear format. Moving around is smooth and doesn’t have the exaggerated sway of some of the older first person POV games. Unfortunately, there were a couple things which were less than pleasant. I looked at some footage online to confirm a suspicion; it seems there should be an inventory of items you are carrying, but I was not able to access this feature on my Switch. There were also some points where your character clips objects. It wasn’t frequent, and the incursions were not significant, but it causes the game to feel a bit off. Now, for the last part—does it play well? There are some elements which are well constructed. Unfortunately, they have not been assembled into a pleasing whole. What we have is a horror genre game which doesn’t really instill much suspense, and even less horror. The dialogue is modestly creative, the story is not well fleshed out, and for a game supposedly set in the US, the delivery of the dialogue comes with a rather pronounced Russian accent. Dreamless has an intro scene and two major levels. There are only a couple of easy puzzles to solve and a lot of walking around looking for things. The objectives are very specific, so you will be walking around the same set of rooms several times before you collect all of the objectives for the level. After a while, it gets a bit tedious. I progressed through Dreamless not with a sense of engagement, but with the vain hope it would get better. As much as I don’t want to have to say it, one of the more apt descriptors I can give this game is the dreaded B word: boring. Sorry about that, but I can’t really recommend this one. The post Review: Dreamless (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

What’s happening on the Nintendo Switch eShop? This week’s highlights include a second Tomb Raider collection as well as Afterlove EP. Sounds like just the thing for Valentine’s Day.

Last

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What’s happening on the Nintendo Switch eShop? This week’s highlights include a second Tomb Raider collection as well as Afterlove EP. Sounds like just the thing for Valentine’s Day. Last year saw the release of Tomb Raider I-III Remastered on the Nintendo Switch. Now that we’ve had time to enjoy that collection, it’s surely time for some more of Lara Croft’s adventures. Tomb Raider IV-VI remastered presents the next three games in the long-running series. Fun fact, February 14 is Lara Croft’s birthday. What better way to celebrate than with some tomb raiding with Lara? We can’t think of any. Meanwhile, Afterlove EP combines a visual novel with rhythm and adventure elements in a new outing from the creator of Coffee Talk. This interesting combo provides the unique challenge of creating an EP of music, set among striking visuals and unique audio, and coupled with multiple endings. It sounds like an interesting take on the genre that could be worth checking out. There’s also new music on the Nintendo Music app, as well as an update to the Switch Online collection in the form of Wario Land 4. In other words, there’s a lot happening! We’ll be sure to chat through some of these on our next episode of the Pure Nintendo Podcast, so stay tuned. There’s also a long list of new titles to contemplate, so let’s get to it. Check out the latest eShop games below. Let us know what you’re playing this weekend! Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch: Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered – Play this remastered collection of classic Tomb Raider games featuring Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider: Chronicles and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. Travel the globe, uncover the secrets of Lara Croft’s past and shed light on the mystery of her disappearance. Experience each game with the original polygonal models or swap to the remastered graphics at any time. Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is available on Lara Croft’s birthday, tomorrow, Feb. 14. Pre-order is available now on Nintendo eShop! Afterlove EP – From the creative director of What Comes After and Coffee Talk comes a stirring narrative about love, loss and lyricism. Set in Jakarta, Indonesia, the game follows the young musician Rama, who struggles to compose music after his girlfriend Cinta passes away. A mix of visual novel, rhythm game and narrative adventure elements, Afterlove EP challenges you to complete an EP of music to fulfill a promise made to Cinta. There are multiple endings based on the choices you make, an original soundtrack from Indonesian band L’alphalpha and striking art direction from Soyatu. Start anew in Afterlove EP, launching on the Nintendo Switch system tomorrow, Feb. 14. Pre-order is available now on Nintendo eShop. Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Switch Online Wario Land 4 – Loot-hungry Wario has discovered his biggest score yet: a fabulous golden pyramid filled with riches! Trouble is, its denizens don’t want to give up the treasure easily, but that hasn’t stopped Wario before! While our greedy hero is no longer invincible as in his previous platform adventures, he can undergo amazing transformations that aid him in his quest — like becoming Vampire Bat Wario, Bouncy Wario and even Zombie Wario! Wario Land 4 will be available for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members on Feb. 14. Digital Spotlight One Team, One Dream – Teamwork makes the dream work, so why not check out some games featuring dynamic duos this Valentine’s Day! Unleash the power of Mario and Luigi’s brotherly bond to overcome adversity, thwart foes and restore the fractured world of Concordia in the Mario & Luigi: Brothership game. After hanging out with the Mario Bros., step into the spotlight in the Princess Peach: Showtime! game, where Princess Peach and Stella — Sparkle Theater’s guardian — must reclaim the stage from Grape and the Sour Bunch using an array of showstopping transformations and abilities. Afterward, traverse fantastical landscapes with Noah and Mio, who must shelve their mutual distrust and work together to learn the truths of their world in the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 game. No matter the type of bond, you can experience these powerful partnerships exclusively on Nintendo Switch! Demos Donkey Kong Country Returns HD – Do you hear that rumble in the jungle? Join Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong as they stomp, blast and roll across Donkey Kong Island on a mission to recover their precious banana hoard from the nefarious Tiki Tak Tribe! Venture through 80 levels across nine worlds, uncovering secrets and unlocking extras along the way. Play solo or grab a friend and work together in two-player local co-op to blast past obstacles and find those bananas! A free demo of the Donkey Kong Country Returns HD game is available now on Nintendo eShop. Nintendo Music A Soundtrack that Shines – Set off on an audio adventure through the soaring soundtrack of the Golden Sun game, available now on Nintendo Music, the smart-device app for Nintendo soundtracks**. Relive moments from the classic Game Boy Advance RPG, including thrilling battle themes, the atmospheric Dungeon Theme and the music that plays when encountering the heroes’ sworn enemies. Nintendo Music is exclusively for Nintendo Switch Online members. For more info, visit: https://www.nintendo.com/us/switch/online/nintendo-switch-online/nintendo-music/. Legendary Leitmotifs – A new playlist enters the fray! “The Final Battles” playlist features iconic final boss tracks from Nintendo game series such as Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Splatoon and more. If you haven’t reached the end of your adventure yet, don’t worry! You can enable the Spoiler Prevention feature for games you want to hide track info about, so you can experience the music firsthand during those fated final encounters in-game. Activities Tetris® 99 45th MAXIMUS CUP – Swing into action and stack your way to victory with DK and Diddy Kong when Donkey Kong Country Returns HD barrel-blasts onto Tetris® 99 for its 45th MAXIMUS CUP event! Nintendo Switch Online members playing the Tetris 99 online* mode during the event period can collect 100 event points to unlock a new theme featuring art, music and Tetrimino designs inspired by Donkey Kong Country Returns HD. The Tetris 99 45th MAXIMUS CUP event will run from Feb. 13 at 11 p.m. PT to Feb. 17 at 10:59 p.m. PT. Nintendo eShop sales Check out the full list of deals available this week at https://www.nintendo.com/store/sales-and-deals. Also new this week Amber Isle Arcade Archives MARCHEN MAZE Bioweaver Bright Escape Bumblebee – Search for Happiness Call of Sentinels – Available Feb. 15 Chibi Ninja Shino-kun Treasure of Demon Tower – Available Feb. 14 Crosswords: World Tour Dead Dragons Discolored 2 DOOM Anthology Echoes of the Plum Grove EGGCONSOLE ARCTIC PC-8801mkIISR Exodus Girlfriend from Hell – Available Feb. 14 Godzilla Voxel Wars – Available Feb. 19 Guns of Fury House Mansion Flipper – Available Feb. 14 Leafy Season – Available Feb. 15 Learn & Play Collection – Available Feb. 18 Make it! Donut Matchmaker Agency METAL SUITS: Counter-attack Pixel Game Maker Series LUNLUN SUPER HERO BABIES PLUS NEWGAMES Puzzle & Summoner Recall: Empty Wishes Robot Boxing: Real Fighting Steel Battle Shieldwall Slasher: Origins Snezhinka Sokocrab Stunt Flyer – Available Feb. 14 The Beastmaster Princess – Available Feb. 14 THE EXIT: LIMINAL ANOMALY HORROR The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II – Available Feb. 14 Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip Truck Mechanic Sim 2025 – Available Feb. 14 Vertical Blast Vol. 1 Witch of the Meta Loop The post Tomb Raider IV-VI collection joins this week’s eShop roundup appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

Is ROBOBEAT the first rhythm-based first-person shooter available for the Nintendo Switch? It's certainly the first one I've played, and that maybe explains my confusion. The game's certainly unique, but is it necessary? Let's figure that out.

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Is ROBOBEAT the first rhythm-based first-person shooter available for the Nintendo Switch? It’s certainly the first one I’ve played, and that maybe explains my confusion. The game’s certainly unique, but is it necessary? Let’s figure that out. At its heart, ROBOBEAT plays like your typical first-person shooter. It doesn’t, however, come with your typical story. You’re a bounty hunter named Ace, and you’re chasing down a robot named Frazzer. This robot is a bit of a showman, it seems, and he’s created this maze of rave warehouses filled with enemies trying to end your pursuit. You’ll need to master numerous moves and utilize varied weapons in order to make it through, and you’ll need to look good doing it. The game’s flow is pretty simple. You choose a cassette to pop into your Walkman, determining the music to which you’ll be fighting. You pick up your choice of weapons, determining how you’ll be eliminating the enemies. You’ll get one for each hand, and mixing them up is pretty entertaining. I couldn’t begin to count the number of first-person shooters I’ve played in my lifetime, but I can say with certainty that this is the first time I’ve been armed with a pistol in one hand and a ping pong paddle in the other. ROBOBEAT starts with some quick (and occasionally cryptic) training instructions, then it’s straight into combat. When you enter a battle area, numerous enemies spawn with intent to kill. You’ll need to keep moving, dodging their attacks while aiming your own. And you can’t just hit them; you want to hit them to the beat of the music. Perfectly timed shots do more damage, while off-beat attacks can be useless. Putting all of this together really does feel like you’re learning a dance, so your initial runs are bound to be terribly clumsy. The gameplay is not a lot of fun at first. Thankfully, the rogue-like flow is enticing. ROBOBEAT pushes you into combat and through the maze with an upbeat attitude that can become infectious. You push as far as you can until you die, unlocking new areas and acquiring new cassettes and weapons along the way. Then, you start another run. Picking your next path is done on the fly, so there’s little to fiddle with between and during runs. Enter a room, clear it out, choose your path, move ahead, acquire upgrades, defeat the boss. Credit the developers for wanting to keep you on the dance floor. I’m not a dancer, however, and my reasons for that carry over to this game. First, if I’m going to be blasting enemies to a selection of songs, I’d like for the songs to be catchier. The included music is focused entirely on the beat. That makes sense, considering the focus of the gameplay, but it also means they’re all fairly generic whomp-whomp-whomp tunes that I’m used to hearing only as cars with neon underbody lights pull up next to me at a stoplight. The music has the right energy for the moment, but no memorability, and it becomes overbearing after a while. Second, the controls are surprisingly clunky for a game that requires such precision. In order to fire on the beat, I found I had to fire ahead of the beat in order to keep up. I can’t imagine that was the fault of my Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. (I’d love to try this game with the precision of the Wii Remote.) Finally, the setting is decidedly drab. I earlier compared the battle arenas to rave warehouses, but they’re more like rave warehouses the next morning after the police cleared everyone out. All of the color comes from the enemies. That’s helpful, I suppose, and the simple graphics help performance, but the game’s action really could use a better venue. How much you get out of ROBOBEAT, then, will be determined solely by how you feel about eliminating enemies in rhythm. And once that clicks, yeah, it can be thrilling. The multiple moves you can execute (and be rewarded for) make it just as fun to avoid enemies as it is to eliminate them. It takes quite a while to get there, however, the ultimate reward for which is to just look sharp. Is that enough? For some, I’d imagine. But I’m old, and I prefer for my first-person shooters (and music) to have a little more substance. The post Review: ROBOBEAT (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

Whether you’re a fan of retro or modern games, the Nintendo Music app is here to deliver tunes across all genres. This week’s update adds the classic RPG styings of

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Whether you’re a fan of retro or modern games, the Nintendo Music app is here to deliver tunes across all genres. This week’s update adds the classic RPG styings of Golden Sun to the mix. Golden Age hit the Gameboy Advance in 2001. Though it was developed by Camelot Software Planning, it was published by Nintendo, explaining its presence on Nitnendo’s own audio-streaming app. The Golden Sun soundtrack features 54 tracks and runs for almost two hours (1 hour and 56 minutes, to be precise). From the main theme through to the ending – and even the optimistically titled “To Be Continued” – it’s all here in its retro-meets-cinematic glory. If you’re ready to give it a listen, you can head straight to the Golden Sun playlist here. Check out the full track listing further below. If you missed last week’s soundtrack, be sure to give Super Mario World a listen, too. The selection of soundtracks, though initially limited, is steadily growing, and we’re happy to see a constant stream of new releases every week. We’ll be sure to discuss this latest soundtrack to join Nintendo Music on our next episode of the Pure Nintendo Podcast, so stay tuned. Have you been using the new Nintendo Music app? What do you think? We’d love to know your favorite soundtrack so far! Don’t forget, you’ll need a Nintendo Switch Online account in order to take advantage of Nintendo’s free music app. Here’s every song included in this latest Nintendo Music app update: Main Theme (Title) Setting Off Dungeon Theme Chance Meeting with Sworn Enemies Defeated… The Passage of Time Village Theme Sol Sanctum Elemental Stars Mount Aleph Erupts A Long Journey Battle Victory! Wind Adepts A New Ally Cave Theme Palace Theme An Unsettling Feeling Forest Theme Sinking into Sorrow Battling a Powerful Foe Level Up! Remote Village Mercury Lighthouse Sworn Enemies Stand in Your Way Town Theme Recovering after Combat Poison Cured Exorcised Curse Lifted Overnight at the Inn Temple Theme Desert Theme Port-Town Theme Set Sail on the Karagol Sea Tolbi Try Your Luck! Lucky! Very Lucky! Super Lucky! Labyrinth Theme The Sleeping Treasure of Altmiller Cave Babi’s Theme Colosseum Colosseum Finals Trial Road Test Your Skills Babi Lighthouse Venus Lighthouse Battle with Saturos & Menardi Battle with the Fusion Dragon Felix’s Resolve The Broken Seal (Ending) To Be Continued… The post The sun rises on new RPG tunes for Nintendo Music appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

This week on the Pure Nintendo Podcast, Kirk and Jemma continue counting down to the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. This week’s conversation is all about JoyCons.

Last week, we

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This week on the Pure Nintendo Podcast, Kirk and Jemma continue counting down to the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. This week’s conversation is all about JoyCons. Last week, we talked about potential hosts for the upcoming Direct presentation, set for April 2. This week we take a look at the latest JoyCon news, including a recently discovered patent that seems to confirm their use as a mouse. How will this work? Will we see peripherals as add-in bonuses? We cover it all. In this week’s news, we discuss Nintendo’s latest financial report, which seems to indicate strong software sales. And the Switch has now sold over 150 million units, which is no mean feat. Plus we look at the latest soundtrack to join Nintendo Music with the lovely Super Mario World. We also discuss the latest games we’re playing. Jemma has been tinkering with the sci-fi shooter Macross -Shooting Insight- and gives her thoughts on this latest outing. She’s also excited to play as Casey Jones in the roguelite TMNT outing, Splintered Fate, which has just released DLC containing the sports-obsessed action hero. Is it worth your time? Meanwhile, Kirk is playing the latest in the long-running Legend of Heroes series with Trails Through Daybreak II along with the retro-inspired Freddy Farmer. We’re also excited about bringing you fresh new content each week, so tune in every Monday for the latest dose of all things Nintendo. Until next time, game on everyone! Support the show! We’d love your support! Please support the Pure Nintendo Podcast by leaving us a review on Spotify or liking this episode on YouTube, it means a lot to us. And be sure to tune in each and every Monday for more Nintendo-related goodness. It’s all happening on the Pure Nintendo Podcast! You can find our podcast on: Spotify Apple Amazon Or view the entire collection! You can also subscribe to our bi-monthly magazine over at patreon.com/PureNintendo and follow us on Bluesky. We’d love your support! The post How will Switch 2 JoyCons be used as a mouse? Pure Nintendo Podcast E98 appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

All Steam news, all the time!

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Added missing files for Taunt: The Travel Agent Added No Hat styles for the Cozy Cover-Up Added VScript support for HIDEHUD_MATCH_STATUS flag to hide the Match Status panel Added a borderless window option to video settings Added bicubic lightmaps (from Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update) Added radial fog (from Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Update) Added support for Steam Networking Made the default server name for listen servers include the player's name Made the game launch in native resolution by default instead of 640x480 Client-side prediction fixes (these fix 'jank'/rollback in certain situations) Fixed a prediction bug where if the player was moved on the client, their input-based movement for that tick was not taken into account in non-player actions Improved prediction for walking on props and other entities Made certain client-side entities only trigger local prediction errors e.g. If the viewmodel experiences a prediction error, the player will not experience a prediction error Fixed prediction of viewmodel sway Fixed a prediction error regarding weapon idle animations Fixed certain breakable props not gibbing correctly Fixed an issue where certain variables like position would not be updated correctly to match the server in certain situations Fixed the player's base velocity (eg. conveyors, moving items etc.) getting subtly out of sync from client/server Fixed players being able to spam duel cancellation messages for a duel that doesn't exist Fixed not being able to join community servers via Steam invites or game info Fixed lighting position discrepancies for cosmetic items, weapons, and viewmodels (community fix from ficool2) Fixed Equipped label overlapping attribute icons in the loadout menu (community fix from Lindon) Fixed an issue with props and team colors when taunting with Australium weapons Fixed the Voices from Below effect not working when taunting with the Highland Hound set equipped Fixed player voice commands being abruptly ended when the player enters shallow water Fixed incorrect number on the Geneva Contravention achievement icon Fixed the Military Style for The Surgeon General to stay properly semi-visible at all angles Fixed some classes missing the BLU team material for That '70s Chapeau Fixed the Spanish-Latin America option being displayed as English in the Settings menu Fixed the MOTD dialog not working for Spanish-Latin America Updated attribute descriptions for The Scottish Resistance and the Stickybomb Jumper to use 'stickybomb' instead of 'pipebomb' Updated equip_region settings for The Little Bear, The Heavy-Weight Champ, The Grand Duchess Tutu, and the Combat Slacks to fix unnecessary conflicts Updated the Spooky Night and Ominous Night Unusual taunt effects to fix a visual bug (Thanks Kiffy!) Updated koth_overcast_final to improve optimization Updated ctf_applejack Added block bullets to some stores Unblocked a window at mid, allowing Snipers to shot across the middle hut Removed the missing texture in BLU spawn Gave a chicken a friend, because friendship is magic Updated cp_fortezza New radio model for spawn rooms Changed sentry shack ammo pack on last to a medium Adjusted health pickups throughout the map Changed kill volume on cap A double doors to be more consistent with visuals Improved bot support (Thanks Star Bright) Detail pass Updated pl_patagonia [Stage 1] Fixed some RED bots stuck forever trying to make an impossible jump on the stairs outside spawn Fixed the cart not capping the first point on extremely rare occasions [Stage 2] Improved optimization Fixed a nodraw floor near the first BLU spawn train bridge waterfall Fixed 3D skybox looking pitch black for players using mat_hdr_level 2 [Stage 3] Improved optimization Fixed wrap assassin baubles colliding with a solid func_brush bounding box outside BLU spawn Removed the platform above the open choke of the last point Added an additional path to the window overlooking the open choke of the last point Fixed RED bots getting stuck on a solid fence outside the RED spawn Fixed 3D skybox looking pitch black for players using mat_hdr_level 2

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An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Fixed the Battle Balaclava's "No Gloves" style hiding the Heavy's hands Fixed broken materials for The Westcoat's "Ugly" style Added smoke effect to The Checkered Past Update the Buck's Brim's "Bad" style Fixed broken materials Added smoke effect Updated cp_fortezza Detail improvements Improved clipping Updated koth_cachoeira Fixed players being able to get stuck in certain displacements Various clipping improvements throughout the map Various miscellaneous fixes (Thanks Midnite!) Improved bot navigation (Thanks Katsu!)

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Updated the Brain Cane to fix problems with the texture and phong value Updated The Battle Music Added missing Hat style Fixed the models due to clipping on Heavy's ears and misalignment on Engineer Improved and strengthen the Noise Cancellation Updated the materials to fix it not being shiny Updated the backpack icon to reflect the materials change Updated cp_gravelpit_snowy Fixed potential incompatibility with external VScript files (thanks Le Codex!) Re-implemented cubemap reflections in ice cave Fixed perch spots Updated vsh_distillery, vsh_maul, vsh_nucleus, vsh_outburst, vsh_skirmish, and vsh_tinyrock Restored Hale's resistance to knockback back to 75% Reduced bonus flame damage against Hale from 50% to 25% Hale can now do 1 extra Brave Jump before the Jump Fatigue kicks in (thanks Wendy) Weighdown is no longer blocked by the Jump Fatigue (thanks Wendy) Removed area-of-effect of Hale's normal punches (thanks Wendy) Demoman shields now absorb 70% of Saxton Punch! damage (compared to normal 50%) to make the following launch into the stratosphere survivable Fixed Hale taking mini-crits from Direct Hit and Reserve Shooter while underwater (thanks Bradasparky) Fixed airborne mini-crits of Direct Hit and Reserve Shooter applying against the wielder (thanks Bradasparky) Fixed Hale being able to stomp while underwater (thanks Bradasparky) Fixed Sweeping Charge not working against underwater opponents Fixed the bug that prevented Quick-Fix from mirroring a patient's wall climbing (thanks Bradasparky) Fixed Hale's faulty ground detection (thanks Bradasparky) Fixed Baby Face's Blaster's loss of boost not applying correctly (thanks Whurr and MilkMaster72) Fixed the voice lines refusing to play sometimes Updated pl_patagonia Stage 1 Fixed the cart going under the elevator in extremely rare occasions (Thanks Shocked) Fixed sometimes hearing outside soundscapes inside blue spawn Fixed being able to build in a very high rooftop after point A Fixed being able to build in blue spawn Cart elevator is no longer the glitchiest thing in the universe Fixed cart not rolling back after completing the elevator descent sequence Now, if the cart is rolling into the elevator in overtime, the round timer will be set to 5 seconds left, to avoid unfair loses for blue. Timer will resume once the cart reaches the bottom (Thanks I. C. Wiener). Stage 2 Removed rollback from the train container ramp in last point (Thanks b4nny) Gave blue more high ground for last point Added an additional dropdown for blue for last point Fixed being able to be teleported into red spawn as blue after capping point A Removed long hill rollback before point C Fixed bots getting stuck on the closed train doors after cap B Fixed being able to leave stickies inside blue last spawn Fixed being able to get stuck in the point C shortcut door for red. If you get trapped, it will kill you. Fixed a pop-in issue relating to areaportals below point B Fixed being able to enter the last blue spawn as red Birdie (Thanks Explocivo808) Stage 3 Added a fenced section for the long wood cover wall in last point (Thanks b4nny) Mirrored the window sniper spot in last point choke Fixed being able to build behind a displacement rock wall in last point Removed troll teleport spot in last point ending ramp All Stages Slightly lowered sun brightness and slightly raised skylight brightness Improved skybox transitions The cart no longer tries to defy the law of physics Ninjaneers have more freedom to be ninjas The bots have learned how to play the map Gave the cart another coronación de gloria

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Updated the Dapper Noel to fix an issue with the mesh Updated vsh_maul Fixed broken areaportals Changed some props in the upper area that could be mistaken for a large ammo pack

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Added missing No Gloves style for the Consigliere's Coverup Added missing Versus Saxton Hale kill icons Added some tournament medals Fixed Taunt: Curtain Call voice lines overlapping with other Spy voice lines Fixed the Playful Aurora and Frisky Morning Unusual effects not moving correctly Updated Aurora Skies Unusual effect to fix a timing issue Updated the Necroprancer to fix an issue with the materials Updated the Dusk Duster to fix an issue with the materials Updated the Dapper Noel Remade normal map to be compatible with OpenGL Re-baked Diffuse & updated backpack icon to reflect above changes Removed misplaced ambient occlusion Fixed problematic face flexes Fixed an issue where Engineer's beard was protruding from his goggles Fixed an issue with the jigglebones being disabled Rigged Sniper's hat to be compatible with his melee taunt Updated Scrooge McDoc Transparent lenses are rigged to the correct bone (prp_glasses instead of bip_head) so it should now work correctly with taunts that move the glasses Improved scarf rigging and positioning to allow for better compatibility with shirt cosmetics Updated the backpack icon Updated koth_overcast_final Fixed an issue with the models/materials Added back snow coverings (now using displacements) to some props that were missing them Fixed misaligned textures in various places Fixed weird lighting bug on a wall in blue spawn Fixed 'Hotel' sign not displaying properly Added back indicators under some health and ammo kits that were missing them Updated cp_fortezza Removed sniper window leading into last Fixed Engineer being able to build in some doors Fixed some props being solid Slight art pass update Updated vsh_maul Players can no longer hide from Saxton in the dark Fixed props inside other props Fixed z-fighting brushes Fixed missing particle effects for the water feature Fixed orientation of water feature particles Minor lighting changes around the cinema Adjusted LOD change distances for Cinema sign Updated VSH logic Grounded levitating props Aligned misaligned textures Fixed mis-textured walls Clipped upper metal beams Fixed clip brushes sticking out from walls that could be walked on Players will now be pushed off of the fire bell Adjusted cinema sign shadow Used spell check on Saxton's Package sign Updated how music is activated and deactivated Fixed clipping on the hanging big ornaments

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Happy Smissmas 2024! All players who play TF2 during the event will receive a Stuffed Stocking as a gift! Stockings contain goodies for good little Mercenaries. Featuring 6 new community maps: Overcast, Fortezza, Penguin Peak, Patagonia, Cutter, and Maul Added the Winter 2024 Cosmetic Case Contains 23 new community-contributed items The Festivizer can be found as a bonus drop when opening the case Added 3 new community-contributed taunts to the Mann Co. Store Taunt: Fore-Head Slice Taunt: Peace! Taunt: Curtain Call Added 18 new community-created Unusual effects 9 new effects for Unusual hats 9 new effects for Unusual taunts All cosmetic and taunt cases will grant Smissmas 2024 Unusual effects instead of their normal Unusual effects during the event. This does not include crates. Mann Co. Store winter sale! Smissmas runs through January 7th, 2025 General Fixed a client crash when previewing imported items in the Workshop dialog Fixed showing an error model when equipping the Scottish Resistance Fixed The Executioner not hiding the Scout's dog tags Updated the Mountebank's Masque to fix a problem with the materials Updated/Added some tournament medals Updated vsh_distillery, vsh_nucleus, vsh_outburst, vsh_skirmish, and vsh_tinyrock General Added the gamemode intro movie (made by Lacry, thanks) Improved the delivery of VSH-related voice lines for Soldier, Engineer and Sniper Updated some VSH-related voice lines for Saxton, Soldier, Engineer and Sniper (thanks The Rat Man) Added Hale's kill icons Visual improvements to Hale's Ability HUD (thanks Funicular) Added a visual cue signaling an upcoming Saxton Punch! Minor visual improvements to Saxton Hale and his particle effects Fixed the boss bar sometimes starting invisible Fixed a rare crash caused by seeing blood decals on Hale while playing on low graphics quality settings Fixed a rare bug when Hale's Ability HUD textures become missing Balance Changes - Saxton Hale Added Brave Jump Fatigue. Each consecutive jump will be less powerful, requiring a short break to restore to full strength Weightdown ability is disabled during Jump Fatigue Increased Hale's health by ~100HP per opponent Adjusted Hale's health formula against 24+ opponents - Hale now gains 2000HP for every opponent past 23 (thanks Megascatterbomb) Hale's resistance to knockback reduced from 75% to 35% Head Stomp damage now scales with Hale's downward speed, dealing between 64 and 193 damage (previously dealt flat 195 damage) Balance Changes - Mercenaries Explosives and fire now deal 50% more damage against Hale The 40% minigun damage penalty now applies to full crits only Broken Demoman shields now retain the charge ability Demoman shields now absorb only 50% of the incoming damage upon breaking (a would-be-lethal blow will leave the Demo at 1HP) Greatly decreased sticky trap damage reduction Removed Scottish Resistance's 20% damage penalty Baby Face's Blaster now loses 20% of its boost upon Wall Climbing Updated vsh_tinyrock (additional changes) Improved performance Fixed odd clipping at one of the spawns Updated vsh_distillery (additional changes) Improved performance Updated vsh_nucleus (additional changes) Fixed setup time ending five seconds too early Improved detailing in some areas Improved clipping on staircases Increased control point capture time to 15 seconds Removed collision on some lights Changed damage model and damage amount of the toxic waste pit and puddles Updated vsh_skirmish (additional changes) Fixed setup time ending five seconds too early Fixed an issue where Engineers could build in the crocodile pit Fixed not being able to wall climb certain trees in the main arena Fixed some lighting issues on stalactites and other props Parts of Hale's intro sequence no longer play while waiting for players Improved optimization and detailing in some areas Improved clipping on spiral stairs (Thanks Aar!) Updated security system Updated cp_brew The shortcut from RED spawn to the "A" point now has a nobuild trigger Added floor indicator for the health kit in the "A" point wooden shack Adjusted "A" point wooden shack to allow more breathing room Fixed getting stuck on the "A" gate's frame Fixed teletrap near "A" point ditch route Fixed being able to place buildings inside an out-of-bounds room outside "A" point Fixed some stuck spots near "B" point Fixed being able to shoot through a crack in the BLU forward spawn Fixed floating props in the diner Fixed one way door not forcing itself closed Cleaned up some collisions and clipping across the map Improved lighting on all of the archways Updated koth_krampus Fixed missing trees in skybox Improved look of waterfall texture near full health-kit Fixed minor visual errors Minor NPC clipping changes Fed krampus some oats Updated pl_emerge Switched on the cart light Fixed RED players being able to sit on the edge of an exit of BLU's starting spawn Fixed some doors showing incorrect textures Fixed the final capture point displaying an incorrect string Fixed the map occasionally playing incorrect ambient sounds Minor visual and performance tweaks Updated cp_carrier The Carrier now has full crits rather than mini-crits The Carrier now uses the robot voice lines Improved hearability of the Carrier's voice lines and footsteps Fixed visual bugs with the boss bar Fixed the Carrier sometimes becoming invisible while taunting Fixed animation glitches when a Demoman Carrier holds a Stickybomb Launcher Fixed occasional phasing through the elevator platform at BLU spawn Decreased size of the frog

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Improved matchmaking performance Improved matchmaker behavior for users with less-than-ideal ping levels. The matchmaker should now be quicker to put you in the best available region. Improved matchmaker decision making for cross-region parties Added error messages when being ejected from the matchmaking queue due to connectivity or authentication failures, rather than the queue simply silently vanishing Fixed the matchmaking settings dialog frequently failing to display any datacenters Fixed multiple cases of in-progress casual matches abruptly terminating or failing to be assigned any new players if the game server ever loses connection to Steam Updated the Mountebank's Masque, Courtier's Collar, and Harlequin's Hooves cosmetic items to fix issues with their paint regions Updated cp_gravelpit_snowy Fixed a script issue Improved performance Improved clipping

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Fixed the Guano and Batbelt cosmetic items hiding the Scout's dog tags Fixed The Beacon from Beyond incorrectly hiding a bunch of bodygroups Fixed the Quoth cosmetic item hiding the Scout's headphones Fixed some broken materials for some props_farm gib models Adding "Hat" style for the Fuel Injector Updated the Clue Hairdo to fix broken smoke effect Updated koth_synthetic_event Edited nav mesh to minimize the Toastmaster running diving into the grinder/death pit Updated pd_farmageddon Revoked scarecrow gym membership which lowered their health from 500 to 350 Updated zi_atoll, zi_blazehattan, zi_devastation_final1, zi_murky, zi_sanitarium, and zi_woods Fixed an exploit allowing some players to respawn as a human or play as a human on the Zombie team

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Reverted BLU Scout pants fix because it conflicts with too many existing cosmetics Updated the Fleet Commander again to fix import problems from the previous update Updated the Phantom Plague and Haunting Haze Unusual effects to fix sometimes spawning away from the player Updated cp_freaky_fair Fixed issues related to the gamemode logic Reapplied check that was mistakenly removed to check if the player is actively buying upgrades in a station or not Implemented new custom system to refund upgrades to hopefully address inconsistencies both in-round and across rounds Implemented logic to handle mismatches in recorded vs actual currency values when leaving the upgrade trigger and having not accepted de-bought upgrades Reverted code to do with Ghosts and Sentry busters to fix bugs related to their effects not de-applying Implemented a way to force kill players to address edge cases where you could survive as the sentry buster past their explosion (Thanks MilkMaster!) Improved the logic which checks if you can apply a new potion effect to yourself to address bugs where effects can overlap Fixed sniper and demo shields not having their upgrades cleared Fixed canteens not having their values cleared when refunding whilst not equipped Increased the height of the skybox Increased last point capture time from 6s to 7s Changed some clipping to stop giants from building on roofs Smoothed out a divot (Thanks Midnite!) Updated zi_atoll, zi_blazehattan, zi_devastation_final1, zi_murky, zi_sanitarium, and zi_woods General Re-encoded all Zombie Infection sound effects as .WAV This fixes issues with sound effects not playing correctly and spewing errors in the console Bug fixes Fixed a bug that caused Sniper's Spit Pool to deal much more damage than intended Fixed a bug that caused team names to not display correctly when playing on mp_tournament mode Fixed a bug where Engineer would sometimes scream like a charging Demoman while throwing an EMP Grenade Zombie Changes Sniper's Spit Pool damage vs Survivors no longer stacks when standing in multiple zones Zombie Heavy is no longer immune to Critical Hits Zombie Heavy's max health raised to 525 (from 450) Zombie Pyro's max health raised to 250 (from 175) Zombie Pyro now drops a medium health kit on death Survivor Changes Crossbow weapons no longer have a flat damage multiplier against Zombies The B.A.S.E Jumper can no longer be deployed if you are one of the last three survivors Jumper Weapons can no longer store reserve ammunition Updated zi_murky (additional changes) Added more respawn room triggers around the new spawn zones

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Added missing list of authors for arena_lumberyard_event Fixed the Crook Combatant hiding the Scout's dog tags Fixed some sound script entries not playing because they were looking for .wav instead of .mp3 Fixed BLU Scout using the incorrect team color pants Fixed some props_farm models using an incorrect surfaceprop setting Updated the large version of the backpack image for The Fast Learner to be consistent with the small version Updated the schema entries for The Hound's Hood and the Thrilling Tracksuit to remove unused settings Updated a couple of the community console images to fix missing nomip/nolod settings Updated Freaky Fair's expert contract to be "Win a round on Freaky Fair" Updated the Fleet Commander and Delldozer to fix import problems from the previous update Updated arena_lumberyard_event Fixed mini-crits being removed from the last player standing if they used the Crit-a-Cola Added missing navigation mesh Fixed areaportal windows in spawn fading in too early Fixed cases where players would get stuck on the setup doors Adjusted prop fades Updated cp_darkmarsh Lowered spell spawn timer (from 180 seconds to 120 seconds) Spells that spawn outside respawn rooms will disappear after 30 seconds of not being picked up Added several more pumpkin bomb spawn points Fixed portcullis doors turning pitch black when opening Lowered RED respawn wave time for the last point (from 10 to 8) Updated tow_dynamite Fixed an ammo pick-up differ on BLU side Added a missing wagon wheel on BLU side Added Tug of War objective strings Made the jump pad's deathpits deeper A new critter has arrived Updated pd_circus Fixed spell books being prompted despite none spawning in the map Reduced points per player from 6 to 5 Reduced distracting lighting and details around the inaccessible areas of the circus Fixed being able to place teleporters too close to spawn doors Fixed erroneous collisions Fixed small displacements cutting through walls Fixed some gaps in geometry

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Fixed an issue with Blazehattan contracts Fixed an issue with Outburst contracts Fixed an invalid Soul Gargoyle location on Mann Manor Fixed players not being able to select a class and spawn after watching an intro video Recompiled props_farm\box_cluster03.mdl to fix a problem with the material Updated the Dusk Duster to adjust the rigging a bit to reduce distortion Updated the Triboniophorus Gentlemannus Fixed clipping Updated texture to fix mipmapping Added jigglebone Added attachment for genteel smoke effect Updated the Clue Hairdo to fix a rim mask problem with the 'Case Open' style Updated the Fleet Commander Fixed white seams when moving camera away from character Improved position of Style Selection camera by deleting unused bones Updated the Delldozer to fix a problem with the specular map for the Re-Mastered and Re-Engineered styles Updated The Witch Doctor to fix a problem with the diffuse textures and normal maps Updated Taunt: Commending Clap to fix some issues with sounds and timing Updated zi_atoll, zi_blazehattan, zi_devastation_final1, zi_murky, zi_sanitarium, and zi_woods Reduced Zombie Engineer's EMP Grenade Cooldown from 10 seconds to 9 seconds Adjusted Zombie Pyro's death explosion to briefly ignite players hit by the blast Fixed a bug that allowed Zombie Medic to spawn infinite dispenser entities (Thanks Psychicpie!) Fixed Zombie Heavy's ability appearing as an active instead of a passive on the HUD (Thanks NeoDement!) Fixed a bug that caused Zombie Heavy's knockback effect to trigger on afterburn damage when quickly swapping from Pyro to Heavy Updated zi_blazehattan (additional changes) Fixed top roof having no collisions, causing players to 'sink in' Made the brick decoration near the wooden ramp slightly lower to make jumping to the top roof easier Removed some redundant clip brushes Changed the round timer from 6 minutes to 3 minutes 30 seconds Fixed missing textures behind the windows of the warehouse building Fixed rendering issue in the A Gate zombie spawn (Thanks Midnite!) Fixed several instances where players could stand on top of clip brushes and in high places (Thanks Midnite!) Fixed floodlight stuck spot near B Gate (Thanks Midnite!) Fixed troll teleporter spots (Thanks Midnite!) Fixed telephone pole collision (Thanks Midnite!) Added no-build triggers on top of barrel clusters at the top of the containers for consistency Added barrel clusters and wood debri on top of the red container with the floodlight to make it more apparent engineers can't build there, as well as to provide cover for zombies Various small changes Updated tow_dynamite Doubled the chances of a Jump Spell drop Fixed the main gates killing players when touched on the side Fixed the main gates killing you prematurely before they are fully closed Fixed HUD textures going missing on occasion (Thanks Aar) Fixed the rooftop fire being too strong Fixed multiple locations that allowed players to build out of bounds Fixed an overly aggressive propfade in front of spawn Fixed edge bugs on multiple roofs that allowed players to remain alive Updated vsh_outburst Improved performance Fixed menu images Fixed a minor visual issue Fixed being able to stick to the invisible walls Updated koth_sawmill_event Reduced the amount of skeletons that spawn Added a new pathway to the secret underworld exit Redid some detailing near Reds base Improved lighting near some shacks near mid Fixed clipping for a shack Reworked where Soul Gargoyles spawn, now favoring Mid more often Made some new greener water for Mids lumber place New spectator cams Updated cp_freaky_fair Fixed issues related to the gamemode logic Fixed players being able to retain upgrades on their weapons by putting them in their loadout before the round changes and then switching back to them Fixed some currency bugs related to players having upgrades pending but not accepted, and then leaving the upgrade trigger Fixed players being able to retain their upgrades when switching classes inside the upgrade trigger after having refunded Fixed character upgrades being occasionally set to incorrect quantities Changed uber and kritz potions so they use the equivalent lakeside conditions to allow Medics to switch weapons and maintain their effects Fixed players being able to put a class into a massive debt Several minor fixes Merasmus is very talkative, so we asked him to talk a bit differently Merasmus will only sometimes say something after he already talked about his financial problems during the first seconds of setup time Merasmus will no longer say something that is too long to say before he needs to announce something else, he will say something different now Merasmus now has more things to say Merasmus will now announce overtime, stalemate and last control point being captured instead of the Administrator Made changes to the upgrades Ghost Potion: ghost spooking radius reduced from 512 hu to 384 hu Ghost Potion: ghost spooking frequency increased from 5 to 7 secs (this is a nerf) Sentry Firing Speed: removed redundant 3rd level Disposable sentry: Maximum amount reduced from 4 to 3 Crit boost on kill: Now disabled Shield Recharge Rate bonus: Maximum level reduced from 4 to 2 Shield Recharge Rate bonus: Price increased from $150 to $250 Rocket Specialist: Price increased from $300 to $450 Rocket Specialist: Maximum level reduced from 4 to 3 Crit damage resistance: Resist reduced from 30% to 25% per level (this is a nerf) Crit damage resistance: Maximum Resist reduced from 90% to 75% (this is a nerf) Thermal Thruster impact stun: Price increased from $600 to $750 Explosive Headshot: Price increased from $350 to $450 Mad Milk and Jarate speed on target debuff: Debuff reduced from 35% to 25% Mark For Death: Price reduced from $500 to $300 Fixed several roof spots players were able to stand on (Thanks Midnite!) Fixed several teleporter stuck spots (Thanks Midnite!) Fixed floating pumpkins and planks (Thanks Midnite!) Fixed several spots that could be abused to spawncamp enemy team (Thanks Midnite!) Removed some visible dev textures (Thanks Midnite!) Removed stool from the arcade that was blocking the path previously Fixed being able to deal splash damage through metal grates Clipped the attic in respawn room to prevent players from getting and building there Clipped several beams in the lobby room Fixed missing wooden board near Red respawn room door Moved Merry-Go-Round sound source closer to make it louder Brightened several dark spots Closed the tree gap

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Fixed broken path for community_maps_5 in the ConTracker Renamed Team Blackout war paint to Blackout Fixed the names of the Delightful Doves, Ravenous Ravens, and Vicious Vampires Unusual effects Updated Toxic's second objective to be 'Collect a Halloween Pumpkin on Toxic' Updated the School Nuisance to update the backpack icon and fix some clipping issues on the LODs Updated the Sear Seer to fix a paintability problem with the 'Dusk - No Lenses' style Updated the Heavy Rain Unusual taunt effect to improve visual quality of the effect in dark environments Updated cp_darkmarsh to reduce fog intensity Updated zi_atoll, zi_blazehattan, zi_devastation_final1, zi_murky, zi_sanitarium, and zi_woods Fixed missing overlay material for Sniper's Spit ability Fixed missing particle effects for Pyro's Dragon's Breath ability Fixed a bug that would cause players to get stuck in spectate mode when attempting to join a game in progress

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Updated vsh_outburst to fix a problem with sounds not playing correctly Added missing strings for the new Strange Filters

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Scream Fortress XVI has arrived! Featuring 7 new community maps: Toxic, Darkmarsh, Freaky Fair, Dynamite, Circus, Outburst, and Blazehattan Added the Terrifying Trove Case Contains 21 new community-created cosmetic items that make up the Terrifying Trove Collection Has a chance to give a taunt Unusualifier as a bonus item Added 4 new community-contributed taunts to the Mann Co. Store Taunt: Crushing Defeat Taunt: Peace Out Taunt: Commending Clap Taunt: The Punchline Added 22 new community-created Unusual effects 12 new effects for Unusual hats 10 new effects for Unusual taunts Added the Scream Fortress XVI War Paint Case Contains 12 new community-created War Paints that make-up the Scream Fortress XVI War Paint Collection Has a chance to give a taunt Unusualifier as a bonus item All players who launch the game will receive a Soul Gargoyle if they don't already have one Grants access to Merasmissions and Halloween item transmutations Tracks Merasmissions completed and souls collected All Halloween Contracts have been reset, allowing them to be completed again Added new Contracts for this year's featured community maps Completing a Halloween Contract will give players a classic Halloween item and the chance for a Terrifying Trove Case Continue last year's event by collecting the souls of dead players for your Soul Gargoyle by killing enemies, doing map objectives, or collecting the Soul Gargoyles that spawn in the maps All cosmetic and taunt Cases will grant Halloween 2024 Unusual effects instead of their normal Unusual effects during the event. This does not include Crates. Join Halloween matches by using the Special Events category in Casual Scream Fortress XVI runs through November 7th, 2024 General Added UI scaling based on resolution for better HiDPI support Fixed the reload speed attribute in Mann vs. Machine not scaling projectile speed and gravity correctly for the Huntsman (community fix from Marxvee) Fixed the damage bonus attribute in Mann vs. Machine not scaling correctly for the Huntsman (community fix from Marxvee) Fixed not being able to pickup currency in MvM if it's on a teleporter Fixed Keyless Winter 2016 Case not playing the special winter case sound Recompiled some skybox models to fix UV issues Updated the Scariest Mask EVER to fix some issues with clipping Updated Sapped Unusual effect to fix the animation playing at the wrong speed Added check to prevent copying a disguise target's action slot item when disguised as them Exposed CTFBaseBoss::SetResolvePlayerCollisions() for VScript users Updated/Added some tournament medals Updated Sapped Unusual effect to fix the animation playing at the wrong speed Updated several maps to fix localization issues Updated zi_murky, zi_devastation_final1, zi_atoll, zi_woods, zi_sanitarium General Changes Zombies no longer spawn instantly- their respawn timer is now dependant on the map Changed team names to "Survivors" and "Zombies" (Instead of "RED" and "BLU") Note: this change is only visible in casual mode or servers with mp_tournament set to 1 Survivor Spy can now disguise as a Zombie and will be seen as a Zombie by the enemy team (Thanks Sprinkles!) Note: disguised Survivor Spies will still be highlighted by Zombie Spy’s “Reveal” ability The Pomson 6000 now puts Zombie abilities on cooldown on hit Survivor Pyro can now destroy Zombie Engineer's EMP Grenade by hitting it with the Homewrecker Walking in to Zombie Sniper's Spit now consumes the Spycicle and prevents initial damage Standing in Zombie Sniper's Spit now emits additional sound effects and a burning green HUD overlay Added new kill icons for every zombie attack Zombie Changes Removed the out-of-combat speed buff from all Zombies Zombie Pyro Zombie Pyro has a new ability - "Dragon's Breath" Fires a Dragon's Fury fireball The initial cast of the fireball can reflect projectiles and airblast enemies Zombie Pyro now deals mini-crits to burning players on melee hit Zombie Pyro now creates a small explosion on death, knocking back enemies in a 125 hu radius Zombie Pyro no longer emits a Gas Passer cloud on death Zombie Demoman Added new sound effects to telegraph Zombie Demoman's Blast Charge ability Zombie Heavy Zombie Heavy's health reduced to 450 (from 600) Zombie Heavy now drops a Medium Health Kit on death Zombie Sniper Zombie Sniper's Spit damage vs buildables is now reduced by half Zombie Sniper's Spit now applies a screen overlay to players standing in the pool Zombie Medic Zombie Medic now emits health like a dispenser to nearby Zombies Zombie Medic can no longer attack while using Heal Added a new sound effect for Zombie Medic's Heal ability Zombie Spy Zombie Spy no longer emits particle effects while cloaked, making him fully invisible when not attacking. Jumpscare warning! Zombie Scout With other zombies getting slower, Zombie Scout's speed stands out more than ever before Bug Fixes Fixed a bug that allowed Zombie Demoman to survive his own Blast Charge (Thanks gasous nebule!) Fixed a bug that caused Zombie Demoman to not receive kill credit when killing players with Blast Charge Fixed a bug that caused Zombies to not gib correctly Fixed a bug that caused Zombie cosmetics to persist on RED players after the round restarts Fixed a bug that caused Zombie Sniper's Spit Pool to nudge players slightly in certain circumstances Fixed a bug that caused players to have the incorrect player skin when respawning at round start Fixed a bug that would cause players to become stuck in spectate mode when attempting to join a game in progress Fixed an issue with "game_text" entities not being correctly cleared after round reset Updated zi_murky (additional changes) Survivors now spawn across the map in multiple small groups instead of all at the sewage plant Added a life preserver shop to connect to the lonely shack in the southern end of the map Added a new dock network with a series of platforms leading to the roof of the central boathouse Added a small ramp to the left-most sewer pipes Removed some awkward ladder-ramps and replaced them with proper docks De-cluttered the roofs across the map Removed the floating large medkit Removed expensive reflections from the water Reduced color correction intensity Clipping improvements Updated zi_atoll (additional changes) Set a culling distance to most props Added occluders on the lighthouse to improve performance Updated zi_woods (additional changes) Fixed the announcer not being silenced when time is added Updated zi_sanitarium (additional changes) The roof is now accessible Added several routes to the roof Slightly reduced the intensity of the fog Added more pumpkin bombs Raised the skybox height Updated cp_gravelpit_snowy Improved performance by combining props Improved clipping Increased volume of laser gun finale Miscellaneous improvements Updated koth_sawmill_event Fixed an overlay Updated koth_undergrove_event Fixed several out-of-bounds exploits in the Underworld (thanks MN!) Adjusted overworld pumpkin bomb placement and increased maximum bomb count to 6 Fixed an incorrect texture on RED's side Updated koth_synthetic_event Moved spells away from mid Detail adjustments Clipping fixes Very minor lighting changes Updated pd_mannsylvania Added even more Bats! Added more spawnpoints for pumpkin-bombs Added new nag voiceline for if Dracula does not receive any blood donations Removed setup time, replaced it with a normal countdown instead Increased duration of the Vampire Powerup after leaving Dracula's Castle from 15 -> 20 seconds Decrease dropped blood bag timer from 15 -> 10 seconds Decreased respawn wave times for the losing team from 4 -> 2 seconds Decreased respawn wave times during a neutral gamestate from 4 -> 2 seconds Changed the main spawn doors to have windows Removed Rare Spell spawn by the graveyard area, replaced with Common Spell Health and ammo pickup adjustments Clipped stairs by the Castle's exit portal Minor visual updates Updated ctf_applejack Fixed the projectile weapons from not working inside the buildings Removed bullet collision from the intelligence room handrails Removed the prop jump up to the sniper balcony, to help snipers feel more comfortable there Removed the vents with missing textures Fixed the bug with being able to get stuck in the blue shed Fixed a stuck spot in mid shed (ty Midnite!) Fixed a texture being weird in the intel rooms Fixed a black displacement in the red intel yard Removed the collision from the food in the red spawn table Updated cp_ambush_event Fixed exploit where players were able to build into RED 1st base (Thanks MN!) Improved lighting at RED base in stage3 Fixed lantern being clipped into cliff wall in cavern at stage1 Fixed odd shadows cast by some props Fixed coffin from being non-solid in stage2 Fixed spawncamping spot in stage2 at RED indoor exit Fixed few hovering lamp props Fixed some prop fading too soon Fixed rare issue where players fell of directly to lava on underworld teleportation Clipped few crates to make it easier to jump on them Updated arena_lumberyard_event Recreated the game mode in VScript Significantly increased server performance Instead of using the best-of-seven round system on top of casual's best-of-three system, the map will simply run 15 traditional game rounds like ZI and VSH Updated the healing ghost appearance for RED team Text pop-ups are now drawn in chat instead of in the middle of your screen Reduced volume of the incoming spell Removed the random Skeleton King and the Horseless Headless Horseman Removed the rare spell given to the last player standing Converted some medium health kits into small health kits Removed small health kits from the second story of both churches Fixed a pumpkin bomb that was stuck in the terrain Updated pl_embargo Fixed an exploit that allowed BLU to teleport to RED spawn (thanks Jameson) Fixed the lack of countdown at the end of the round

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Fixed regression with some .mp3 files not playing Updated description for the Backpack Expander Updated some tournament medals Updated the Desk Engineer cosmetic item Fixed clipping with the Gunslinger Fixed clipping with Engineer's buckle Fixed rotation in the paint preview Fixed skin parts being tinted green from texture compression Updated the Daring Dell cosmetic item Fixed rotation in the paint preview Fixed shading artifacts on the helmet Updated The Big Star cosmetic item Fixed rotation in the paint preview Fixed various instances of clipping with the player model Updated mismatched backpack icon Fixed parts of the textures Updated koth_cachoeira Players can no longer shoot through the metal fence

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Increased the maximum number of backpack slots to 4000 (from 3000) Fixed record/stop .dem file exploit that was used to reveal cloaked Spies Fixed Robot Destruction death notice events not properly highlighting when the local player kills a robot Fixed regressed self-illum setting for the Earbuds Fixed hearing the deflection sound when deflecting arrows that are already stuck in something (community fix from Marxvee) Fixed a problem with .mp3 sounds not playing if they were very short Fixed arrows instantly breaking when being fired by an invulnerable player with the projectile penetration upgrade in Mann vs. Machine (community fix from Marxvee) Updated tf_zombie_spawner entity to support setting team numbers for the zombies (defaults to the original behavior if no team is set) Updated Taunt: Unleashed Rage to fix incorrect outro timing Updated Taunt: Can It! to fix MvM bone Updated koth_sawmill_event Removed stray spell Updated koth_megaton Fixed rockets being able to quite literally crash the beach party (Thanks again, ficool2!) Updated pl_cashworks Updated menu photo to match map changes Removed strange texture glitch at RED spawn 1 Added shutter for drop exit at RED spawn 1 RED spawn 2 big door can't be stickied anymore Removed collision on some lamps Added minor visual changes in BLU spawn and final cap side route Fixed minor clipping issues Updated koth_cachoeira The sightline from the helicopter has been blocked off Fixed missing door texture (Thanks Hoppkins!) Various miscellaneous fixes (Thanks Midnite!)

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Updated Taunt: Can It! to fix missing flies particle effect Updated the backpack image for the Impact Impaler Updated Violent Viridian Unusual effect to fix a visual bug Updated/Added some tournament medals Updated cp_hadal Fixed control point capture messages Fixed door locking in RED spawn after C capture Removed unintended buildable areas Increased capture time on final point Improved directions around the map Updated pl_embargo Reduced respawn time on Last for RED from 34 to 22 seconds Asked Botlers to speak and explode more quietly Minor visual fixes Updated koth_megaton Improved performance by up to 20%, with more significant improvements possible depending on system specs (Thanks ficool2!) Fixed the grates around the capture zone allowing blast damage to pass through Fixed a few cases of alpha painted displacement seams Improved lighting on several models, especially on the rocks throughout the map Fixed surfaceprop on BLU's metal plates Fixed several pixelwalks along thatch roofing and exteriors of the team buildings Improved clipping throughout Fixed a support beam intersecting with spawn doors Fixed a few instances of visible displacement holes in the perimeter dropoff Added a unique kill icon for the end of the round Fixed floating spawndoor motors Plus... all you need for a beach party! Updated pd_atom_smash Fixed the Casual Administrator overriding the Scientist Fixed some floating lights Updated koth_sawmill_event Removed the spells in the underworld since players could spawn camp with them too easily Increased the time players get crits and health from the underworld after leaving Added some additional effects to the secret exit from the underworld

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Updated pl_embargo to fix visual glitches

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include: Updated the Loyalist's Coronet Unusual effect to fix team BLU particles in the team RED effect Updated the Rainbow Reverie, Warp Drive and Overdrive Unusual effects to work better with larger hats Updated the Rainbow Reverie Unusual effect to add a fade in when spawning and make the refract more noticeable Updated the Dragonflies' Embrace, Dragonflies' Nature, and Dragonflies' Lucent Unusual effects to fix trailing issues on the grass and ground particles Updated the Distress Signal and Carioca's Call Unusual effects to fix some issues with overlapping sprites Updated the Desert Wind and Monsoon Season Unusual effects Fixed the wind flickering on moving taunts Fixed the tumbleweed having incorrect physics Updated the wind and dust to trail slightly on moving taunts Updated the Control Patrol cosmetic item Reduced the size of the glasses Lowered the hat slightly on Soldier's head Fixed UV map issue with LODs Updated the Justice Johns cosmetic item Slimmed down the legs and raised socks cuffs to reduce overall thickness of the legs Fixed rigging issue with boot laces Updated the Pathfinder cosmetic item Slimmed down the arms slightly Adjusted shoulder and armpit rigging to reduce stretching of the vest Adjusted mesh transition from forearms to hands Fixed some clipping issues around where the shirt collar meets the zipper Raised the zipper pull tab for better compatibility with other Soldier cosmetics Updated ctf_doublecross Fixed an incorrect team-colored material in the BLU base for real this time Updated pl_enclosure_final Fixed a clip wall blocking a dropdown in stage 3 Updated pl_embargo Minor visual and clipping improvements Fixed the cart's missing outline Added an extra Botler to the playable space Fixed the paint splat overlay not applying to players within the explosion range The ambient music inside the casino now respects the music volume settings Improved player visibility against certain walls (Thanks Arthur) Added the kill icon to the helicopter blades Fixed an override of a TF2's base texture Fixed being able to block the cart shortly after point A (Thanks Aar) Fixed getting stuck in a door near C while it closes Fixed indoors fog sometimes getting applied outside (Thanks Phe) Increased respawn time for RED on the last point Fixed the client crash related to custom models Improved performance on the last point Updated koth_cachoeira Engineers can no longer build inside the cliffs Fixed teleporter stuck spot under the control point Adjusted respawn waves Minor visual improvements Various clipping fixes Improved performance Updated ctf_applejack Improved clipping Brought some stairs Improved tree collision Added more chickens Improved detail Fixed Ol'Betsy (Thanks Aar!)

Renegade Game Studios announced a string of board game titles during RenegadeCon 2025. Here is everything they announced.
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Renegade Game Studios announced a string of board game titles during RenegadeCon 2025. Here is everything they announced. Read this article on TechRaptor

Shotgun Cop Man is the next game from My Friend Pedro creator DeadToast, and it's exactly as ridiculous as that title suggests.
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Shotgun Cop Man is the next game from My Friend Pedro creator DeadToast, and it's exactly as ridiculous as that title suggests. Read this article on TechRaptor

NetEase has announced a crackdown on the use of overlay tool Blitz in Marvel Rivals, but you won't be punished as long as you stop using it in future.
Read this article on TechRaptor

NetEase has announced a crackdown on the use of overlay tool Blitz in Marvel Rivals, but you won't be punished as long as you stop using it in future. Read this article on TechRaptor

Circana has released its US sales data for January 2025, and there are no prizes for guessing which flagship shooter has topped the charts once again.
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Circana has released its US sales data for January 2025, and there are no prizes for guessing which flagship shooter has topped the charts once again. Read this article on TechRaptor

Hades 2 developer Supergiant says it has no intention to recast any of its voice actors, and that it also won't use generative AI during development.
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Hades 2 developer Supergiant says it has no intention to recast any of its voice actors, and that it also won't use generative AI during development. Read this article on TechRaptor

Epic has released the Fortnite Lawless update for Chapter 6 Season 2, and it brings a brand new map, a Mortal Kombat crossover, and more.
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Epic has released the Fortnite Lawless update for Chapter 6 Season 2, and it brings a brand new map, a Mortal Kombat crossover, and more. Read this article on TechRaptor

EA has revealed that the Split Fiction Friend's Pass will support crossplay, allowing you and a friend to play on any platform with just one copy.
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EA has revealed that the Split Fiction Friend's Pass will support crossplay, allowing you and a friend to play on any platform with just one copy. Read this article on TechRaptor

Cozy hobbit life sim Tales of the Shire has once again been delayed, so you won't be able to start life in Bywater until summer.
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Cozy hobbit life sim Tales of the Shire has once again been delayed, so you won't be able to start life in Bywater until summer. Read this article on TechRaptor

Alongside its Q4 2025 Financial Report, Hasbro announces its new Playing to Win business strategy, which focuses on play-focused franchises.
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Alongside its Q4 2025 Financial Report, Hasbro announces its new Playing to Win business strategy, which focuses on play-focused franchises. Read this article on TechRaptor

Team Jade and TiMi Studio Group have announced that the upcoming Delta Force console versions will be delayed beyond the first quarter of 2025.
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Team Jade and TiMi Studio Group have announced that the upcoming Delta Force console versions will be delayed beyond the first quarter of 2025. Read this article on TechRaptor

Hasbro has announced that the Space Marine 2 development team is currently working on a major AAA game using one of the tabletop giant's "tentpole" IPs.
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Hasbro has announced that the Space Marine 2 development team is currently working on a major AAA game using one of the tabletop giant's "tentpole" IPs. Read this article on TechRaptor

Rockstar has finally revealed the release date for the upcoming GTA 5 update that will add previously console-exclusive features to the game on PC.
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Rockstar has finally revealed the release date for the upcoming GTA 5 update that will add previously console-exclusive features to the game on PC. Read this article on TechRaptor

Funcom has announced that Dune: Awakening will officially launch for PC on May 20th, with a console release date yet to be decided.
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Funcom has announced that Dune: Awakening will officially launch for PC on May 20th, with a console release date yet to be decided. Read this article on TechRaptor

Sony has hit back at a lawsuit filed by ex-Bungie employee Christopher Barrett in December, claiming it has extensive evidence regarding his "misconduct".
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Sony has hit back at a lawsuit filed by ex-Bungie employee Christopher Barrett in December, claiming it has extensive evidence regarding his "misconduct". Read this article on TechRaptor

Officials at a real-life Japanese shrine have taken exception to the way the shrine is being portrayed in Assassin's Creed Shadows.
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Officials at a real-life Japanese shrine have taken exception to the way the shrine is being portrayed in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Read this article on TechRaptor

The Pokemon Company has officially announced the date and time of the next Pokemon Presents showcase, and shock horror, it's on Pokemon Day.
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The Pokemon Company has officially announced the date and time of the next Pokemon Presents showcase, and shock horror, it's on Pokemon Day. Read this article on TechRaptor

Marvel Rivals' player count has hit another major milestone, NetEase has announced, just a couple of days after shutting down the game's Seattle studio.
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Marvel Rivals' player count has hit another major milestone, NetEase has announced, just a couple of days after shutting down the game's Seattle studio. Read this article on TechRaptor

Xalavier Nelson and Strange Scaffold have announced El Paso, Elsewhere 2, a sequel to the 2023 Max Payne-influenced third-person shooter.
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Xalavier Nelson and Strange Scaffold have announced El Paso, Elsewhere 2, a sequel to the 2023 Max Payne-influenced third-person shooter. Read this article on TechRaptor

Survival title Nested Lands pits you against bandits, the elements, and a deadly plague, all while trying to build a thriving village.
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Survival title Nested Lands pits you against bandits, the elements, and a deadly plague, all while trying to build a thriving village. Read this article on TechRaptor

Kobold Press has announced an upcoming crowdfunding campaign for Riverbank RPG, a cozy TTRPG about tea parties, poetry, and polite animals.
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Kobold Press has announced an upcoming crowdfunding campaign for Riverbank RPG, a cozy TTRPG about tea parties, poetry, and polite animals. Read this article on TechRaptor

Ironwood Studios and Kepler Interactive have announced that indie survivor-driver Pacific Drive has passed a new sales milestone.
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Ironwood Studios and Kepler Interactive have announced that indie survivor-driver Pacific Drive has passed a new sales milestone. Read this article on TechRaptor

Microsoft has announced a new generative AI model called Muse, which the company claims can generate "game visuals, controller actions, or both".
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Microsoft has announced a new generative AI model called Muse, which the company claims can generate "game visuals, controller actions, or both". Read this article on TechRaptor

Big Fan Games and developer Shiny Shoe have announced Monster Train 2, a followup to the 2020 roguelike deckbuilder Monster Train, and a PC demo is out now.
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Big Fan Games and developer Shiny Shoe have announced Monster Train 2, a followup to the 2020 roguelike deckbuilder Monster Train, and a PC demo is out now. Read this article on TechRaptor

Konami has announced it will raise its base domestic employee salary for the fourth consecutive year after what looks to have been a pretty strong 2024.
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Konami has announced it will raise its base domestic employee salary for the fourth consecutive year after what looks to have been a pretty strong 2024. Read this article on TechRaptor

Oxenfree studio Night School has been hit by a wave of layoffs, although it's not clear how many employees have been affected.
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Oxenfree studio Night School has been hit by a wave of layoffs, although it's not clear how many employees have been affected. Read this article on TechRaptor

A new Annapurna Interactive Showcase has been revealed for next week, and it'll bring info on games like Wanderstop, Lushfoil, and more.
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A new Annapurna Interactive Showcase has been revealed for next week, and it'll bring info on games like Wanderstop, Lushfoil, and more. Read this article on TechRaptor

Pokemon Go studio Niantic is reportedly in talks to sell its gaming business to the Saudi Public Investment Fund-backed mobile company Scopely.
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Pokemon Go studio Niantic is reportedly in talks to sell its gaming business to the Saudi Public Investment Fund-backed mobile company Scopely. Read this article on TechRaptor

Wizards of the Coast has released new information, including new gameplay mechanics, on their upcoming Final Fantasy Magic: The Gathering Commander release.
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Wizards of the Coast has released new information, including new gameplay mechanics, on their upcoming Final Fantasy Magic: The Gathering Commander release. Read this article on TechRaptor

Netease Games continues its layoff spree with a shocking announcement closing the studio leading development on Marvel Rivals and laying off the developers
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Netease Games continues its layoff spree with a shocking announcement closing the studio leading development on Marvel Rivals and laying off the developers Read this article on TechRaptor

Pro skater Tyshawn Jones may have just leaked the existence of new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater remasters, so lace up those skate shoes.
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Pro skater Tyshawn Jones may have just leaked the existence of new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater remasters, so lace up those skate shoes. Read this article on TechRaptor

With the growing popularity of mobile and cloud gaming, many have been on the hunt for the perfect controller. The Backbone and Razer Kishi have done a great job making mobile gaming more portable and accessible but I always felt like something was missing. The MCon controller from Ohsnap aims to address everything that is […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/is-the-mcon-the-best-smart-phone-controller-yet/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Every year CES comes around and every year, LG has a great booth. They may be one of the most consistent companies when it comes to showing technology at the trade show. For years they have continued to improve incrementally and this year it has really paid off. From transparent televisions and projectors to small […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/lg-at-ces-2025/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Six Days in Fallujah was originally announced in 2009. It is a first-person shooter based on the 2004 conflict in Iraq. It was met with much opposition because it is based on modern real-world events. This may not seem like a big deal in 2024 but things were slightly different in the years following 9/11. […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/real-warfare-with-six-days-in-fallujah/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Mad Catz, the company known for their fight sticks, is releasing a new force feedback racing wheel. The Mad Catz M.2.X. Pro force feedback racing wheel is the perfect plug-and-play solution that works with your consoles and PC. In the box you get the racing wheel, a six speed shifter, foot pedals and all the […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/level-up-you-racing-experience-with-the-mad-catz-m-2-x-pro-racing-wheel/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

When Fortnite was initially released in 2017, it was a PVE defense game that didn’t seem like it would be around for long. With the growing popularity of games in the battle royale genre, Fortnite decided to throw its hat in the ring. Soon it would become not only the most popular battle royale but […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/how-fortnite-hurt-the-gaming-industry/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

https://youtu.be/Cagxj2RchQI?si=_fFf3fs_fsh7d0Fq Many people have a gaming franchise that changed their life in some way. I have life-long friendships that have been formed while playing games like Mario Kart and Golden Eye late into the night. Halo is the franchise that shaped a good portion of my gaming life. Halo 2 strengthened my passion for the […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/what-halo-infinite-should-have-been/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

https://youtu.be/EVSbA2Yxx2k?si=G2KXmPguAB_45u5n Meta recencetly heald their Meta Connect conference and announced some excited things if you’re into VR and AR. The Meta Quest 2 was once the hottest item in their lineup be we have some new tech on the horizon. It looks like the Meta Quest 2 is no longer being sold but it may […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/should-you-buy-a-meta-quest-3s/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

https://youtu.be/a2CCRgycbLI?si=3juhSUwirUTpKWoJ There have been rumors for years about what is next for Halo. Today during the Halo World Championships, we got our answers. 343 Industries will now be known as Halo Studios. This is exciting because it let’s the fans know that Xbox/Microsoft has not given up on the franchise. The long rumored move to […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/what-is-the-future-of-halo/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

It may surprise many, but there has never been a Power Rangers arcade beat ’em up game. (I know right!?!?!) Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is a passion project from people who felt the Power Rangers deserved their shine. You and four friends can join up to go against classic enemies from the Power […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/mighty-morphin-power-rangers-ritas-rewind-developer-interview/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Going into PAX West 2024, I knew that I was going to enjoy ‘Jay and Silent Bob: The Chronic Blunt Punch’, but I did not know it was going to be my game of the show. Some may remember the retro style ‘Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl’ game that was released in 2020. Well, The […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/jay-and-silent-bob-the-chronic-blunt-punch-pax-west-2024/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Ash Habib has a true passion for boxing and Undisputed is his love letter to the sport. ‪@PlayUndisputed‬ aims to be both a technical and fun boxing game. The game is currently in early access and will have over 70 boxers, you can also create your character in a deep career mode. I had a […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/undisputed-at-pax-west-2024/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Star Wars games have been around for longer than many gamers have been alive at this point. You have played as clone troopers, Jedi, fighter pilots, and now in Star Wars Outlaws, you will be playing as a scoundrel. This is a slightly more grounded story than the ones many players have experienced before and […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/is-star-wars-outlaws-any-good-review-in-progress/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

There has been some rumor and speculation that we would be getting a PS5 Pro as soon as this year. We are halfway through the year and past ‘E3’ season and there is still no word. With the lack of console price drops, is the mid-gen refresh still a thing? There are some people who […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/where-is-the-ps5-pro/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

I’ve been playing the Marvel Rivals for a couple of weeks and there are a ton of things to dissect here. The game is a ton of fun but it is definitely not perfect. If you enjoy games like Overwatch, then this will definitely be a game for you. The gameplay loop is very similiar […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/is-marvel-rivals-any-good/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

In Hive Jump 2: Survivors, try to survive as long as you can against what seems like endless waves of aliens. With many weapons and jumpers to unlock, be prepared for hours of fun. This is a smaller game that packs a big punch. Hive Jump 2 takes a lot of the weapons and enemies […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/lets-play-hive-jump-2-survivors/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

The long rumored price increase of Xbox Game Pass has finally been confirmed and we have a detailed breakdown of the pricing structure. With these new prices and a new tier, is this still the best deal in gaming? I believe that there are a couple of different ways to assess the value of Game […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/the-price-of-xbox-game-pass-is-going-up/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

If you missed it, Xbox is bringing its cloud gaming services to Amazon Fire TV devices. There have been talks about an Xbox streaming device for years now. With the partnership, will we still get streaming hardware from Microsoft? Is this the best way to get Xbox games in more homes? Let’s talk about it.The post https://thegamefanatics.com/xbox-cloud-gaming-is-coming-to-amazon-devices/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Ubisoft just released season 1 of XDefiant and it comes with a ton of content. If you are not aware, XDefiant is a free-to-play shooter that ties in characters and abilities from various Ubisoft games. XDefiant Preseason was originally released in May of 2024 and it garnered a lot of attention. Some even went as […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/xdefiant-season-01-is-here/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Nintendo’s most recent direct delivered a ton of games and I am sure there was something for everyone here. From HD Remakes to long awaited sequels, Nintendo made sure that there was a reason for lapsed players to dust off that Switch. Now I have to admit, I am one of those lapsed players who […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/nintendo-gave-the-people-what-they-wanted/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

During the most recent Xbox showcase, they announced three new SKUs of the Xbox Series X|S consoles. While we didn’t get an announcement of a new handheld like many were hoping there may still be a possibility in the future. Phil Spencer was questioned about this during IGN live and he seemed excited about the […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/what-is-the-future-of-xbox-hardware/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

If you are not familiar, SolForge Fusion is a CCG (Collectable Card Game) created by Richard Garfield (Magic The Gathering) and Justin Gary (Ascension). It started as a physical card game and it is now making its way over to Steam. I have been having the best time in its single-player campaign mode. It reminds […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/a-collectable-card-battler-lets-play-solforge-fusion/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

For those who are not aware, Gigantic was originally released in 2017. It is a third-person MOBA Hero hero shooter originally developed by Motiga and published by Perfect World Entertainment. I had a ton of fun with the game when it was originally released but unfortunately, the servers shut down a year late. Now, in […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/gigantic-is-back-and-you-should-be-playing-it/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Most people who have used a PC or had some sort of laptop bag have heard of Targus. They are a well-known name in the PC peripheral space and have been around since 1983. Targus has continued to innovate when it comes to laptop bags and things like PC docking stations. We saw a ton […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/targus-targets-sustainability-and-innovation-with-their-ecosmart-line-of-products/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Many people are most familiar with Moon Studios from their games in the Ori universe. Those games are filled with some of the best and most complex platforming mechanics and amazing art. With No Rest For The Wicked, Moon Studios is partnering with Private Division for a totally new experience. They will be applying their […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/no-rest-for-the-wicked-launch-trailer/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

People have questioned the benefit of Game Pass since its original release in 2017. Subscription services can have amazing benefits for the consumer but does it negatively impact developers? The amount of content that is available continues to grow (along with the prices of said content) but people’s time and budgets continue to stay the […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/are-subscription-services-like-xboxs-game-pass-good-for-developers/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

When we say that Shidosha has an interesting taste in games, we are not exaggerating. Are you into bullet hell shooters? How about dating sims? Well if that piques your interest, Kamikaze Lassplanes may be a game you need to check out. This may not be the style of game you expect from a Polish […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/a-plane-dating-sim-kamikaze-lassplanes-pax-east-2024/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

No Love Lost is a new extraction shooter from Ratloop Games Canada. You are dropped onto an alien world and have to compete against not only the enemy team but the environment as well. The concept of an extraction shooter is not new but the team-based competitive elements make things feel a little fresh. There […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/a-colorful-competitive-extraction-shooter-no-love-lost-pax-east-2024/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

PAX continues to deliver new and unique gaming experiences. This year, one of our favorite games was Heartworm, a PS1 style horror game with Tank controls. Inspired by games like Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Dino Crisis, Heartworm aims to scratch that nostolgic itch that some many people have been feeling. You play as Sam, […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/a-ps1-styled-masterpiece-heartworm-pax-east-2024/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Digital Extremes held their most recent Devstream live during PAX East 2024, celebrating 11 years of Wareframe. One of the most exciting bits of news was the deeper look into the upcoming Warframe 1999. This included a new cinematic trailer launching later this year: Jade Shadows. Here you are introduced to the 57th Wareframe, Jade […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/warframe-and-soulframe-make-an-apprearance-at-pax-east-2024/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

It’s been a while since we first got word that the great Amy Hennig was working on a new Black Panther and Captain America game. After creating something like Uncharted, many couldn’t wait to see what was next from Amy. Her highly anticipated Star Wars game was canceled so many were delighted when they got […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/get-a-closer-look-at-the-new-black-panther-and-captain-america-game-marvel-1943/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

I have been on the search for a decently priced wireless keyboard and there is no shortage these days. Our friends over at Mad Catz sent over their S.T.R.I.K.E. 11 mechanical keyboard for us to try out. The first thing you will notice is its unique design. The red and black colorway is striking (no […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/mad-catz/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Nanoleaf has been one of the market leaders in the gaming lighting space for years now. They have a variety of products to level up not only your office space but your entertainment system. The Nanoleaf 4D kit is definitely one of the best led kits that I have tried. The camera takes the immersion […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/level-up-your-set-up-with-nanoleaf/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the next big game set for release and the rumor mill has been set ablaze with talks of Xbox going multi-platform. We take a few minutes to talk about our past with the Final Fantasy franchise and Brandon gives us his thoughts on what he thought of the State of […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/final-fantasy-7-rebirth-and-whats-next-for-xbox-lets-chat/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

AR and VR were some of the bigger topics during this year’s CES. Last year I was able to go hands-on with the Pimax Portal but this year it was all about the Pimax Crystal. The Pimax Crystal has some of the highest quality when it comes to VR headsets on the market. Each eye […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/the-pimax-crystal-8k-vr-headset-ces-2024/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

A year can’t go by without a huge announcement from NVIDIA. During CES 2024 in Las Vegas, NVIDIA announced an upgrade to its 40 series cards. The GeForce RTX 40 Super Series will allow gamers and creators to step up their game and have a ton of gas left in the tank. The pricing for […]The post https://thegamefanatics.com/nvidia-announces-40-series-super-cards-and-more-at-ces-2024/ appeared first on The Game Fanatics,.

iPhone and iPad Games

Welcome to the latest episode of The TouchArcade Show! We were short on time this week so it’s a bit …

Continue reading "Nintendo Switch Part Deux – The TouchArcade Show #611"

Welcome to the latest episode of The TouchArcade Show! We were short on time this week so it’s a bit of a short one, but we really wanted to discuss Nintendo announcing the Switch 2. Yes, if you haven’t seen yet they’ve officially unveiled the Switch successor’s hardware in a new video, and it looks pretty sweet. There’s also LOTS we don’t know yet so it’s fun to kind of speculate what we’ll be in store for when it launches this year. Don’t worry though if the new Switch isn’t your thing, we also talk about a handful of totally random topics just like we always do. Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated! As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer. Stitcher: The TouchArcade Show via Stitcher Radio for Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-611.mp3

Oh hello there. Yes, we ARE still alive, thank you for asking. We took an unintended month-long hiatus due to …

Continue reading "Where Have We Been!? – The TouchArcade Show #610"

Oh hello there. Yes, we ARE still alive, thank you for asking. We took an unintended month-long hiatus due to me starting my new job as well as the holidays being as hectic as they always are, but we’re back and with any luck we should be able to settle into a mostly regular recording schedule from here on out. I know I’ve said that before, but here’s to hoping! At any rate, this week’s show is mostly just me and Eli catching up after not really talking for an entire month, but we do keep things slightly on topic by talking about some Apple Intelligence stuff and the latest games that I’ve been playing on Steam Deck lately. It’s good to be back, enjoy the show! Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated! As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer. Stitcher: The TouchArcade Show via Stitcher Radio for Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-610.mp3

In this week’s TouchArcade Show we’re all over the map, as usual. We kick things off with my experience going …

Continue reading "Polar Express is SCARY – The TouchArcade Show #609"

In this week’s TouchArcade Show we’re all over the map, as usual. We kick things off with my experience going on the Polar Express train ride thing, as well as my experience rewatching the Polar Express movie for the first time in 20 years. We then dip into some Apple Vision Pro discussion, and Eli tips me off on a very cool pair of AR glasses called the Even G1. This leads into some Apple Intelligence talk, as I have only just now upgraded my Mac and signed up to enable the Apple Intelligence stuff on my Apple devices. I’m living on the cutting edge over here! We then jump into a couple of reader emails before talking about an actual video game for once; in this case it’s Mario & Luigi: Brothership on the Switch. All that and more! Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated! As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer. Stitcher: The TouchArcade Show via Stitcher Radio for Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-609.mp3

In this week’s exciting new episode of The TouchArcade Show we kick things off with a lengthy discussion about Eli’s …

Continue reading "Remember Payphones? – The TouchArcade Show #608"

In this week’s exciting new episode of The TouchArcade Show we kick things off with a lengthy discussion about Eli’s new toy: A fancy 3D printers. Yes, he bought one, just like I predicted he would last week! I then relay the awkward discussion I had with my young kids trying to explain what payphones were. Man, I feel old. We also hit on some recent Apple Arcade news and then finish up talking about the sad state of affairs that is the streaming industry. Is going back to buying physical DVDs the answer? All that and more in this week’s show. Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated! As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer. Stitcher: The TouchArcade Show via Stitcher Radio for Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-608.mp3

In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show I give a recap of the past 2 weeks of my life, …

Continue reading "They Put the Power Button WHERE!? – The TouchArcade Show #607"

In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show I give a recap of the past 2 weeks of my life, which included my 5-year old son breaking his arm and all that ensued as well as taking the first step towards becoming an instructional aide in my local school district. Hooray careers! We also talk about the latest Apple scandal, which appears to be #MacMiniPowerButtonGate. We also touch on the Arcane TV show, the poor experience of going to an Apple Store, get to some listener emails which–once again–leads to a pedophile discussion, and more. Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated! As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer. Stitcher: The TouchArcade Show via Stitcher Radio for Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-607.mp3

In Episode 606 of The TouchArcade Show we kick things off talking about my plans for this weekend, which has …

Continue reading "Back When AOL WAS the Internet – The TouchArcade Show #606"

In Episode 606 of The TouchArcade Show we kick things off talking about my plans for this weekend, which has resulted in this week’s show being a bit shorter than normal. We also go over some more updates on our Patreon situation, which has been trending upwards lately. Thank you for the support! We briefly touch on the latest version of iOS 18 before hopping into listener emails which leads into some interesting discussion, as always. Like, is the internet more dangerous now for kids than it was when I was growing up in the ’90s? We weigh in! Finally Eli gives us a rundown of his Dungeons & Dragons situation and the hardships between physical and digital ownership. Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated! As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer. Stitcher: The TouchArcade Show via Stitcher Radio for Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-606.mp3

In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show, it’s kind of a weird one! We kick things off talking about …

Continue reading "Just Don’t Huff Anything! – The TouchArcade Show #605"

In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show, it’s kind of a weird one! We kick things off talking about whip-its and huffing duster. Yeah. We then switch to an update on what’s going on with our Patreon and some of the new stuff we’ve posted there this past week. What do YOU think about it? Let us know! We also talk about Eli’s home audio woes, read a listener email with some key insight into the whole Roblox situation, and much more. Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated! As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer. Show Notes: VERY disturbing video of the guy addicted to computer duster, watch at your own risk! Matthew Struggles With Addiction to Inhaling Air Duster | Intervention | A&E [YouTube] Stitcher: The TouchArcade Show via Stitcher Radio for Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-605.mp3

In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show we kick things off with some discussion about AR/VR devices like Apple’s …

Continue reading "Terrorizing Pasadena – The TouchArcade Show #604"

In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show we kick things off with some discussion about AR/VR devices like Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s recently revealed Orion AR glasses. Also, whatever did happen to that whole Metaverse thing Zuck was so obsessed with? We then take a wild turn and talk about the “Piss Bandit" that has been (allegedly) terrorizing folks in Pasadena, and hit on other current events like the Epic vs. Google ruling and the insane stuff happening with Roblox. We wrap things up with some listener emails and an update on how things are going with our new Patreon content strategy. Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated! As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer. Show Notes: Introducing Orion, Our First True Augmented Reality Glasses [Meta] Amazon Echo Frames Store Page [Amazon] ‘Piss Bandit’ Keeps Leaving Big Bottles of Piss Around Pasadena [Vice] Google must crack open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge [The Verge] Roblox: Inflated Key Metrics For Wall Street And A Pedophile Hellscape For Kids [Hindenburg Research] Stitcher: The TouchArcade Show via Stitcher Radio for Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-604.mp3

Hello! We are still in a transitional phase of moving the podcast entirely to our Patreon, but in the meantime …

Continue reading "A Phoenix from the Ashes – The TouchArcade Show #603"

Hello! We are still in a transitional phase of moving the podcast entirely to our Patreon, but in the meantime the only way we can get the show’s feed pushed out to where it needs to go is to post it to the website. However, the wheels are in motion for transitioning not just the podcast but some of the content we’d normally post to TouchArcade onto Patreon. That kicks off today with a Game of the Week post. Spoiler: It’s Balatro. We plan on having a mixture of content available to both free and paid Patreon supporters, as well as some stuff that will be exclusive to paid supporters only. The Game of the Week will likely be one of those paid-only articles, but for this first one it is available to everyone for free. Check it out to get a taste of what the “new" incarnation of TouchArcade might end up looking like. Oh yeah, and the podcast. This week’s show is episode 603 and we talk about Hurricane Helene, Eli’s Homekit woes (and resolution!), the new iPhone 16 Pro which is now in Eli’s hot little hands, the usefulness of the weird new side button, new phone cases, listener emails, and more. It’s a jam-packed XL episode clocking in at almost 90 minutes, enjoy! Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated! As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer. Stitcher: The TouchArcade Show via Stitcher Radio for Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-603.mp3

This is a post that I’ve known was coming for quite some time, but that doesn’t make it any easier …

Continue reading "TouchArcade is Shutting Down"

This is a post that I’ve known was coming for quite some time, but that doesn’t make it any easier to write. After more than 16 years TouchArcade will be closing its doors and shutting down operations. There may be an additional post here or there in the coming weeks as we try to honor any previously agreed to obligations, and a proper farewell post is in the works too, but as of now our normal daily operations have ceased. The reason we’re shutting down probably isn’t a surprising one: Money. Many of you who have followed TouchArcade for a long time are well aware that we’ve had financial troubles for many years now, and to be frank I think it’s a miracle that we’ve been able to last as long as we have. The truth of the matter is that a website like ours just doesn’t make money anymore. To our own detriment we’ve resisted things like obnoxious in-your-face advertising, egregious clickbait headlines, or ethically questionable sponsorships, which sadly are the types of things that actually still make money in the internet of today. There are a number of other reasons that have contributed to us reaching this point, but I’d rather not get into all that right now. TouchArcade was an institution for many millions of people over the past 16 years, and it was my full-time job for the last 14+ years. A solid third of my life. In many ways it is like one of my children, and having to say goodbye to it is very difficult to do. I’d really rather focus on all the great times we had than dwell on the things which we cannot change. Also, as a man with a wife and two young children, and a mortgage, and all that other fun adult stuff, this is the end of my livelihood, and despite them being “freelancers" in a technical sense that is true for the other two people who have been the beating heart of TouchArcade, Shaun Musgrave and Mikhail Madnani. Which brings me to my next point… PLEASE HIRE US! The job market is not great anywhere, and finding new work is tough, especially in the games industry. If you are reading this and you have a need for very capable game industry veterans such as ourselves, please reach out. Jared Nelson – That’s me! Obviously I have more than 14 years of experience working right in the very thick of the mobile gaming boom here at TouchArcade. Writing, editing, managing staff, traveling to conventions. I’ve pretty much done it all. I also have a pretty varied work history previous to TouchArcade, including in management roles, that I think gives me a really well-rounded set of skills. You can contact me on LinkedIn or by email at jared [at] toucharcade [dot] com. Shaun Musgrave – Shaun has been with TouchArcade for a bit over 11 years, but has been in professional games media for more than 25 years overall. He is hands down one of the most gifted writers I have ever encountered, and if we needed a review for a big, important game and needed it by a very tight deadline Shaun was always dependable. He also uses his vast, almost uncanny knowledge of video game history to find interesting angles to write about games that only he could find. Shaun lives in Japan and is fluent in both Japanese and English, making him a great candidate for localization work as well. Please reach out to him at muzkind [at] hotmail [dot] com. Mikhail Madnani – As part of TouchArcade for more than 7 years, Mikhail has been the workhorse of our staff. Posting the bulk of what you would see on a day to day basis, there is no possible way our website could have kept running for so long without Mikhail’s contributions. An expert at sniffing out interesting news stories and then posting them in a timely fashion, but also able to put together huge features like in-depth interviews and multi-platform reviews. His coffee-laden header images are legendary as well. If you need someone who can reliably and consistently post video game-related content, then I cannot recommend Mikhail highly enough. Reach out to him at hello [at] failgunner [dot] com. So What Happens Now? If there is some sort of silver lining to all of this, it’s that for the foreseeable future all of the content that has ever been posted to TouchArcade will remain online and accessible to all. More than 33,000 published articles, including more than 4,000 game reviews, not to mention all of our yearly Best Of content and Game of the Year picks. These should hopefully all continue living on into the future for reference purposes and just to look back and see how drastically the mobile gaming landscape changed over the last decade and a half. We are also hoping to continue with our Podcast, The TouchArcade Show, which very recently just celebrated its 600th(!) episode. There are a couple co-hosts who have come and gone during the course of the podcast (shout out to Brand and Mike!) but myself and Eli Hodapp have been a constant presence on the show since the very beginning, and it’s really crazy that we’ve both spent 13+ years of our lives putting out hour-long podcasts on a (nearly) weekly basis. Related to that, you may be wondering about our Patreon. The support from our Patreon has far and away been the biggest contributor to TouchArcade continuing to exist since we launched it in June of 2015, almost a decade ago. Our thoughts are to pivot the Patreon contributions towards keeping the podcast going, and perhaps occasional posts or special features written by the staff here. Perhaps a random “SwitchArcade" or a review about a particularly high-profile mobile game launch. Maybe we could even squeeze in a Game of the Year for this year? It’s just a nugget of an idea right now, but it would be pretty cool to see TouchArcade be able to live on even in that small way. Whatever the case ends up being, I will explicitly change the verbiage of our Patreon to state that it’s no longer about supporting the website, and if people choose to stop contributing then that is totally understandable. If people are giving us money monthly I want to be absolutely transparent about what it’s going towards. Anyway, look for more news about this in the coming weeks, and at the very least be sure to follow along as a free member on our Patreon to stay in the loop. Also if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at tips [at] toucharcade [dot] com or leave a comment below. Well, that about does it, I think. I speak for all of us who have contributed to running TouchArcade over the past 16 years–from the co-founders Arnold Kim and Blake Patterson, to the first full-time hire and future Editor in Chief Eli Hodapp, and to the dozens of other writers and freelancers who have helped make TouchArcade what it is–we just want to give a sincere thank you for ever reading our site, listening to our podcast, or attending one of our events. It has been an absolute pleasure to have such a wonderful audience who appreciated what we did so much and we will all forever be grateful for the time that we were able to spend together.

For our last full controller review on TouchArcade, I’ve been using the Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition …

Continue reading "Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller Review – Customizable, Comfortable, but Lacking in Ways"

For our last full controller review on TouchArcade, I’ve been using the Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition for PC and PlayStation across my Steam Deck, PS5, and PS4 Pro for over a month now. Before I interviewed PDP Victrix about the controller and arcade sticks, I was very curious about the controller for its modular nature and also because I’ve wanted to try out another “Pro" controller after adoring the Xbox Elite (1st generation) and DualSense Edge over the years. Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller – what’s in the box Usually, controllers just ship with a cable and sometimes a charging stand. In the case of the Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition, you get the controller, a braided cable, a high quality protective case to house the controller and everything else it ships with, a replacement fightpad module with a six button layout for fighting games, two gates, two replacement analog stick caps, two d-pad caps, a screwdriver for use with the controller, and a blue wireless USB dongle. The items are all neatly placed within the case which is very good quality on its own. Unlike the normal Victrix Pro BFG controller, some of the items with this one are themed to match the new Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition aesthetic. Keep this in mind as I don’t see replacements available officially for this, but I hope they start selling them soon. Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller compatibility On paper, the Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller supports PS5, PS4, and PC. I don’t use Windows anymore, so I was curious if this would work on Steam Deck out of the box. Since I prefer the PlayStation button prompts in games, I set it to PS5 and plugged in the dongle into my Steam Deck Docking Station. It worked without issue and without needing any update. On the console side, if you want to play wirelessly, you need the same dongle and to set the toggle to PS4 or PS5. I had no issues playing with it on my PS4 Pro in PS4 mode and on my PS5 in PS5 mode. In fact, since I don’t have any PS4 controller that works outside of arcade sticks with PS4 support, this is a very good bonus to have for when I want to test something on PS4 to compare with PS5. Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller features The big draw of the Victrix Pro BFG controller is the modular nature letting you work with a symmetric stick layout, asymmetric stick layout, change things up for fighting games with the fightpad, adjust the triggers, thumbsticks, and also the d-pads. The aim with this design was to allow you to adjust the controller depending on the game you’re playing. As an example, I’d use the symmetric stick layout when playing Katamari Damacy Reroll, but I might swap to the Xbox-style asymmetric layout while playing DOOM Eternal. Being able to adjust the trigger stop is also great as I can change that when playing a racing game with analog trigger support and also go for the shortest stop when playing a game with digital trigger support. Beyond that, the multiple d-pad options are very nice, but I’ve been trying to stick to the default diamond shape one to get used to it, and I like it a lot. I wouldn’t use it for platformers though, but the other d-pad options work well here. Since this is an official PS5 and PS4 licensed controller, it is worth noting that this has no rumble, no haptic feedback, no adaptive trigger support, and no gyro/motion control support. I don’t care about gyro much, but no rumble at all is disappointing since you have sub $30 controllers now offering decent rumble, though they aren’t PS5 compatible. I’ve been informed that third party wireless controllers for PS5 might have restrictions for rumble as well, and I’ve seen more reports from folks using other third party controllers here. Either way, this is disappointing. The Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition ships with 4 paddles or well paddle-like buttons. I wish there were proper paddles you could remove though. I mapped two of them to L3 and R3 and the ones above to L1 and R1 since I use those the most in games like Monster Hunter World and also hate pressing the sticks. Having four buttons here is very good though. Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller look and feel Visually, I love the gorgeous and bright highlights and colors used on the Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition. It isn’t as elegant as the default black model with purple highlights, but for a themed controller it looks very good with its light blue, pink, purple, and Tekken 8 branding. The Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition feels very comfortable, but it is a bit too light for my liking. The material on the main controller body ranges from feeling premium to just fine. It is a far cry from the premium feeling DualSense Edge, but that controller has that ugly glossy front plate that ruins things. The grip on this controller makes a big difference, and I’ve had 8 hour sessions with the controller wired without getting tired of holding it. It being light pays off here. Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller on PS5 On PS5, there are a few things to keep in mind. This is an officially licensed controller, but you can’t turn on your PS5 with it. This seems like a limitation for 3rd party controllers on PS5, but is an annoyance to keep in mind. Beyond that, haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and gyro are not available here. Aside from that, it has touchpad support and all the buttons I use on a DualSense controller including the share button. Victrix Pro BFG on Steam Deck Like I mentioned above, the Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition works out of the box on Steam Deck with the dongle plugged into the official Docking Station I use. It even correctly is recognized as a PS5 Victrix controller with the share button working for capturing screenshots and the touchpad working as it should in PC games that have PlayStation controller support. This was great to see as some games don’t even recognize my DualSense correctly. Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller battery life The huge advantage the Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller or the normal one has over the DualSense and DualSense Edge is the battery life. It lasts multiple times longer than the DualSense and the DualSense Edge on a single charge. It also helps that the logo on the touchpad indicates when the battery is low. This is good for playing on Steam Deck as other controllers don’t really visually indicate when the battery is low. Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller software The software is something I couldn’t test as it is only available on the Microsoft Store and I don’t use Windows anymore. Thankfully, it works out of the box with Steam Deck, PS5, and PS4. The one thing I was hoping to see is if the controller would work on iOS. I tested wirelessly with the dongle on my iPad, wired on my iPhone 15 Pro, and also wired on my iPad Pro with no luck. Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller negatives Right now, it has a few big negatives. These include no rumble, the low polling rate, not shipping with the Hall Effect sensors, and it requires a dongle for wireless, at least for the model I have. The lack of rumble might not be an issue for some, but for a “Pro" controller, the polling rate is disappointing. There are multiple videos on YouTube showcasing this and why it is a problem as well. Comparatively, the DualSense Edge wired is massively better with its response. As for the Hall Effect sensors, I’m glad Victrix now sells the new modules, but why do new purchases of the controller not just ship with those in the first place? Also if I were to buy either of the module color options available for my Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller, it wouldn’t fit with the aesthetic and will not have PS5 face buttons. Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Controller Review Having gotten well over a hundred hours of use out of the controller per platform across games like UFO 50, Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Persona 3 Reload, and many more, I can safely say that I love using the controller, but the few issues are annoying to see given its price point. In a lot of ways, the Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition has the potential to be one of the best controllers in years if it sees some fixes and changes for a potential successor. Right now, there are a few too many caveats involved for its high asking price that make sure it is very good, but not amazing. The big issues holding it back right now are the lack of rumble (which seems like a restriction from Sony), dongle requirement, additional cost involved for Hall Effect sticks, and the polling rate. These might not matter to some folks, but for a “Pro" controller priced at $200, I expected a bit more. Victrix Pro BFG Tekken 8 Rage Art Edition Review Score: 4/5 Update: Added more information for the lack of a rumble feature.

In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show, we talk about the site’s closure and what that will mean moving …

Continue reading "Is This Goodbye? – The TouchArcade Show #602"

In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show, we talk about the site’s closure and what that will mean moving forward. We plan to still do this here podcast, but there are a few logistical things to figure out first. Most likely we will be pivoting to have our Patreon be the new home of the podcast, so be sure to at least join up as a free member over on our Patreon so that you’ll be sure to get any news or updates regarding the future of the show. And, just because it wouldn’t be a TouchArcade Show without off-topic banter, we weigh in on the hock tua girl’s new gig and give you our thoughts about all of Apple’s new gadgets that were launched this month. And we read emails! Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated! As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer. Stitcher: The TouchArcade Show via Stitcher Radio for Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-602.mp3

A lot of folks got into the SaGa series a long time ago through its many releases on prior console …

Continue reading "Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Interview With Game Producer Shinichi Tatsuke and Steam Deck Hands-On Preview"

A lot of folks got into the SaGa series a long time ago through its many releases on prior console generations. For me, Romancing Saga 2 on iOS was actually my gateway into the series nearly a decade ago, and I remember struggling with it quite a bit initially because I kept playing it like a normal JRPG. Fast forward to today, I adore the SaGa series as you can see in the photograph at the bottom of this article, and I was surprised to see Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, a full remake of Romancing SaGa 2, announced for Switch, PC, and PlayStation a little while ago. For today’s double feature, I’ve been playing Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven on Steam Deck through an early demo code and I’ve also had a chance to interview Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Game Producer Shinichi Tatsuke who was behind Trials of Mana’s remake. We discussed Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, learnings from Trials of Mana, accessibility, potential ports to Xbox and mobile, coffee, and more. This interview was conducted on a video call. It was then transcribed and edited for brevity in the case of some portions. TouchArcade (TA): How does it feel having worked on a remake of Trials of Mana, a beloved game, and now working on Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, a remake of another classic and beloved game? Shinichi Tatsuke (ST): Yeah, so both trials of manna and the romancing SaGa series are entries from the pre-square enix merger. It was when Square Enix was Squaresoft. These are both considered legendary titles from square. I do feel that it’s an incredible honor for me to handle the remakes of these two incredible titles. Both romancing SaGa 2 and trials of manna, when we remade these titles, it’s been 30 or almost 30 years since the original release. There was a lot of opportunity for us to kind of improve with the remake. So it was very fun to work on. So romancing SaGa 2, as you may know already, it’s a very unique game that has a lot of unique systems. So these systems are not only considered unique back then, we felt that these are still considered unique today too. So we felt that even remaking this title, even though it’s been more than 30 years, we felt that it would still be a great title to remake because of its uniqueness. It would still be considered unique for the modern players. TA: Romancing SaGa 2, the original game, was very challenging. When I played it, I think I got a game over in the first 10 minutes, and that was a nice wake up call for me with it being my first SaGa game. The remake, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, has multiple difficulty options. I wanted to know what were the challenges for you to stay true to the original while still making it accessible? This is likely going to be the first SaGa game for a lot of people with its modern graphics. ST: I think you bring up a great point because as you mentioned, the difficulty of the SaGa series is very well known throughout the fanbase and again, this is something that you probably already know, but the SaGa series has a lot of hardcore fans in Japan and outside of Japan as well. And there are a lot of people that would claim that the difficulty of SaGa is what makes the game, that’s what it’s essential for the SaGa title, for the SaGa series. But on the other hand, we have a lot of people that also feel that there’s a very, I guess, high barrier to start playing the SaGa title, because they feel that the SaGa titles are too difficult for them. So there are a lot of people that say they know about the SaGa series, but have never tried it out before. And when you ask them why, usually the answer is, oh, because it sounds like it’s too difficult. So because of that, we wanted to cater to both of these groups of fans. So the newcomers that haven’t yet to try the SaGa title, the SaGa series, but also for the hardcore fans. And one of our solutions that we thought was going to be a solution was to present the new newly added difficulty system. So we have the normal mode and the casual mode. So the normal mode is more catered for the standard RPG fans, but we also have the casual mode for people who just want to experience the narrative or the story of the game. So in the development team, we also had the core SaGa fans as well so that was our collective decision and solution to come up, solution to kind of resolve this situation where we have a lot of newcomers or people who haven’t played the SaGa title yet, trying to try, we wanted to try to hook them in by adding this difficulty, adding these new difficulty settings. So this is kind of a metaphor, but when you add, when you have spicy food, so in Japan, the curry is typically very spicy. So what you would do to kind of alleviate that ease to spice is that you would add honey sometimes. So the very spicy curry would be the original Romancing SaGa 2, where it’s just really, really difficult for a lot of players. So we kind of added the honey and the honey being the difficulty option. So like the casual mode. So to make that, to make it easier for our players. TA: One more question about the difficulty here. How was it like trying to deliver the original experience for veteran fans, but also offering some quality of life improvements into the gameplay and just the game in general? How did you decide which features to bring in to modernize the game, but also keep it very challenging for long time fans? ST: Our belief is that the SaGa series is not just all about the difficulty. it’s not just all about how difficult the games are. It’s more so how difficult it was to understand the game. For example, in the original release, there were a lot of elements or a lot of data that weren’t visible for the players. One of the examples being the weaknesses of enemies. The weaknesses did exist in the game, but it wasn’t really presented to the players, so players had to figure that out. This also applies to other stats like defenses. Again, it exists in the game, but it’s not displayed for the players. Players had to figure it out on their own to get an understanding of these aspects of the game. We thought that this wasn’t necessarily really difficult, it was just really unfair to the players. That’s something that we wanted to really improve on, because this is going to be a remake for the modern audiences, so we wanted to get rid of those unfair elements and make it fair and enjoyable for the players. That’s why in this remake, the weaknesses are going to be actually displayed for the players, unlike the original. There are, again, player areas that we’ve adjusted that just made it too difficult in the original. In order to make it fair and more enjoyable for the modern audiences, we made improvements and focused on that area. TA: When I started playing Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven on Steam Deck, because I’m playing it on PC right now, it is really good and it impressed me quite a bit with how well it runs. That got me thinking about Trials of Mana, because I played that on PlayStation 4 and Switch, and then I eventually played that on mobile also. I wanted to know, has the team been working to optimize the game specifically for Steam Deck? Editor’s Note: This was asked before the game had an official Valve rating of Steam Deck Playable. ST: Yes, so as you have already experienced the demo of the game on your Steam Deck, the full game, the full release, is going to be compatible with the Steam Deck as well, and it will be playable on the Steam Deck. TA: Can you comment on how long the development was for Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven? ST: I can’t really provide the details of that, but I can say that we started the main development towards the end of 2021. TA: What learnings from Trials of Mana remake did you take into Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven to make sure that this is also a remake which fans love? ST: Because of our experience working on Trials of Mana remake, we felt like we did develop a good understanding of what the players want and what players would enjoy out of remake titles. One of the examples being the soundtrack of the game. We learned that players generally prefer arrangements that are not too different from the original tracks. They would rather prefer something that’s more faithful to the original arrangement. Something not too different to the original. But that being said, back then, the original tracks were released, or the original title was released on older platforms like the Super Famicom, but then we’re releasing the remake on the modern platforms like the PlayStation 5 and whatnot. The technical limitations are very different between these two eras, so we were able to utilize that and then make the quality of the arrangements higher. The general direction of the tracks are going to stay the same, however, the overall quality has been refined for these remakes. That’s the area that we learned and we adapted into the Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven. Another thing that we learned was that players generally would prefer to, or there are a lot of players that also just prefer the original soundtrack and not the newly arranged tracks. We added an option in Trials of Mana remake that players can switch from two different arrangements of tracks. They can either choose the original tracks as is, or they can choose the newly composed or newly arranged tracks for the remakes. We added that system in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven as well because we learned that players really loved that choice. Having that choice offered to them for the music was really well regarded, so we added that in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven as well. There’s also a couple of different areas that we worked on newly that’s not something that we did on Trials of Mana remake. One of the examples is the graphics. The characters are typically a bit shorter on the Mana series because the graphic style is a bit more on the adorable side. In SaGa, we can’t really keep the same aesthetics in the graphics. The characters are going to be a bit taller in this remake compared to the others. Even when you look at the backgrounds as well, for the Mana series, we added shadow effects into the textures of the backgrounds. Again, SaGa is going to have a different worldview. We wanted to keep it a bit more serious. In order to do that, in order to keep things realistic, like that’s more suitable for the SaGa franchise, we utilized the lighting effects to add these shadows and not the textures like we did for Mana. Even though there were a lot of areas that we were able to utilize and bring in as is for the SaGa remake, there were a lot of areas that we worked on newly as well. A lot of different knowledge experiences, know-hows that we were able to use, but also new stuff that we figured out on our own with this remake. At this point, I thanked him and the team for making the “Romancing SaGa 2 Primer" video where he introduced the game in English. I was very happy with that video and I’ve shared it with a lot of my friends who haven’t played a SaGa game before. TA: Trials of Mana remake eventually came to mobile. I wanted to know if there are any plans to bring Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven to mobile or Xbox in the future. ST: We do not have any plans to release on those platforms at the moment. TA: My final question is how do you like your coffee? ST: I don’t drink coffee because I’m not a fan of bitter drinks. I can’t drink beer either. I’d like to thank Shinichi Tatsuke, Jordan Aslett, Sara Green, and Rachel Mascetti for their time and help with this interview and preview access over the last few weeks. Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven Steam Deck Impressions When I was offered a Steam key for Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven to try out the demo beforehand, I was equal parts excited and worried. I was excited because the reveal trailer looked excellent, but a bit worried because I had no idea if it would be a good experience on Steam Deck pre-release. Thankfully, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is not only great on Steam Deck OLED out of the box, but the few hours I spent with the demo made me not even want to bother getting the game on PS5 or Switch to play. It is that good on Valve’s handheld. But what about the remake and how it feels to play? I’m going to cover my early thoughts here. Right off the bat, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven looks great and sounds fantastic on Steam Deck. This remake also properly introduces the basics of battle, stats, and more gradually. If you’ve played Romancing SaGa 2 before, there are some changes through quality of life improvements with information, how combat flows despite being turn-based, and also the new audio options. If you never played the original, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is shaping up to be a lovely modern entry point into SaGa in general for newcomers. The visuals definitely make it more approachable, but this is very much Romancing SaGa 2 with a fresh coat of paint and some new features. Playing on the difficulty meant to be like the original still is challenging. As for the remake’s visuals and feel, it is a lot better than I expected. I loved Trials of Mana’s remake, but I think Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven will end up the better remake overall. This may be because I love the original game a lot more than Trials of Mana, but only time will tell on that when I get access to the full release. It also helps that at least on Steam Deck, the PC port is quite a bit better than I expected. When it comes to sound and language options, you can toggle between the new remake soundtrack or the original, English or Japanese audio, and also various graphics options. The PC port of Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven lets you adjust screen mode (windowed, borderless, exclusive fullscreen), screen resolution (800×450 and more with 720p support on Steam Deck), frame rate (30 to unlimited), toggle v-sync, toggle on dynamic resolution, use graphics presets, toggle anti-aliasing, adjust texture filtering quality, adjust shadow quality, and adjust 3D model rendering resolution. I set most things to maximum or high with shadows on medium and still got a near-locked 90fps on my Steam Deck OLED at 720p. On the audio side, I stuck to English for my first playthrough. The voice acting is good, but I will likely play the full game with Japanese first to see how I feel when I get it. I might even do English on console and Japanese on Steam Deck. Either way, a lot of care and effort has gone into not only making Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven feel modern, but also retain its SaGa-ness. I’m looking forward to digging into the full game when I can, and also seeing how the demo feels on consoles. Right now, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is a game you should have on your radar if you enjoy RPGs. I hope this leads to more folks trying out other SaGa games as well, but Square Enix needs to give us SaGa Frontier 2 next. Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven launches on October 24th for Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4 worldwide. A free demo will be available on all platforms today and I recommend trying it out. You can keep up with all our interviews here including our recent ones with Sukeban Games here, FuturLab here, Shuhei Matsumoto from Capcom about Marvel Vs Capcom here, Santa Ragione here, Peter ‘Durante’ Thoman about PH3 and Falcom here, M2 discussing shmups and more here, Digital Extremes for Warframe mobile, Team NINJA, Sonic Dream Team, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and more. As usual, thanks for reading.

When I first wrote about boomer shooters last year on Steam Deck and also on Switch, aside from New Blood …

Continue reading "Andrew Hulshult 2024 Interview: DOOM IDKFA, Blood Swamps, DUSK, Iron Lung, AMID EVIL, Music, Guitars, Cold Brew Coffee, and More"

When I first wrote about boomer shooters last year on Steam Deck and also on Switch, aside from New Blood and Nightdive, the most common name was Andrew Hulshult who has done some amazing music over the years. He recently was involved with the DOOM + DOOM II re-release that included his IDKFA soundtrack with new music for DOOM II, and having wanted to interview him for a while now, I finally had a chance to chat with him on call for a few hours to discuss game soundtracks, composition, bands he likes, guitar strings, pickups, cold brew coffee, his first film soundtrack, games he’s playing, and a lot more. This interview was done on video call and then it was transcribed and edited for brevity. Just like my interview with Dave Oshry from New Blood, this one was more casual than usual, and this is likely the longest interview on TouchArcade so strap in and grab a cold brew. TouchArcade (TA): So for those unaware, tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. Andrew Hulshult (AH): Yeah, my name’s Andrew Hulshult. I’m a composer and sound designer for mainly video games, but I’m starting to move over into film as well. I like to just write music by myself sometimes when it’s not for a game or film. But that’s primarily what I do. I work in the game and film industry doing sound design, soundtracks, and sometimes voice acting. TA: How did you end up working on the canceled Duke Nukem project and also Rise of the Triad 2013? AH: Duke Nukem 3D Reloaded was actually just kind of like, I think that was 2010. That’s, I’m reaching back here a little bit. So I think Frederik at the time, Frederik Schreiber, the guy who runs 3D Realms now, or I think he still does, basically he was remaking maps in the middle of Unreal Engine 3 of like some of the original Duke 3D maps and posting them on Gearbox forums, which I think one of them that got a lot of hits was like all of the 3D renders of like Hollywood Holocaust, which is like E1M1 for Duke 3D. That caught my attention as well. I was like, wow, that looks really neat. You know, like I reached out on the forums, I was like, hey, do you need any music? Maybe this would be fun. Like, I really liked Duke 3D back in the day. And he said, yeah, sure. You know, like if you want to remake some of the stuff and hand it off to me. So I just did some of that. I just had gear laying around and I wanted to kind of learn how to do this anyway. So I just dove in head first and started kind of remaking some of the old Duke 3D tracks. That kind of spawned into, you know, not a lot, not a lot was done in Duke 3D Reloaded. It was just like, you know, like some odds and ends stuff. Somehow that turned into Apogee, Terry Nagy, head hunting us and saying, hey, I have an IP that I’d really like you to work on called Rise of the Triad if you guys want to give it a try. And he had an investor with him at the time who was interested named Dave Oshry And this was a very long time ago. And it’s crazy. Like all those people now are like, you know, on the, we were all on the forefront of like the retro FPS revival stuff. But basically after Duke 3D Reloaded, yeah, Apogee came, said, hey, we’re interested. And Fred said yes on our side. And we started making Rise of the Triad 2013. TA: It was funny you mentioned Dave Oshry because when I finally got an interview with him, I think it was easier for me to meet Iron Maiden than get that interview, but after getting that done, I had New Blood covered. I recently also interviewed Nightdive about The Thing, but I needed to complete the trifecta for boomer shooters: Andrew Hulshult. Now that’s finally happening. We both laugh. TA: I remember in a prior interview you did, you mentioned how when you were doing the 3D realm stuff, you weren’t aware of how much you were in demand in the industry. So when that door closed, suddenly you had like a, like thousands of opportunities and stuff like that. But, and obviously you’ve gone on to do some of like some huge titles since then. Obviously Doom Eternal DLC is the one which a lot of people think about you. For me, it’s like other titles like Nightmare Reaper and Dusk and stuff like that. I want to know how you’ve changed as a musician and as a professional from back then to now. AH: Oh, that’s a great question. Man, starting off in the industry with, you know, doing the whole stuff with Interceptor, like where we were, what we were just talking about, it was a completely fresh experience as a musician. So you don’t know what you’re getting into. And then a lot of times you’re like, I don’t even know what I should be getting paid, you know, like you have an idea, but you’re not, you don’t know. And so like wading through those waters is interesting and also dangerous territory. But the stuff that I have learned has been all from, you know, tripping on agreements as you go forward. You sign an agreement, you go for it, you make the money, and on the back end you’re either like, this didn’t really work out, or you’re like, hey, this worked out, we need to make sure that we do this again, you know. It’s learning the entire time. Because this is the thing that I feel like musicians get hung up on a lot, which is, you know, they just, they want to make really, really awesome, beautiful art for games. And like, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. You should, that should be the core principle that you do. But you have to make sure that you get paid so that you can continue to do it. Because otherwise you burn yourself out and you don’t want to work in the industry anymore. And that, to go back to what you were talking about with, I didn’t know how much, like how in demand I was. I was right at that point. I was about to walk away from everything right after the whole stuff with 3D Realms. I was done with games. I was like, you know what, like there’s not a lot of avenues here and I’m just getting more bitter as time goes on. And the last handful of things I’ve worked on have just bombed so why am I putting all this effort into this? I should try and do something else. And I didn’t realize until I stepped out from 3D Realms how many people wanted to hire me. And like, it’s one of those weird things where like, I’m sure you can probably relate. When you have a job, like a day job, if you’ve ever just held like a simple, simple day job, you can get sucked into that entire cycle of that job and nothing else matters around. So an example of this would be, I worked for a music retailer for about 15 years, okay. I was doing well for them. They wanted to give me my own stores. I was working on management. And the cycle that comes with that where you get so wrapped up in the business of that makes you lose focus of lots of other things in life. And that’s kind of what happened to me while I was working with 3D Realms. That’s nothing bad about them. It’s just when you’re working for a company rather than working for yourself, it turns into that. From the start to now has been like just a crazy learning process. You do have to walk on landmines. You do have to get blown up a couple of times until you figure out what works and what doesn’t. Stepping out from 3D Realms after they said, hey, we don’t have the cash to pay you. It’s like, oh, okay, I guess I’ll go figure this out now. And then all of a sudden, DUSK, you know, like that’s literally the next thing that and AMID EVIL were the very next things that I worked on. It was crazy. TA: Obviously you get a lot of questions about game music, but what is like, since you brought up this whole thing about how you’ve changed, what is the biggest misconception that people both in the industry and like the players have about video games music right now? AH: The biggest misconception. Oh, that anybody can do it and it’s a small part. laughs It’s like, you can’t just throw anything in there. Like, man, it’s I’d say that from a public like standpoint of I don’t play games that much and I’m casual kind of thing, some of my friends and some of my family are like, you have the easiest job. I’m like, you have no f***ing idea. You know, walk in my shoes for a day and let’s talk again. Yeah, it’s really difficult because you, you really have to trick yourself into getting into whatever atmosphere or whatever world someone else has painted already. Right. Like they’ve already built everything out. This is their vision. You have to step into it and you have to step into it with respect to their design philosophies. And you also have to have the confidence to say, well, this is what I think we should do and why we should do it. And there’s a lot of, there’s a lot of social confidence that’s needed to do a gig like this. It’s complex in a lot of different ways. The art side of it is hard enough, like pulling shit out of thin air, is difficult already, but then, um, explaining to people why you want to go this direction and sometimes even arguing to get that direction can be a hassle in and of itself. So yeah, I’d say the biggest misconception is that it’s easy and that it’s not easy. I swear to God, so many times my friends are like, ah, you’ve got the easiest job. I’m like, no, man, I live, I, I threw a hundred pound boxes from 6 AM to 4 PM. And sometimes I miss that. Whiskey and coffee fueled half of the @RiseoftheTriad OST. Most songs were composed between 9pm and 3am. The more you know — Andrew Hulshult (@AndrewHulshult) September 30, 2015 TA: So I also want to talk a lot about your gear, but before that, I think we should discuss some of the game specific things. So let’s start with ROTT 2013. I’ve just sent you a tweet right now, which I wanted to reference. This is quite an old one (linked above). Well, I actually didn’t know much about this soundtrack until recently. I had heard about it and I had heard that a lot of my friends bought that release. They said that it wasn’t that great. I played the original on DOS but not the 2013 version, so I didn’t really hear it all in-game until the Ludicrous Edition and when folks made a big deal about it having Andrew Hulshult’s music. I decided I wanted to properly try it then. I wanted to talk about your thought process between like, you know, redoing those tracks and coming up with your own flare on them, because anyone who, at least any fan of yours, if they listen to that, they know it’s your music. It’s not like, oh, this is just like him doing a cover of someone else. It still feels like it’s you. AH: The first and foremost thing was to make sure you respect your elders. I wanted to make sure that whatever I did obviously served the fanbase and by proxy served everything that Lee Jackson had written. Lee Jackson and Bobby Prince, as far as I’m concerned, that’s the de facto composers for FPS. The originators. You’re already stepping into something well established back in the day. People are very familiar with this. If you f*** it up, you are toast. That was my first professional gig. Stepping into that kind of pressure. Just really what it came to, it was all really natural. I heard these songs and I saw the game and what they’re making and I’m like it is kinda jank, but it is fun. It is ridiculous. ROTT is so ridiculous. I was like man, I was talking to Dave and Fred about it. What if we did like rock and metal stuff predominantly? That’s the kind of music I listen to all the time. They said let’s try it. Even Terry was like you should do it. Really they just kinda gave me free reign to give it a try on some of these things. The first one I did as a demo to work on it was “Goin Down the Fast Way" and I remember I handed that to Terry. Terry is awesome and he has been great to me for my entire career. Never had a bad piece of advice from him. He is the CCO for Apogee by the way. I remember handing him the very first demo of “Goin Down the Fast Way". His comment coming back to me was “It is in the right direction but it sounds like a diarrhea of sound" Because it wasn’t mixed correctly. I was just excited to hand him something. I was like ok this is one of those moments where I’m going to have to learn how to accept feedback even if it is not from a musician and I know that they mean well. I remixed a couple of things and I think this is what he was talking about and I sent it back to him and he said it was way better and it was awesome. Ok cool, this guy doesn’t just hate me. It kind of just came from the heart. All the soundtracks I work on, it’s me. Even if it is stepping into someone else’s shoes, I have to remember that the source material comes first, then you put your influences on. So the source material is the structure of the house but you can put up whatever walls you want and paint on it, and hang and decorate, but just make sure that the house is still the same house that people remember. Now to address the Tweet above, Whiskey and coffee fueled half of the Rise of the Triad soundtrack. Most songs were composed between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. That’s true. Here’s one little tidbit with it too. Terry Nagy, the guy I was talking about, the CCO from Apogee, he would regularly take me down to a bar called Hula Hands. And he would buy the drinks and then he would just take me home and be like, “Alright, now go write some more songs." It was awesome. I miss those days. TA: This reminds me of that one track in IDKFA where you used a tremolo to replicate a specific sound and it was the perfect way to do it. AH: That was Dark Halls in DOOM. It has the tremolo guitar that’s supposed to be the rolling bass synth from that sound. I love that song. TA: After ROTT 2013, another game I didn’t really play until recently was Bombshell and I literally only bought that game because of your soundtrack. I got it when I was researching boomer shooters for an article and was looking at the games I don’t own. I bought it and didn’t really care for much of it, but the music was great. I kind of think of that soundtrack with Nightmare Reaper where they feel like just metal albums from Andrew Hulshult rather than dedicated game soundtracks. Was this the point in your career where you realized you’re really good at bringing metal into these kinds of games? It felt like a turning point. AH: That’s that’s a great question too like actually yeah like right around that time I was experimenting a lot with just you know making big atmospheric like synth stuff and like orchestral as you can hear on that soundtrack if you got far enough, laughs, but also like for the for the bigger fights and stuff, I really wanted to start dialing up you know my own sound and my own writing and you know I’d already done the cover stuff I wanted to want to show people what what I could do and so yeah that is kind of really where my introduction to like my own original pieces started coming into place, so yeah that is actually right. I never even thought about that that is where that started and also like I mean I gosh that’s if I think about it, that was 2013 is the end of 2013 is when development started on that, and it originally started as a Duke Nukem game before the lawsuit, and I had an eight string by that time. I was tuning down big time at that point, and there’s a lot of stuff that never made it maybe I’ll put that up on Twitter at some point but there’s a lot of stuff that never never showed up on it because it was a little too aggressive you know but that stuff would later show up in DOOM you know. laughs TA: When just discovering your music many years ago, everything was really good metal, and this was probably around the time I was mainly listening to metal before I started broadening my horizons. I went through this phase when I was learning guitar and I started listening to more Dream Theater and then got a seven string guitar, and eventually got into Meshuggah. It got me thinking about how when I listen to your music now, you manage doing unique things for each game and make the songs fit the game properly. It isn’t just metal anymore so there’s no worry about being typecast. Did you have that fear that everyone is just going to expect metal from you when you’re behind a specific soundtrack? AH: Oh man. You just saying that just out loud makes me wow. I still worry about that sometimes. There are moments where I’m like am I getting typecast at this point, and you saying, yeah I don’t have to worry about that anymore, I’m like oh thank god I heard it from someone else where they were you know like, because I don’t want to be like I don’t want to be like straight up known as metal guy you know like I love metal I love playing it I’ll make those records all day long as people as long as people will listen to it and even if they won’t I’ll probably make them, but yeah I like to paint with different brushes like especially when I get older, like I really enjoy mixing sound design with guitars. I like mixing sound design with orchestral instruments, I like just going full hand on my Eurorack synth stuff over here and just getting lost. As a musician I’m fortunate enough at this point where I can just experiment, and I know I can find, I have the confidence now after working on all these games and having some success with it where I know if I get lost I can find a way out because I’ll find something that I like, and chances are if I like it, I can probably show it to some people who will dig it as well. I’m so glad to hear that you’re like I know that I can get some variety. laughs TA: I mean if someone just heard DUSK and I’d say if they heard DUSK even that is pretty different. I mean if someone’s not into metal maybe they think dusk sounds the same as bombshell but you can totally tell that DUSK was trying to be like this middle ground of what you like and Nine Inch Nails’ Quake. I think it has one of my favorite guitar tones in gaming right now, and it’s still pretty timeless. I want to move to AMID EVIL. I love the soundtrack to the main game, but I want to ask about the DLC for two reasons. Now the first thing is kind of like a personal topic because I believe you were going through a family emergency during the time when you were recording the soundtrack, right? When I was playing Dragon Quest VIII on the 3DS and my grandfather was in the hospital before he passed away, whenever I think about Dragon Quest VIII now it reminds me of that. So do you go through the same thing with the AMID EVIL DLC music? AH: I don’t think I’ve been able to sit down and digest it that way yet. But I know exactly what you’re talking about and I’m sure that is what I will absolutely go through. Yeah, to harp back to what you’re talking about, to what you’re referencing, my father had a heart attack. And it was just out of nowhere. And it was on, gosh, I think it was on New Year’s Eve. It was like 9 PM on New Year’s Eve. It was the year before it was released And I was halfway, I was like midway through working on that soundtrack. And it just scared the shit out of me. As anybody would. Your father’s dying And he ended up having like a, all four valves around his heart were like 90-95% clogged. So yeah, he had to have a quadruple bypass. And thankfully, We have a really, really good heart hospital right next to us. And they’re at an age now where they’re on Medicare. I think it’s Medicare. I can’t remember. It’s like once you’re past 64 at a certain age in this country, you can get on Medicare. And you know, like health stuff isn’t as much of a nightmare as it normally is. But they got great care, got taken care of. But it was months. It took months for all that stuff to happen. And there’s like so many things that happened in between that. Like this was right in the middle of COVID. So like whenever he got, it was right in the middle of the big Omicron spike for the world. So as soon as he got admitted, he couldn’t get to an actual emergency room. He had to sit in another room for like two or three days and they actually had to sedate him for a few days before they could transfer him to another hospital to get looked at. Like it was just crazy. And I was out of my mind. I was crazy at that point. And so once they got to a point where they said we’re going to do surgery and he came out of surgery, I just needed something to occupy myself. Otherwise, I was going to self-destruct. So I started writing a lot on the AMID EVIL stuff and started really finding that old like playing with a band and writing songs for you kind of vibe going in. And a lot of that stuff in a AMID EVIL, the stuff that’s like got a lot of energy behind it, that is pretty personal for me. There’s a lot of emotions on that soundtrack. There’s also something else that I haven’t talked about in public yet and I’m not going to talk about it here that I started working on that has a lot of that as well. And that’ll still be a while before that pops up. But I’d say that that was my main outlet for a while. You have something to look forward to. But yeah, like that soundtrack let’s wrap it up. That soundtrack did have a lot of tension and a lot of emotions tied to my father almost passing away and me trying to wrap my head around that. You’re right. I hadn’t thought about that. TA: The other thing about the AMID EVIL DLC is this specific song I want to touch on: Splitting Time. This song is interesting for a few reasons. It reminds me of some of my favorite game trailers like the song used in the Nioh 2 launch trailer, I’m not sure if you’ve seen it. But more interesting than that is I was playing Street Fighter 6 with a friend of mine and listening to this in the background and he asked me if I was listening to Killer Instinct music? I said it was the AMID EVIL DLC and he wanted to know who made it. It reminded me quite a bit of Mick Gordon’s non DOOM music. We spoke about Killer Instinct and my friend said “they should get Andrew for a new Killer Instinct album" and I wanted to ask if Killer Instinct influenced that song? AH: No I didn’t actually. But there might be little hints of that back and forth because gosh, there are moments when I went back to that Killer Instinct reboot because I thought Mick did such a great job on it. Where I’m like, man, the production here is exactly what I have been trying to do for like a handful of years, And like that soundtrack was just really inspiring to listen to. I think he’s just, he’s a brilliant composer. TA: That’s another game I bought because of the soundtrack because when I played DOOM 2016, I was like I need to play more games with this guy’s done the music for and everyone was like Killer Instinct. I was like I’ve never heard this. I didn’t own an N64. What the hell is this game? I bought it and liked the music a lot more than the game. AH: That whole soundtrack slaps, man. He did a fantastic job on that. When you realize @AndrewHulshult put his whole bussy into the Nightmare Reaper OST instead of saving it for DUSK 2 pic.twitter.com/tU1AsySok0 — Dave @ Home (@DaveOshry) October 11, 2023 TA: OK, so now let’s go to Nightmare Reaper a bit. I already mentioned how this could be your own metal album. I don’t even think it needs to be related to this game. And this is another game I just bought because the music was so good. And I was like there’s kind of like this disconnect between what I expected in the game and after I heard the music, because I heard the music before playing the game and I was like, OK, I need to get used to this. But so before I ask you about your thought process between doing the music, I want to just bring up this other tweet (linked above) from New Blood’s Dave Oshry, which is interesting for Nightmare Reaper. When I saw that Tweet, I knew I had to bring it up whenever I interviewed you in the future and here we are. Laughs AH: Whenever Bruno reached out to me, Bruno is the developer of Nightmare Reaper. Whenever he reached out to me, we just literally started talking about some of our favorite bands and we would just go off back and forth because he showed me a game that he was making. I was like, “That looks cool." I was like, “Well, let me know if you’re ever interested." And then we just started talking about music. He’s like, “Would you be interested in working with me on this?" And I said, “Yeah, I think that would be cool." And he literally was like, “I just want this to be like a metal record from you." I was like, “Really?" He was like, “Yeah." He’s like, “You’ve got good influences." He’s like, “I just want it to sound like you just made a straight metal record." I was like, “Well, it can’t be just that." I was like, “But it’ll be mostly that." You still need to like, we need to, it needs to still be for a game. Because otherwise you’d have me, you know, screaming over top of everything as well. But yeah, it is pretty close to something I would have written at that time. You know, as you go with a, as time moves on, tastes change. And you know, but like at that time, for sure, that’s what you would have gotten for a metal record. I think that’s pretty close, yeah. TA: How do you manage doing that and also keeping the soundtrack dynamic for a game then? AH: Um, play through it a lot of times where you can figure out where you can have rests and lulls. And where somebody’s gonna possibly just walk around and look for things. And then try to write something that you yourself would not get bored of. And that’s still interesting in terms of like, you know, like an ambient track or like a low energy track that still moves a little bit. Just music to explore to, right? And then try and make a piece that complements what that is, but is super high energy or, uh, just higher energy for it. So like, so that those two can work together. You really have to think of it as like, you’re gluing two or three different pieces together. Because like Prodeus has like three pieces. It has an ambient, it has a light combat, and it has a heavy combat. And they’re structured in triggers throughout that game. So I have to think of how this ambient works with this low combat song and then work with this high combat song. Or this heavy combat song. And do they all move well between each other, um, if you were to just crossfade them at random times, you know? Because that’s what the engine is going to do. So yeah, it’s like, I don’t know, you just, you gotta take one of those pieces of music, build it out first, and then think about the other piece. TA: Since you brought up Prodeus, that was the next game I was going to ask about. I don’t even remember what happened with Prodeus when it launched on Steam, because I remember being sent a code for it and just tried it out for review, but was blown away by the music. I remember I even joked about that when I wrote about boomer shooters. At the time, it felt like everything boomer shooters was all about New Blood, Nightdive, and Andrew Hulshult. So Prodeus feels like metal, industrial, bass heavy, and punchier in general. It works well with the aesthetic but I think Cables and Chaos is my favorite. You’ve spoken a lot about Prodeus, but I wanted to know what your favorite track is from that and whether you can give us an interesting anecdote from composing which people might not know about? AH: Cables and Chaos is definitely my favorite one. Like, for sure. Like, that was the moment. Um, so, like, they originally only wanted me to work on, like, the music that first shipped. Not a lot of people know that I went through, like, this whole nightmare where I had to pull the entire soundtrack down across the entire, like, all this digital distribution and put it back up with all the songs because originally there was only, like, ten pieces of music with Prodeus. And then when they were getting closer to release they were like, “Hey, we want to… we want to… we want, like, ten more." And I was like, “Oh, uh, okay. Well, I’ve already put out the soundtrack. We already agreed on this, so this is weird." So, um, they showed me what else they were working on in terms of, like, the levels and everything that I hadn’t seen and I was like, “Good lord, these look incredible!" So I got really inspired with that and made a ton of really just more aggressive pieces of music which turned into things like Chaoscaster, Cables and Chaos, uh…I’m just trying to think of the other ones. Dystopian Dimension. That whole soundtrack is awesome. Like, that whole soundtrack, like, it was built in an interesting time where it’s…it was… half of it was pre-pandemic and the other half was during isolation during pandemic. So, it’s got these really interesting tangents of, uh, the second half of the record’s way more aggressive than the first half. Just because, like, I don’t know, I was at home and I’m like, I can’t get anything out. Like, in terms of my outlet, I can’t go out. I can’t do this. So, like, all of my energy was focused on how aggressive can I make the rest of this, you know? Like, and then we finally get to put it out. I think that was 2022. Here’s one thing from Prodeus that I thought was super neat. So, Spent Fuel is one of the only times that I’ve been…Well, it was one of the first times I’d done it at the moment. Where I’d taken an idea and I was like, how do I write a concept around this? And really, like, the map they showed me was just, you know, green sludge and radiated bullshit everywhere. It looked like Chernobyl. And, um…I was like, man, I really want to find ways to take things like Geiger counters, uh, and, uh, pulses from, from, uh, from fission reactions and, like, maybe even the sound of the, uh, the flash that happens in the video whenever they’re testing the atomic bomb stuff. Like, anything that’s gamma or uh, radiation that is audible, I want to take that and make a piece of music with it. So, there literally are all of those things in that piece of…that piece of music. So, there is the sound of a nuclear reactor turning on, doing what’s called a pulse, uh, for the first time. And that’s actually used in part of the beat. The Geiger counters used as portions of the beat that kind of sounds like a drum machine a little bit. I reversed the sound of, uh, the atomic bomb, the initial flash hitting the camera, making this “bzzz" sound. I reversed that and made it pulse back and forth through the beat. And then, you know, later on the music is like a lot of guitar stuff to go with it and everything, but all that stuff that’s going on with the synthesizer is all based around, you know, like radiation. And I was like, “Ah, this is cool!" Whenever I got done with it, I was like, “Finally!" I had an idea, like a concept idea for a piece of music that stems from like a real life thing and put it all together. So that was like, that’s one of the standout moments for me on that soundtrack. I was really proud of that. TA: Can you say anything about the DLC music or is that just up to the devs for them to release? AH: Uh, that’s up to the devs for them. TA: Anything that’s different or interesting or should we just expect another banger soundtrack? AH: I’m not sure if they’re going to use the base game stuff or if they want me to work on anything new. I have my suspicions that they’ll give me a shout probably somewhere in the near future, but I haven’t heard from them yet. TA: I think in a recent interview where you spoke about the Iron Lung soundtrack, which you’re doing, obviously you can’t talk much about it, but I, don’t want to know about the soundtrack specifically, I’ll wait for the movie to come out, but I want to know three things: How is it working on a movie soundtrack? How is it working with Markiplier? How has the budget available for the soundtrack changed how you’re able to approach music composition? AH: So the first one was, how’s it working on a movie soundtrack? Completely different. Like, I thought that, I thought that I’d be able to walk in and just be like, “Eh, this won’t, this’ll be simple." Oh. Like, it’s just as challenging as the game stuff, but in a completely different direction. Where I would know exactly to talk to a developer about “Let’s put a piece of music here, let’s put a piece of music here, let’s do that." I can do that with Mark, but they’re completely different conversations. One is, you know, I know exactly what’s supposed to be happening in the game here, this is, you know, you’re picking up this weapon, or you’re, this adventure is happening in front of you, this is the tone. The other is a film that I may get something out of, but Mark may be intending for a different emotion. So we have to talk about those things back and forth before I make a piece of music. So it’s really interesting. It’s a fun challenge, to be honest with you. The second one was working with Mark? Mark is awesome. He is so much fun to work with. He hears things that I don’t hear, uh, brings things up in, in my own music, where I’m like, “Oh, I didn’t even think about that." And he’s very much, um, a musician without, like, being a musician. Like, he doesn’t, he doesn’t write, like, as far as I know, he doesn’t write a bunch of music, like, on the regular, but he understands it very, very well. And will, uh, regularly make decisions when I hand him a piece of music, and he’s like, “Okay, this is, you know, sometimes we will have to cut these back and forth, but I promise you, like, like, to make it work for a scene." He’s like, “But I promise you, we’ll do it as best as we can, or I’ll do it as best as I can." I’m like, “Uh, you know, like, maybe I should just recompose the scene." And every time he cuts something to, like, possibly make it, like, a tiny bit shorter, I’m like, “No, that’s exactly what I would have done. Like, how are you this good at editing this stuff?" Like, it’s, it blows my mind. Um, so he’s been fantastic to work with. The third is about the budget for the movie soundtrack and how it changes how it affects composition? Budgets were a lot bigger. I’ll just, I’ll just keep it at that. They were, they were, they were much bigger. Um, just because of how much, it wasn’t, like, due to, um, you know, like, “Oh, you’re working on a film now." It was, it was because of how much music we went through. Um, I wrote demos with them on the set. So, like, they flew me down to Austin and Mark said, “Hey, you know, why don’t you just write music while I’m doing scenes?" I’m like, “Wow, that sounds actually really, really f***ing cool, yeah." So, I would go down there about once every two weeks and spend about two or three days there, just sitting at, uh, sitting out front while they’re, they’re doing scenes, and I’d be writing music with my headphones, just watching on a monitor, you know, what’s going on in front of me, like, 50 feet in front of me. And so, there was a ton of music from that, and there’s a lot more music that came afterwards that we wrote, and in fact, um, I’m actually about to jump on a call because I think they need one more, one more piece of music. I’m gonna jump on a call in like two hours, ’cause I think they need one more piece of music. Um, but it’s, it’s just been a lot. There’s a lot there. And it’s picking the emotions that go where. So, like, there would be, I wrote all these songs for, you know, um, catching a vibe of depression, and these songs for catching a vibe of anger, and these vibes for tension, and this, and this, and we have this giant palette to just choose from and pick where we want things to go, and that’s what, that’s what Mark’s been doing. So, yeah, it’s, it’s pretty much, I mean, financially, the exact same thing as, that I would agree on with games, but it’s just, there’s the volume that, like, we’ve done with stuff is like, whoa, that’s a lot! So, yeah. So, yeah, it’s been great. It’s helped me out a ton. I’d love to work with Mark again after this. TA: Going from your first movie soundtrack, let’s talk about your first chiptune album, which was Dusk 82. So, was that actually the first time you did any sort of chiptune remixing or composition or arrangement, I should say? AH: Yeah, the first real one, like, I mean, like, you could, you could argue that, like, the Rad Rodgers stuff has some of that on there, but that’s, like, closer to synth wave more than anything else, I feel like. And, like, that kind of retro feel. So, yeah, this was the first real time that I, like, approached, like, a chiptune. Like, this is, you have to stay within these boundaries of limited technology. And it was literally, like, you know, choose your, choose your sine wave. Do you want, you want sine, or choose your audio wave. Do you want sine, square, or, you know, triangle? So, it’s one of the three. Just building, like, drum kits based off of that and, like, white noise and everything. And, yeah, that was, that was interesting. Like, when David approached me about that, I was like, “You wanna do what?" You know, like, completely make, like, the Dusk soundtrack and chiptunes of, like, why don’t we just, like, choose a handful of, like, the hits and go from there. Like, the ones that people remember the most, you know? And that was fun. Uh, that was super cool. Just bouncing those back and forth off Dave and David. But, yeah, that was, that was the first time I ever did that. And it was, it was pretty cool. I’m glad people like it. TA: I think, uh, Dusk 82 was, like, this free pre-order bonus with the Nintendo Switch release. So when I started playing that, I was like, “Wait, did they actually do this for the soundtrack?" And then I looked it up and I’m like, “Of course they did!" I know obviously you’re, like, super busy with, like, a ton of projects, but if you had, like, unlimited time and resources, would you do a chiptune demake of any of your other albums? And if you would, which one would you pick? AH: Gosh. Which one would be the most interesting is really the, uh, the question there. I think the one that would be the most interesting if I were to do that would be probably AMID EVIL. Because there’s so much going on in some of those, it would be, it would be a lot of fun to go back and, like, hear some of those melodies that are, like, on, like, all string sections and stuff, and here I’m taking all the way down to, like, 8-bit, you know? I think that that would fit really well too. But yeah, if money wasn’t an issue. Yeah, and time. Time’s the biggest one there. TA: Speaking of time and money, I was going to ask you about remastering one of your old soundtracks, like bringing it to the modern Andrew Hulshult sound. You mentioned that you’d do ROTT 2013 if they paid you to remaster it. AH: There’s a ton of work involved in that. Doing that just for IDKFA was a ton of work. Like, that was months of getting that together. Um, yeah, I’d love to do that for ROTT if Apogee would be interested in it, but, like, it’s a time thing more than anything else. I think it’s a time thing for them, and it’s a time thing for me. I mean, they’re literally down the street, so, like, they can open up that conversation anytime they want, and it’s just a matter of when, you know? When’s the right time. TA: WRATH: Aeon of Ruin, I think is a game you composed a long time ago, at least in gaming, like, a few years ago, and it finally released this year. That’s a soundtrack where if anyone hears it, I think they probably wouldn’t expect it to be you when they listen to the soundtrack, and that’s one of the things I love about it, because here, like, he does more than just metal, like, you need to get that into your head, like, that feels like one of those things. How was it working on that soundtrack? AH: It was interesting back and forth. Jeremiah, the developer on that, the original developer, at first, I think he’ll be okay with me saying this, at first we did not, we didn’t see eye to eye on things, because I wanted straight up, like, almost no guitar at all, Quake, Like, this is what you’re going for, this is the audience, we need to harp even further into this, and he wanted some guitar mixed in there, and like, we would butt heads back and forth on it quite a bit, until we finally came to like a mutual understanding, and I started hearing him out a little bit more, and he started hearing me out, and I was like, okay, okay, I think we’re all good on this. But yeah, it was, that one was a little, a little more tough, just because the, like, the development cycle was, wasn’t, you know, as people know, like, didn’t, it didn’t go as great, like, towards about halfway through, maybe a little, even a little earlier than that, and I could see some of that happening in real time, just because I know all those guys, so like, it was unavoidable. So that’s, that’s hard to make art for when you know that the product itself is having some problems. But I think Christalynne Pyle did a good job with wrapping everything up towards the end of it, which was a task in and of itself, for sure. But, I don’t know, there were some weird ideas pitched out there at one point, where like, I think Fred wanted like, like straight up, like really over the top metal tracks at one point. I think they even had a trailer at one point where I was like, this is not the tone of this game. I don’t know where you guys found that music, but like, this is, this is not that. But I’m glad that everything in the end was able to have some cohesiveness and, and meld together. I really wish that we had time to do some action tracks, like, for that game. Like, I feel like there are moments where that could have, that could have been helpful, but also at the same time, that’s a big what if. You know, like, because there’s two things that you have to take into consideration. Which is, that’s the Quake engine. It’s like the OG Quake engine. You know, what are the limitations that we’re working with here? Can we dynamically swap music, and is it going to work well, just as well as you’ve heard in other titles? And number two, um, would that take people out of it? Because everybody remembers like the OG Quake having like, you know, every map had its song. Well, I say that. It was a disc running that just played a bunch of music. But basically, every map had a song for it. So, yeah, there’s, there’s a handful of things there. But I like the soundtrack. I think it’s cool. I think it’s, it’s, it’s got some really interesting moments in it where like, one of them where I was, I just said, “F*** it, whatever. We’re gonna, we’re gonna bow a guitar through a bunch of pedals and see what that comes out like." That’s one of my favorite pieces from that. I think that’s towards the end. But, um, yeah, it was a little bit of a struggle, but I’m glad I still went through it. I had fun, and I think that everybody that worked on it was pretty proud of it by the end. TA: Now, DOOM Eternal’s DLC. How did it feel for you doing IDKFA and now doing official DOOM music? Like, it’s your soundtrack with David Levy? Did id Software actually talk to you about IDKFA beforehand? AH: I know that IDKFA was, was passed around that studio a whole bunch, cause I, I’d get, um, DMs from people that work there that are now, like, I consider great friends, where they would reach out in, like, 2015, and 2016, and, like, all the way back as 2014, where they would be saying, you know, hey, I’m working at id right now, I just want you to know that I’m listening to your, to your music while I work, and I was always just like, oh, holy cow, that’s crazy, you know? Um, and I, you know, as far back as that, I was just like, hey, if you ever, you know, if you ever, if you ever need music, let me know, you know? So, but, like, never, never, you know, like, pushing like, the button or the boundaries, cause like, I think it was announced that Mick was working on there in, like, 2015? Like, it was like the year before, or something like that, when they really started showing some of the music, and I was like, oh, they’ve, they’ve, they’ve got that handled, okay, cool. So, um, but I was always interested in, in finding a, a way to work with that studio, cause I love DOOM, and, like, it’s really is, like, the core of my DNA wanting to work in games, is DOOM, and like, Duke 3D, um, so, yeah, I always wanted to work with them, and IDKFA, I kinda looked at almost as a resume, like, I was like, I’m gonna put this out there, if it gets popular enough, it’ll speak for itself, and it did exactly that, because, uh, in, gosh, that was, that was right at, like, quarter one, quarter two of 2020, when, when they approached me, I think it was, actually it was, I think it was quarter two of 2020, and said, hey, we, uh, we are in a position where we need, we need music, where we need music, and, uh, we need it quickly, and would you be up to the task for this? They fully were, they knew what they were asking was, was a tall order, in a short period of time, and they said, you know, we can absolutely use the base game stuff, but we wanted to at least reach out and, and ask you, because we, we feel like we can trust you, cause I, I’d made relationships with, with, uh, with Marty, some light ones with Hugo, with Chad Mossholder, their sound guy, I knew all of those people by then, and, um, I was like, hey, you know what, it’s, it’s like 35 or 40 days, f*** it, we, let’s do it, it was like, this sounds like a challenge, I’m totally up for it, and, you know, I had to keep my composure the entire time, but in the inside I’m like, oh my god, you know, like, I’m working on an official DOOM game, uh, and when, but when we got done with that, like, I don’t know, it’s one of those weird moments where you go, holy cow, we went from, uh, you know, a mod project, uh, all the way to the official thing, and it’s just, it’s insane, it’s, it’s crazy, I keep running into those portions of my career, I hope they never stop, there are, something always surprises me like that. TA: I think it’s safe to assume that a lot of people who tell you they love your music bring up Blood Swamps from DOOM Eternal’s DLC. Because I think every person I see on YouTube is like, everyone’s just doing Blood Swamps, it seems like the most popular thing and all, and for you that’s probably a weird feeling because you have this song which a lot of people love or something which you’re really proud of, but you can’t stream it or buy it legally. Can you comment on that in any form? What do you tell people who ask about buying your music from DOOM Eternal’s DLC? laughs AH: Well, Bethesda and id own all that stuff, they paid me well for it, so like I was happy to do all that, um, that’s not like a bullshit PR thing, like, for real, they took care of me. They own all that, so you know, if they, if they ever choose to put that stuff out, that would be awesome, I’d totally embrace it and get behind it with that, but sometimes studios do that, sometimes they don’t, and it’s just completely up to their call, but I will tell you that they have no problem with you, you know, grabbing it off YouTube or anything like that, so do that to your heart’s content, throw it on your phone, whatever you want to do, they just, they’re just glad that you like the stuff, and so am I, to be honest, but hey, hopefully one day we can get an official release, like, that would be cool. TA: Yeah, because I have the DOOM 2016 vinyl soundtrack, and I’d love to have DOOM Eternal music on vinyl as well. Anyway that’s something I’ve been thinking about because it’s probably a difficult situation for you to be in, because people would who want to support you, like, obviously they can buy DOOM Eternal and buy the DLC and stuff like that, but it’s an unfortunate situation for fans, is all, like, I’ll leave it at that. AH: It’s not really like a weird situation at all. I’m totally okay with whatever, Bethesda and id want to do with that, because they were completely up front, they’re like, we’re gonna own this, what we choose to do with that is…Yeah, yeah, and I was like, yeah, that’s fine, I just want to help, I want to make like, a cool DLC for everybody that’s stuck at home, and I want to write like, some kick-ass music for it. And, so there’s no feelings of like, you know, oh, this is weird because this isn’t out, or anything like that. I know people are gonna rip it out of the game, I know, like, so do they, and like, that’s fine. But, you know, hopefully, I would like to see an official release one day, but that is completely up to them, and I will respect whatever they want to do, because they’ve been nothing but awesome. TA: Now let’s just talk about Blood Swamps for a bit, because like, everyone loves the riffs and stuff like that, so, what was your thought process in creating that song? Did they ask you to make something that fit with the base game or tell you to just go wild and be Andrew with the music? AH: They told me to go wild and just be me, which I was like, that felt pretty dangerous to me, because I was like, man, the, you know, what’s established here from Mick? I’m like, that’s pretty strong. Like, that’d be like somebody walking into another DUSK soundtrack, you know, like, for the Indie Shooter, and then being like, we’re gonna do all synthwave, you know, like, no, that’s not how that works. You have to serve what came before you. You have to show respect to what came before you. And that’s really important for the fans before anybody else. Doesn’t matter with an executive producer, doesn’t matter with the musician, doesn’t matter with the artist. It’s for the fans. Like, you have to make sure that whatever you’re going to do is going to, they’re gonna go, okay, cool, yeah, I understand, you know, why you chose this. So really, for me, looking at it when they were like, hey, you just be you, do whatever you want, what you think serves Doom the best. I was like, well, that’s a no-brainer. I’m gonna, I’m gonna, you know, I’m gonna source some inspiration from 2016 and Eternal, and then write what I would want to write. So, the colors that I’m painting with are familiar, but the writing that I’m using, what I’m using to paint, or the picture I’m painting is different. So there’s some familiarity there. Because, you know, like, Blood Swamps is quite a bit different than stuff that you would hear on 2016 or Eternal. It’s a little bit more, this is, uh, this is like almost like a traditional metal song. And like, in fact, uh, I remember handing that over to Chad the first time and him being like, “Oh, metal. Alright." And I was like, “Really? That’s like, you’re surprised. But, um, the, uh, it’s just a little bit more almost traditional. But, um, yeah, there’s, like, it was nice having David and Chad to bounce stuff off of. Because where I would hand them something, like Blood Swamps was originally like just guitar, just, just bass, and just drums. And it started, I started adding things in at, uh, after talking to, um, to Chad and David quite a bit. Where they would be like, you know, “Have you thought about any sound design stuff?" I’m like, “Well, what did you, you know, what are you thinking? Show me the instruments that you’re working with and, you know, like, let’s just talk stuff out." We’d have like hour long conversations every single day. And we would all just learn from each other. It was, it was so cool. But, yeah, like Blood Swamps comes from a point, I just remember, I have to write something that if this is the only DOOM game I work on, it has to be just, like, way out there. Like, I have to, I have to, I have to just take my shot. And it has, I have to rip out all of the barriers that are like, “Hey, should I do this? Shouldn’t I do this? Who gives a f***?" Just, just just write the fastest, most aggressive thing that you can think of at this point in time, and we’ll go from there. And that’s what, that’s what Blood Swamps was. And then everything else came after it, I was like, “Okay." It was like, “We can do different things now." You know? TA: I think you mentioned how you had a few weeks to do the DLC soundtrack, but because you had the support system of those two, it was all possible in the end. I think you mentioned that in one of the other interviews. AH: Yeah, because David was handling, like, on the first DLC, he was handling the cutscene work, and he had his own, like, stuff where he was working on a boss, and a level, and then I got these two levels, so they split up the work evenly between us on both DLCs. And there’d be so many times where I’d call David or Chad and just be like, “Hey, how are you doing today?" You know? And one of us would be like, “Oh my God, I don’t know where to go." You know? And we would just talk back and forth, and somehow we would give each other ideas. It was magical. Like, it was crazy. Just after talking to David, if I had nothing in my head on what I should write, after talking to David or to Chad, I’d be like, “I know what I need to do now." It was cool. TA: Going back to IDKFA a bit, you mentioned how much work you had to put into revisit and, like, Remaster the original soundtrack. What did you think about revisiting those songs? Like, did you feel like, you know, maybe I should have done something differently? Or were you like, “No, I’m happy with this. I just want to preserve it for fans of IDKFA." AH: Yeah, it was more of a, it was a little tiny bit of, “I want to do things a little differently." But, like, I’m talking to really, really small degrees. It was more about preservation than anything else. And if something was being destructive while trying to preserve it, those were the things that I would try to eliminate. An example of that is there was a lot of compression on the original IDKFA. Just because I was still in my early 20s at that point, early to mid 20s at that point, mixing in an apartment that isn’t, like, acoustically sound or anything like that. So I’m making mix decisions that aren’t the greatest, but still hold up. Like, that album still sounds great, but just some of the compression side, like, on the master of it, is a little aggressive. So when I went back this time around, I actually went through every single one of those songs one by one and just gave it a little bit more head room, a little bit more breathing room, so that if you listen to it enough times, you’re not going to get, like, ear fatigue or something like that. That’s really what I was concerned about. And that’s all of the Doom 1 stuff from the original IDKFA all got that treatment where the threshold has been raised just a little bit so that it sounds a little bit more open and natural. And I replaced a couple snares here and there, and maybe like a kick drum and a bass, but they’re so small I still haven’t seen anybody notice them. TA: You should revisit Metallica’s St. Anger and do this for all the fans. AH: It is impossible to fix that! laughs There’s been bands that have done that. I’ve re-recorded that entire record and I see it on YouTube every now and then. I’m like this is… this would have been a cool record if it would have sounded okay, and maybe some structure changes were different, but yeah, it’s whatever. TA: I think when Metallica did Death Magnetic, they had the Guitar Hero Metallica stems which people used to mix it better than the actual album. How does this keep happening? AH: James attests to it. Those guys are so big that they legitimately have final say on everything that they do. So whenever they’re touring and you already have Tinnitus and you’re mixing in a tent, I remember them talking about “Yeah, no shit, the guitars are bright." I was listening to mixes in a tent and making mix decisions on the road. I’m like, “Oh, that makes a lot more sense now." Like, oh my god. Because the Guitar Hero mixes do sound way better. TA: This reminds me of when I watched Deafheaven and how amazing they sounded live. You have so many bands that release albums with brickwall mastering ruining the sound of an otherwise good album. It is a shame that some bands don’t get outside help for things like mastering. AH: Yeah, it’s…I mean I still do my own mastering stuff so I’m the start and finish with all my stuff but I totally get it whenever I see a band that has a record that’s just completely smashed. I’m like, “Yeah." If I was just a musician who really knew how to play guitar and that’s about it or really knew how to play drums and that’s about it, I understand how this happens. It’s just a bunch of guys in the room going, “Louder! This needs to be louder." laughs TA: So you revisited IDKFA’s original DOOM 1 music, but you also did almost a complete Doom II soundtrack. I think there was one track which was on YouTube or two tracks. When you were doing these new songs, how did it feel for you because now you’ve come so far ahead as a musician and did you feel tempted to make it a modern Andrew Hulshult album versus trying to be Doom II? How did you approach that? AH: Man. This whole IDKFA thing with id’s blessing has been an incredible experience. It feels like I’m closing a chapter of my career with the fans because IDKFA is what got me so many jobs and so much recognition beforehand. Well, IDKFA and Rise of the Triad, but IDKFA was a big one and I still get people that are like devs that reach out that are like, “I know you from the DOOM stuff." And I’m like, “What? DOOM Eternal?" They’re like, “No, IDKFA. I played that DOOM WAD." And I’m like, “Oh my god." So I still get jobs because of that. So whenever I sat down… Whenever Marty Stratton sent me an email about a year and a half ago to ask if I had time to sit down at QuakeCon last year and talk about some things, I was like, “Uh oh. Something’s either gone terribly wrong or he just wants to hang out." So we sat down and he was like, “Hey." He’s like, “I have an idea." And I was like, “What’s that?" He’s like, “What if we give you a license for the DOOM soundtrack for IDKFA so that you can put that out on all of the streaming platforms yourself and do whatever you want and you give us a license to do with what we’re working on, which was the DOOM and DOOM II remasters." And I was like, “That sounds cool." I was like, “I’d love to finally get that out on official sites and everything." And he was like, “Oh, it’s awesome." He’s like, “I was hoping you’d say that because this would just be so cool to have this as a selectable thing. Like to go from the Bobby Prince to this if people wanted to." And I was like, “Yeah." And I’ve been doing that with soundtracks recently anyways. About halfway through that whole thing, we were just trading war stories about the industry and just getting along. And I was having a blast. I was thinking, “Man, this is really going to be closing a chapter in my career." I was getting a little emotional. I was like, “I’ll tell you what." I was like, “I’ll do you one better." I was like, “Why don’t we finish DOOM II and make it the real deal?" People have asked for it forever. I’m like, “That would really poke my audience." They’d be like, “Holy shit! Doom 2 is finally finished!" And he was like, “If you’re up for it, yeah, absolutely." He’s like, “We’ll get you a license for anything that you do on that as well so that you can put that out as well." So, yeah. It was…walking into doing DOOM II was so much fun. Every step of the way. Adam Pyle, the guy that worked with me on Quake Champions, was the guy that I bounced all my mixes off of. He told me at the beginning, he said, “Hey, you know, do whatever you want." He’s like, “It’s you. It’s the reason people want to listen to it, so I don’t really have much of a say." I was like, “Bullshit!" I was like, “You worked with me on Quake Champions. I’m going to bounce every mix that I do off of you, and I want to hear feedback from you." It’s like, “I respect your opinion because we got stuff like we did on Quake Champions because we talked back and forth." So we did. I’d send him… I’d finish Running from Evil and send it to him, and he’d go, “This sounds great, or, you know, like, what if you did this?" It was only a couple times where he was like, “What if you did this?" I was like, “Oh!" They were always cool ideas. But I really respect Adam’s ability to throw out things every now and then. He’s just a great person to bounce mixes off of. So, just doing those one after another and getting to the end of it. Once it was all wrapped up, I’m not going to lie, once it was all together, I was just in my office and I was like, “Oh my god!" Having a moment where I had a grown man cry where I was like, “I can’t believe that this is happening. I can’t believe that, number one, I’m going to be part of the original DOOM in an official capacity. Number two, they’re going to ask me to talk at QuakeCon, like, live on stage and announce everything. And number three, they gave me a license for all this stuff so that I can put it out and I can actually make some money off of it. That doesn’t happen with a big studio. They don’t just go, “Here’s the soundtrack. Have fun." I don’t know. It’s just still so crazy. It hasn’t really sunk in for me still. I’m still in that weird spot where I’m like, “Yeah, this is out there. We’re promoting it." And once that’s over, I’m sure I’ll be like, “Oh my god." You know, like, “Holy cow." But it’s been fun. The DOOM II stuff, I wanted it to be something a little bit more fresh on where I’m at as an artist. I didn’t want it to be exactly like IDKFA, like the original DOOM I stuff. Because if I were to do that, I’d have to go back and completely remix all of DOOM I stuff, which I was like, “No, that has to be preserved. People know what that is." So you can’t touch that. That’s already done. So I thought, “Okay, well what if I just gave them how I would do DOOM II right now?" Which is exactly what it is. All that stuff is like, “Yeah, f*** yeah." Those are the exact decisions that I would make with synths, with guitars, with drums. I think everything slams. I think it sounds great. So it’s just a picture from 2011, 2012 with the original IDKFA. It got officially released in 2016, but it started working on it as far back as back. So it’s a picture of where I was as a musician, that far back. And then this one is a picture of 2024. So you get it’s kind of like a time capsule. TA: Was The Healer Stalks one of the new songs because it definitely feels like modern Andrew Hulshult? AH: Yeah, that was the second one written. I think I almost went in chronological order doing that entire soundtrack. TA: You and I have both been playing DOOM since the 90s. When I started learning guitar and playing a lot, I started thinking about the DOOM soundtrack and some of the songs definitely have bits that remind me of other band music like Pantera. When you did IDKFA and just heard the music in general, what did you think of that and how does it feel revisiting some of those songs now? Stuff like A New Level and This Love from Pantera instantly spring to mind. laughs AH: Yeah. Some of that stuff’s pretty close. Like sometimes, right? But it’s different enough where you’re like, oh, okay. Yeah. But yeah, there’s definitely some inspirations that were taken from like thrash metal for sure. Because I mean, like they always talked about Romero having on like Slayer and Metallica and all that stuff like playing while they were making the game. So it only makes sense that they’re like, you know, hey, make something similar around this. I don’t know exactly how that story went. I wasn’t there. I was like, you know, I was like four. But that makes complete sense in my head. And yeah, going back and listening to them like, yeah, it’s there somewhere in the ballpark of it for sure. Like TA: So after DOOM II, have you gotten people saying, when are we getting an IDKFA version of Quake and stuff? Because you did one song, right? AH: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I did the theme. I think I did that just for fun. And I think I honestly did that as people were, I saw a bunch of forum posts. It was either forum posts or Discord about people not sure like about me on DUSK of all things. Like it wasn’t even like a fully announced game, but they were like, “I’m not sure Andrew". And I was like, OK, you know what? I was like, f*** you. I’ll just remake the Quake theme. And then you’ll see if I’m the right person for the f***ing job. laughs And so I put that out and people were like, oh, and I remember like a bunch of the comments were like, oh yeah, okay, he can work on DUSK. TA: Do you listen to that soundtrack often? The original Quake? AH: Oh, man. I don’t listen to it. Listen to it. But like every time I go fire up Quake, which is about like once twice a year. A little more than that if I’m playing multiplayer with friends. That’s the thing I look forward to the most besides like the level design is the soundtrack just because it’s so out there. Reznor did such a good job on that. It’s incredible. God, I wish it’s a pipe dream, but I’d love to work with him on something and Atticus Ross on something at some point. That would be crazy. But they’re like way up there, you know. TA: Their movie soundtracks are amazing. I’ve actually been watching some of the movies just because they’ve done the music because I think the audio design in The Social Network is incredible. I think they did like the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles thing, which I still need to watch. AH: It’s so cool when artists step out of their comfort zone like that, where it’s like you’re known for like you’re angry and depressing music and then it’s like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It’s like now I’m interested. Yeah. TA: Going back to your music, we covered Blood Swamps being the most popular song which people bring up when they meet you and stuff. I saw this interview with Final Fantasy 14’s composer Masayoshi Soken who was asked about a song which he really liked, but no one actually brings up, and that he thinks deserves more attention. He said Game Theory. I want to know what’s that for Andrew Hulshult. AH: Splitting Time. Like whenever you brought that up, I was like, oh yeah, from the AMID EVIL DLC. I mean like it’s well it’s DLC. So like by nature, DLC doesn’t get as much attention, you know. But like the AMID EVIL DLC altogether before I talk about the music, the DLC is incredible. Like that’s my that’s one of my favorite things I’ve worked on like in recent memory. Like all the music’s great. Like it was , it was a joy to put it all together. All the sound design, all the traps and everything. It’s just an incredible DLC. If you don’t have it, you should go get it. That’s not me shilling and just oh go buy the game. Like it’s f***ing awesome. They did an incredible job. TA: Everyone should buy that game and DLC. AH: Well, I don’t want to look like a shill. If you like it, you like it. Like if you don’t, if you don’t dig it, don’t buy it. You know we’re not not here to like, you know try and sell a bunch of stuff. But like splitting time finishing up that piece of music. It felt like a real moment where I don’t know. I felt like kind of a shift as an artist where I was. I was way more comfortable with a lot of the more aggressive sound design elements being mixed in with compositions and finding ways to make them gel better. And everything really came together on that track and out whenever halfway through I was like, this is the final boss track. I was like I don’t care what you’re designing. I’m like, this is the final boss track. And you know, two seconds after they started listening to it, they’re like, oh yeah, this is the final boss track. We hadn’t even made the character yet. I was just like, here it is. That one hung around for a long time. And yeah, that’s I feel like that song is very much a good indicator of where I am musically right now. TA: Now let’s get a bit into the weeds. Let’s talk about your current guitar setup, your pedals, your amps, string gauge, pickups, I want to know whatever you’re using. AH: So the guitar I’m using the most is a Caparison Dellinger 7. I actually just had a pickup swap on it where I put some Seymour Duncans. I think I put an SH5 in the bridge and an SH2 in the neck on this one. Specifically because the SH5 on it has a really interesting thing where it doesn’t emphasize the low mids a whole bunch but they still cut through really well. So whenever you’re sitting there and like, you know, like chugging on stuff and you have to track that four times, it just sits a lot better in the mix than if you were to just use like stock pickups. There’s nothing wrong with Caparison stock pickups. They’re great. They’re super, super punchy. But for my mixing style I just, I know what I want in terms of pickups so I just, I swap those out. I also did the same thing actually last week with the 8 string. This is a Caparison Brocken 8 string. I don’t think they make this anymore. I swapped out the pickups on this one as well to a gosh, what is it? It’s Duncan. They’re really, really famous 8 string pickups by Duncan. And I can’t remember what they’re called now. TA: I didn’t know Seymour Duncan even had 8 string pickups. AH: They do 8 and like, I was originally going to get some Fishman Fluences for it because they seem like they would hold the top end in the midrange a little bit better but after I don’t know, I’ve just always been a Seymour Duncan guy. And after finding a couple that I really liked at a shop called Tone Shop up the street from me. I was like, man, I really want to put these in my 8 string and they have a tech there that’s just incredible at what he does with all my guitars. So I was just like, hey, order those and I’ll just leave the guitar with you and like a week later they came back and I was like, yeah, that’s exactly what I wanted, sounds incredible. I’ve got my Caparison 7 and 8, and I still have all the guitars that I’ve had over the years for the most part. I’ve got another Schecter 8 string here that is a really cool color. It’s super neat, like, it actually changes from blue to purple. TA: I think it is called Prism or something like that. John Petrucci has something like that on one of his guitars. AH: But yeah, this one has like the EMGs in it and it’s a cool guitar. It still plays great. Like, I still like it. But let me show you something that’s actually pretty sweet. So I still have, I bought this in like 2004. And I still have it. This is the guitar that I actually wrote all of IDKFA or most of it on and I wrote all of, I tracked all of Rides of the Triad with. It’s just a Schecter C6. It’s like just stock. It even still has the plastic in the back which is crazy. But yeah, this is like, I still have this guitar. I was like I was so close to going up to id, like which is just on the street for me and being like after IDKFA was finished, I almost was just like, here, you guys, you need this. You know, like, hold on to this or something. Like this is the one. But like, I don’t know. It’s not like a mainline DOOM game, you know? Like, it has to be something like a mainline game where I’d be like, I wrote this on this guitar here. You know, if you want this, it feels like it belongs to you. And also, part of me is like, no, don’t do that. Like, hang on to it. TA: Ok now string gauges. AH: For string gauges, 10 to 59 on 7 strings. And on 8 strings, I think it’s 10 to 65. And then typically on 6 strings, I just like 10 to 46. TA: Do you use D’Addario strings? I use them mostly. AH: I use D’Addario for the most part, but I bounce back and forth sometimes to Ernie Ball. TA: What about your amp setup and your pedals and stuff like that? AH: So amps, I’ve sold almost every amp I’ve ever owned. I had a JC-120. I had a couple of those Crate Blue Voodoos way back in the day. The ones that were like, yeah, the ones that were, were basically copies of those Ampeg tube amps that they made a long time ago. I had a Valve State 8100. I had a bunch of amps and a bunch of VHT cabinets as well too. And I sold all of them years ago. I’ve really just been like working inside the box for the most part with like neural DSP plugins into an RME interface and I also went as far as getting one of these recently, which is a Neural DSP Quad Cortex. So basically this is all of their plugins built into like a really nice processor. But for a project I’m working on recently they were like, hey you need an amp. And I was like, yeah, you’re probably right. I do need an amp. So I went and bought this and I plug it into two 100 watt Seymour Duncan power stages. Okay. They’re like, they’re these little tiny like 100 watt power amplifiers. They’re solid state power amplifiers. And I run the stereo out from that thing into the left and right side of those and those go into two Engel 2×12 cabinets. Which, okay, Engel 2×12 cabinets are awesome. Ever since I heard a Rammstein record that used them I always wanted to grab one because I was like, god, those things sound huge. TA: I wasn’t sure about this because a friend of mine said he was sure AMID EVIL was recorded on an Axe FX Ultra. AH: Any guitar stuff I’ve done has used either Native Instruments Guitar Rig from way back in the day. Like IDKFA used a ton of Native Instruments Guitar Rig 5 and Guitar Rig 4. But pretty much everything since DUSK has used Neural DSP for guitar work. It’s just me plugging directly into my RME UFX and sometimes I’ll use pedals going into it like the Exotic BB Preamp but most of the time it’s just a dry DI signal getting manipulated inside the box. So, the ones that got the most use on DUSK were the Moogerfooger low pass filter. Believe it or not, like anytime you hear the sound of something becoming kind of lo-fi or anything. It was always run through this filter. It was pretty cool. But the thing I like about it the most is the drive circuit on it. Like I don’t even like it that much as like a filter filter. The drive section on it is just so aggressive that it’s a really interesting sound and like that sound that you hear on the DUSK soundtrack which is like all of the really high high end that’s like really high energy. It’s almost like the Nine Inch Nails stuff. A ton of that comes just from driving the front end of this thing. And same way with the Fulltone Catalyst. But yeah, it’s just a few of them. I think there’s one more that I use a lot. I don’t think I have it here. It’s the ZVEX Fuzz Factory which is just an insane sounding pedal. It just sounds like garbage. And that’s why I like it. It just sounds like you are destroying a signal which is perfect. I’m cool. That sounds cool. That’s a great effect. I like that. TA: You’ve accomplished a lot in your career so far with recognizable music. As a musician, how have you been learning to improve your own skills like programming drums, software, and how do you balance doing that while you have a lot of folks who want to work with you on new projects? AH: Every day is just like I don’t know. If you’re not teaching yourself something every day, this is my train of thought. If I’m not trying to sound better in my own head, whatever I think is better, I’m wasting my time. So if I feel like the drum kit I’ve used like two or three times on two to three different records, if I’m like that feels stale. If I then go if it feels stale and I know the ends and outs of it and how to make it sound good then I need to change that drum kit. I need to find something different and work with it and see if I can get some different sounds out of it. So I’ll change instruments and just purposefully put myself in positions where I don’t know where I’m at or what sounds good with it just so that I can find my way out of it. It’s kind of like limiting yourself, like putting yourself in a box that’s really important as an artist to make sure that you are working within a certain scope of things and going hey, you know, here’s something that’s completely unfamiliar, get used to it and this is what you have to work with. So, yeah, like I don’t know, just constantly challenging myself is part of who I am for the most part. So, it’s just how it always goes. TA: I’m glad you brought that specific bit up because in another interview of yours you mentioned how once you got to your thirties the most important thing became getting good sleep which a lot of people take for granted in their twenties. So my question is that trying to have a routine is very important even if you can’t stick to it 100%. What does a day in your life look like right now? AH: A day right now looks like about, a typical day is about anywhere between 6 to 7 hours of sleep which is about what I need I’ve found out, like it’s like somewhere around there, sometimes 8 and then randomly I’ll have days where it’s like, oh you need like 11 hours I don’t know why, but I feel fine waking up completely recharged with like 6 and a half to 7 and a half hours of sleep. So what I’ll do every morning is I’ll wake up, I’ll go take a shower immediately, like that’s the only way I can start my day is like I feel like I’ve got to it feels like I’m washing off yesterday I don’t know how else to explain that and then I gotta have a coffee and then I gotta start writing things on a whiteboard that’s right over beside me to the left because otherwise I’m just gonna spin my wheels all day long and think, oh I should do this, I should do that, I’ll be thinking about everything I need to do and then never actually do anything. I don’t know if that’s ADD, ADHD or whatever that’s undiagnosed, I’m sure it is to some degree which I’ll get to that at some point but until then I have the whiteboard and as long as I write stuff down on it on what I want to do that day, I’ll knock it all out, every single piece of it. But what’s super important for me to do is just plan out the day early on and then everything just comes to it afterwards. The other thing that’s kind of new for me too is around like 4 o’clock typically I’ll now try and do, this has been within the last 3.5 months, I’ll try and do about 20 to 30 minutes of cardio. Just because I feel like for some reason elevating my heart rate really takes me from hey I could focus before to now I’m super laser focused and can get through whatever I need to and it also puts me in a much better mood if I’m having a shit day. TA: You’ve previously mentioned that you love playing Cities Skylines. Did you play Cities Skylines 2? laughs AH: Yeah, but you know like I haven’t gone back to it yet. I need to try it again at some point. But oh boy like it needed some more time in the oven whenever I tried it. Like no offense to them. I was just like wow. TA: I mean you probably tried it on like your proper gaming PC. I just like to play Steam games on a Steam Deck and I could get it at 5 fps or something after a bit of playing. AH: Even with the 3080 I think I was at points I was sitting there at like 35 frames a second. I’m like really? With the 3080? This is where we’re at huh? Okay. TA: Do you still play Hunt: Showdown and did you try the new Hunt: Showdown 1896 update? AH: Yeah. They had some really interesting choices with their UI that they just pushed with this one that a lot of people aren’t in favor of. I’m getting a little more used to it as time goes on. But man there are some things they need to hammer out with it. But yeah I still play that like a couple times a week with my buddies in New Blood. Like with Dylan who’s working on Gloomwood. I’ll play it with David every now and then. I’ll play it with Mason who’s the developer on Faith. Like we’re all, just like we all just hang out. We’re all just friends. So Leon, me and Leon play it I think the most. Leon’s the lead on AMID EVIL. But yeah like New Zealand and America playing an online fps game is a wild thing but we have a great time doing it. TA: Before we wrap up, I want to know your favorite bands and artists right now in and out of video games. AH: I’m pretty boring on this one to be honest with you. I need to branch out a little more. Favorite bands outside of video games right now like for sure and they’ve sat there for a while is Gojira. I really like their mixing. I like how tight they are live. I like their choices on composition. I don’t feel like they write a bad song. I could throw out the obvious ones. Metallica is another one just because James Hetfield’s right hand is like what inspired me to play guitar. Like how fast you can do those things is crazy. Outside of or in video games I’d still say I still think and it’s going to be a weird choice because you’re like well you write all this aggressive music. What is Jesper Kyd? That guy is just like great on everything he touches and everything he touches is always unique. But I always go back to his early stuff like the Hitman franchise because it’s just so strange and like it really suits those early games really well. If you listen to it outside of it, it feels like a really weird cold kind of soundtrack. Even from the very first game which has a lot of interesting things like almost drum and bass choices. It still feels like a cold front. You know, like a Hitman. And I always just find that stuff fascinating. How he was able to take so many different genres of music between all those games and still make them fit correctly for that character. So yeah and I think he worked on the Darktide stuff more recently which I need to give a listen to. Everybody’s told me that’s incredible but I don’t know I was knee deep in like four active developments whenever that game came out. So I just haven’t given it a chance. TA: Hypothetical situation, if you had no time or budget constraints, if you could compose for any single game and any single movie which would you pick? AH: So let’s see for any game if it had the right direction I’d really like to take a shot at like a Duke game. Because I feel like that is an IP that could be brought back if it’s brought back in the right way. And you have to think that’s really going to be dictated by whoever the creative production is at the time. So if it was done in the right way I’d love to step into that. Either that or I’m going to throw another one out to you. I’d love to work on Minecraft. Just like chill out you know. Like just make something that’s completely chill. So those are completely two opposite sides of the spectrum. But as far as a movie, man, that’s a great question. Let me think about it for just a second. Man on Fire. Like I love Denzel Washington’s work as number one: as an action hero I think he’s great. But number two whenever he is able to have enough time to put drama into things. And like either I don’t know how else to explain it other than he does a f***ing crazy fantastic job. Either Man on Fire or American Gangster. One of those two soundtracks I think I could do would be great to work on. Because there’s so many different emotions between both of those films. It’s a big roller coaster that doesn’t go up and down once. It goes up and down and does like a loop. And like you know, it takes you side to side. Like both of those films do that really well. 01:48:40.760 –> 01:48:42.760 TA: You have a lot of bands you’ve been listening to for a long time like Metallica. What are your thoughts on their recent or new albums? AH: I can find things I like on like the records that they put out because like I’m a die hard. Even with this last Megadeth record. I could still find stuff that I like I can chew on. No problem. Absolutely. But you know these guys aren’t going to write like another Master of Puppets. That comes around once in a lifetime. You know what I mean? And they struck it four times. Like with Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and …And Justice for All. So like to even just get that is crazy. But I do find things that I like on all their newer stuff. Like I think What was the 2016 record that they had? Hardwired to Self Destruct. Yeah I think that that actually had some real moments of really really good writing on it. Specifically the last track. I felt like Hardwired was a great track. But I also thought Moth into the Flame was written super well. There’s a handful of just really really really good writing on that record. On 72 Seasons, there’s still a handful that I really like. But they don’t sync as much for me. And I’m not sure if it’s because I’m looking for something faster or not. Which that’s just not where they’re at at the moment. That’s not what they’re writing. And that’s okay. I will say the last track on that record I feel like is perfect. It’s so good. I can’t remember what it’s called off the top of my head at the moment. I’m terrible with song names sometimes. It’s crazy. It’s like 11 minutes and it feels like a 5 minute and 30 second song. I remember listening to it the first time. I was like gosh. There’s so much emotion thrown into this song that it’s just a joy to listen to. I love it when I can tell that someone really dumped all their emotions onto something. That’s when it really strikes a chord for me. But yeah even the last stuff from Slayer, there’s things that I can find that I enjoy. but I know I’m not going to get the revolutionary record that we had growing up. That’s okay. I’m just glad they’re still making music. And it’s still pretty sick. TA: What’s the most random piece of music memorabilia that you’ve held onto for a long time? AH: I had a friend that I worked with a long time ago who fell on hard times at one point and he was friends and and like worked with Pantera for a long time. And he was like man he’s like I’m trying to get rid of this stuff I’m like why don’t you just hold on to it and like like here’s here’s you know here’s some cash if you need some cash to get by. He’s like no no no he’s like you hold on to it just pay me for it. I was like okay so I’ve got this vinyl of the Great Southern Trendkill that’s one of the original vinyl releases, but I also have a plaque that came like it was given to one of their either their sound or their lighting crew at one point and it’s like for the tour in Japan for the Great Southern Trendkill that same time. And I was like where did you get this you know like what the hell. And he’s like yeah we just you know had him and I knew the guy and he had like five or six of them that they gave him by accident so he gave me one. I was like oh okay all right. So I have both of those things in my closet they’ve hung out with me for like gosh I want to say 15 16 17 years now but those old ones will never go away. Some people keep expensive booze in a decanter. Teah and I keep home made cold brew coffee. pic.twitter.com/7DJlgWcjaB — Andrew Hulshult (@AndrewHulshult) October 10, 2020 TA: Ok for my last question, how do you like your coffee? I usually ask this at the end, but I remember an old Tweet of yours (linked above) made me even more curious about your answer. AH: Yeah man I like the cold brew stuff. I loved hot coffee forever but like cold brew I don’t know the longer I go the easier it is to just sit on a desk and sip on. I don’t have to be like that’s hot. I can just be like no we’re just getting all of the caffeine all at once if I want to. So cold brew coffee. Cold brew black. I’d like to thank Andrew Hulshult for his time and help with this interview over the last few weeks. You can keep up with all our interviews here including our recent ones with FuturLab here, Shuhei Matsumoto from Capcom about Marvel Vs Capcom here, Santa Ragione here, Peter ‘Durante’ Thoman about PH3 and Falcom here, M2 discussing shmups and more here, Digital Extremes for Warframe mobile, Team NINJA, Sonic Dream Team, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and more. As usual, thanks for reading.

Back in December, I reviewed Square Enix’s monster collecting RPG Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on Switch. I loved …

Continue reading "‘Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince’ iOS Review – Much Better Than Switch, but Lacking in Two Ways"

Back in December, I reviewed Square Enix’s monster collecting RPG Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on Switch. I loved my time with it despite its many technical issues. I expected it to hit PC like Dragon Quest Treasures, another Nintendo Switch exclusive, but I didn’t expect a mobile release. Square Enix’s newest release of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on iOS, Android, and Steam brings all prior paid DLC into the game at a lower entry point, but removes one feature. This is the online real-time multiplayer battles. Beyond that, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on Steam and mobile is already a massively better experience just on value with its lower price point and the content included, but is the game worth your time in this crowded release period and with its premium price? That’s what I aim to answer with my Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince mobile review also covering the game on Steam Deck. If you aren’t familiar with Dragon Quest Monsters itself, it is a spin-off series of the main Dragon Quest games featuring turn-based combat, but instead of the main player fighting, you capture, breed, and raise monsters to fight for you. When I played Dragon Quest Treasures, I enjoyed it, but was told that it is a “Monsters-lite" game so when Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince was announced for Switch, I was excited to play it. I ended up loving it as you can see from my review linked above, but I think it is a very strong monster collecting RPG with turn-based combat regardless of if you like Dragon Quest or not. What made Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince more interesting, is in how it feels like a side story and prequel to Dragon Quest IV. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince also had a seasonal feature where the monsters changed depending on the season and area you’re in. When it comes to the story, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, the bits from IV already made it more interesting than the usual spin-off, but I found myself focusing more on getting my own dream monster party rather than worrying about the narrative. I’m super pleased with how well thought out the mechanics are and how the large zones, hundreds of monsters, and combat made me want to keep playing it more even on Switch when I first beat it let alone now on iPhone, iPad, and Steam Deck. Beyond the normal turn-based battles and recruiting new monsters, Synthesis in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is like Shin Megami Tensei’s fusion, and there is just so much you can do with skills here. The seasons here don’t just change monsters, but also areas you can explore with map changes. This means a water body that you can’t cross will be frozen in one season letting you access a new secret. Combat in games like this can get monotonous so I’m glad to see the many quality of life features here like the tactics menu that plays out similar to the original Persona 3, direct commands, and more. You aren’t here to just defeat enemies, but also scout them to bring to your party and become stronger. I didn’t end up testing the online multiplayer on Switch much, so I can’t comment on how big a loss that is here, but it is a game mode being cut nonetheless. If you did play it on Switch, keep that in mind as it is the only area the mobile and Steam versions are lacking compared to Switch. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince already shipped with a lot of content, but the DLC only elevated the experience. This DLC was sold in the Digital Deluxe Edition or as standalone DLC for the base game. Just the DLC was over $25 on Switch, so having the full base game with all DLC included for $24 on mobile makes it an amazing deal, but I’ll get to that in a bit. This DLC included The Mole Hole, Coach Joe’s Dungeon Gym, and Treasure Trunks. The Mole Hole was a dungeon that lets you scout (recruit) monsters you’ve fought before and it made min-maxing a lot easier during the game. The DLC was also good to speed things up since you could also easily scout monsters who only appear during a specific season or through synthesis. The Coach Joe’s Dungeon Gym DLC has randomly generated maps and they are meant to be postgame challenges rather than experienced while playing the game. The final DLC is just a chest that can be opened once an hour with 10 items in total. This is like a cheat DLC if you may. I didn’t think it was good to have useful game modes or content in paid DLC, but that isn’t a problem anymore with all of it included on iOS, Androidl, and Steam in the base asking price. Now let’s get to the mobile port features. With Square Enix, you can never be sure what features will make it into the final game. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince does not have controller support. This is beyond disappointing since the game is literally a console title ported to mobile. I tried 6 different controllers without any luck to be sure. Aside from controller support, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on iOS has cloud saves and a few graphics options. The cloud saves work well. When it comes to controls, I was surprised at how well Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince felt with touch controls. It uses a floating joystick on the left for movement and a jump button mainly while exploring. The one minor issue you might run into is some touch targets being a bit small on the non Plus/Max phones. These aren’t an issue on iPads at all though. The controls feel good, but Square Enix should’ve left full controller support in since this is a console game ported to mobile after all. One of my only real issues with Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on Switch was on the technical side. The frame rate was rough at launch with visuals not being great either. The former got addressed to some degree unlike Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, but the latter never got fixed. On iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 12, and even iPad Pro, I had no major issues with the visuals or performance. There are some hiccups on iPhone 15 Pro when running at the highest graphics quality setting and moving through some locations, but it isn’t remotely as bad as on Switch. The game feels massively better to play on iOS. Check out the comparison below for the low and high graphics options on iPhone 15 Pro: There aren’t specific visual or frame rate settings on mobile outside of the resolution option in display settings. This lets you play at low, medium, or high graphical quality options. These presets also affect other settings like the frame rate limit and post-processing. This setting can only be changed from the title screen on mobile while you can adjust it on the fly on PC. I stuck to the high setting on all my iPhones. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince sadly has some minor performance issues even on iPhone 15 Pro as I mentioned above. The low setting seems unusable with how blurry it gets. On my 2020 iPad Pro, the high preset has more regular frame drops than iPhone, and it also seems to be running with some tweaked settings. Overall, even the older iPad Pro runs it well, but not as good as iPhone 15 Pro as expected. Every device I tested on including the iPhone 12 ran it a lot better than Nintendo Switch. Visually, it looks a lot cleaner than Switch even on older iOS devices when played at high. Square Enix didn’t just do a bare-bones port here. It has fullscreen support during gameplay on my iPhone 15 Pro, and even has a pattern or artwork to fill the screen during areas with pre-rendered or static 16:9 elements. This pattern or artwork is mainly used on my iPad Pro since it doesn’t support fullscreen there for gameplay. This also applies to Steam Deck to make up for that aspect ratio in parts. I’m glad to see Square Enix put in the work here to make sure it still looks good regardless of aspect ratio. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince Steam Deck impressions On Steam Deck, regardless of my settings, I couldn’t get Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince to run at a locked 90fps even at the low preset when played at 800p. I decided to opt for a 60fps target, and that was a lot easier to achieve. One oddity is the game not letting you adjust resolution when playing on Steam Deck normally. You can do this by forcing the resolution from the game’s properties before launching it. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on PC lets you adjust graphical quality (low, medium, high), anti-aliasing (off, low, medium, high), maximum frame rate (30 to uncapped), toggle v-sync, and adjust display mode (windowed, fullscreen, borderless). If you play at 60fps, I recommend setting your Steam Deck OLED refresh rate to 60 to avoid jitter as well. Having now played Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on iOS, iPadOS, Steam Deck, Switch OLED, and Switch Lite, there’s no doubt that the Switch version is the worst of the lot despite the online mode being removed from mobile and Steam. The massive increase in performance and better visuals with all DLC included at a much lower asking price only makes it better. One thing to note is that the game is marked as Steam Deck Playable and not Verified because Valve says some in-game text is small and may be difficult to read. I didn’t have any issues with this, and I feel like Valve has marked games with smaller text as Verified before. Either way, you can safely buy this one to play on Steam Deck. If you skipped Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on Switch, the new mobile and Steam ports are the way to go. While the mobile version lacking controller support is disappointing, it is still a game I see myself playing regularly with its improvements over switch and fantastic core gameplay loop. Having all the DLC included means you will have enough content to last you even longer. If you do value controller support in a game like this, the Steam Deck is the way to go. Hopefully we see Square Enix keep bringing more Dragon Quest games to mobile in the future. Right now, the iOS version of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is easily one of the best mobile releases of the year.

Over the years, I’ve been able to interview some of my favorite developers ever including a few I never though …

Continue reading "Sukeban Games 2024 Interview: Christopher Ortiz AKA kiririn51 Talks .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND, Inspirations, Fan Reactions, VA-11 Hall-A, The Silver Case, and Much More"

Over the years, I’ve been able to interview some of my favorite developers ever including a few I never though would be possible, but it isn’t often I get to talk to one of the few people responsible for what is likely my favorite game of all time. That’s where Christopher Ortiz AKA kiririn51 of Sukeban Games comes into the picture. We’ve covered their titles on TouchArcade for years because at one point VA-11 Hall-A was even supposed to come to iPad (and I asked about that later in this interview). With Sukeban Games’ newest project, .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND, officially announced, I had a chance to have a long chat with Christopher Ortiz about the game, fan reactions, VA-11 Hall-A, inspirations, Suda51, The Silver Case, and also coffee of course. TouchArcade (TA): Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do at Sukeban Games. Christopher Ortiz (CO): I’m Chris, I’m a game creator and I do way too much in this company. I like to hang out with friends and eat delicious food when I’m not locked in. TA: I last spoke to you in 2019 around the time VA-11 Hall-A hit PS4 and Switch following its prior release on PS Vita and its debut on PC. Even back then, as a fan of the game, it was wild seeing so much merchandise and promotion in Japan. You recently visited Japan for Bitsummit. How has it been for you visiting Japan and seeing the reception to VA-11 Hall-A and now your new project, .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND? CO: Japan is like my home away from home even if its government doesn’t like it, so that’s a homecoming for me. Very emotionally charged. I also haven’t been at a game event as an exhibitor since Tokyo Game Show 2017; that was 7 years ago. That’s 7 years of roaming game events and being like “I want that” “I want some of this energy”. Now I feel like a pro-wrestler that’s coming out of retirement to a brand new world and industry; I’m lost, confused, not knowing if I still have it… but I was worried about nothing. People didn’t forget about us and still support the studio no matter what, so I’m never taking shit for granted, or letting these memories slip away. This will be my fuel to move forward. TA: I consider VA-11 Hall-A one of my favorite games of all time, and I replay it each holiday season. When you worked on it many years ago, did you ever expect to see it grow this big and even get multiple figures with a new one coming for Jill soon? CO: I didn’t expect the game to sell more than 10-15k copies, but we definitely knew we had something special brewing, or else we wouldn’t have pushed through with it. It’s just that the scale of said success was a little overwhelming and I think we’re still recovering from some of its unexpected side-effects. TA: VA-11 Hall-A is now playable on PC, Switch, PS Vita, PS4, PS5 (through back compatibility). Whatever happened to that iPad version that was announced years ago? Are ports like that up to Ysbryd or do you also have some involvement? I’d love to see it hit Xbox as well if that’s possible. CO: I actually playtested a build for iPad but it didn’t go anywhere for whatever reason. Maybe I failed to respond to an email. You’d have to ask the publisher. TA: Many years ago, Sukeban Games were just Kiririn51 (yourself) and IronincLark (Fer). How has the team changed since then? CO: We’re currently six people. Some have come and go, but overall we want to keep a small and tight operation. TA: Leading into this question -> How has it been working with MerengeDoll? CO: Merenge’s a trooper. She has this supernatural ability to pull ideas directly out of my brain and give them visual shape, so it’s always been a pleasure to work with her. It sucks that some of the projects she was working on as main artist got canned for reasons beyond our power, but it is what it is. The day will come when people will get to see Merenge’s true power. There’s still a lot of Merengedoll in 45pb so that’s cool as hell. TA: Can you talk about how it was working with Garoad on the music on VA-11 Hall-A? Just like the game, the soundtrack is one of my favorites ever. CO: Michael and I always had similar music tastes and influences, so the process was very free-form. He’d make a track, and I’d love the shit out. Repeat the process until the soundtrack is ready to go. Sometimes I would send him a song I liked as a reference, sometimes he’d create a completely original song that would inspire images in the game, then the images would inspire more music. This synergy gave the game a firm identity that stands the test of time in my opinion. TA: I didn’t realize it until recently, but VA-11 Hall-A kind of became one of those indie games that had a very vocal fanbase and got a good amount of merch that keeps selling out. I think the vinyl box sets are also on multiple pressings now and that SLUT shirt keeps selling out. A good friend of mine recently bought it as well. How much input do you have in the merchandise? Is there anything you want to see made that hasn’t happened yet? CO: I don’t have much input on merch creation. I mostly give the thumbs up or down once a whole chain of people already made the hard choices beforehand. Would like to be a little more involved for 45pb now that I know what I’m dealing with. TA: I still have a few more questions before getting to your new game. Let’s go back to 2019 for a second. Playism’s JP release of VA-11 Hall-A included a fantastic art book cover. I really wish I could get that piece of art signed by you and framed. Can you talk about the inspiration for it and how you pay homage to your favorites like that in your work? CO: Back when I drew that cover I was going through really tough times; even though I hadn’t fully realized yet. We were very focused on surviving the collapse of our country and many other things. During this time, at our old office, we’d listen to a lot of Gustavo Cerati; his album Bocanada to be more precise and its tunes managed to keep us going in the face of uncertainty. So when I was asked to draw a new piece for the artbook I couldn’t help but pay homage to it. I admit now that it’s a little too overt and I would do it differently now, but I’m still proud of it. In fact, I’ve been reconsidering my approach to inspirations a lot in the past few years, and this will be obvious once people play 45pb. TA: You and Fer have spoken a lot about VA-11 Hall-A over the years, but I cannot pass up a chance to talk about how amazingly written and designed the characters are. Looking back at the work you put into it, did you expect certain characters to become as popular as they did? CO: I expected Stella to be the most popular one since her gifs would often go viral before release, but you can never predict this sort of thing. And it’s like I said before; I sort of knew certain things were gonna be a hit, I’m just unable to properly articulate why I thought that way or why it worked, and at this point I rather not know. The moment a hunch becomes a science the magic disappears. Formulas are terrible in this line of work. You gotta let things flow; Let them become their own beautiful thing. TA: I’ve joked with friends about how N1RV Ann-A is my “Silksong", but I have no problem waiting as long as it takes. I still enjoy revisiting VA-11 Hall-A often. Do you go back and try out whatever you had done for N1RV Ann-A or VA-11 Hall-A while working on unrelated projects? CO: I like jotting down lore and characterization stuff for a rainy day. I love to draw Sam, I love coming up with new designs, characters; playing around with the general looks of the game, ideas for shots during cinematics; one liners, environments, atmosphere. I even like to imagine “what if this didn’t have to be a bartending game?” and other extreme musings, but that’s about the extent of the mindspace I dedicate to it currently. Once we’re done with 45pb Nirvana’s development will pick up dramatically, though that really depends on if the spark is still there by then. So far it has no signs of extinguishing. TA: As a huge Suda fan myself, I’m curious what you thought of No More Heroes 3 and Travis Strikes Again? As much as I love No More Heroes 3 (more than 11 playthroughs), I think Travis Strikes Again might just be Suda’s most “Suda" game yet. CO: I REALLY like No More Heroes 3’s combat, but I wasn’t a fan of its writing. Maybe it was COVID, and game development is really tough; especially with the hardcore deadlines they had. But in general I think it wanted to be one thing at the start and then had to become another in order to be shipped. It’s a shame, and it is what it is. I just hope they only make new original games from now on and forget about sequels and reboots. Re-releases are OK; especially of the lost media kind, like Frog Minutes or the 25th Ward back in the day. As for Travis Strikes Again, I agree it’s the best of the newer games. Feels like reading someone’s diary sometimes and that’s the kinda art I enjoy. I guess I didn’t see much of that in 3 outside of continuing some plot threads from TSA. TA: What are your thoughts on Grasshopper Manufacture under Netease and the remasters announced? Suda even mentioned today that he’d love to bring Flower Sun and Rain to Steam. CO: Netease is a big corporation so my hope would be that Grasshopper gets all the money and time they need to cook. TA: VA-11 Hall-A’s journey from PC to PS Vita was quite something, and it involved many parties across regions. I remember buying the Japanese release just for the box art with no English included for publisher reasons. When it came to Switch and PS4, I think you wanted the JP release to have English so anyone could import it. How has it been for you now in Argentina trying to get your own game’s merchandise and merchandise in general? It is a pain over here with delays and extra import fees. CO: I simply don’t import anything these days. I don’t wanna bother with Argentinian customs. Protectionist policies are stupid. Sure, make all electronics more expensive to import so the local market has a chance to compete, but there’s no Argentinian PlayStation to compete with, is there? There’s no Argentinian Steam, and so on. Only idiots come up with this sorta policy. Brazil does the same shit as well. Would be cool if they stopped. TA: You’ve worked in PC-98 and PSX aesthetics a few times. When .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND was announced, I was floored by how it looked like the perfect game I’d want from you. The reception has been largely positive, but I can’t imagine what you and the team went through leading into its reveal with N1RV Ann-A and such. Can you talk about how the last few months have been for yourself? CO: We’ve been locked in and doing our thing. No crunch, all fun. We party, we feast, we travel. We touch that proverbial grass. Lots of insecurities and self-doubt for sure. We even tried to downplay things and manage expectations before the reveal, bracing ourselves for possible apathy from the crowd because it’s not Nirvana. But when it came to actually putting in the work there was no hesitation. I’m happy the announcement worked out, but now we gotta buckle up and finish the story. TA: .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND has been revealed, people can wishlist it on Steam, and I immediately thought of Vagrant Story x Sukeban Games’ Vibe when I saw the trailer. How has it been interacting with fans discussing it online and offline? CO: It’s been incredibly fun, even though there’s so many comparisons with old games. Not that I mind but there’s been some ridiculous comments out there that boggle the mind. One thing that surprised me was the amount of fanart right after the reveal. That shit was great. A fan even brought us a drawing that we proudly displayed on our table at Bitsummit for everybody to see. Our crown jewel By @TumugiV !!! Thank you as always!!!!! pic.twitter.com/N1hbLMY25Q — Sukeban Games (@SukebanGames) July 21, 2024 TA: Probably too soon but when can I buy the key art as a poster and get it signed? CO: Maybe on release. TA: What were your main inspirations for .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND from a visual and gameplay perspective? CO: When coming up with the actual gameplay for 45PB there was a unique concern. People know Sukeban as a Visual Novel/ADV developer because of Va11halla, and I wanted a sort of bridge between that audience and something more action-focused. I saw Parasite Eve’s battle system, but instead of saying “I want more of that” I thought “This is a good solution to my predicament” thanks to the hybrid of real time and turn-based gameplay. And that’s pretty much the way we work. Rather than wanting to imitate something, or wanting more of it, I look to games of the past in order to solve modern problems. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time. For the visuals, I remember roaming the streets of Milan in 2019. I was ultra depressed, and didn’t actually have a country to live in at the time so I was also in a state of limbo. The mix of modern structures and old buildings, then juxtaposed to all the neon lights and LED screens along the river had my imagination running wild. For me that was the genesis for the game’s look. This marriage between the old, the new and the decadent. The cherry on top was when I moved to Buenos Aires and found a similar atmosphere, except it included that South American roughness and texture that’s absent in Cyberpunk worlds (which tend to be mostly inspired by east asian aesthetics), so I decided to lean on that to create something unique. TA: Tell us a little bit about the team working on it including the composer, and how long it has been in the works. CO: We’re two people working on it day-to-day (me and the programmer), plus Merenge helping with additional character and production design. The composer this time around is Juneji, who has been doing a LOT of work with us over the years. We have this massive stash of incredible music that he’s made, but it remains unfortunately private due to circumstances with failed projects. Same with Merenge’s art. There’s been some hella demoralizing moments since it’s hard to work on things for so long, pouring your soul into them only to see them crumble in front of you, but we’ve remained a tight group over the years and one of my goals is that the world can finally witness their talents on a large stage. I owe them that much. We also added an old friend in a producer/babysitting role and it’s helped us to not neglect important non-game stuff. As for how long it’s been in development: Technically since 2019 but the current iteration is roughly 2 years old. Before that it was all experiments until we arrived at the right “moment to moment” gameplay. TA: .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND had a teaser, gameplay, and now has a steam page. Are there any plans to offer a demo on PC in any of Valve’s demo fests on Steam in the near future? CO: It’d be a pain in the ass to maintain a demo for this particular game so we rather keep those for offline events. Never say never though. TA: A lot of my friends who love VA-11 Hall-A are excited for .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND. Will it be accessible for everyone or is it too soon to say how the difficulty will be handled? CO: It’s too soon to explain, but as I’ve mentioned before, the battle system itself is meant to be a bridge between vibes-based players and action-oriented players. Not that I’m trying to satisfy both, but rather ease one type of player into a new system. TA: What is your favorite aspect of .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND right now? CO: As a game? definitely the atmosphere and the script. I sometimes play it for leisure on my Steam Deck while tryna sleep and wonder “Damn, what’s gonna happen next?” only to be like “you wrote this shit! you know where it goes!”. Also the combat is fun as hell once it opens up after the first chapter. Chaining skills and upping the tempo of combat after pulling off sick tricks makes for addictive gameplay. This will make sense later unless we fumble it. TA: Can you give us an interesting development / design anecdote for .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND and VA-11 Hall-A? CO: So I mentioned the influences of cities like Milan and Buenos Aires in the creation 45PB’s world, but one thing that people might have noticed by looking at very early screenshots was that it used to feature some locales reminiscent of Hong Kong. I actually scrapped a lot, if not all of it, in favor of the “South American Cyberpunk” I’m aiming for after a conversation I had with a friend from China. I was consulting with him about getting the fonts and the text of the billboards just right so it felt authentic, but then my mind broke and I began asking to myself “Why go through all this effort trying to be authentic when I can just leverage my own culture?” and it’s a sort of mantra I’ve been following ever since. I find terms like “cultural appropriation” silly, but the word “appropriation” by itself is something I’ve been contending with a lot. “Is it my place to tell this type of story?” “Is it okay if these characters speak this or that way?” and so on. Not that it limits my creativity or that I’m afraid of hurting sensibilities; I frankly don’t give a shit. I just think that more original works can be born if we leverage what makes us unique instead of trying to make more of what we like. It’s all about balance. TA: Since the announcement, you’ve no doubt had folks asking for a console version when we don’t even have a release year for .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND, but I wanted to know if there was any thought into working with a publisher or will this be self-published? CO: We want to self-publish on PC and let other companies handle consoles. We’re in the process of finding the right partner for this. TA: What were the inspirations behind Reila Mikazuchi’s design and character? CO: I don’t know if I’ll get in trouble for this but I admire actor and singer Meiko Kaji a lot. I love her movies, you name them: Prisoner Scorpion, Stray Cat Rock, Lady Snowblood, Jeans Blues. Something in her look is so captivating and I wanted my own Meiko Kaji for 45PB. I needed a character design that can say a lot with just the eyes. Someone who can project that inner pain and tragedy effortlessly, so using Meiko Kaji as a point of reference was a must. As for the writing, every time I come up with characters they’re always a composite of several people I know and myself. So as to not ruin your impressions of her, I shall keep these inspirations a secret. TA: How many iterations did you go through for her final design which rules by the way? CO: I always had in mind the main look of long, black hair and pale skin. Plus the third eye. The thing that took me the most work was coming up with the outfit. She was wearing a suit at first actually! Then I wanted her to have a jacket, but finding the right type of jacket was a challenge. I gave her a biker jacket but it looked weird and I had to experiment a lot until I stumbled upon the current design. Merenge helped me with some accessories, such as the shoes, gloves and the logo on the back of the jacket. TA: VA-11 Hall-A saw VA-11 Hall-A Kids and Sapphic Pussy Rhapsody released following the game. Ahead of .45 PARABELLUM BLOODHOUND, should we expect any smaller projects like that? CO: Never say never but our plan with this game is to release it, let it be and move on to something new. No DLC or anything like that. Ports to future platforms are always on the table but that’s the extent of it. If A24 or someone else wants to make a movie about it I’ll listen. TA: What does a day in your life look like right now? CO: Right now I’m a little f***ed up. I’m usually a good boy who works from 9am, takes a little lunch break then locks in again until 4 or 5pm, but sleep escapes me lately so I’m just trying to contend with that in whatever way I can. The key is to not stress over not having much sleep. As long as shit gets done it’s all good. When I’m not working I try to catch a movie at one of the many small cinemas in my neck of the woods, or go outside and take a walk and buy books I’ll take forever to read. Buenos Aires has this magic that inspires me to go outside and have low key adventures. Can’t get too crazy because this is still latin america and we don’t f*** around, but I love it here and being surrounded by so much culture, great food, and a crazy clubbing scene keeps me sane. Especially when there’s friends around. I owe them a lot for my mental health even if I’m a huge recluse sometimes. I’m the type to uninstall messaging apps for a minute when I really need to be alone. TA: What have you been playing lately that you’ve enjoyed a lot? CO: There’s so many video games. This year I really loved Children of the Sun and Arctic Eggs. Late last year I was really into The Citadel, Lethal Company and RoboCop: Rogue City. I’m now in the process of going through The Evil Within, which feels like a lost Grasshopper game sometimes. There’s the Elden Ring expansion, and I also recently replayed Kane and Lynch 2 with a friend and had a blast as always. That game is so f***ed up in the right ways. We need more grit like that. TA: What do you think of the current state of indie games? CO: Every time I go to a game event I’m always madly inspired by all the unique games I see at the indie spaces and that energy is partly what kept me going despite all our production hiccups. That sense of community. That we all have this burning desire to create for the sake of creation. That shit is great. I f***ing love indie games and I think they’re better now more than ever. BUT… I worry that we are trying to lean too much on familiar concepts and inspirations. Games like Arctic Eggs do it right in that it’s trying to look like an old PSX game, but there were no PSX games like Arctic Eggs. Then there’s games that feel so blatant in their desire to be like one of the classics that I’m like “weren’t we supposed to be the creative ones?” not to mention the over reliance on “Roguelike” mechanics and such. But it’s not all bad. There’s some really cool shit all the time; especially on places like itch.io. It’s just that humans in general can be creatively bankrupt regardless of production scale. There’s triple A slop, there’s indie slop. There’s no escaping the slop. Being indie doesn’t make you inherently more creative and that’s okay. There’s always room for growth as long as we’re cognizant about our shortcomings. TA: Are you looking forward to playing any specific game this year? CO: I’m really looking forward to Slitterhead. Dunno if they’ll be out this year but there’s also Sonokuni, Elation For The Wonder Box 6000, Studio System: Guardian Angel, Eating Nature (from the Arctic Eggs dev)… There’s a lot I’m excited about. My Twitter feed is an endless stream of cool indie games I doubt will ever see the light of day but the attempt is appreciated nonetheless. TA: Obviously scheduling and such, but if we managed doing this interview on a call, I’d have taken this chance to nerd out about The Silver Case with you. I’m glad I listened to my friend and powered through it because that typewriter sound was too much for me. I adore The Silver Case and I know you love it as well. What elements from it inspired you the most and what’s your favorite track from the soundtrack? CO: The Silver Case has always been one of those games that felt like a white whale to me. It was so utterly inaccessible that my mind pretty much created its own Silver Case by trying to fill the gaps. I used to browse this creepy Suda51 fansite way back in the day and I was always searching for every bit of info on this inscrutable-ass game, so when it actually released in a language I can understand I was afraid I wasn’t gonna like it but I think it was much more than I could ever have imagined. In that sense, the way Silver Case inspires me is tightly related to this need to fill gaps. The space between the real Silver Case and what I was imagining it to be is where a lot of the ideas for the presentation in games like Va11halla or The Radio Wave Bureau were born. I can’t choose a single favorite song if I’m being honest. The whole soundtrack has such a vibe. Could be the Sayaka Baian theme that plays in Kamuidrome, but tomorrow it could be the opening theme, then the next day another one. TA: Did you end up trying it out on console or just playing it on PC? CO: I bought and played the game on every platform. TA: The Silver Case’s original box art and aesthetic is probably the only thing I love as much as that in VA-11 Hall-A. What elements from its visual style had you curious back then? CO: Definitely the stoic look of every character. Takashi Miyamoto is my goat along with Yoshitoshi Abe. For Va11halla I had to be very expressive with the characters because that’s what the story commanded, but ever since I was a kid I always had an affinity towards designs that say a lot with minimal facial expressions. Two of my favorite films are Patlabor 2 and Ghost in the Shell, and Serial Experiments Lain is also one of my favorites, so you can probably tell where I’m coming from with this. I was also so transfixed by the UI. I could go on and on about this subject, but I’ll always lament that The Silver Case didn’t create a movement after its release. Visual Novels could look so much better if we had 1% the imagination of that original Grasshopper team. I’m not sure, but I think the look was done by Akihiko Ishizaka who would go on to work on Killer7 and Danganronpa. I wish he was still working with GhM. Or maybe he still does and I’m talking out of my ass. TA: I think you’ve met Suda more than once now. How has that been for you and has he played VA-11 Hall-A? I know Travis Strikes Again has a VA-11 Hall-A tshirt that is the objectively best and only one everyone should use. CO: I’ve met the guy twice and I’ll always lament not knowing enough japanese to just talk and talk all day with him. We share a lot of common interests, though the generational gap can be felt when he starts yapping about Japanese media from the 70s. I do know he played my game but I’ve no clue if he actually enjoyed it. Will have to ask if I ever see him again. TA: Are you still up for this if the opportunity arises? CO: There’s a story behind this that I’ll have to sit on for a while longer. TA: My current game of the year for 2024 is Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. I know you loved Yakuza: Like a Dragon, but did you end up trying Infinite Wealth/8 or Gaiden last year? CO: I love Like a Dragon so much but I didn’t play Gaiden, and Infinite Wealth seemed like too much of a commitment when I played at launch. The game was throwing mechanic after mechanic at me in a way that made me feel overwhelmed. Like there was too much game ahead of me, so I put it off for the time being. Maybe once I’m in the mood again I’ll give it a honest shot. TA: VA-11 Hall-A has always been perfect to play on a portable. I loved it on Switch and recently found a mod that adds full controller support to the PC version. I’ve been revisiting it on Steam Deck. Have you had a chance to try it on Steam Deck yet? CO: I did and saw it sort of works but not quite. I wish I could go back and tweak it but it’s not technically feasible. The Game Maker version we used doesn’t even work properly on modern Windows and it’s the reason we haven’t been able to do any sort of fix or update to it. Aside from simply not having the time to deal with all that mess we made (at a technical level). TA: Honestly I still have a lot more I want to discuss with you, but I think I should save that for part 2 or a future interview. Let me end this with one final question. How do you like your coffee? Go into as much detail as you can. If not coffee, talk about your favorite beverage. CO: I like my coffee black like a moonless night. Even better if it’s accompanied by cheesecake on a beautiful afternoon. TA: Probably not smart, but it is nearly 2 AM and sending these questions over made me want to replay The Silver Case. Next time we talk, let’s do a dedicated discussion on The Silver Case. CO: Absolutely! I’d like to thank Christopher Ortiz for their time and help with this interview over the last few weeks. You can keep up with all our interviews here including our recent ones with FuturLab here, Shuhei Matsumoto from Capcom about Marvel Vs Capcom here, Santa Ragione here, Peter ‘Durante’ Thoman about PH3 and Falcom here, M2 discussing shmups and more here, Digital Extremes for Warframe mobile, Team NINJA, Sonic Dream Team, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and more. As usual, thanks for reading.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics ($49.99) As a fan of Marvel, Capcom, and fighting games back in the …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Review Round-Up: ‘Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection’, ‘Yars Rising’, & ‘Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland’"

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics ($49.99) As a fan of Marvel, Capcom, and fighting games back in the 1990s, Capcom’s line of fighters based on Marvel’s characters were like a dream come true. Starting off with the excellent X-Men: Children of the Atom, these games just kept getting bigger and better. Moving on to the wider Marvel Universe with Marvel Super Heroes, then the at-the-time unbelievable crossovers between Marvel and Street Fighter, on to the over the top Marvel vs. Capcom, and then the wildly over-the-top in all the right ways Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Capcom kept raising the stakes. That wasn’t the end of the series, but it takes us up to the end of what is covered in Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. Oh, and you get Capcom’s excellent Punisher belt scrolling beat ’em up as some extra mustard. A fantastic set of great games. This collection appears to have been handled by whoever did the Capcom Fighting Collection, and in most respects it has similar features and extras. That unfortunately extends to only having a single save state across the entire collection, shared by all seven games. That was annoying enough in a collection full of fighting games, but it’s even worse with a beat ’em up in here where you might want to, you know, save your progress independently of whatever you’re up to in the fighters. Oh well. Everything else here is as you would want it. Lots of options like visual filters and gameplay options, great extras including an extensive array of art and a music player, and rollback online multiplayer. New to this set is NAOMI hardware emulation, and whoever Capcom had on the job did it well. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 looks and plays great. I’m not going to knock it for this, but I do want to say that I wish some of the home versions were included. The PlayStation EX versions of the tag-team based games are different enough that it would be neat to have them in here, and the Dreamcast version of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has a lot of fun extras that make it a superior choice for home play for the solo player. I also wouldn’t have minded if Capcom had tucked its two Super NES Marvel games in here, even if they aren’t the greatest of games. Well, the collection’s name says Arcade Classics, and unlike with Blizzard it seems the word is being properly applied here. Marvel fans and fighting fans alike have a reason to rejoice with this fine collection. The games are superb, they’ve been treated with care, and you get a good suite of extras and options. Only having a single save state shared between the games is a serious bummer, but otherwise I can’t find much to pick on here. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is another must-have compilation from the folks at Capcom, and it plays great on the Switch. SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5 Yars Rising ($29.99) I’ll admit that I was pretty skeptical of this game from its announcement. I like Yars’ Revenge a lot. One of my favorite 2600 games. So when I read that WayForward had been tapped to make a Metroidvania-style Yars game starring a young hacker with a bare midriff code-named Yar, I felt like I had accidentally surfed over to a parody site. Just the perfect storm of “why", you know? So do I have to eat those words? Yes and no. First and foremost, this is a good game. WayForward does a solid job with this kind of thing, and so it did here. Looks and sounds good, plays well, and the map layouts are fine enough. In true WayForward fashion, the bosses tend to drag on too long, but it’s not a deal-breaker. Commendations must also be given to WayForward for doing its best to handle a bit of a tough ask in trying to connect this game to an ancient single-screen shooter. You get to play Yars’ Revenge-style sequences fairly often, the abilities you earn are evocative of the original game, and it connects to the relatively fleshed-out lore as well as it can. It still feels like a massive stretch, but I suppose Atari has little choice but to try to make long passes like this one. Its classic library can only be Recharged so much, after all. It just feels like a game that is torn between two audiences with very little overlap, and I’m not sure if that was the right call versus doing something wholly original. Still, while the argument can rage on about whether or not this made sense conceptually, there’s no doubt the game itself is enjoyable. I don’t think the finest in the genre have much to worry about, but if you’re looking for a Metroidvania game to sink your teeth into over the course of a weekend or so, you won’t have a bad time with Yars Rising. And who knows? Maybe they follow up on this once or twice and it all feels natural. SwitchArcade Score: 4/5 Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland ($24.99) I’m a few years too old to have much nostalgia for Rugrats, though not so old that I didn’t watch it with my younger siblings from time to time. Like, I know the names of the main characters and the theme song. Don’t ask me about the movies or the grown-up versions, and certainly don’t ask me to recall any specific episodes. I know the Rugrats, but I have no special warm and fuzzies for the brand. With that in mind, I didn’t really know what to expect from Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland. I heard someone say it was like Bonk, and that does fit Tommy’s physical build if nothing else. Well, only one way to know for sure. I started up the game, picked Tommy, and went into the tutorial stage. First thing to hit me was the crisp visuals. Crisper than the show, if my memory serves. The next thing to hit me was the awkward placement of the controls. Luckily, there’s an option for that. The music was the Rugrats theme, so that all checks out. There were some Reptar coins to collect, and some simple puzzles and enemies to deal with. Alright, no problem. Platformer with some exploration in the levels, a tried and tested formula. Not very Bonk-ish, but that was never promised. At a certain point Tommy had taken a few hits, so I decided to swap over to Chuckie to enjoy his full life meter. I then noticed that he had a very familiar jump. A very high but somewhat hard to control jump. Surely they didn’t? I swapped over to Phil, who had a low jump, then to Lil who could… float. They did. They really did! Folks, this is a Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA)-inspired game! Sure enough, the enemies I had just been stomping on could also be picked up and thrown. There were also blocks I sometimes had to pick up and pile up to reach higher places. Slightly non-linear stages with lots of verticality! Stages where you have to dig in sand, and you know Phil is the expert digger of the bunch. Awesome. I mean, there are some homages to other platformers in here, but the main gameplay evokes what is probably one of the higher-selling classic games that never gets riffed on. Not bad, not bad at all. The boss battles are even interesting and enjoyable. After playing for a while, I even noticed I could swap the visuals and soundtrack between the spiffy modern versions and NES-level 8-bit renditions. It plays well either way, and both styles have their merits. Oh, and you can use a filter. There if you want it. But yes, creative and fun. Inspired by a game I love quite a lot. Uses its license well. You can play multiplayer! Aside from the control issue, the only gripe I have is that it’s a bit too short and simple. Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland is a better game than I expected it to be. It’s a quality platformer in the style of the Western Super Mario Bros. 2, with some extra elements and features to keep it from being too close to its source. The Rugrats license has been implemented well, though I did find myself wishing it had voice acting for the cut scenes. A little on the short and breezy side to be sure, but worth a play for fans of platformers and the Rugrats alike. SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

For a lot of folks who have been following Capcom’s fighting games over the years, the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting …

Continue reading "Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics Review – Switch, Steam Deck, and PS5 Covered"

For a lot of folks who have been following Capcom’s fighting games over the years, the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics announcement was unbelievable given recent events and the reception of the last Marvel vs Capcom game. As someone who has only played Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Marvel vs Capcom Infinite, I had always wanted to play the earlier games given the praise a few of them got from competitive and casual players. I’d be lying if I said I also wasn’t just excited to hear the Marvel vs Capcom 2 music officially because it is that good. So here we are months after its announcement, and Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is available on Steam, Switch, and PlayStation with Xbox coming in 2025. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics games included Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics ships with seven games included. They are: X-MEN CHILDREN OF THE ATOM, MARVEL SUPER HEROES, X-MEN VS. STREET FIGHTER, MARVEL SUPER HEROES vs. STREET FIGHTER, MARVEL vs. CAPCOM CLASH OF SUPER HEROES, MARVEL vs. CAPCOM 2 New Age of Heroes, and THE PUNISHER which isn’t a fighting game, but a beat ’em up. These are based on the arcade versions so you don’t need to worry about missing features like some older console ports here. These include the English and Japanese versions so yes, Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter does include Norimaro in this collection when you choose the Japanese version for that game. This review is based on me having played Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for about 15 hours on Steam Deck (both LCD and OLED), 13 hours on PS5 (via backward compatibility), and about 4 hours on Nintendo Switch. I’m not qualified enough to talk about the ins and outs of the games included here because this collection was my first time playing them, but I will say that the fun I’ve had with Marvel vs Capcom 2 pre-release has more than justified the asking price to the point where I want to buy both console physical releases just to own a physical version of it. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics new features If you played Capcom Fighting Collection, the interface and front-end of Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics will feel familiar. In fact, it even has the same issues that collection has, but I’ll get to that a bit later. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics includes online and local multiplayer support, local wireless support on Switch, rollback netcode for online play, a training mode, customizable options for games, an important option to reduce white flashes or light flickering per game, various display options, and a few wallpaper options. Outside the games, the training mode included (you can access this per game), includes hitboxes, inputs displayed, and other options making it even better for newcomers. Speaking of newcomers, Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics has a new one button super option that you can enable or disable when you play online and search for other players. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics museum and gallery Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics also includes a robust museum and gallery with all the game soundtracks (more than 200 tracks) and more than 500 pieces of artwork. Having played Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics online with a friend who is also covering it, he let me know how a lot of the artwork in this collection has never been public before. For me, it is all new, but I thought that was notable for longtime fans. It is worth noting that things like sketches or design documents don’t have translations on them for any Japanese text. As for the music, I’m glad we finally have an official way to listen to these soundtracks in 2024, but I hope this is the first step to getting a vinyl release or streaming releases for them. How is the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics online multiplayer experience with rollback netcode? Before getting into the online experience, the options menu features its own network settings letting you enable or disable microphone, voice chat volume, input delay, and connection strength on PC. On Switch, you can only adjust input delay. The PS4 version lets you adjust input delay and connection strength with no voice chat options. I assume folks will use the PS5 and PS4 native voice chat options here instead of an in-game one. It is disappointing to see the Switch version lack a connection strength option as of the build I have. Pre-release, I only managed testing the online on Steam Deck wired and wirelessly with another player who was also on Steam. In our experience, Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics online is similar to Capcom Fighting Collection on Steam, but massively improved over Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. You can adjust input delay and cross region matchmaking as well. We tested most of the games and also did a bit of co-op in The Punisher. It just works despite the distance between us. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics ships with matchmaking support for casual matches, ranked matches, and also leaderboards including a High Score Challenge mode. I also want to note that when you rematch when playing online, the cursors remain correct so you can pick whoever you were playing as before in games like Marvel vs Capcom 2 instead of having to manually move the cursor each time to select your team. Little things like this add up to make the collection feel like a lot of love went into ensuring the best possible experience for players including ones learning the games for the first time. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics issues My biggest complaints with Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics are with how it has just a single save state (quick save) for the entire collection. This isn’t one single save state per game, but one for the entire collection. I was hoping this issue from Capcom Fighting Collection wouldn’t carry over but here we are. Another minor complaint and settings not being universal or an easy apply or toggle the light reduction or adjust visual filters at once. Having options per game is good, but I would’ve liked to just enable light reduction and turn off the filter for every game at once. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics on Steam Deck – Verified already I first tried Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics on Steam Deck and it works perfectly out of the box. Given it is Steam Deck Verified I shouldn’t be surprised, but you can never tell with new games until you try them yourself. When played on the Deck itself, Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics runs at 720p and it supports 4K when docked. I played at 1440p for the most part docked and then 800p handheld. It is still 16:9 though with no 16:10 support. The Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics PC graphics options are under the PC Settings menu in options. These let you adjust resolution, display mode (fullscreen, borderless, windowed), and toggle v-sync. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics on Nintendo Switch While Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics looks fine on Switch, the biggest downgrade from other platforms is the load times. Going in and out of games on Steam and PS5 is almost instant while the Switch version has loading for basically everything. This adds up and since I’ve been playing it on all three platforms at once, it was very noticeable. I hope the connection strength option is added eventually as well since PlayStation and PC have it. The Switch version does support local wireless while the others do not though. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics on PS5 I wish Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics was native on PS5 rather than played via backward compatibility because PS5 Activity Card support would’ve been amazing to get in and out of different games from the dashboard. Barring that, it looks excellent on my 1440p monitor and loads quickly even when played off an external hard drive. You can move it to the SSD for even faster loading. I have no complaints with the PS4 version on PS5. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is one of Capcom’s best collections yet across everything and not just fighting games or arcade games. It offers superb extras, fantastic online play on Steam, and it has been a joy to experience these games for the first time. I just wish there was more than one save slot for the entire collection for save states. Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics Steam Deck Review Score: 4.5/5

Later this month on September 27th, NIS America will release FuRyu’s action RPG Reynatis for Switch, Steam, PS5, and PS4 …

Continue reading "Reynatis Interview: Creative Producer TAKUMI, Scenario Writer Kazushige Nojima, and Composer Yoko Shimomura discuss the game, coffee, and more"

Later this month on September 27th, NIS America will release FuRyu’s action RPG Reynatis for Switch, Steam, PS5, and PS4 in the West. Ahead of the launch, I had a chance to talk to Creative Producer TAKUMI, Scenario Writer Kazushige Nojima, and Composer Yoko Shimomura about the game, inspirations, collaborations, how the project came into being, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, coffee, a potential Xbox release, and much more. This interview was conducted in parts with TAKUMI’s portion being done on video call with Alan from NIS America translating and then it being transcribed and edited for brevity. The portion with Kazushige Nojima and Yoko Shimomura was done over email and is towards the end of this interview. TouchArcade (TA): Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do at Furyu right now. TAKUMI: I’m a director and producer at Furyu. A lot of my work involves creating new games and working on brand new projects. For Reynatis specifically, I’m the person who came up with the main idea for the game. I produced it, I directed it, and I saw pretty much everything through from the beginning to the end so anything and everything related to Reynatis, I handled everything. TA: I’ve been playing FuRyu’s games through many publishers in the West from the 3DS days, leading into PS Vita, PS4, PS5, PC, and mostly on Nintendo Switch. It feels like Reynatis has the most hype around it from any game which I’ve seen from FuRyu. How does that make you feel as a creative producer? TAKUMI: First of all, I’m very happy. I take it very positively. I’m just simply pleased that people like it so much. About the buzz and attention it is getting, it feels like it’s actually more from abroad than inside Japan. I’ve been checking things out on Twitter and I noticed that a lot of times whenever they post information about the game, when they post trailers, when they post things like that, a lot of the comments that they’re receiving are from people outside of Japan. And so he says it seems like the fan base for this game abroad is large, or will be large. And it also seems like, as you mentioned, up till now, this game has been receiving more feedback and more positive user interaction than any other FuRyu game in the past. So I’m really pleased to see how it seems to be being received in the West so far. TA: Okay, so the game is obviously available now in Japan for people who live there to buy on console. How has the response been from players in Japan for the game? TAKUMI: As someone who’s liked Final Fantasy Kingdom Hearts and things like that, I feel that the fans of those works, basically the works of Tetsuya Nomura in particular, seem to have really latched onto the game. They really appreciate what I’m doing and I really get the sense that they kind of understand everything. I’ve seen that as they’ve been playing the game, they’ve been noticing things and seeing how the story progresses and being like, “Oh, yeah, that’s how it should be," or, “Yeah, I kind of expected that to happen." And so they’ve gotten really excited and really delved into the world of Reynatis. They’ve also, kind of without really even being prompted, have kind of taken things farther to the next level, like, “I wonder where he’s going to take the story from here. I wonder what’s going to come next. I wonder…" All these little sub things that he hadn’t really had a chance to maybe flesh out or think about yet are things that the fan base has already decided to move forward with and already decided to start thinking about what’s going to come in the future. Of course a creator, that makes me feel incredibly pleased and also kind of gets my creative juices flowing as it were, too, to think about what I want to do next. On the gameplay side of things, FuRyu games always kind of have areas that stand out a little bit more than others or have things about them that make them kind of unique and very FuRyu you could say. A lot of players have come to appreciate those things, too, and really enjoy those things as well. So for the people who really have always appreciated FuRyu games and have played them up until now and enjoyed them, they seem to be liking and enjoying the game as well. So far on both of those fronts, it seems that user reaction has been positive and people have really been enjoying it. TA: I’m glad you mentioned Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy because from when the game was revealed, a lot of my friends who are hardcore Kingdom Hearts fans and who have been following Final Fantasy for a long time, everyone brought up Final Fantasy Versus XIII’s trailer and everyone’s trying to draw parallels with that and talking about how is this connected here, is that connected there? Can you comment on whether Final Fantasy Versus XIII’s trailer and that whole hype cycle over there had any influence on the project. TAKUMI: So that question is a sensitive question, it’s a sensitive topic. There’s things that I can and cannot say in regards to it, but one thing I want to point it specifically is that as a fan of Nomura-san’s work and as someone who saw that original trailer for Versus XIII, and purely wondered what would this game have been like, what kind of game would this have been, how would it have played, and all these things like that running through my head, as a fan, I wanted to put myself on the same level as other fans. And as a representative of that fan base, I wanted to create my own take on it. If this game would have come out, maybe it would have turned out like this. So that feeling in terms of how Reynatis is related to Final Fantasy Versus XIII, you could say it’s something like that. I can’t speak too much beyond this little window of speaking, but I have talked to Nomura-san. They’ve talked about several things about this,and the idea is that Nomura-san knows what he’s thinking and the things that they’ve talked about. As a fan and as somebody who really loves these works, I really wanted it to be from one fan to all the other fans out there. I feel like that group of fans who did love those games, that’s who Reynatis is for. At the end of the day, all that really comes from that specific title is the inspiration. So seeing that initial trailer and that initial thought of “I wonder what this would be like" was an inspiration, certainly, for Reynatis. Reynatis is something that is wholly his own. It’s something that totally came from me as a creator. It is dyed in my own color as a creator. Everything that I wanted to express as a creator is what’s in this game. It’s not a copy or a rip-off of something else that’s come before, something that might have existed. It’s completely wholly my own. This was simply an initial spark of inspiration to make me think about what this world would be. Everything else about this world that is Reynatis is something that I made myself and created myself. TA: So out of the many FuRyu games I’ve played over the years since Lost Dimension and stuff like that, my favorites are The Caligula Effect 2, Crymachina, and The Alliance Alive. Every single game usually has I’d say 75% of it is really good with memorable story, music, and stuff like that. But there are some aspects which fall short, and we usually see either technical shortcomings or some people might not like the gameplay or something like that. So I wanted to know if you’re happy with the current state of the game because I know there are updates planned. TAKUMI: The game originally came out on July 25th in Japan, and from there, we had an actual play session where we streamed it, and there were people watching on Twitter, commenting, and since then, people have had a chance to play the game and receive their comments. Obviously, to recreate the game, or to do things on a fundamental level, that’s impossible, but obviously, small things that we can brush up, as we are going through, for example, boss balancing, the amount of time that enemies come out, little quality of life features that kind of have to do with those things, all of those things will be addressed in the updates that are coming out. There’s an update coming out on September 1st in Japan, and then either with that, or a little bit before that, we plan to, again, start addressing some of those issues Beyond that, obviously, if there’s any bugs or any kind of technical flaws or things like that, those are all intended to be addressed to over the coming months, because the last DLC is scheduled to come out in May, and so up until that time point, we are going to continue to work on the feedback that we’ve received, and implement as much as we can, as is reasonable and possible, into the game. One thing I also want to point out is that specifically for players in the West, the version of the game that you be getting, essentially, will be a version that’s been refined and brushed up, compared to everything that’s come out in Japan, so please look forward to the best version of the game when it does come out here in the West. TA: So I read the NIS America translated Famitsu interview with Takumi-san, Yoko Shimomura, and Kazushige Nojima in two parts (here and here). It was the two-part long interview and was really nice. So first, thank you to NIS America for translating that officially for us. Secondly, I wanted to touch on the part about how you approached both of them because it was very interesting and funny. I wanted to just ask you about that. How did you approach them directly? Is it just something like you messaged them or do you approach their representatives or the companies at all? TAKUMI: It was pretty much what I said in the interview. Most of this was direct. I reached out to them directly. I didn’t contact them through a company. I didn’t do super formal emails or uptight things. The thing about Shimomura-san specifically is that Furuyo had actually done some work with her in the past on some other titles, so I kind of had an in there, but even still I ended up reaching out to her through X / Twitter. For Naora-san, who was the illustrator for the game, it was a PM to him on X / Twitter. Kaburagi-san, who also did the illustrations, I spoke with him on X. Nojima-san, they did a lot of LINE. Even once the project had begun, a lot of the communication was still done via PMs and via private messaging and things like that. At no point was it ever really a very formal thing. I would just kind of reach out to people as necessary and say, “hey, what do you want to do about the music?" or something like that. It’s a lot rougher than you might have imagined in terms of how a company normally performs its business. TA: That’s hilarious. It makes sense why you contacted them because they are very talented folks, and while the premise and game seem interesting, I wanted to know what prior works of theirs made you reach out to them individually? What are your favorite works by them? TAKUMI: Well, basically, I’ve been playing Kingdom Hearts since I was a kid. I think the big part is that my personality and values were formed by Kingdom Hearts. So, when it comes to Shimomura-san’s music, I have a strong image of Kingdom Hearts. And then, in connection with that, I’ve been playing titles like Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X. I think Nojima-san’s scenario has a strong feeling from that. I think I’ll just say that I wanted to do Nojima-san’s scenario with Shimomura-san’s music. for Shimomura-san, obviously, most people think of Kingdom Hearts. It’s a really, really special game. It’s a series that I started playing when I was little. It influenced my values and who I am as a person. So, that was someone that I really wanted to work with specifically. In terms of Nojima-san, obviously, I’m a big fan of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X, and works like that. I wanted to work with them because I just wanted to work with them. I liked their work and he wanted to work with them. TA: I wanted to know, before the game started production, what games did you play that maybe inspired some aspects of this thing? Did you start doing research and playing more action games from other developers to see how they are? TAKUMI: I’m honestly an action game fan to begin with. So, whether it be older titles, whether it be more recent titles, I feel like I’ve played them all. Whether you’d want to call that research or not is kind of something different, but I have played them and I have enjoyed them and obviously, there’s a lot of things that I’ve taken inspiration from, you could say, from within that. However, one thing I want to point out really specifically is that, and this is something you know as someone who’s played many FuRyu titles, is that FuRyu size-wise and scale-wise doesn’t have the budget to do something like a Final Fantasy VII Remake or a Rebirth. That’s just on another level. When I was creating the game and thinking about what I wanted to do, I thought carefully about what would be fun for the players. What will the players enjoy? Let’s make that and then let’s also try to make everything within the game something that’s fun. So for example, even beyond the gameplay, you have the scenario, you have the story, you have all of these things that individually are disparate, but all of them together are what makes Reynatis the experience that it is. I want players to experience it as a whole and not so much as an action game solely, for example. If you compare Reynatis to something like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, it’s obviously not going to compete on that level. Where it can compete is on this level as an entire package, as a game experience that is the sum of its parts beyond being some specifically one thing. TA: Can you talk about how long Reynatis has been in production? TAKUMI: About three years, give or take. TA: So how was it working for the team during the pandemic? TAKUMI: The pandemic was just at its peak. I think it was a time when we couldn’t meet face to face and talk about it. But I don’t think I was in that much trouble. The development company that was actually developing it was basically all-in-one, and we were able to work with the top development team. If we had been able to communicate with them, I think we could have made the game without any problems. After the pandemic actually settled down, we were able to meet face to face. We were able to communicate while eating together. I don’t think there was a big problem in terms of development because we couldn’t meet face to face because of the coronavirus. Things kind of kicked off right at the beginning of the pandemic, specifically when it was really difficult to go out and actually meet people. Truthfully, at the very beginning, we didn’t have a lot of opportunity to actually meet face to face and talk about things.However, A, as time went on, and B, because we were having lots of meetings and things like that, the people that we were working with to develop it, all of them actually were in the office. Because we had a good direct line of communication with the development staff, the head of the development staff, we felt like there were no issues there. Also, as the project continued, things loosened up, and so I was able to meet people face to face. We were able to go out to eat and talk and have meetings and things like that. So things proceeded smoothly. Even in the midst of the beginning of the pandemic, when it was more difficult to meet people, I don’t feel that it really impacted the work negatively. We were able, and I specifically was able to do my work without any problem, and things proceeded well. So there were really no issues from that sense in regards to the pandemic situation. TA: So one of the things I noticed is, before the game was officially revealed for localization, there was a lot of hype around “NEO: The world ends with you. Everyone was speculating if this is part of the same universe or what’s happening And now we have an official collaboration, which is officially licensed and stuff like that. So I wanted to know two things: As a fan, play NEO :The World Ends with you and how did you approach Square Enix for the collaboration? TAKUMI: I played the original on DS in the beginning. I played the smartphone game that only lived for a brief period. I played Final Remix when it came out on Switch and then of course NEO: The World Ends With You as well. I’m a simple fan just like everyone else when it comes to the series. I have played them all. For the collaboration, I did go directly to Square Enix as a company and approached them from an official capacity as a company. Thinking in the console game space, looking at collaborations between companies it’s very rare. All I can think of is that there was a collaboration between Capcom and Konami using Metal Gear Peace Walker and Monster Hunter 2G. Aside from that, I can’t really think of anything else in terms of console creators coming together to make it. Because this is something that hasn’t really happened before, it had to be a bit more official. On the flip side, because it hasn’t happened before, there was really nobody I could talk to internally to be like, “Hey, so how do I go about approaching this? How do I go about making it happen?" I got a lot of feedback like “Oh, that’s impossible. You can’t do that." However, I have the kind of personality where I’m very strong and straightforward with things. I said “No, no, no, look, if it’s not impossible, there’s a way to do this. I’m going to find a way to do this." The simplest thing in that case was to drop the plan, to go to Square Enix directly and say, “Hey, look, I’m making this game. I really like The World Ends With You. The setting for my game is also Shibuya. Is there anything we can do together?" That’s basically how the collaboration came about. TA: Can you comment on what platforms Reynatis was always planned for? What was the lead platform? TAKUMI: All of the platforms were decided from the beginning, but as you mentioned, you have to come up with a lead platform. In this case, it would have been the Switch and so the Switch was the main, and then the others came out from there. TA: In the past, whenever I played FuRyu games, regardless of how much I liked them, the lead platform usually has some technical issues. I remember playing The Legend of Legacy on 3DS, which had a lot of technical issues, but now it’s perfect when you play it on modern platforms. Reynatis is a very visually striking and good-looking game from its trailers. So I was just wondering how it would run on Switch. TAKUMI: I understand where you’re coming from. Even though the Switch is the lead platform, honestly speaking, this game pushes the Switch to its limits. Within me, there’s two rules I have to fulfill for this game. One is the producer, and the other is the director. As the producer, I have to be more mindful of things like unit sales. How many players are going to purchase and play the game? So within that, obviously, it makes the most sense that you release a game on as many platforms as you possibly can to maximize those elements. On the flip side, as the director and as a player myself, it would have been great to focus on maybe one platform like PS5 or something to really push things to the next level. But at the same time, that’s a balance that I have to maintain within all things. There was a lot of internal struggle within how to handle that. But at the end of the day, the balance was essentially taken within those two elements of myself that I had to do. I’m happy with what came out. TA: So far, FuRyu games release on consoles in Japan and get ported to PC for the Western releases. Has Furyu ever considered doing PC internally in Japan for these games? TAKUMI: Actually, there was a title that came out recently that we did internally on PC. So it is something that we have been thinking about and working internally on. So yes, games are coming out made by us specifically for PC platforms. At this point, Mr. Sonobe, FuRyu Localization Coordinator, added that FuRyu has established a partnership with NIS (America) to sell full-priced console RPGs due to their expertise in translation, promotion, and sales capabilities. TA: The reason I ask is because we’ve seen a lot of promotions in Japan for Steam versions from publishers there. Like SEGA does with competitions for Like a Dragon and Steam Deck. Obviously you need to release on Switch, but you now also have a high end handheld PC. I see a lot of interest for Steam versions. Do you see more people recently asking for PC versions in Japan? TAKUMI: Please take this as my opinion specifically and not a representative of the industry. For me and the people around me, the two worlds are very different. There’s the world of console gaming, as we call it, and then there’s the world of PC gaming. Those worlds don’t necessarily meet, and it seems like the players of one specific place, like console or PC, generally want to keep their play experiences limited to that space specifically. If you were to divide it up into three things, you would have consoles, you would have PCs, and then you would have smartphones. And so these are kind of the three arenas that exist. And these are kind of the three arenas that people generally tend to stay in when they’re developing and releasing games. I don’t even necessarily know people who play on PC who have a Steam Deck or who want to play specifically on it. If they want to play a console game, they would play it on console if they had the desire to do so. That’s kind of where I feel the industry is specifically in Japan. TA: Because you mentioned smartphones, I think FuRyu has one title which is available in the West on smartphones through another partner, Arc System Works, which is The Alliance Alive Remastered. I believe it uses NIS America’s translation for English. Do you have plans as FuRyu to do more smartphone ports of premium games? TAKUMI: As a company we don’t have a plan to make games specifically for smartphones. It is more that our division specifically is focused on making console games and we believe that consoles are a place that can provide specific experiences that can only be provided by console games. The reason you saw something like The Alliance Alive Remastered come out on smartphones, was because we felt that it would be appropriate and because we thought it would still play well on the smartphone. For something like a super hardcore action game or something that would require more intricate controls, that wouldn’t really be suitable to be on smartphones so it wouldn’t happen. Our plan and goal going forward is to develop first for console and to bring out the best we can do in the console gaming space. IF that work is suitable enough to be brought to a smartphone, and still be able to be played well, and it doesn’t lose any of its intrinsic fun that you have from playing on console, then we will think about it in the future, but it kind of is on a case by case basis. TA: So I play FuRyu games on multiple platforms, but there’s one platform that hasn’t seen FuRyu support much. This question isn’t just from myself, but also from readers who usually want to know why some games aren’t coming to Xbox. only myself, but a lot of our readers also usually ask us to check in on the possibility? I know there could be many reasons for why, but I still wanted to ask you directly about this if there are plans to do Xbox Series X versions of these games from FuRyu? TAKUMI: Personally, I would like to do Xbox versions of the games but the reality is that in Japan there’s not enough demand from consumers. There’s not enough recognition from consumers for the platform itself to be able to justify being able to make an Xbox version. To talk about things from a development standpoint, you have to understand that adding another platform to the development cycle means you have to account for that within the schedule. Within that as well, the development team has to have the experience to be able, having worked on that platform, to be able to develop it appropriately for that platform. Because the team doesn’t have that experience, it suddenly becomes a very high hurdle to clear and be able to make this game. I would definitely like for us to be able to do it. I find it would be something that would be interesting. It’s just the reality of it that it’s a difficult thing to do for the reasons I mentioned. TA: Reynatis is coming out in the West in a few weeks. I wanted to know what you’re most excited to see when players get their hands on the game in the West? TAKUMI: I really want players to enjoy playing the game for a long time. Nowadays, you kind of have an issue that when a game comes out, it’s not uncommon for spoilers to get posted, whether that be videos or things like that. We’ve worked really hard to make sure that those spoilers don’t get out there. One of the ways that they’ve avoided having things spoiled is by having this– we talked about it a bit earlier–but by having this free DLC release schedule going forward that will bring up new story content and secret story content. There’s going to be one that comes out October 1 that will be global. NIS America will release the game in the West in September. So players will kind of have to catch up first, but after that, they get to experience everything in real time with the Japanese player base as well as the updates come out. I hope that this is something that encourages people to keep playing the game and to play it for a long time to come and to really enjoy what they’re playing and seeing all the secrets and things that they have, because these are things that, again, are going to be not spoiled because it’s all coming out at the same time once the game gets released in the West. TA: One of my favorite aspects of FuRyu games is always the art and music. That’s usually consistently very good. I wanted to know, are there any plans after all the DLC is out to have a Japanese release of the full art book covering everything and a full soundtrack? TAKUMI: At the moment there are no plans specifically to do either of the things that you mentioned, but in regards to the music I really think Shimomura-san made a fantastic soundtrack and I would love to be able to get that out there to people in some fashion. So, hopefully we can do it, but there are currently no plans. TA: Unrelated to Reynatis which we’ve covered a lot, I wanted to know what you’ve been playing outside of work in the last year, like in 2024, which you’ve enjoyed a lot, and what platforms you’ve been playing on? TAKUMI: So for this year, I played Tears of the Kingdom and I played Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Generally speaking, due to everything going on with Reynatis, I have a feeling that I didn’t get to play as much as I would have liked for everything else, but those are the two ones that I remember playing the most. Platform-wise, I probably played most on PS5. As an addition, I’m a huge Disney fan and I’m also a big fan of Star Wars. All the information coming out about the new Star Wars materials has gotten, like, kind of reawakened that fire that I have, for the Star Wars property, so I’ve really been enjoying Jedi Survivor. TA: What project that you’ve worked on so far is your favorite. If it is Reynatis, talk about another one as well. TAKUMI: So I’ve only worked on two games: Trinity Trigger and Reynatis. To talk about Trinity Trigger, I was only the director on that game so I didn’t have the opportunity to do anything on the Producer’s role so thinking about the broader scope of things and how to reach out to customers on that. That’s something I felt was an area missing for me. I really wanted to do it. As a result of having that feeling on Trinity Trigger, I was able to, when the time came to Reynatis, I was able to take on the role of Producer, Creative Producer, and Director and therefore I was able to do everything that I wanted to do in this game. To oversee every single aspect of it. By the same token, because Trinity Trigger was the first game I had worked on and I directed, I was able to do a lot of what I wanted to do with it. It is of course a title to him that remains really deep in his memory, but the game that I have the most affection for is Reynatis. TA: For a lot of people, when they see FuRyu’s games, there are quite a few available on current platforms. Reynatis has the most hype. What would you like to say to folks who are excited for this who have not played a FuRyu game before? TAKUMI: One of the things that I feel is most representative of FuRyu titles in general, is that they all have a very strong theme. If you look at each and every one of these games, the theme is very strong. The message reaching out to people is very strong. Reyantis is no different. This might be a rough or harsh way to put it, but if there are people who feel that they are weak, if there are people out there who feel like they are being put down by society, they can’t live and carry out their lives like they want to, I want you to play Reynatis. One of the big themes in the game is that within Japanese society itself, there’s a very famous expression that you’ve probably heard many times before: “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down" People in Japan have a tendency to go with the flow, and supplement themselves into what the rest of society wants them to do or say, and as a result of that, many people kind of feel really pressured and they’re stifled within what they actually want to do. Whether it be in Japan or outside, if you feel that way, this is absolutely the game for you. The message within this is very strong and I feel like it will resonate with people who feel like they maybe are put down by society or that they are not a place they want to be in society. Going back to what we spoke about before, while the game might not be able to compete in the arena of graphics or richness in setting, the game does have a message that resonates just as strongly as for Final Fantasy VII if not more. I believe it can compete and beat it in that. I think that because the message in the game is so strong, it will remain in people’s hearts and minds and it will be something that will be a really positive and memorable experience for them. I hope people pick up the game for those reasons. This part of the interview with Yoko Shimomura and Kazushige Nojima was conducted over email. TA: How did you get involved in the Reynatis project? Yoko Shimomura: Via a sudden attack from TAKUMI. (laughs) TA: What have you learned composing for games for many years now and how do you implement these learnings in your future compositions and recent ones like Reynatis? Yoko Shimomura: It’s difficult to put into words. I think that experience does become a new power, but I mainly compose via feeling, so turning that into words is difficult. TA: My favorite soundtracks done by you are definitely LIVE A LIVE, Radiant Historia, and Street Fighter II. I’m very curious about the Reynatis soundtrack. What has been your favorite part of working on it so far? Yoko Shimomura: Thank you! The night before recording, even though I was totally worn out mentally and physically, I just had more and more compositions flowing out of me, which was fun. (laughs) I was really ablaze with the idea, “I’m definitely going to finish this!" TA: As a composer you have a very distinct style that when someone hears a work by you, they know you composed it. How do you feel that your style is recognizable through multiple iterations of technology? Yoko Shimomura: I wonder! I get told that a lot, but I don’t really understand it myself. People have said that in the past, my compositions tended to be different based on the work, so there isn’t really a feel that they were all composed by me. I think maybe my style hadn’t quite come out yet. TA: Were you inspired by any other games when working on the Reynatis soundtrack? Yoko Shimomura: I wasn’t influenced by any other work in particular. TA: You’ve worked on the scenarios of many of my favorite games of all time. How do you approach different games today compared to how you worked in the 90s? Kazushige Nojima: It depends on the game genre. For games where the narrative comes first, players today want a character who is a convincing portryal of a fully-fledged person, rather than a character that is an avatar for the player, as was common in the past. In that case, it then becomes important to give the world the character inhabits a sense of presence. I do like those old games that were more akin to a fairytale, though. I’d like to work on one again in the future. TA: How did you get involved with this project? Kazushige Nojima: I received a call from my old acquaintance, the composer Ms. Shimomura. She asked if it was OK to share my contact info with TAKUMI. Things started from there. TA: Is it influenced by Versus XIII in any way? Kazushige Nojima: I didn’t think it was when I was writing it, but I can’t say for certain. TA: Having now seen the game’s scenario all the way, what is your favorite aspect of it, and what do you think fans of your other work should pay attention to here? Kazushige Nojima: It’s difficult to answer this while avoiding spoilers. I think that Marin’s change in mannerisms [throughout the course of the game] is well-depicted. TA: What have you enjoyed playing this year and have you played Reynatis yet? Kazushige Nojima: I’ve been doing nothing but dying in it, but I’ve enjoyed ELDEN RING. I’ve also enjoyed Dragon’s Dogma 2. Embarassingly enough, I’m only partway through REYNATIS. Sure enough, I’m just not good at action games, so for the games I mentioned, I’m enjoying the atmosphere of their worlds. I think the game I’ve played the most of is Euro Truck Simulator. TA: So now the last question is for everyone here. How do you like your coffee? TAKUMI: I don’t actually like coffee. *laughs* I don’t like things that are really bitter. I generally go for iced tea or black tea. If I’m going to drink coffee, I’m going to put a ton of cream, milk, or sugar to drink it. It is kind of funny that in university, I worked at Starbucks so I had to know a lot about coffee, so it is kind of funny that way. Alan Costa: I like coffee with milk or soy milk. If I’m drinking iced coffee, I like just an americano with just ice and no sugar. The two responses below were via email. Yoko Shimomura: I like iced tea. I drink it all the time. I like doubling up [on the bags] to make it strong. Kazushige Nojima: Black. And strong. I’d like to thank TAKUMI, Alan Costa, Chihiro MacLeese, Mr Sonobe, Anna Lee, and Lottie Diao for their time and help with this interview. Editor’s note: I unfortunately lost the recording I took myself where the other attendees from NIS America and FuRyu mentioned how they had their coffee and could only include these two. You can keep up with all our interviews here including our recent ones with FuturLab here, Shuhei Matsumoto from Capcom about Marvel Vs Capcom here, Santa Ragione here, Peter ‘Durante’ Thoman about PH3 and Falcom here, M2 discussing shmups and more here, Digital Extremes for Warframe mobile, Team NINJA, Sonic Dream Team, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and more. As usual, thanks for reading.

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 6th, 2024. Well, this is the last one. You’ll …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku’, Plus New Releases, Sales, and Good-Byes"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 6th, 2024. Well, this is the last one. You’ll see one more special from me next week with a few reviews that have specific embargo dates, but this is the final regular SwitchArcade Round-Up for TouchArcade by yours truly. We’ve been at this for several years and I wish I could have seen the Switch through to its end with these articles, but circumstances dictate another course. We’re going out with another chunky one, with a pair of reviews from our pal Mikhail, a pair of Shaun reviews, a handful of new release summaries, and the usual lists of new and expiring sales. Let’s ride one last time! Reviews & Mini-Views Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU ($49.99) After Imagineer’s success with the Fitness Boxing games that led to the hilarious but good Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star, I didn’t know what IP the team would work with for a new fitness game. When Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU was announced, I thought it was a smart collaboration, but was curious to see how the game felt after Fist of the North Star. I’ve been playing it over the last few weeks alongside Ring Fit Adventure and I’m impressed with Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU in many ways. If you’re new to the Fitness Boxing series, these games, as the name suggests, use boxing and rhythm game movements to get you into shape through daily exercises, mini-games that also get you sweating, and more. With Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU, everyone’s favorite vocaloid gets in on the action and there’s even a separate dedicated mode for her songs in addition to the normal songs included in this release. Keep in mind that this is a Joy-Con only game so you can’t play it with a Pro Controller or any third party accessories as far as I’m aware. As with other games in the series, there are difficulty options, a free training mode to do as you please, warmups, and tracking with reminders and the systemwide alarm that can remind you even if your Switch is in sleep mode. There are cosmetics you can unlock through the points you earn by playing as well. I can’t comment on the DLC yet, but as for the base release, I liked Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU more than Fist of the North Star aside from one issue. The audio in Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU is great, but the main instructor’s voice isn’t great. I ended up turning this voice down because it felt out of place with the rest of the game, and just sounded a bit weirdly directed. Just like the Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star release from Imagineer, Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU is a solid fitness-focused game that does a great job of bringing Miku to the world of Fitness Boxing to try and appeal to her fans. While it is a competent fitness game with its daily workout, customization, and tracking, I feel like it would be better as a complement to something like Ring Fit Adventure or your own other exercise routine rather than being the sole exercise you do during the week. -Mikhail Madnani SwitchArcade Score: 4/5 Magical Delicacy ($24.99) Magical Delicacy from sKaule and Whitethorn Games is one I hadn’t paid much attention to until a friend of mine linked me to an Xbox Game Pass announcement for it. Since then, I’ve played it on Switch as well, but feel like it needs a bit more time in the oven. I adore Metroidvania-style platformers and cooking games, but it feels like Magical Delicacy takes the good bits of both genres while not putting them together in the best way possible. This results in a game I adore in parts, but one where the flaws hurt a bit more. You play as Flora who is a young witch in a story that’s equal parts mysterious, magical, and wholesome. Your aim is to cook meals and craft for various folks, and I was surprised at how well the exploration was implemented aside from the backtracking that annoyed me sometimes. I expected it to be lacking compared to the cooking and crafting, but the team nailed the Metroidvania elements. There are some issues with ingredients in the crafting and in how inventory is managed. This is made a bit worse by the UI that I took a while to get used to with interaction. Magical Delicacy makes a great first impression with its gorgeous pixel art visuals, lovely music, and tons of settings. The latter includes UI scale and text options that are both very useful when playing on Switch in handheld mode. I feel like Magical Delicacy would have benefited a lot from an early access release or will from potential updates. When it comes to the Switch version, it plays very well aside from some seemingly frame pacing-related hiccups. It has good rumble as well. Having played it on Xbox Series X, this is definitely a game I’d play more on a portable so a Switch or Steam Deck version would be best. I just play the genre more on handhelds. Magical Delicacy is a game I should’ve loved given it is basically a blend of a Metroidvania and a crooking/crafting game, but it feels a little undercooked (I couldn’t resist) in parts thanks to some inventory and backtracking issues. While it is a very good game right now that feels at home on Switch, a few quality of life updates and polishing will make it an essential. -Mikhail Madnani SwitchArcade Score: 4/5 Aero The Acro-Bat 2 ($5.99) A lot of companies tried their hand at the whole mascot platformer thing in the 16-bit era in the wake of Sonic the Hedgehog‘s explosive success. Like, the sheer number of them is just baffling. Even more than I remembered. Not many of them managed to see sequels, but Aero The Acro-Bat is part of that elite few. How each member of that club got there is its own story, but in Aero’s case it seems to have been a combination of the first game going over well enough, and sheer force of will to try and make fetch happen. Sadly, fetch did not happen. Aero spin-off Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel launched several months after Aero 2, but outside of that Aero was never seen in another original title again. Does that make Aero The Acro-Bat 2 a bad game? I don’t think so. It doesn’t seem like it was a big enough success to merit another follow-up, at the very least. But then again, Sunsoft’s parent company had recently lost a ton of money on a bad investment involving golf courses, and that certainly put it in a fiscally conservative mood for a while. Either way, I don’t think the fault can be placed on the quality of the game. It’s as good as the first game was, with all that implies. A more polished experience that in shedding some of those rough edges loses some of its character, but a decent enough platforming romp. I was fully expecting this release to be in Ratalaika’s usual emulation wrapper, but much to my surprise there’s been an upgrade in the presentation. This feels a lot more tailor-made for the game, and in terms of both options and extras I think this is a far better experience overall. Box and manual scans, achievements, a gallery of sprite sheets, a jukebox, a bunch of cheats, and more. I frankly have no complaints at all about how the game plays and the suite of features here. The only nit I will pick is that you only get the Super NES version of the game here. I feel like the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive version should have been included too, just to keep everyone happy. Those who enjoyed Aero The Acro-Bat should naturally give Aero The Acro-Bat 2 a shot. I even think those who were slightly put off by the first game’s quirks might have a better time here. I really have to commend Ratalaika for stepping up its game with the emulation wrapper for this release. Perhaps I’m being greedy, but I’d love to see the first game updated with a similar interface just for consistency. A fine release for Aero fans and those on the look out for 16-bit platformers to play, and one that makes me optimistic for the remaining reissues of this series. SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5 Metro Quester | Osaka ($19.99) I got quite a bit of enjoyment out of the original Metro Quester when it released a while back. It’s a bit of a bear to get into, but once you understand its rules and what you have to do, it’s an immensely satisfying dungeon-crawling turn-based RPG. Experimenting with party builds to try to find the optimal team was a task I truly enjoyed taking on. With that in mind, I was very happy to see that there was another game in the series coming. Metro Quester | Osaka feels a little more like an expansion pack than a proper sequel, but I’m more than happy with that given how much I got out of the original. The story here is a prequel to the original game, and we’ve moved to Osaka as a setting. You get a whole new dungeon to explore, and some new character types to do that exploring with. Osaka is a much wetter location, so you’ll need to use your canoe to travel over the water in places. With the new dungeon comes new weapons, skills, and enemies to deal with. Definitely more to chew on here for those who have wrung out the original game, and if you had a good time there then you will enjoy this one, too. That said, this game shares much of its broader mechanics with the original Metro Quester. If you need an explanation, please check out my review of that game for more details. Short version: turn-based combat, top-down dungeon exploration, and a whole lot of inching your way outward a little further each time before having to head back to camp. You know, the good stuff. Those who are careless will find themselves in hot water very quickly, as planning and cautious play is practically a necessity in this game. Those who found themselves fully absorbed in Metro Quester will find plenty to enjoy in Metro Quester | Osaka, and new players should probably just skip right to this game. It’s more of an expansion pack than a sequel, but that in no way should be taken as a bad thing. Rather, it just seems like the designer wanted to send players on another adventure that pushes out the existing systems in some fascinating ways. It’s certainly a game you’ll have to be patient with to get the most out of, but those willing to invest the time will enjoy the dividends. SwitchArcade Score: 4/5 Select New Releases NBA 2K25 ($59.99) NBA 2K is back… in 25 form! You know, I find myself wondering something. What happens to the name of this series when we hit the year 2100? NBA 2K100? Just feels weird. We’ll have to talk about that when the situation arises, I suppose. Apparently this year’s version has improved gameplay, a new feature called Neighborhood, and some nonsense about MyTEAM. I’m not going to pretend to know what’s going on here, so instead I will just toss out the amount of space you’ll need on your memory card for this game and then move on. Here we go. 53.3 GB! Shogun Showdown ($14.99) Got room in your heart for another riff on Darkest Dungeon? This one has a Japanese-inspired setting, and there are a few bits in here that change things up a little. Setting all of that aside, this is very much a familiar style of game and I think it’s a decent enough example of such to be of interest to those on the hunt for another one. Aero The Acro-Bat 2 ($5.99) Well, there’s a review up above this section, but in case you’re in the habit of skipping down the page, let me fill you in. This is the somewhat more polished sequel to the successful Aero The Acro-Bat, all done up in Ratalaika’s emulator wrapper. Said wrapper was given additional effort for this release, and it looks good! The version of the game included is the Super NES one, and you can play the North American release or the Japanese one. I wish the Genesis/Mega Drive version was in here, but I can’t imagine Aero fans being unhappy with this overall outside of that. Sunsoft is Back! Retro Game Selection ($9.99) Sunsoft is back! Okay, Sunsoft has been back for a while now, and you probably don’t need a trio of heretofore non-localized Famicom games to sell you on that. So instead let the games sell you on themselves, as you get a trio of unique and varied titles in this bunch. A side-scrolling action platformer, an adventure game, and an action-RPG of sorts. I reviewed this set a couple of days ago, so I advise checking that out if you need more details. Short version: if you like weird old games, this is a good pick-up. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) Some fun stuff in the inbox today, including a really good price on the Cosmic Fantasy Collection. A little dear at its normal price, but at 40% off I think it is worth considering for retro RPG fans. I’ll also call out the enjoyable platformer Tinykin, which is at its lowest price yet. Have a good look through those lists and see what catches your eye. Select New Sales Zombie Army Trilogy ($8.74 from $34.99 until 9/12) Zombie Army 4: Dead War ($14.99 from $49.99 until 9/12) Wild Seas ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/12) Chants of Sennaar ($14.99 from $19.99 until 9/13) The House of Da Vinci 3 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/13) Warhammer 40k: Boltgun ($15.39 from $21.99 until 9/13) Toziuha Night: Dracula’s Revenge ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/16) Monkey Barrels ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/19) Banchou Tactics ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/19) Transiruby ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/19) Picontier ($19.99 from $24.99 until 9/19) Kamiko ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/19) Fairune Collection ($3.99 from $9.99 until 9/19) Alchemic Dungeons DX ($3.19 from $7.99 until 9/19) Ninja Smasher! ($6.39 from $7.99 until 9/19) Ninja Striker! ($1.99 from $3.99 until 9/19) Great Ambition of the Slimes ($9.59 from $11.99 until 9/19) Shinobi Non Grata ($11.99 from $14.99 until 9/19) Let’s Build a Zoo ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/20) Owlboy ($8.74 from $24.99 until 9/20) Hakuoki: Wind & Blossom ($44.99 from $49.99 until 9/20) Omen of Sorrow ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/20) Dungeonoid 2 Awakening ($4.49 from $8.99 until 9/20) The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt CE ($23.99 from $59.99 until 9/22) Knights of Grayfang ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/26) Gale of Windoria ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/26) Justice Chronicles ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/26) Armed Emeth ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/26) Jinshin ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/26) Alphadia Genesis ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/26) Grace of Letoile ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/26) Tinykin ($6.24 from $24.99 until 9/26) Despot’s Game ($4.99 from $19.99 until 9/26) Cosmic Fantasy Collection ($29.99 from $49.99 until 9/26) Cosmic Fantasy ($15.90 from $26.50 until 9/26) Cosmic Fantasy 2 ($15.90 from $26.50 until 9/26) Spirittea ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/26) Punch Club 2: Fast Forward ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/26) Railway Empire 2 ($37.49 from $49.99 until 9/26) Lil’ Guardsman ($11.99 from $19.99 until 9/26) Potion Craft Alchemist Simulator ($11.99 from $19.99 until 9/26) Euphoria ($1.99 from $14.99 until 9/26) Of The Red, the Light, & Ayakashi ($25.06 from $50.13 until 9/26) Modern Combat Blackout ($1.99 from $7.99 until 9/26) The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/26) Arrest of a Stone Buddha ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/26) Fading Afternoon ($16.99 from $19.99 until 9/26) Astor: Blade of the Monolith ($14.99 from $24.99 until 9/26) Tamarak Trail ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/26) Rigid Force Redux ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/26) Yaga ($6.24 from $24.99 until 9/26) Rabi-Ribi ($13.99 from $19.99 until 9/26) Sales Ending This Weekend Dead in Vinland: True Viking ($2.79 from $27.99 until 9/7) Gunslugs ($4.79 from $7.99 until 9/7) Gunslugs 2 ($4.79 from $7.99 until 9/7) Heroes of Loot ($4.79 from $7.99 until 9/7) Heroes of Loot 2 ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/7) Meganoid ($5.39 from $8.99 until 9/7) NOISZ re:||COLLECTION G ($19.99 from $24.99 until 9/7) Phoenotopia: Awakening ($6.99 from $19.99 until 9/7) Space Grunts ($8.39 from $13.99 until 9/7) Stardash ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/7) Superhot ($9.99 from $24.99 until 9/7) Dormitory Love ($24.49 from $34.99 until 9/8) Dying Light: Definitive Edition ($9.99 from $49.99 until 9/8) Fur Squadron ($2.79 from $6.99 until 9/8) Tchia: Oleti Edition ($23.44 from $34.99 until 9/8) That’s all for today, this week, this month, this year, and forever, friends. I haven’t been very loud about this, but this is not only the end of the SwitchArcade Round-Up, but also of my eleven and a half years at TouchArcade. I’ll still be writing here and there at my blog at Post Game Content as well as putting up exclusive articles on my Patreon, but other than that I think I’m hanging up the ol’ webs on this specific kind of work. Twenty-six years in this end of the business is a good run, and I’m ready for new challenges. Do look for me at one of the aforementioned places, hit me up on BlueSky and say hi, and if you’re a fancy executive looking to hire a very seasoned writer, I’m your guy. With that said, I will extend the highest possible gratitude to all of TouchArcade’s readers for being with me on this leg of my life’s journey. I treasure all of you more than you can know. I wish you all the sincerest happiness in your lives, and forever and always – thanks for reading.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. If you missed my Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 Steam …

Continue reading "Steam Deck Weekly: NBA 2K25, ARCO, ODDADA, DATE a LIVE Ren Dystopia, Star Trucker, Skull and Bones, & More Reviews With New Verified Games"

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. If you missed my Warhammer 40000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck review, read it here. Today’s article focuses on Steam Deck impressions and reviews for many games I’ve been playing over the last few weeks with the Steam Deck Verified games and one notable set of discounts on right now. Steam Deck Game Reviews & Impressions NBA 2K25 Steam Deck Review While many scoff at yearly sports releases, I’ve always been a fan of 2K’s NBA games despite the issues. NBA 2K25 is notable for a few reasons. The first is that this is the first time since the PS5 generation began that the PC version of NBA 2K25 is actually the “Next Gen" version rather than being based on the older consoles. The second reason is that the official PC FAQ confirmed that NBA 2K25 is optimized for Steam Deck. While it doesn’t have an official rating from Valve yet, this was great to see. Now that I’ve played NBA 2K25 on Steam Deck and also both consoles thanks to review codes and buying a disc, I’m more than pleased with the game, but it has some of the usual issues you’d expect. If you’ve been playing NBA 2K on PC for a few years, the standout features of this year’s entry are the ProPLAY technology for improved gameplay which has only been on PS5 and Xbox Series X prior to NBA 2K25. WNBA also makes its PC debut with NBA 2K25 alongside the MyNBA mode. If you ended up skipping the last few years of NBA 2K games on PC in the hope of getting the full experience, NBA 2K25 is it for sure, and I hope it does well enough se we keep seeing not only the Next Gen version on PC, but also 2K doing good work on Steam Deck. On PC and Steam Deck, NBA 2K25 has 16:10 and 800p support which is already a good sign. Beyond that, it has AMD FSR 2, DLSS, and XeSS support, but I disabled this. I’ll get into why a bit later. You can also adjust v-sync, dynamic v-sync that targets 90fps during gameplay and 45fps outside that (including The City), toggle HDR (yes it works on Steam Deck), texture detail, overall quality, and two shader options. I recommend letting the game cache all the shaders on initial boot for the best possible experience during gameplay. For some reason, NBA 2K25 on Steam Deck does a quick shader cache on each boot. It isn’t too long but is notable. The NBA 2K25 PC graphics options have an advanced menu with many options including shader detail, shadow detail, player detail, crowd detail, NPC density, volumetric effects, reflections, era filters, global illumination, ambient occlusion, TAA, motion blur, depth of field, bloom, and max anisotropy. This is quite a feature packed PC port when it comes to settings. I left most on low or medium with turning off the upscaling since it made gameplay look a bit too blurry. The main settings I left at medium were player level and shader detail. I also capped the game to 60fps at 60hz using the Steam Deck quick access menu. This provided the best and most stable experience with better clarity than the defaults. Speaking of the default, if you don’t care about adjusting any settings, the game has a Steam Deck visual preset which works fine out of the box, but it looked a bit too blurry for my liking. This is what made me play around with the settings over the last few days. I was curious if NBA 2K25 is playable offline. I know many of the modes require an internet connection but what happens if you try booting up the game when not online? When trying this on my Steam Deck OLED in airplane mode with wifi turned off, the game booted up but didn’t let me load MyCAREER or MyTEAM. There’s a Connect option in the menu to retry connection, but I could get into quick play and eras fine while offline. I noticed some load times were quicker when offline as well. When looking at the console versions, NBA 2K25 is a much better experience than Steam Deck technically, but I find myself playing it more on Valve’s handheld after years of enjoying these games on Switch and more-recently on Steam Deck. The biggest differentiator is the load times. Even on my Steam Deck OLED’s internal SSD, NBA 2K25 doesn’t load as fast as PS5 or Xbox Series X. It isn’t as bad as older systems, but this was a notable difference. Beyond that, keep in mind that there is no crossplay for the PC version with both consoles. As with every recent NBA 2K, the microtransactions are still a problem. This is important if you want to play some of the modes that have a focus on them. If you just want to get this to have a great looking and playing basketball game, they might as well not exist, but keep that in mind when you make your purchase since NBA 2K25 is a $69.99 game on PC as opposed to being priced lower for the last few years. With NBA 2K25, the Steam Deck now delivers a fantastic portable basketball experience at feature parity with PS5 and Xbox Series X. With a bit of tweaking, it looks and runs great, and I’m glad to see 2K finally bring all the features to PC after many years. If you own a Steam Deck and were hoping for a good experience with NBA 2K25, 2K and Visual Concepts have delivered. Just be aware of the microtransactions in some of the game modes though. NBA 2K25 Steam Deck review score: 4/5 Gimmick! 2 Steam Deck Impressions If you’re not familiar with Gimmick! 2 yet, read Shaun’s review of the Switch version here. I was curious to see how it felt on Steam Deck. As of this writing, Gimmick! 2 hasn’t been tested by Valve, but it runs fine out of the box. In fact, it even has a mention of Steam Deck and Linux fixes in its newest patch. Gimmick! 2 is currently capped at 60fps on Steam Deck, and I even recommend forcing your Steam Deck screen to 60hz if you play on an OLED to avoid any jitter issues. There are no graphics options at all, but it does seem to support 16:10 display by default for the menus at least. When I forced the game to run at 1080p on the Steam Deck’s own screen, I wanted to make sure the game wasn’t stretching the visuals like some others do. I can confirm it indeed supports 16:10 properly after making sure of the aspect ratio of the UI and other elements. This only applies to menus though as the actual gameplay runs at 16:9. While I was hoping to see Gimmick! 2 support above 60fps, it isn’t a deal breaker or even close. I wouldn’t be surprised if this gets Steam Deck Verified soon because it runs perfectly out of the box. As for the game itself, I definitely agree with Shaun’s review linked above. I’m just glad to see Gimmick! 2 run so well out of the box on Steam Deck. Arco Steam Deck Mini Review Arco is a game I adored from the get go, but it felt like it was a few updates away from greatness. The dynamic turn-based RPG with pixel art visuals and a lovely story hit PC and Switch a few weeks ago, and it has gotten a major update on Steam already fixing most of my issues. As of this writing, the update isn’t live on Switch and I decided to review the Steam Deck version since that is the most up to date right now. When looking at Arco trailers, you might think it is just a nice looking tactical game. Well, it is a lot more than that, and the combat system is very interesting. In fact, the audio and story surprised me the most. Arco has you experiencing different stories with characters that have unique gameplay styles (in a way). While it is a turn-based affair, there are real-time elements. I saw someone call it Superhot meets a pixel art tactical RPG and I feel like that isn’t giving you the full picture, but it is a glimpse into the kind of blend of gameplay you can expect here. On Steam Deck, Arco ships Verified from the get go, and I had no issues playing it on both my Steam Decks. It is capped to 60fps as far as I can tell and has 16:9 support only. The current build on Steam Deck includes an assist mode (beta) letting you skip combat, get infinite dynamite, and more. These are good to have if you want to skip the combat, but I’m happiest about the option to skip the first act when replaying the game. On paper, Arco seemed like it would be very good, but I didn’t expect to love it as much as I do now. It feels dynamic across the board with superb visuals, music, and a lovely story. If you want an interesting tactical RPG with a memorable story, get Arco right now. There’s even a free demo you can try on Steam right now. Arco Steam Deck review score: 5/5 Skull and Bones Steam Deck Steam Deck Mini Review Skull and Bones is an interesting release to cover. It launched on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC earlier this year, but wasn’t on Steam until just over a week ago. Having never played it before, I wasn’t sure what to expect aside from a friend of mine telling me he enjoyed it despite its many flaws on Xbox. I was also curious to see how it felt on Steam Deck as a current generation console title, but Ubisoft posting about it being playable gave me some hope. For this review, I’m focusing on the Steam Deck port more than the game. On Steam Deck, Skull and Bones has an official Valve rating of being Playable. On booting it up for the first time, you have to login to your Ubisoft Connect account and this process isn’t smooth because the interface feels sluggish. I was hoping it would just pick up my details since I logged into Ubisoft Connect for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, but I had to do it again for Skull and Bones. Beyond that, the tutorial runs fine, but I wanted to get more stable performance. I set it to a 30fps frame rate limit and it runs at 16:10 and 800p. I opted for FSR 2 quality upscaling as well, though performance is more stable with the performance upscaling preset. I left everything else on low aside from textures which I set to high. I found this delivered a good experience overall. As for Skull and Bones as a game itself, I’m still early on since I’ve only played it for just over a week now, but I see the potential here. If Ubisoft keeps supporting it, it will be an easier recommendation. It is already a better experience than before looking at what was added in recent updates. Skull and Bones is a hard game to recommend at full price, but I do recommend checking out the free trial. I enjoy naval combat and open world Ubisoft games, and Skull and Bones with all its updates so far is good, but it has potential to be better. If you do plan on playing Skull and Bones on Steam Deck, keep in mind that it is an online only experience. I will likely grab it on console to also play there with cross progression. Skull and Bones Steam Deck review score: TBA ODDADA Steam Deck Review I love interactive toys like Townscaper because they are excellent at letting me spend a few minutes trying to create something cool. When ODDADA was announced, it felt like the next great interactive toy for me, and that’s exactly what it ended up being with a small caveat in its controls. ODDADA is not technically a game, but a music maker hybrid that feels like a game. The aesthetic reminds me of Windosill in a way, but it really is a gorgeous and elegant little toolbox with a plethora of ways for you to create something special. You interact with it using a mouse or touch controls on Steam Deck, and slowly progress through the different levels and instruments working your way to the end. The randomness element makes it so every creation sounds and feels different. On Steam Deck, I mentioned ODDADA has no controller support yet, but it runs perfectly at 90fps out of the box. There are a few graphics options like resolution, v-sync, and anti-aliasing toggles. You don’t need to worry much about settings in this one, but the text in the menu is a bit small for Steam Deck. Aside from the lack of controller support, I have nothing bad to say about ODDADA. I would argue that even with full controller support, it will play best with touch or mouse controls, but I know some folks prefer a controller across the board. If you enjoy music, art, or just want to make your own music with a lovely little game, ODDADA is for you. In its current state, ODDADA doesn’t have controller support, but it plays perfectly with touch controls on Steam Deck. The team is working on getting it Steam Deck Verified so keep that in mind if you plan on purchasing it now or later. ODDADA Steam Deck review score: 4.5/5 Star Trucker Steam Deck Mini Review Sometimes, a game is released blending two genres together in a way that might not satiate either fanbase. These situations can result in a game that doesn’t hit as hard for anyone, but there’s also a chance that it manages to capture a new audience. I feel like Star Trucker is one of those with how it tries to do automobile simulation and space exploration at once, but without going too deep into either of those genres. This one hasn’t been rated by Valve, but I didn’t have any issues playing it on Proton Experimental right now. Your aim in Star Trucker is to explore space, take on jobs, earn money, and unlock more to do on the massive galactic map. It includes many difficulty options and the ability to tweak things as you like before starting a new game. While I love the gameplay loop, the real highlights are the visuals, writing, and voiced banter on the radio. On PC and Steam Deck, Star Trucker lets you adjust video mode, resolution (16:10 support included), refresh rate, v-sync, graphics quality, render scale, shadow quality, temporal anti-aliasing, ambient occlusion, mesh detail, and light shafts. I opted to use a custom preset with low shadows but left everything else at normal. I also turned off temporal anti-aliasing. This was good enough for a 40fps or so target. I’m sure someone will find a better compromise in visuals for improved performance, but I was happy with this while playing. The major issues holding Star Trucker back are the controls that took me a good while to get used to. I hope these see some improvements in updates. Star Trucker surprised me with its blend of truck simulation and its setting in a way I didn’t think was possible. This feels like a game catering to what I enjoy a lot in automobile simulation and exploration games. While it might not be for everyone, I’ve enjoyed playing Star Trucker quite a bit ever since I got review code on Steam Deck. I hope the developers optimize it a bit more for Valve’s handheld though. Star Trucker Steam Deck review score: 4/5 DATE A LIVE: Ren Dystopia Steam Deck Mini Review Originally released in Japan on PS4 only back in 2020, Sting and Idea Factory’s DATE A LIVE: Ren Dystopia has made its way to the West only on Steam, and it is a great follow up to DATE A LIVE: Rio Reincarnation. If you’re not familiar with it, Date A Live is a light novels series from Koshi Tachibana with illustrations by Tsunako. DATE A LIVE: Rio Reincarnation was a great introduction to that world, and every fan of that release needs to play DATE A LIVE: Ren Dystopia. DATE A LIVE: Ren Dystopia has you playing as Shido who has a dream about a girl named Ren, and this is where the narrative begins with multiple paths and returning characters. There are many choices to make as you’d expect, and it is all accompanied by very good art from Tsunako. DATE A LIVE: Ren Dystopia feels more lighthearted across the board, and it serves as a perfect compliment and follow-up to DATE A LIVE: Rio Reincarnation. I’m just surprised it took this long to see it released in English. DATE A LIVE: Ren Dystopia runs perfectly on Stema Deck out of the box. I didn’t need to change anything. It has 16:9 support at 720p and plays all cut-scenes without issues out of the box. I recommend checking the system settings to ensure the confirm button is set to A and not B. Also make sure it isn’t stretching the 16:9 image to 16:10 in fullscreen mode. DATE A LIVE: Ren Dystopia is an easy recommendation for fans of DATE A LIVE: Rio Reincarnation with its lovely art, music, and memorable characters. I don’t recommend playing it before Rio Reincarnation though. DATE A LIVE: Ren Dystopia Steam Deck Review Score: 4/5 Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES Steam Deck Review Impressions I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen a free game update or re-launch get a new store page on Steam, but that’s what happened with Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES. When SEGA reached out asking if I wanted to try the update early, I figured it would just be early access to the update, but not a brand new app on Steam. I always thought Total War: PHARAOH was good and had potential, but it clearly wasn’t ready for a full price launch when it debuted. Fast forward to today, Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES is exactly what the original should’ve been, and it is an easy recommendation on PC, but the Steam Deck version has some caveats. Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES builds on the original by nearly doubling the main campaign content, adding in four new factions, the Dynasty system, and tons of improvements to existing areas of the game. If you already own Total War: PHARAOH, Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES will feel like a sequel in some ways, but also an enhanced re-release in others. It is a great game right now. On Steam Deck, Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES still doesn’t have controller support, but it is playable with the trackpad and touch controls. I’m still playing it on and off to see how it feels, but my initial impressions are very positive as someone who enjoyed the original Total War: PHARAOH but thought it needed more work. Pinball FX Steam Deck Impressions Shaun has been talking about Zen Studios’ Pinball FX series so much over the years, that I’ve always wanted to check it out on a handheld. I ended up getting some of the tables for older games on Switch before, but with the new digital version of the game simply titled Pinball FX out on Steam since last year, I was curious how it would play on Steam Deck. When the two new DLC tables were released, I downloaded the game on Steam Deck to see how it and the DLC tables felt. What surprised me the most is the PC port features, and how it plays on Steam Deck. I’ve not played every single DLC table so I can’t comment on how the game will run there, but having access to a lot of PC graphics options including proper HDR support on Steam Deck makes it hard to not recommend at least downloading the free client to see how you find it. As for the gameplay, I’ve played about 7 tables since getting the game, and I love this release. I’m looking forward to covering more of these tables in the future, but Pinball FX feels like a love letter to the world of pinball. While not a review, Pinball FX is absolutely worth your time on Steam Deck. Even if you don’t want to buy anything, I recommend grabbing the free to play version on Steam to access a few of the tables at no additional cost. This will let you see how the game looks and runs on Steam Deck as well as sampling a bit of the many tables available as paid DLC. New Steam Deck Verified & Playable games for the week I’m surprised Black Myth: Wukong is marked Unsupported and not Playable given it performs better than a lot of Verified games. I’m glad to see Hookah Haze and OneShot: World Machine Edition Verified this week. I’m looking forward to playing them both. Black Myth: Wukong – Unsupported (Read my review here showing it is playable) F1 Manager 2024 – Playable Hidden Through Time 2: Discovery – Playable Hookah Haze – Verified METAL SLUG ATTACK RELOADED – Verified OneShot: World Machine Edition – Verified Slash Quest – Verified Syberia – Verified Toree’s Panic Pack – Verified Volgarr the Viking II – Playable Steam Deck Game Sales, Discounts, and Specials Check out the Games from Croatia sale with discounts on the amazing Talos Principle series and much more this week. This sale is on until Monday morning. That’s all for this edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. As usual, you can read all our past and future Steam Deck coverage here. If you have any feedback for this feature or what else you’d like to see us do around the Steam Deck, let us know in the comments below. I hope you all have a great day, and thanks for reading.

Apple just announced October 2024’s new Apple Arcade games with NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition () as the headliner. Following yesterday’s …

Continue reading "‘NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition’ Headlines October 2024’s New Apple Arcade Releases With Three App Store Greats"

Apple just announced October 2024’s new Apple Arcade games with NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition () as the headliner. Following yesterday’s news about Balatro, Apple confirmed that NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition will release on October 3rd with three App Store Greats. NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition is notable because it marks the debut of The Neighborhood on iOS letting you explore the immersive world, outdoor streetball courts, NBA legends recruiting, a new badge system, and more with limited-time quests planned. Check out the NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition gameplay screenshot below: Alongside NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition, we have Smash Hit+, Furistas Cat Cafe+, and Food Truck Pup+ joining Apple Arcade as App Store Greats. I’ve only played the first of those before so I will be checking out the others assuming I can stop playing Balatro+. If you’d like to sign up to get the new games, check out NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition here on Apple Arcade. With Balatro+ and NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition this is definitely the best month in a while for the service. What do you think of the newly revealed Apple Arcade games?

Well here it is, friends. This will be the last of my retro game eShop lists, mostly because I am …

Continue reading "The 10 Best PlayStation 1 Games on Nintendo Switch – SwitchArcade Special"

Well here it is, friends. This will be the last of my retro game eShop lists, mostly because I am running out of retro consoles with a good variety of games to choose from. I’ve left one of the best for last, though: the PlayStation. Sony’s first whack at the ol’ console market succeeded beyond any expectations, and it’s little wonder it built a library so full of great games that we still see re-releases to this day. Sure, these games gave Nintendo a black eye a quarter of a century ago, but it’s all smiles now for everyone who can enjoy them on their platforms of choice. We’ve got ten of our favorites here, in no particular order of course. On with the PlaySta-Show! Klonoa: The Door to Phantomile – Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series ($39.99) Klonoa is a really great game that probably didn’t get as much attention as it deserved, but got enough that it didn’t go totally unnoticed. Probably one of the more successful 2.5D platformers on the console, even. You play as a little floppy-eared cat-creature who is navigating the world of dreams to stop a dangerous threat. Vibrant visuals, snappy gameplay, interesting bosses, and a surprisingly impactful story for what it is. The second game, originally released on PlayStation 2, isn’t quite as good as the first, but you have to get them as a set anyway. Final Fantasy VII ($15.99) This is one of the big ones, isn’t it? The Japanese RPG that finally woke the wider Western market up to the genre, Square Enix’s biggest success ever, and one of the main instruments of the PlayStation’s rocket to the top of the business. Sure, there is that remake of Final Fantasy VII out there, but I hope by now that people realize what that really is. If you want to play the original Final Fantasy VII story, you’ll have to risk getting your eye poked out on some sharp polygons. Still a very good game, and it’s not hard to see why so many people took to it the way they did. Metal Gear Solid – Master Collection Version ($19.99) Another very big name from the PlayStation, Metal Gear Solid dragged a franchise that was more or less dormant into the spotlight of a much bigger stage. The Metal Gear Solid series got a lot sillier over time, and perhaps started gazing into its own belly button a little too deeply. But it’s hard to argue with this first game, which feels less like a bizarre trip through Kojima’s philosophical musings and more like an episode of GI Joe. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a very fun game to play, either. And hey, if you enjoy it enough, both of the PlayStation 2 follow-ups are available on Switch too. G-Darius HD ($29.99) Alright, let’s venture into the weeds again just a little bit. G-Darius took Taito’s classic shoot ’em up series into 3D, and it’s amazing just how well it made that transition. Sure, those chunky rough-textured polygons haven’t aged as well as the sprites in the 2D games, but there’s a real charm to them. The vivid colors, enjoyable enemy-catching mechanic, and creative bosses make for one heck of a solid shooter. Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition ($19.99) I could almost fill this entire list with Square Enix games, but I’m going to leave it with this one and Final Fantasy VII just to give other games a chance. Chrono Cross had an impossible job: follow up one of the most well-liked Japanese RPGs ever made. And no, it couldn’t quite manage that task. People today do not speak of Chrono Cross the way they do Chrono Trigger, and that’s fair. But pull it away from that comparison and you’ll find a really clever and gorgeous RPG with a huge cast of (admittedly poorly developed in the main) characters to recruit and play with. Also, one of the best video game soundtracks of all time. Feel free to @ me, I’m right. Mega Man X4 – Mega Man X Legacy Collection ($19.99) I love just about every Mega Man game to some extent, but I am well aware that my vision is clouded by bias stemming from a severe case of childhood nostalgia. As such, when it comes to recommending games in the series with clearer eyes, there are only a few games in each series I feel good about putting in the hands of non-fans. With the Mega Man X series, it’s just two games: Mega Man X and Mega Man X4. While I enjoyed the games between them, X4 just feels like it has itself put together better than most of its siblings. This was a short-lived slice of balance, because things went off the rails again with the next game. But hey, don’t take my word for it – buy the Legacy Collections and see for yourself! Tomba! Special Edition ($19.99) You know, there were a lot of games published by Sony as first-party releases that it ended up not owning. I always assumed Tomba was as much a first-party property as Crash Bandicoot was, but… oh wait, I guess it was. Anyway, Tomba! is a really interesting platformer. It incorporates a lot of adventure game elements, but the action is on point too. Just don’t forget that that creator of Tomba! is the same guy behind Ghosts ‘n Goblins. It might seem breezy at first, but it’s going to challenge you as it goes on. Very neat game, and I’m glad it’s available again. Grandia – Grandia HD Collection ($39.99) Okay, technically Grandia was a SEGA Saturn game first, but the PlayStation port was clearly used as the basis of this HD release so I’m putting it here. Grandia comes from many of the same people who made Lunar, and it channels much of its spirit. In a time period where many RPGs were taking heavy cues from Evangelion, Grandia dared to be a bright and cheerful adventure. It also has a very satisfying combat system that builds on what Game Arts was doing with the Lunar games in strong ways. The other game in this set isn’t too shabby either. Tomb Raider – Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft ($29.99) Another true icon of the PlayStation era, Lara Croft had five adventures on the PlayStation by the time the console reached its end. The quality varied from game to game, and some of them were stronger at some things and weaker at others. If you asked me to pick the best one, I think I’d have to go with the original. It was more focused on actual raiding of tombs and less on action, and I think that was putting the best foot forward as far as the Core Design period of the franchise went. But this is another chance to make up your own mind, because you get the first three games here whether you like it or not. moon ($18.99) Let’s finish up with a deeper cut. Originally only released in Japan, moon was something of a deconstruction of the contemporary RPG. Indeed, its creators refer to it as an anti-RPG. In practice, it’s more of an adventure game than anything else, and it is very… punk? Can I call it punk? There are parts of the game that aren’t very fun at all, but it’s also not trying to be fun all the time. There’s an interesting message to this game if you see it through, and I’m glad we finally got to see this come out in English. And that’s the list, friends. Are there any PlayStation 1 games you enjoy on the Switch? Feel free to sound off down in the comments and let us know what you’re thinking! It’s always interesting to hear the opinions of others on this kind of thing. I hope everyone has enjoyed this series of articles as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them. As always, thanks for reading!

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 5th, 2024. Thursday already, eh? Where does the time …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Emio – The Smiling Man’, Plus Today’s New Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 5th, 2024. Thursday already, eh? Where does the time go? We’re going in hard on the reviews again today. I have two for you, covering Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate. Our pal Mikhail chimes in today too, with his looks at Nour: Play With Your Food, Fate/stay night REMASTERED, and TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK. We then move into the finest new releases of the day, then sweep up with the lists of new and expiring sales. Ah, Thursday. I shall miss you when it is Friday. Let’s go! Reviews & Mini-Views Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club ($49.99) It seems like the latest trend is making sequels to decades-dormant franchises. Video games, always trying to be like Hollywood. Nintendo has rather unpredictably decided to resurrect Famicom Detective Club, a series mainly known in the West through the “blink and you’ll miss it" remake of the first two games that came out on Switch a couple of years back. I feel like there may be a connection here. At any rate, for the first time this millennium we have a brand new Famicom Detective Club adventure! That’s nifty. The challenge with bringing back an old brand is in deciding how faithful to the original the new game should be. The risk of being too faithful is that the game could be seen as old-fashioned or out of date, but change too much and there’s a chance fans could be completely turned off. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club leans more toward maintaining the style of the recent remakes, themselves hewing quite closely to the originals. It’s an odd blend, to be sure. The visuals are as good as anything you would see in similar games from modern times, and the story certainly pushes a little further than what the Nintendo of the 90s would have done even in Japan. But the gameplay feels very old-school, and I think that is a determining factor in whether or not you enjoy this game. A student is found dead with a paper bag over his head that has a smiling face on it. This digs up some old unsolved murders from eighteen years ago that featured a similar calling card, which raises all manner of questions. Then there is the urban legend about Emio, a killer who promises to give his victims an eternal smile. Has a previous killer resurfaced after all this time? Is it a copycat? Is there really any such thing as Emio? The cops are stumped, so it’s time to call in the Utsugi Detective Agency! Using the powers of going around to places and badgering people, you’ll do what the law enforcement was powerless to: find the truth! Basically, you’re searching around every scene for clues, talking to all of the people you meet (sometimes you need to press the issue and ask multiple times to get what you want), and trying to find the connections you’ll need to solve the case. Think of the sections of Ace Attorney outside of court and you’re not too far off the mark. Depending on how well you take to this kind of gameplay, you mind find parts of the game to be annoying or a slog. There are certainly bits I feel could have been handled more smoothly, and it feels like specific chains of logic needed just a little more signposting. Well, this is a Cat Hair Mustache genre, and I suppose by that standards Emio isn’t doing anything particularly egregious. And you know what? That’s where I’m going to leave it. I have some criticisms of the story, but I enjoyed it on the whole. It was engaging, twisty, and well-written. Some of the plot beats didn’t hit me the way it seems they hit others, but I can’t really talk about that in detail without ruining the story. And I really don’t want to do that, because this is a tale that is best experienced fresh. I liked more than I didn’t, and when it picks up it really picks up. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is not the sort of thing we typically see from Nintendo, but if there was any rust on the team it assuredly doesn’t show. It’s perhaps a little too adherent to the original games in its mechanics, and while the plot is mostly excellent there are some times where the pace falls off or things resolve in ways I didn’t find as satisfying as I would have ideally hoped for. Still, these are minor complaints for what is otherwise a thoroughly enjoyable mystery adventure. Welcome back, Detective Club. Don’t stay away so long this time. SwitchArcade Score: 4/5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate ($29.99) We’re starting to get a nice little set of TMNT games on the Switch, aren’t we? You can enjoy the Konami classics in the Cowabunga Collection, get an incredible modern take on the arcade beat ’em up formula with Shredder’s Revenge, bring the modern arcade home in Wrath of the Mutants, and now satisfy your urge for something with a little more home console flavoring in Splintered Fate. There are a couple more on the way, too. We’re swimming in Turtles! With Turtles? Turtles, they’re everywhere. So how is this one? Not too shabby, actually. I mean, if you’ve played this on Apple Arcade then you know the deal, and if you’re reading this site then the odds are somewhat decent you have. But just in case, let’s go over the broad pitch. Basically, imagine taking a TMNT-style beat ’em up and blending it with Hades. Alright, that pretty much does it. You can go it alone in the usual roguelite style, or play with up to four players via local or online multiplayer. Mikhail and I did the online multiplayer thing together and it worked rather well, so that’s a good way to go. The game is fine when you’re on your own, but adding more people predictably improves the experience. That’s TMNT for you. Anyway, some kind of shenanigans occur with Shredder and a mysterious power. Splinter is in trouble, and the Turtles have to try to figure out how to save him. When all you have is a katana, every problem looks like a Foot Soldier. Slice, dice, and/or bludgeon whatever enemies come in front of you, dash tactically to avoid attacks, pick up some perks that you can enjoy in your current run, and collect another currency to score some permanent upgrades. If you die, it’s back to the lair to try again. Roguelite beat ’em up. But with the Turtles, so it’s automatically better than it would be without them. It isn’t particularly inspired, but it does its job well enough. I wouldn’t call Splintered Fate a must-have in general, but TMNT fans will probably enjoy this twist on the usual fare. The multiplayer is well-implemented, and it’s good to see that important TMNT element wasn’t passed over despite this being the kind of game that is usually played solo. Those without an affinity for the Turtles can find better roguelite games to play on the Switch, but with this being such an intensely competitive genre on the platform it’s to the credit of Splintered Fate that it can manage to keep pace at all. Not bad. SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5 Nour: Play With Your Food ($9.99) When Nour: Play With Your Food originally released on PC and PS5, I was a bit surprised to see it not also released on Switch and mobile. It felt like a perfect fit for touchscreens as an experimental food art experience. I played it on PC and liked it quite a bit, but this isn’t a traditional game for everyone. If you enjoy playful sandbox-like experiences and love food, you will likely find a lot to love in Nour: Play With Your Food, but the Switch version is a bit lacking. If you’re new to Nour: Play With Your Food, it has you playing with specific food types across different stages with interesting music and a lot of over the top nonsense (compliment). It feels like a combination of an interactive app made for those who love food and art equally. Initially, you only get access to the basics, but I found myself surprised at how much the developers added to let you literally play with your food as the name suggests. This is when I realized why it might not be as easy to play on a touchscreen. I am disappointed in the lack of touchscreen support on Switch though. Aside from that, Nour: Play With Your Food was a bit of a heavy game on Steam Deck as well, and you can see the cutbacks on Switch to have it run decently. The biggest issue is the load times being long both docked and handheld on Switch. Nour: Play With Your Food is worth experiencing if you love food, art, and interactive apps. While the Switch version isn’t the best way to experience it, Nour still feels best on a portable, and I hope it does well enough to get more DLC or even a physical release. We don’t see many releases like this in gaming, but games like Nour and Townscaper are the perfect compliment to more-involved RPGs and story-driven games. -Mikhail Madnani SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5 Fate/stay night REMASTERED ($29.99) Fate/stay night REMASTERED launched about a month ago on Nintendo Switch and Steam worldwide. I was hoping to have it covered sooner, but the month has been really busy and Fate/stay night itself is very long. Before covering the game itself, I want to take you on a bit of a journey. Many years ago, a close friend convinced me to watch Fate/Zero as one of the first few anime I watched from start to finish. Back then, I wanted to experience more from the universe, but there wasn’t really something interesting I could officially play in English. I ended up importing the PS Vita version of Fate/stay night Realta Nua just to own it, and since then have basically been playing whatever Fate-related release or Type Moon property we see in the West. This includes Fate/EXTELLA, Fate/Samurai Remnant, watching Fate/stay night, and even trying out Fate/Grand Order for a bit. All of that led to me being very glad that Aniplex brought over Witch on the Holy Night and Tsukihime‘s remake recently, but there was the one game I was hoping we’d see released in English somehow. I didn’t bother with fan translations, and kept hoping we’d see Fate/stay night in English. Here we are. It still feels unreal that this is in English and on Switch. But is it worth your time and money? Well I can save you some time and say absolutely on both fronts with a few caveats. Fate/stay night REMASTERED is a remaster of the 2004-released Type Moon visual novel covering the story of Emiya Shirou, the Holy Grail war, and more. This is basically the best entry point into the Fate universe, and I know there are many who have only experienced it through anime and other games so far, so this is now a chance to see the origin of the series as it was meant to be. Fate/stay night REMASTERED even with its few quality of life features is still a 55+ hour experience at least, and that makes the low asking price shocking. I get that this is a remaster of an older game, but the volume of text and work done really makes it one of the best value releases on the eShop this year. If you already played the original versions of Fate/stay night in Japanese, Fate/stay night REMASTERED does a lot to improve the experience. Obviously it adds English, but the 16:9 support is welcome. It also feels like a lot more work went into this than I initially expected. I’ve been playing a bit of the PS Vita release to compare, and the developers of this remaster have done a great job at making Fate/stay night look good on modern displays, but don’t expect the gorgeousness of Tsukihime‘s recent remake. While I love Fate/stay night itself, I’m glad that the developers actually put in touchscreen support on Nintendo Switch. I played most of Fate/stay night REMASTERED on my Switch Lite (which is sadly busted now) and then synced it to my Switch OLED to play at home and also docked. It feels perfect on Nintendo’s hybrid system. Hopefully it gets more platform releases in the future like iOS and PS5 so more can experience it. Speaking of more platforms, I also played a good amount of Fate/stay night REMASTERED on Steam Deck. It works perfectly out of the box. If you were wondering where to play Fate/stay night REMASTERED assuming you owned a Steam Deck or Switch, get it wherever you want but make sure you play it. It is that good. There’s nothing really holding Fate/stay night REMASTERED back right now aside from no physical release on Switch, and I hope it does well enough to get one in the future to go on my shelf with Witch on the Holy Night and Tsukihime. Fate/stay night REMASTERED is basically an essential for visual novel fans and I still can’t believe it is not only available in English, but also on both Switch and Steam. The low asking price makes it an even easier recommendation. While it may not look as good as Tsukihime‘s recent remake, Fate/stay night REMASTERED is still worth your time, and I’m glad I finally got to play it in English after all these years of owning the Japanese PS Vita release. -Mikhail Madnani SwitchArcade Score: 5/5 TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK ($49.99) As someone who didn’t bother with VR outside of borrowing a PS VR headset on PS4 Pro years ago, I know I’ve ended up missing out on some great games. When looking at what my friends who own current VR headsets talk about, in addition to games like Thumper or Beat Saber, I used to see rumblings of TOKYO CHRONOS and ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos mentioned. Both were praised for their stories and also for being full experiences in VR. I never got to experience the stories until TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK hit Switch through Izanagi Games just over a month ago. When you first boot up TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK on Switch, you get to choose which game you want to play. The first game has you experiencing the story of high school friends in an alternate version of Shibuya, lost memories, killers, and more. If you’ve played many visual novels or adventure games, the narrative here will feel very predictable in parts, but it isn’t bad. It has good visuals and I feel like trying it out in VR after seeing how it feels on Switch just for the novelty of a full visual novel in VR. ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos on the other hand is a lot better with its production, music, writing, voice acting, and characters in general. It also goes beyond being a pure visual novel in parts, and I love when developers do this. Punching above your weight in a visual novel usually makes for a more memorable experience when coupled with important story beats. ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos is the standout of the two, but I think the pack is definitely worth buying if you’re ok with the controls and movement in the demo. Aside from some aspects of the stories not hitting as hard, the Switch version has some performance issues when it comes to camera movement. These aren’t a dealbreaker, but it is distracting having that happen during first person and other encounters. The rest of the Switch features more than make up for it though with touchscreen support (my favorite feature in adventure games) and good rumble. TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK is a great experience on Nintendo Switch with its touch controls and rumble support added to make it even more immersive. I’m glad I got to finally experience these stories since I never owned a VR headset, and I hope to see more from this team in the future. If you enjoy sci-fi stories, I urge you to download the demo at least to see how this one feels on Switch. -Mikhail Madnani SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5 Select New Releases Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku ($49.99) This might be the winner for the title that does the most clear and concise work in explaining a game’s content. At least for 2024, anyway. So yes, this is Fitness Boxing. Featuring Hatsune Miku. It has 24 songs from Miku and friends, plus 30 more from the Fitness Boxing series. Plenty of tunes to punch it out to, in other words. Mechanically, it looks like the other games in the series. No surprise there. Pick it up if you want a Fitness Boxing game featuring Hatsune Miku. Gimmick! 2 ($24.99) I reviewed this yesterday, but in case you missed that, allow me to bring you up to speed. This is a very faithful follow-up to the original cult favorite, building on its foundations a bit, bringing in a slick new presentation, and still as hard as that piece of a Subway pizza sub you lost under the sofa back in the 90s. If you don’t mind a challenge and enjoy clever platformers, you’ll want to check this one out. Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost ($29.99) Are you tired of switching between games based on whether you feel like playing a rhythm game or a bullet hell shoot ’em up? Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost is here to save you from the inconvenience! There are two modes in this game, and it kind of feels like peanut butter and chalk in some sense. But the Touhou theme ties them together, and for fans of the property I’m sure it will pass muster. At least you know the music will be good? EGGCONSOLE Hydlide MSX ($6.49) We’ve already seen one version of Hydlide release in EGGCONSOLE, but here’s another one for good measure. It came after the one we have, but before the NES one. It falls somewhere in between them as a result, and I suppose if you are a Hydlide super-fan then you’ll want to grab as many versions as they release. For everyone else, I’m not sure how much more you’ll get out of this MSX version if you already played the PC-8801 release. Arcade Archives Lead Angle ($7.99) Well, at least Hamster’s mixing it up a little. This is a 1988 Seibu Kaihatsu release, a follow-up to Empire City 1931. It’s one of those gallery shooters that were all the rage at the time, though I can say with some confidence that Lead Angle was not all the rage at the time. It’s a decent enough example of the genre though, so if you enjoy this sort of game you probably shouldn’t be too quick to push the plate away. Shooting gangsters! You don’t see that kind of theme all that often anymore either, come to think of it. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) Not much excitement going on today, but No Man’s Sky is never a bad choice. The rest of the good games in the inbox are frequently on sale, so do what you will with them. Oddly, one could say the same about the outbox. I’ll leave all of that business to you today, as I don’t have any strong feelings on the matter. Select New Sales No Man’s Sky ($23.99 from $59.99 until 9/17) The Last Campfire ($1.99 from $14.99 until 9/17) XALADIA: Rise of the Space Pirates X2 ($8.09 from $17.99 until 9/18) Scars of Mars ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/18) Die for Valhalla ($3.59 from $11.99 until 9/25) Moonlighter ($3.74 from $24.99 until 9/25) Thea: The Awakening ($5.39 from $17.99 until 9/25) Children of Morta ($5.49 from $21.99 until 9/25) Dungeon of the Endless ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/25) Yes, Your Grace ($2.99 from $19.99 until 9/25) Hypnospace Outlaw ($4.99 from $19.99 until 9/25) Nowhere Prophet ($2.49 from $24.99 until 9/25) Soccer Story ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/25) Family Man ($1.99 from $19.99 until 9/25) South of the Circle ($6.49 from $12.99 until 9/25) Wingspan ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/25) Sales Ending Tomorrow, September 6th Ambition: A Minuet in Power ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/6) Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey ($2.39 from $15.99 until 9/6) Fear Effect Sedna ($1.99 from $19.99 until 9/6) Galak-Z The Void Deluxe ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/6) Kingdom Rush ($5.49 from $9.99 until 9/6) Kingdom Rush Frontiers ($5.49 from $9.99 until 9/6) Kingdom Rush Origins ($8.24 from $14.99 until 9/6) My Time at Portia ($4.49 from $29.99 until 9/6) PowerWash Simulator ($17.49 from $24.99 until 9/6) Skulls of the Shogun ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/6) Suhoshin ($4.49 from $14.99 until 9/6) The House of Da Vinci 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/6) Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 4 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/6) Ty the Tasmanian Tiger HD ($10.49 from $29.99 until 9/6) Violet Wisteria ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/6) What the Fork ($4.49 from $17.99 until 9/6) That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow to finish things up, with more reviews, new releases, and sales to look at. Hey, did you know? I have an at-the-moment dormant blog that is going to get active again soon. You can find it at Post Game Content. If you like reading Shaun’s thoughts on games, you’ll certainly find some there. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Back in April, the Razer Nexus (Free) app on iOS and Android was updated with support added for an unannounced …

Continue reading "Razer Kishi Ultra Mobile Controller Review – The Best Mobile Controller in 2024?"

Back in April, the Razer Nexus (Free) app on iOS and Android was updated with support added for an unannounced “Razer Kishi Ultra" controller boasting features like analog stick deadzone customization and more. Since then, Razer has announced and released the Razer Kishi Ultra with support for more than just phones. The Razer Kishi Ultra is also the most expensive mobile controller as far as I’m aware, but it offers more features than expected for specific devices. Having used the Razer Kishi and the Backbone One including the new USB-C versions for years now, I didn’t think I needed a new controller, but the Razer Kishi Ultra changed my mind in a way the Hori Split Pad Pro did on Nintendo Switch a few years ago. Razer Kishi Ultra – what’s in the box The Razer Kishi Ultra box included the controller itself, a few sets of rubber cushions to use depending on your device, a sheet of stickers, and an instruction booklet. For the price point of $149.99, I expected to have a carrying case or at least a pouch included. Beyond that, the box and casing for the controller in the box are good quality as usual from Razer. The Razer Kishi Ultra rubber cushions come in pairs that are properly labeled for use with iPhone (Pair A), iPad Mini 6th generation (Pair B), and Android (Pair C). If you use a case, you don’t need to use any of these rubber cushions. Razer Kishi Ultra compatibility – iPhone, Cases, Android, and iPad Mini While most mobile controllers, especially the telescopic ones, only support iPhone and Android, the Razer Kishi Ultra also supports tablets like the iPad Mini 6th generation. We’ve also recently had some telescopic controllers ship with bluetooth support, but as for USB-C, this one seems to have some of the best compatibility. For the purpose of this review, I tested the Razer Kishi Ultra on my iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 14 Plus, and wired on my iPad Pro. I didn’t test on Android or Windows, but I did try it on my Steam Deck wired. It is detected as a generic Xbox gamepad, but it did work when I was playing NBA 2K25 on Steam Deck yesterday for review and it also supports decent rumble in games like Bakeru that I tested with. Razer Kishi Ultra buttons, d-pad, and triggers Before getting to the new features, how does the Razer Kishi Ultra actually feel and perform? I was a bit worried about the d-pad, but it ended up working great when I played games like Garou: Mark of the Wolves ACA NeoGeo or even newer ones like Hades and Hitman Blood Money Reprisal. Beyond the d-pad, the shoulder buttons and triggers work well just like Razer’s older controller. The analog sticks are comfortable and smooth to use with the face buttons being clicky albeit with more travel distance which I didn’t expect after the original Razer Kishi. Overall, I have no complaints with the Razer Kishi Ultra d-pad, buttons, or triggers after considerable use including some sessions lasting a few hours where I played Zenless Zone Zero while charging my phone through the passthrough charging here. In terms of feel, the textured finish isn’t rubbery, but it works well for a grip and remains very comfortable to hold even for a few hours. I don’t usually care for Chroma stuff on controllers, and just like the Razer Kitsune, I would’ve preferred if the lights could somehow match the gameplay on screen. Razer Kishi Ultra – new features The main draw of the Razer Kishi Ultra is the full-size form factor. Instead of feeling like a compact mobile controller as we’ve seen with Razer’s prior release or the Backbone One, the Razer Kishi Ultra is a full-size one that feels like you’re holding your phone in the middle of a good quality console controller. This may not be a plus for some looking for a compact solution, but it isn’t meant to be that. The full-size form factor makes this the comfiest mobile controller I’ve used by far. The other features are the Chroma customization through the app, haptics (for Android and Windows), and virtual controller mode (Android only). The virtual controller mode is good for Android games since we see some notable ones skip adding controller support outside iOS on mobile like Genshin Impact. Aside from the new features, the Razer Kishi Ultra has a 3.5mm headphone jack, passthrough charging (15W), and the L4 and R4 shoulder buttons. Razer Kishi Ultra features missing on iOS – haptics and virtual controller mode The haptics and virtual controller mode are only available on Android (or Windows as well for the former) and not available on iOS. I don’t really care about virtual controller mode, but I hope Razer can work on something to enable the haptics in some way for iOS devices as well. I love haptic feedback on PS5 and HD Rumble on Switch, so having something that tries to do similar things on iOS would be nice. Razer Kishi Ultra price point – is it worth it? I already think most folks are better off getting a PS5 or Xbox controller to play wirelessly on iOS as the best possible and cheaper option. If you do want a good controller that has a telescopic form factor and attaches onto your phone, the most popular options are already $99.99 so the Razer Kishi Ultra at $150 is definitely a more premium controller. Is it worth that much more? If you’re ok with the current Razer Kishi and Backbone One price point, this is definitely worth the extra price for the comfort, but the lack of the haptics makes it feel like a lesser experience on iOS compared to Android where you get the fully featured experience. It remains to be seen if the joysticks on this one don’t drift over time as well. Razer Kishi Ultra – the best mobile controller in 2024? If you’ve not read my review of Razer’s older controller, check it out here. Moving from that more compact form factor that I’ve gotten used to for years across Razer and Backbone products to this big one has been interesting. Just like the Hori Split Pad Pro for Nintendo Switch, I find myself wanting both a full-size controller and a more compact one for iPhone. The Razer Kishi Ultra is easily the comfiest mobile controller I’ve ever used, but I wish it was easier to travel with. I worry about how it might end up in my bag unless I carry it in the big box it ships with. I don’t know if the Razer Kishi Ultra will replace my normal Kishi or Backbone One when I travel, but I’m definitely only using it when I play at home. At the asking price, I was hoping for hall effect analog sticks though. I’ve had drift issues with multiple controllers over the years and while it hasn’t happened to the Razer Kishi Ultra yet (or the Razer Kishi itself), but I can’t say how things might be in a few more months. This is more of a thing to keep in mind when you buy it. Having now covered the Backbone One and Razer Kishi models, I definitely want to try out the GameSir lineup as they seem more than worth checking out. Hopefully in the near future. Razer Kishi Ultra 2 wishlist When thinking about what I’d like to see in an updated Razer Kishi Ultra, aside from hall effect sticks, I’d like some of the sharper edges like the passthrough charging port to be smoothed out a bit. Beyond that, while I love the L4 and R4 buttons as options, I vastly prefer having paddles on the bottom of the controller since they feel more natural to use. It would be good to have those as options given the premium price. Maybe even L5 and R5 as paddles on the bottom with remapping available in the Razer Nexus app. The final thing I want is a carrying case for this to come with the controller. When looking at the pro level controllers on console, they usually come with a nice hard case. Granted this one doesn’t cost as much as a DualSense Edge or Victrix Pro BFG, but it would be a nice addition to the package that wouldn’t cost too much. Razer Kishi Ultra review If you’re used to playing on traditional PS5 or Xbox Series controllers or basically any full-sized controller and don’t enjoy using the compact Joy-Con size buttons and sticks we usually see in mobile controllers, the Razer Kishi Ultra is perfect for you with its comfortable grip, great d-pad, and face buttons. The lack of full feature support on iOS is disappointing, but this is a great addition to the mobile controller space, and I hope Razer can build on this through the years while also offering a carrying case so I don’t have to worry about anything happening to this in my bag when I go out. Razer Kishi Ultra review score: 4.5/5 Amazon Link: Razer Kishi Ultra If you’re curious about the book in the header image, it is Andy Kelly’s upcoming book titled Perfect Organism: An Alien: Isolation Companion that I’m currently reading for review. You can pre-order it here. Disclaimer: TouchArcade may earn a small commission from purchases made using the affiliate links above.

In the latest look at retro game offerings on the Nintendo Switch, I’ve opted to take a different approach. You …

Continue reading "The 10 Best Game Boy Advance & Nintendo DS Games on Nintendo Switch – SwitchArcade Special"

In the latest look at retro game offerings on the Nintendo Switch, I’ve opted to take a different approach. You see, there aren’t quite so many distinct Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS ports on the Switch as some other consoles. I know, it surprised me too! So they’re going to be sharing a list, much like how they shared a few years on retail shelves. While you can find plenty of great games from the Game Boy Advance in the Nintendo Switch Online app, we’re instead looking at those games that dare to exist in the wilds of the Switch eShop. We’ve got ten of our favorites here, four from the Game Boy Advance and six from the Nintendo DS. No particular order, of course. On with the show! Game Boy Advance Steel Empire (2004) – Over Horizon X Steel Empire ($14.99) We’ll start off with a decent little shoot ’em up, Steel Empire. While the original Genesis/Mega Drive version is the better game in my opinion, this isn’t a bad take at all. Worth playing just to compare with the other version, and it’s certainly a breezier experience in some ways. Steel Empire is a pretty cool game no matter how you play it, and it’s one that even those who don’t normally get into shooters tend to enjoy. Mega Man Zero – Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection ($29.99) While the Mega Man X series started to flounder on home consoles, the true successor to the Mega Man crown was rising up on the Game Boy Advance. Mega Man Zero is the start of an excellent series of side-scrolling action games, and one that perhaps didn’t figure out how to present what it wanted to do in the smoothest way. Those rough edges would get sanded off as the series went on, but the first game is where you want to start. Feel free to continue on from there. Mega Man Battle Network – Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection ($59.99) Yes, I’m double-dipping on Mega Man here. But I think it’s warranted here, because Mega Man Zero and Mega Man Battle Network are very different kinds of games, and both are very good at what they do. This one is an RPG with a unique battle system that manages to incorporate a bit of action to go with the more strategic elements. The core concept of this whole virtual world existing inside of electronic devices is a clever one, and the game doesn’t do things halfway with it. The returns diminished harder on this series than they did with Zero, but there’s plenty of fun to be had here. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow – Castlevania Advance Collection ($19.99) Another collection where you’ll probably just want to run the whole board, but if I have to pick one best one it’s clearly Aria of Sorrow. When I’m in the right mood, I’d rather play this than even the amazing Symphony of the Night. The soul collecting system encourages grinding, and the gameplay is so fun that I don’t even mind that. Throw in an unusual setting and some fun secrets and you’ve got a real winner here. One of my favorite third-party Game Boy Advance games full-stop. Nintendo DS Shantae: Risky’s Revenge – Director’s Cut ($9.99) The original Shantae was something of a cult hit, but the low distribution numbers meant that relatively few people had a chance to play it. It was with the DSiWare release of Shantae: Risky’s Revenge that the Half-Genie Hero had a chance to make a bigger splash, and she certainly did that. Indeed, this established Shantae so well that she hasn’t missed a console generation since. This game kind of sits on a fuzzy line since it was sort of built from the ashes of a Game Boy Advance game that never released. Curiously, that game will be getting a release soon and might fit this list when it does. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy ($29.99) Look, if you’re really bothered about the lists being imbalanced, you could (and maybe should) count this as a Game Boy Advance game. That is the console where it originated after all, it just wasn’t localized at that time. Anyway, you probably know Ace Attorney. Fun adventure games that blend on-location investigations with overly dramatic court scenes. Goofy humor, but rather good stories. This first game completely knocks it out of the park, and while I might prefer later installments I wouldn’t be able to argue against anyone who said this was the best. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective ($29.99) From the creator of Ace Attorney, Ghost Trick is just as well-written but has its own cool gameplay hook. You’re a ghost and need to use your abilities to save people, all with an eye to figuring out the truth behind your own untimely demise. This game is a complete wild ride and I recommend everyone play it from start to finish. It was a bit slept on in its original Nintendo DS form, and I’m glad to see Capcom hasn’t given up on it. Reward them for their tenacity. The World Ends With You: Final Remix ($49.99) The World Ends With You is, quite frankly, one of the top games on the Nintendo DS. Ideally, it’s the place where you should play the game. It’s just so tightly built around that hardware and its capabilities that none of the ports have been able to get just right. Still, time marches on. The Switch version of this game will do just fine if you don’t want to dig up a working Nintendo DS, and you really should play it somewhere. Why not here? A great game in just about every possible way. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow – Castlevania Dominus Collection ($24.99) The Castlevania Dominus Collection just released not long ago, and it collects all of the Nintendo DS Castlevania games. This is another case where all of the games are worth playing, and I’m picking Dawn of Sorrow simply because having its gimmicky touch controls replaced with more fitting button controls makes for a significant improvement. But really, play all three of the Nintendo DS games in this collection. They’re all great in their own ways. Etrian Odyssey III HD – Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection ($79.99) This is another franchise that in some ways can’t exist easily outside of the DS/3DS ecosystem. But Atlus made a good attempt here, and I think the results are playable enough. Each of the Etrian Odyssey games stands alone, and they’re all pretty substantial RPGs. Etrian Odyssey III is the largest of the three, and while it’s more than a little wooly, it’s well-worth sinking your teeth into. And that’s the list, friends. Are there any Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS games you enjoy on the Switch? Feel free to sound off down in the comments and let us know what you’re thinking! It’s always interesting to hear the opinions of others on this kind of thing. As always, thanks for reading!

Feral Interactive’s tease seemingly was about Total War: Empire from Creative Assembly and SEGA because the developer just announced that …

Continue reading "‘Total War: Empire’ Is Coming to iOS and Android This Fall From Feral Interactive"

Feral Interactive’s tease seemingly was about Total War: Empire from Creative Assembly and SEGA because the developer just announced that it will be coming to iOS and Android this Fall with release date and pricing to be announced shortly. Feral Interactive also confirmed that Total War: Empire will feature intuitive touch controls for phones and tablets, a redesigned UI, new quality of life improvements, and more. If you’ve not played it yet, Total War: Empire takes the franchise to the 18th century Age of Enlightenment and it is considered one of the best games in the series. Watch the Total War: Empire mobile iOS and Android announcement trailer below: Ahead of Total War: Empire hitting mobile this Fall, you can try it out on Steam right now in its definitive edition release here. Total War: Empire on mobile will also be the first time (on mobile) the series will feature real-time naval battles. I can’t wait to see how it looks and feels on modern iOS devices. I also hope we get news for all the DLC and pricing soon. Have you played Total War: Empire before and what do you think of the trailer today for its iOS and Android release?

Balatro from developer LocalThunk and publisher Playstack is finally coming to mobile later this month on iOS, Android, and also …

Continue reading "‘Balatro’ Is Coming to Apple Arcade and Also iOS as a Standalone Premium Release Beginning September 26th"

Balatro from developer LocalThunk and publisher Playstack is finally coming to mobile later this month on iOS, Android, and also directly on Apple Arcade. Yes, this will be a premium release on iOS and Android, but also one available as a “+" version on Apple Arcade from day one. The Poker-inspired roguelike Balatro has sold over 2 million units across PS5, Switch, Steam, PS4, and Xbox platforms in less than six months, and I can’t wait to see how it performs on mobile with more planned including a major free update in 2025 bringing new ideas and strategies. Balatro will be launching for $9.99 on mobile and you can watch the mobile announcement trailer ahead of its September 26th release date below: If you’ve not played Balatro yet, read my 5/5 review of it here on Switch and check out my feature on the best games of the year so far on Switch where I included it here. I also interviewed LocalThunk about the game, the mobile release, and more. Read that here. You can pre-order Balatro on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Android here. The Apple Arcade version is here. Have you played it before and will you be getting one of the best games of 2024 later this month on mobile?

It has been pointed out to me that perhaps I could be fairer to other Marvel games. I’m always covering …

Continue reading "Check Out The Latest Events In ‘Marvel Future Fight’ & ‘Marvel Contest of Champions’"

It has been pointed out to me that perhaps I could be fairer to other Marvel games. I’m always covering Marvel Snap (Free) whenever it gets any kind of update, but the others tend to get relegated to the Best Updates articles on Mondays. That… is a valid point! And thus, let us enjoy a Marvel Minute and see how other Marvel games are faring at the moment. It turns out that both Marvel Future Fight (Free) and Marvel Contest of Champions (Free) have some cool events going on at the moment. Let’s have a look-see! First up, over in Marvel Future Fight, it’s Iron Man time! You know Tony. He’s always concocting new suits, finding bigger and better guns to deal with whatever the situation presents. This particular event is inspired by Invincible Iron Man, and has some new threads for Tony and Pepper. Here’s what you can look forward to in this event, straight from the update notes: “Invincible Iron Man has joined Marvel Future Fight. Beat the enemies with upgraded suits! 1. New Uniforms Added! – Iron Man, Rescue 2. New Tier-4 Advancement! – War Machine, Hulkbuster 3. The New World Boss: Legend+ Added! – Returned the Black Order, ‘Corvus & Proxima’ 4. The New Custom Gear, ‘C.T.P. of Liberation’ Added! 5. Getting 200 Crystals Event – Obtain 200 crystals by linking your e-mail account!" Okay, now over to the ever-popular fighting game, Marvel Contest of Champions. New events for this game typically bring some new playable fighters with them, and at this point in the game’s life some of these cuts are getting very deep indeed. I don’t think we’ll ever see a Marvel fighting game again with a roster this varied. Like, Count Nefaria? Seriously? As an old-butt Marvel fan from a very long time ago, I like seeing these less common characters show up at all, let alone as playable characters. Over to the update notes to give you the full skinny on all of this: “NEW CHAMPIONS Count Nefaria Count Luchino Nefaria was the descendant of a long line of Italian noblemen, and used his wealth and connections to become a powerful leader within the Maggia crime syndicate. He furthered his rise to power by subjecting himself to scientific experiments that granted him superhuman abilities, but cost him his life. He was later resurrected as a being made entirely of Ionic energy, rendering him effectively immortal as long as he drains other Ionic beings to maintain his power. Shathra Daughter of the Elder Goddesses Oshtur and Gaea, Shathra comes from the world that would come to be known as Loomworld. Shathra was tasked with creating the Celestial Map of Humanity, however, after being outdone by her younger sister Neith, she became enraged with jealousy and spite towards her sister and the Great Web she had designed. Consumed by her vengeance and envy, Shathra gave into her feral nature to tear down everything her sister created, one Spider at a time. NEW QUESTS AND EVENTS Event Quest – Lupus In Fabula There has been an undertaking to overthrow The Collector’s ship! The Summoner is being called in to evict these evil-doers! But as they make it deeper into the ship they also find themselves deeper in trouble as each villain seems to be making their own plans for how best to make the most of The Collector’s treasures. Will The Summoner be able to manage these miscreants? Or will they go down with the ship? Find out in LUPUS IN FABULA! Side Quest – Ludum Maximus The Maestro has declared four months of celebratory games to honor his return. The festivities begin with the Circus Maximus, an onslaught of games and challenges hosted by Count Nefaria. The Count will not accept anything less than the best, the mightiest, the greatest of games. So dare to enter LUDUM MAXIMUS! Nefaria knows that a true battle is a mix of skill and luck, so 5x weekly Maps will open which present randomized Paths filled with fearsome foes! Act 9; Chapter 1 Glykhan has self-destructed but the sinister plotting of Ouroboros is far from over. However clues for where to head next seem few and far between. Luckily (depending on your definition of luck) Superior Kang has some secrets to share in the form of holo-tapes scattered around Battleworld. Mister Fantastic and Doctor Doom send The Summoner on an intel retrieval mission, but they aren’t the only ones looking for answers. Will the past come back to haunt The Battlerealm? Find out in Act 9 – Chapter 1: THE RECKONING Glorious Games Introducing our third Saga: Glorious Games! To celebrate the history of the Contest and his triumphant return, The Maestro has declared four months of celebratory games. Each month of the Saga will revolve around a different element of games, starting with September’s Circus Maximus and culminating in the celebration of December’s Grand Banquet! Featuring a classical antiquity aesthetic, an exciting Champion chase, surprise Champion reworks and brand new kinds of Events and Quests, Glorious Games is sure to usher in our 10-year anniversary celebration in style! Realm Events Get ready to work alongside every Summoner in the Battlerealm! Realm Events are a brand new type of Event in which points will be contributed on a global level. Milestone rewards can be claimed once global and individual point contribution thresholds have been reached. For those more competitively-inclined Summoners, ranked rewards will also be up for grabs, including an exclusive and unique player title." And that’s that. Let it never be said that Shaun was not interested in a level playing field. Kind of. Anyway, both of these events look very cool in their own ways, and if you haven’t played these games before or fell off a while back, this might be another good opportunity to give them both a try. I mean, I know I’m going to try out Count Nefaria. Look at him! He’s so nefarious! He cavorts with nefarious fellows! Hadouken? More like Ha-Don’t-ken! Okay, sorry. I’ll leave now. Enjoy!

Beginning today, Apple will have released one new Apple Vision Pro game, one App Store Great, and upgrading an App …

Continue reading "NFL Retro Bowl 25, Monster Train+, and Puzzle Sculpt Release Today on Apple Arcade Alongside Major Game Updates This Week"

Beginning today, Apple will have released one new Apple Vision Pro game, one App Store Great, and upgrading an App Store Great to an Apple Arcade Original (as a standalone release) alongside some notable udpates. NFL Retro Bowl 25 () (Edit: No longer an update) will let players create their own dynasty using official NFL teams and players featuring official retro art, attributes, stats, and contracts. Since this was announced, I was surprised at how much interest I saw for it online. I don’t follow the NFL much, but I didn’t expect as much of a positive reaction to the NFL Retro Bowl 25 announcement. Hopefully it ends up well when it goes live as an update later today. Alongside NFL Retro Bowl 25, App Store Great Monster Train+ has launched on Apple Arcade including The Last Divinity DLC from the get go. Check out a screenshot from NFL Retro Bowl 25 below: Puzzle Sculpt is a Vision Pro-only set to launch today on Apple Arcade letting players solve puzzles in their own living room by removing blocks to reveal a cute collectible in a cube. As for this week’s notable updates, Hello Kitty Island Adventure has the Jam Jamboree on with Petunias appearing in the Merry Meadow as a festive flower. Rabbids Multiverse has new cards, outfits, seasonal events, and quality of life improvements with this week’s update. Wylde Flowers has its Magical Creatures update now live with jewelry crafting, secrets in the lighthouse, and more. Disney Spellstruck adds Hercules with a limited time event, a high contrast event, and more. What the Car brings in yet another update with a “Meet the Developers" special, scissors, bear improvements (yes), and more. What do you think of this month’s new Apple Arcade additions? Update: It looks like they launched NFL Retro Bowl 25 as a new app and not an update.

After tackling the best party games on Switch in 2024, the recent release of Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom …

Continue reading "The Best Switch Visual Novels and Adventure Games in 2024 – From Fata Morgana and VA-11 Hall-A to Famicom Detective Club and Gnosia"

After tackling the best party games on Switch in 2024, the recent release of Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club being as amazing as it is pushed me to write about what I consider the best visual novels and adventure games on Switch to play right now. I’ve included both because some games are pure visual novels while some are adventure games (and not visual novels). This list has quite a few games from across regions and release years, and I hope you find something you end up loving here. As usual, this list is in no particular order. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club ($49.99) + Famicom Detective Club: The Two-Case Collection When Nintendo not only remade both Famicom Detective Club games back in 2021, I couldn’t believe it. They were amazing adventure games, and my only complaint really was the lack of a physical release back then. Fast forward to 2024 and Nintendo has released Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club physically and digitally as a brand-new entry in the series, and I’ve been floored playing it. Not only does it feel like a true series entry which might be a negative to some, but this might be one of the most lavish productions I’ve seen in a game like this ever. I don’t want to get into spoilers, but the ending is shockingly good and it really justifies its M rating. I definitely didn’t expect to have a new Famicom Detective Club game in 2024 on my top games of the year list, but Nintendo managed to do that with Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club. Download the demo now. If you’d rather play the first two games before Emio, grab the Famicom Detective Club: The Two-Case Collection. If you are ok with some old school design and gameplay for adventure games, you will adore these. VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action ($14.99) If you’ve been reading the few “best Switch games" lists I’ve been doing this year, you’ve seen me feature VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action twice before already, but as you know, I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to write about one of my favorite games of all time. VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is notable for its story, music, aesthetic, and most-importantly the characters. Having played it multiple times over the years on every system, it also feels right at home on Switch, and is a game I recommend to everyone literally. I don’t care if you like point and click adventure games or not. Go ahead and mix drinks and then change some lives. The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition ($39.99) The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition is the definitive edition of one of my favorite stories in any medium. It includes the original game and much more to deliver a stunning version of a masterpiece in storytelling. This one is a pure visual novel, and I’m glad that after its many releases, it found a lot of success on Switch, where it plays best. If you want to play something that will stay with you for a long time, this gothic horror experience will do much more. It also happens to have some of the most incredible music ever. Coffee Talk Episode 1+2 ($12.99 + $14.99) Ok this one is cheating since the games are sold separately on the eShop and the physical releases I imported from Japan are also separate, but since there’s a bundle of both games sold in North America on Switch, I’ve included both Coffee Talk games as one entry here. I love them both, and while they didn’t hit the same highs as VA-11 Hall-A, Coffee Talk perfectly satiated what I wanted from a game set in a coffee shop, and delivered a very relaxing experience with a great story. If you enjoy coffee and listening to interesting people with great pixel art and music, this is for you. Type Moon’s visual novels: Tsukihime, Fate/stay night, and Mahoyo (Variable) This is another entry where I’m cheating. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to include just Tsukihime or Witch on the Holy Night (Mahoyo), but then the recent release of Fate/stay night Remastered made things even harder. Instead of worrying too much, I’ve included all three as essential visual novels in this article on Switch. They are all very long but very good. If you’ve wanted to sample a classic visual novel, go with Fate/stay night, but I recommend Tsukihime’s remake on Switch to everyone. Witch on the Holy Night is probably the game to play after these two in terms of quality. PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo ($19.99) Square Enix’s PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo reminds me of Nintendo’s Emio in a way that I’m surprised it even exists, let alone turned out this good. I went into it with no expectations, but was blown away by the narrative, its delivery, and even some wall breaking that I enjoyed quite a bit early on. Square Enix released one of the best mystery adventure games I’ve played with amazing characters, great art, and interesting mechanics here, and it is worth your time if you want a fantastic new horror adventure game. Gnosia ($24.99) People call Gnosia a sci-fi social deduction RPG, but it is more of an adventure and visual novel hybrid for me. Your aim here is identifying the Gnosia among a group using information you gather and then vote to put the Gnosia into cold sleep. You and your crew both improve over time, and aside from some RNG issues to get two specific outcomes, Gnosia was a fantastic experience. I liked it so much on Switch that I bought the physical release on both Switch and PS5 in addition to getting it on Steam. This one might not be for everyone, but it remains one of the nicest surprises in the genre. Steins;Gate Series (Variable) Spike Chunsoft’s Switch releases of the Steins;Gate series, especially Steins;Gate Elite, are as important as Fate/stay night when it comes to introducing newcomers to visual novels to the genre. While I still hope the publisher brings over the original version of Steins;Gate, Steins;Gate Elite is an easy recommendation for those who watch anime and want to get into a great visual novel. The Steins;Gate games are must plays only after you experience the original story in Steins;Gate Elite. I’ve cheated here as well by including multiple games, but my list my rules. AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES and nirvanA Initiative (Variable) AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES and nirvanA Initiative from Spike Chunsoft brought Zero Escape creator Kotaro Uchikoshi and No More Heroes character designer Yusuke Kozaki together for an incredible set of two adventure games that honestly feel too good to be true when it comes to the budget behind them with the quality they delivered on story, music, and characters. While a lot of folks lament the lack of Zero Escape on Switch, I think the two AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES games are absolutely worth experiencing at full price, and gems of the Switch library. Don’t make us wait too long for a new game in the series please. NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD ($19.99) When it comes to adventure games or visual novels, I’m often recommended games where a friend will say “trust me and just play it but don’t look up anything about it". One such game was NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD when I first played it on PC. It is an adventure game with multiple endings that can flip flop between disturbing horror and wholesome moments. It revolves around the daily life of a young girl trying to be the best streamer. I liked this one enough to pre-order the Switch limited edition from Japan, and I’m glad I did so. It is unforgettable. Ace Attorney Series (Variable) Capcom has now brought the entire Ace Attorney series to Switch with the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trilogy (1,2,3), Apollo Justice Trilogy (4,5,6), The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (1+2 of those), and the two Ace Attorney Investigations games in this week’s Ace Attorney Investigations Collection release. I would say there are no excuses now, but this adventure game series is beloved for a reason and it has spawned a fanbase that has lasted for years since the DS debut in the West. If you are new to the series, I recommend The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles as the best entry point even above the original trilogy which feels dated in ways. Either way, you can now play the entire series on one handheld, and I love that. Spirit Hunter: Death Mark, NG, and Death Mark II (Variable) Another series rather than a single game? Yes. Aksys Games and Experience Inc’s Spirit Hunter trilogy is now fully available on Switch, and it manages to blend horror adventure and visual novel elements with one of the most striking art styles I’ve ever seen. It is a bit harder to recommend this series given how grotesque some of the designs are, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget some of the images I’ve seen while playing the Spirit Hunter games with their excellent localizations and stories. I hope we see a new entry in the next few years. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim ($59.99) 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim isn’t a pure adventure game, but one that has real-time strategy battles. I usually try and include a fantastic game at the end and the double whammy of not being a full adventure game and also being one of the best games I’ve played in a decade has me ending this feature on Vanillaware and Atlus’ sci-fi masterpiece 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. I first played this on PS4 and enjoyed replaying it from start to finish on Switch thanks to the OLED screen in handheld mode. Regardless of where you play it, you need to experience 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. If you made it this far, you’ve realized that this isn’t a top 10 but more, and the games are ones I recommend playing at full price. I didn’t want to cut out something I like a lot to hit an arbitrary number of games featured and that’s why I even included some full series here instead of just individual games. That’s my list of the best visual novels and adventure games on Switch to play in 2024. If you have a game you think I should’ve included, please let me know in the comments below. I’m always on the lookout for more amazing stories in two of my favorite genres that feel perfect on Switch. As always, thanks for reading! Note: I’m working on a separate list of otome games since there are too many good ones in that subgenre.

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 4th, 2024. The long summer has more or less …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Ace Attorney Investigations Collection’, Plus New Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 4th, 2024. The long summer has more or less come to an end. It was sometimes hot and uncomfortable, but we had some good times that are worth remembering. I’m a little older and a little wiser than I was at the start, and I’m grateful I got to make that journey with all of you. As we head into another new season in our lives, I just want to say that no matter what happens from here you were all the best summer pals a person could ask for. In today’s article? Tons of reviews! A few new releases! Some sales! Let’s get this done! Reviews & Mini-Views Ace Attorney Investigations Collection ($39.99) One thing I will say about the Nintendo Switch generation of gaming: it’s given us second chances at a lot of fish that got away from us in the past. Trials of Mana! Live A Live! The original Fire Emblem! And now, the one and only Ace Attorney game that remained unlocalized comes to us by way of the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, a set including Miles Edgeworth’s two post-Trials & Tribulations adventures. One thing this series has proven good at is building on plot threads established in previous titles, and the second Ace Attorney Investigations title does this quite well. It’s one of those sequels that makes the original better in hindsight, and it’s amazing to finally have it officially in English. The Ace Attorney Investigations games, in focusing on Miles Edgeworth, show us how things look from the prosecution’s side of things. Outside of a couple of new gimmicks, things aren’t all that different mechanically. Search for clues, question witnesses, and try to crack each case. Still, the very different and rather cool presentation helps liven things up, and Edgeworth as a protagonist certainly lends the narration a particular feel. The pacing has less structure to it than the usual Ace Attorney games, and that can sometimes make some cases feel exhausting, but by and large I think anyone who enjoys the main games in the series will be happy with this sub-series. If you find the first game to be a bit of a drag, stick it through to the second. It’s a lot better, and as mentioned it makes some of the things you suffer through in the first game make more sense. In terms of bonuses, this feels more like the Apollo Justice set than it does the others. A gallery mode is on offer with art and music to enjoy, a story mode lets you chill out and let the game beat itself, and you have the option to switch between the original graphics/soundtrack and the fancy new stuff. There’s a dialog history you can access if you miss something that was said, which is something that should be a stock feature in games like this. I’m glad to see it. The two games in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection offer an interesting contrast, and taken as one whole I think it’s a great experience overall. Getting the second game localized officially is amazing, and the suite of options and extras make for an excellent package. With this, every Ace Attorney game outside of the weird crossover with Professor Layton is now available on the Switch. If you like the series enough to have picked those up, you’ll definitely want to grab this as well. SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5 Gimmick! 2 ($24.99) It is enormously odd to see a sequel to Gimmick!. I just want to say that before moving on. One of Sunsoft’s later games for the NES, Gimmick! didn’t even manage to get a release in the West outside of Scandinavia. Here we are thirty years later, and not only is the original game more widely available than ever, we now have a follow-up. This game was developed by Bitwave Games with no involvement from the original creator, but it’s incredibly faithful to the original anyway. Maybe too faithful in ways for some tastes, but there’s nothing wrong with a first sequel hewing closer to the line than farther. Six very lengthy levels of challenging physics-based platforming await you here, and as with the original you’re going to be up against the wall pretty quickly. There’s an easier mode this time, however, so those who want a slightly less bumpy ride can opt for it. Indeed, if you want to play the normal (Gimmick) difficulty, you’ll have to pass a little test right off the hop. The way protagonist Yumetaro’s star attack works is quite familiar also, with it serving as weapon, vehicle, and all-purpose puzzle solver all at once. One new element comes in the form of collectibles, often serving as rewards for completing more difficult sections that aren’t necessary for progression. These take the form of new customization options, but simply completing the more demanding tasks feels good in and of itself. It’s not a terribly long game if you just try to bolt through the whole thing, but it’s going to be a tough one either way. In that respect, it’s also quite similar to the original. You’ll die a lot here, often in spectacularly stupid ways, but generous checkpointing keeps the aggravation from boiling over. Well, most of the time. The adorable look and lively music also try to keep the fire from burning too hot, but don’t for one second underestimate Gimmick! 2. For all of its small concessions, this game understands that part of what made the original game so memorable came from its challenge. Platforming mastery is a must, and you’ll need to make clever usage of Yumetaro’s star and the enemies to make it much farther than the first level. Gimmick! 2 defies the odds by being a very good follow-up to a decades-old game made by another team entirely. It builds on the original game in some smart ways, but it never feels like it’s paying too much homage to be its own thing. If you enjoyed the first game, you’ll be thrilled with this. Platformer fans who aren’t put off by a high level of challenge will also want to check it out. That said, if you’re looking for something easy-going, don’t be fooled by the look of Gimmick! 2. It’s just as tough of a nut to crack as its predecessor, even with an easier difficulty setting. SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5 Valfaris: Mecha Therion ($19.99) Valfaris: Mecha Therion takes a real risk with its game design, dropping the action-platformer set-up of the original game in favor of shoot ’em up action along the lines of Lords of Thunder. The most surprising thing is that it kind of works. Indeed, the biggest problem is that it’s sometimes a bit too much for the Switch’s aging hardware to do proper justice to. I don’t think anyone can really be blamed here. This is just where we’re at in the console’s lifespan now, I think. It’s not terrible, mind you. If this is the only option you have, you’ll still get a kick out of Mecha Therion‘s intense action, rocking soundtrack, and creepy visuals. There’s a fun juggling act going on in Mecha Therion thanks to how the weapons are set up. You’ve got your usual gun, but when it runs out of energy it weakens significantly. You’ve got a melee weapon that you can use to slice bullets and enemies, which recharges your gun energy. Finally, there’s a rotating third weapon or item. You start off with a lock-on missile attack, but you’ll have access to others. You can also dash, an offensive and defensive maneuver depending on the situation, and it has its own cooldown. With how many enemies and obstacles the game throws at you, mastering the rhythm of keeping your weapons ready and fending off shots is essential and satisfying. Don’t come into Valfaris: Mecha Therion expecting a similar kind of game as the first, but you can look forward to a similar vibe. It’s a heavy metal shoot ’em up with a style all its own, and it thankfully avoids many of the traps that so many games that try something different in this genre end up falling into. You’ll get better performance on other platforms, and in this genre that’s important, but this Switch conversion will absolutely do the job should it be your console of choice. SwitchArcade Score: 4/5 Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash ($44.99) Saying a licensed game is for the fans feels like a truism. Of course it’s for the fans. Some do a better job of pleasing that bunch than others, but typically speaking fans of the property used in a licensed game will get more out of it than non-fans. Which boils all of this down to two main questions. First, just how much fan service is baked in? In Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash, I can say that there is enough to please those who enjoy the exploits of these horse-girls. Indeed, I think that is the one thing the game does best. The writing is good and fits the property, and there are lots of meta-systems built in that reward you with things for the fans. The second question pertains to whether or not there is anything here for non-fans. Regrettably, I can’t be as positive here. You get a small number of half-baked mini-games to play, and while the presentation is solid there just isn’t much to do here if you aren’t really into Umamusume. You just play the same four mini-games again and again, watching a story unfold that only fans are going to properly enjoy. One of those mini-games offers so little interaction that I hesitate to even count it. The other three are better, but they just don’t have the staying power that a party game needs. The best part of all of this is an unlockable mini-game, and even that is a meager meal. Even for fans of the property, Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash feels like it emphasizes the wrong things at great expense. I think a great job has been done here in terms of serving the look, sound, and world of Umamusume, and the wide array of unlockables might be enough to keep those dedicated to the horse-girls interested for a while. But it fades far too fast, and if you’re lacking that attachment to start with, you’re probably going get tired of this well before the final furlong. SwitchArcade Score: 3/5 Sunsoft is Back! Retro Game Selection ($9.99) I think when Western game enthusiasts think of Sunsoft, if they think of Sunsoft at all, they probably think of games like Blaster Master, Batman, or Fester’s Quest. Recently some of the publisher’s rarer treasures have gotten a new shot at fame, bringing Ufouria, Gimmick!, and Trip World into the light. Even short-term mascot Aero the Acro-Bat and his buddies are getting play again. But there is a whole other side to Sunsoft that is less well-known in the West, and what makes it amusing is that it is what the company is mainly known for in its home country of Japan: charmingly rough-around-the-edges 8-bit games. Sunsoft is Back! Retro Game Selection aims to change that, offering up three such games in one very reasonably priced package. In this collection, you get the straightforward side-scrolling platforming of Firework Thrower Kantaro’s 53 Stations of the Tokaido (just rolls off the tongue, don’t it?), the adventure game Ripple Island, and the slightly hard to categorize action game The Wing of Madoola. All three games are delivered in a wrapper with most of the basic features you would want. That includes save states, rewind, some display options, manual scans, and a little art gallery for each game. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that all three games have been fully localized, all the way down to their title screens. For Ripple Island, that was no small task! This is the first time we’ve seen these games get an official release in English, and that’s worth celebrating on its own. So how are the games? A real mix, friends. 53 Stations is a frustrating game due to how your weapon is awkward to use against the swarms of enemies that appear, but there is a real charm to it thanks to how hard it leans into its theme. Ripple Island is a good adventure game, and I would lightly recommend it to anyone who enjoys that genre. The Wing of Madoola is the most ambitious game of the three, and it sometimes feels like it misses as often as it hits, but it’s worth putting some time into. None of these will make the list of top NES games by any means, but I wouldn’t call any of them bad either. Vexing, perhaps. Sunsoft fans and those who like digging into the margins of console libraries will get a real kick out of Sunsoft is Back! Retro Game Selection‘s offerings. Each game has been handled with care, and it’s great to see some games that missed their shot at localization back in the day finally get a chance. Hopefully this is just the first of a series of such collections, but even if this is all we get, it’s nice to see another side of this once-mighty publisher’s library of classics. SwitchArcade Score: 4/5 Select New Releases Cyborg Force ($9.95) If you like run, but also gun while running, you might want to give Cyborg Force a look. It’s a very tough action game in the vein of things like Metal Slug and Contra, and you can play alone or bring a buddy along for some local multiplayer fun. This has been out for at least a few months on a number of other platforms, including the NEOGEO, so you can probably find some feedback out there if you’re in need of it. I think fans of this genre will be into it, at the very least. Billy’s Game Show ($7.99) I know, this looks like a Five Nights rip-off at a glance. Thematically, it kind of is. But this is actually more one of those games where you’re moving around trying to find stuff while a weird creep stalks you. You have to hide or run away when he shows up, because you have no way to stop him. You’ll also need to watch out for traps and keep the three generators running, because you do not want the power to go out. Not my kind of thing, but it might be yours. Mining Mechs ($4.99) A very descriptive title that doesn’t leave me with much to add. Use mechs to do some mining. Collect ores and treasures, sell them, buy upgrades or better mechs that allow you to make even further progress underground. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets. As you reach certain profit levels, the story will progress. Not the fanciest of dining, but for a fiver I imagine you’ll get a fair amount of enjoyment from it. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) A tiny inbox, with very little worth getting fussed about. I know, I know. I don’t get to decide that. The outbox has some treats worth mulling over, however. I’ll let you comb through those lists. It is important to learn to find things on one’s own sometimes, I think. Select New Sales Nora: The Wannabe Alchemist ($1.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Deflector ($1.99 from $22.99 until 9/10) Sky Caravan ($1.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) The Blind Prophet ($1.99 from $24.99 until 9/10) They Know ($1.99 from $6.99 until 9/10) Conjured Through Death ($4.49 from $14.99 until 9/15) Dark Days ($1.99 from $7.99 until 9/24) Another Bar Game ($3.89 from $5.99 until 9/24) Cook Serve Delicious ($4.41 from $12.99 until 9/24) Blood Will Be Spilled ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/24) Feudal Alloy ($3.39 from $16.99 until 9/24) Sales Ending Tomorrow, September 5th Adventure Bar Story ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/5) Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/5) Anomaly Agent ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/5) Avenging Spirit ($2.99 from $5.99 until 9/5) Bug & Seek ($11.24 from $14.99 until 9/5) Burst Hero ($5.99 from $11.99 until 9/5) Cat Quest II ($3.74 from $14.99 until 9/5) Corpse Party ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/5) Deadcraft ($5.99 from $19.99 until 9/5) Dice Make 10! ($3.59 from $3.99 until 9/5) Eldgear ($12.99 from $19.99 until 9/5) Evil God Korone ($3.35 from $3.95 until 9/5) F1 Manager 2024 ($27.99 from $34.99 until 9/5) Fairy Elements ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/5) Freedom Planet 2 ($18.74 from $24.99 until 9/5) Genso Chronicles ($9.74 from $14.99 until 9/5) Gibbon: Beyond the Trees ($1.99 from $14.99 until 9/5) Hide & Dance! ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/5) Magical Drop VI ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/5) Marchen Forest ($6.99 from $34.99 until 9/5) Mom Hid My Game! ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/5) Mom Hid My Game! 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/5) My Brother Ate My Pudding! ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/5) Port Royale 4 ($17.49 from $49.99 until 9/5) SCHiM ($17.49 from $24.99 until 9/5) Silent Hope ($13.99 from $39.99 until 9/5) Super Toy Cars Offroad ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/5) The Sinking City ($5.99 from $49.99 until 9/5) Untitled Goose Game ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/5) Wing of Darkness ($5.99 from $29.99 until 9/5) WitchSpring R ($35.99 from $39.99 until 9/5) Yggdra Union: WNFA ($19.99 from $24.99 until 9/5) That’s all for today, friends. There are still more reviews coming this week, so do look forward to those. Plenty of new releases coming to the eShop in the next couple of days, which is about what you would expect from September. Let’s try to reconvene tomorrow, but if we get separated somehow and are trying to find me, you can always head on over to my personal blog Post Game Content. It’s rarely updated, but something tells me I’ll be back into the swing of it soon. I hope you all have an amazing Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Let’s dive in earlier this month to make up for last month’s slightly late edition. A new month and season …

Continue reading "The Best ‘Marvel Snap’ Meta Decks – September 2024 Edition"

Let’s dive in earlier this month to make up for last month’s slightly late edition. A new month and season is upon us, and I’m ready to help you out with some deck-building advice to keep you competitive in Marvel Snap (Free). Truth be told, I feel like the game got into a decently balanced zone over the course of the last month. A new season means new cards though, so it’s all about to go topsy-turvy again. Let’s do our best to figure out where things are going, shall we? Remember as ever: today’s winning deck could be tomorrow’s crunchy brown leaves. These guides are one way to keep your finger on the pulse of the scene, but they aren’t the only method you should be using. Note that most of these decks are the best of the best at this point in time. They assume you have access to a full range of cards. I’ll once again be including the five strongest Marvel Snap decks of the moment, and I’ll throw in a couple more decks that don’t need things that are too hard to get and are just sort of fun to play with. You know, a little variety and all of that. I would go as far as to say that most of the Young Avengers cards didn’t really make a big splash. Kate Bishop hit her mark, as she is wont to, and Marvel Boy definitely made a difference for fans of 1-Cost Kazoo decks, but the rest were kind of all over the place. You’ll see them here and there, but they haven’t shaken things up yet. I can’t say the same for the freshly launched Amazing Spider-Season, as it looks like it and the new Activate ability are coming in like a wrecking ball. Next month is going to look very, very different, I’m certain. Kazar and Gilgamesh Included Cards: Ant-Man, Nebula, Squirrel Girl, Dazzler, Kate Bishop, Marvel Boy, Caeira, Shanna, Kazar, Blue Marvel, Gilgamesh, Mockingbird So it has come to this, eh? Never thought I would see the day when Kazoo was among the top decks, but the Young Avengers have made it happen. At its heart, this is a very familiar deck. Get a bunch of low cost cards out there and then buff them with Kazar and Blue Marvel. The new tricks here are Marvel Boy adding more buffs and Gilgamesh benefiting big-time from all of that. Kate Bishop and her arrows can help fill spaces for Dazzler if needed, and her arrows will help bring down the cost of your other heavy hitter, Mockingbird. A very nice deck with strong performance. We’ll see if it can hang in there. Silver Surfer Still Never Dies, Part II Included Cards: Nova, Forge, Cassandra Nova, Brood, Silver Surfer, Killmonger, Hope Summers, Nocturne, Sebastian Shaw, Copycat, Absorbing Man, Gwenpool Silver Surfer is still flying high, with a few tweaks to react to balance changes and new cards. If you’ve been playing a while, you know how this goes. You’ve got the classic Nova/Killmonger pair for boosting your cards a bit once you have some out there. Forge ideally boosts Brood so that its clones will be stronger. Gwenpool boosts cards in your hand, Shaw gets beefier as he gets buffed, Hope lets you get more Energy, Cassandra Nova grabs power from your opponent, and the Surfer/Absorbing Man combo is there finish things off in style. Copycat steals Red Guardian’s spot, as she has proven an extremely useful general-purpose tool. Spectrum and Man-Thing Ongoing Included Cards: Wasp, Ant-Man, Howard the Duck, Armor, US Agent, Lizard, Captain America, Cosmo, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel, Man-Thing, Spectrum Even the Ongoing archetype is up here at the top, which is another interesting outcome. You’ve got some generally useful cards here, all with Ongoing abilities. That means Spectrum will give them a nice final turn buff. The Luke Cage/Man-Thing combo is also a very nice one, and Luke will even protect your cards from US Agent’s powerful effect. The other good point of this deck is that it’s pretty easy to play, and I have a feeling Cosmo is going to become even more useful than he already was with things going the way they are. Discard Dracula Included Cards: Blade, Morbius, The Collector, Swarm, Colleen Wing, Moon Knight, Corvus Glaive, Lady Sif, Dracula, Proxima Midnight, MODOK, Apocalypse The classics are the order of the day right now, is the theme. Here’s the very reliable Apocalypse-flavor Discard deck, with the only real change from the standard being the presence of Moon Knight. He got better after his buff. Anyway, your big cards here are Morbius and Dracula, and if everything goes well you’ll end up with nothing more in your hand than Apocalypse on that last round. Dracula will eat him, you’ll get a Mega-Drac, and Morbius should be morbing all over the place with all that discarding you’ve been doing. Collector might even be a bit cheeky if you go to town on Swarms enough. Destroy Included Cards: Deadpool, Niko Minoru, X-23, Carnage, Wolverine, Killmonger, Deathlok, Attuma, Nimrod, Knull, Death Yes, it’s the Destroy deck. Very, very close to the traditional one even. Attuma has grabbed a spot here thanks to his recent change. A very successful buff, that one. Destroy Deadpool and Wolverine as much as possible, get extra energy with X-23, finish up with a nice Nimrod swarm or drop Knull if you’re feeling cute. Weird to see this kind of deck without Arnim Zola, but counter-measures are getting too common these days I suppose. And now, a couple of fun decks for those still climbing up the collection ladder or who simply want to try something different. Darkhawk Is Back (Did He Ever Leave?) Included Cards: The Hood, Spider-Ham, Korg, Niko Minoru, Cassandra Nova, Moon Knight, Rockslide, Viper, Proxima Midnight, Darkhawk, Blackbolt, Stature I have always liked Darkhawk, despite him being unspeakably goofy from virtually his first appearance. So I’m glad he’s a competitive card in Marvel Snap, to the point that I like to tinker around with decks using him. This one has the classic combos, with Korg and Rockslide adding cards to your opponent’s deck. It also has some spoiler cards like Spider-Ham and Cassandra Nova, plus a couple of cards that will cause your opponent to discard and make Stature cheap to play. Yay, Dorkhawk! Budget Kazar Included Cards: Ant-Man, Elektra, Ice Man, Nightcrawler, Armor, Mister Fantastic, Cosmo, Kazar, Namor, Blue Marvel, Klaw, Onslaught If that Kazar deck up there looks nice but you’re just starting out, you might as well practice with this beginner-friendly variant. No, it probably won’t win as reliably as the fancy version. But it will teach you how this kind of combo works, and that’s valuable experience. You still get that nice Kazar and Blue Marvel mix, with a flavorful Onslaught on top to spike the football. And that’s it for this month’s deck guide. With the latest season and whatever balance changes Second Dinner opts to make during the course of the month, I’m sure things will look quite different come October. That Activate ability really changes up the flow of games, and Symbiote Spider-Man is looking to be a complete beast. As ever, it’s also going to be interesting to see what cards and decks Second Dinner feels like addressing with balance changes. It’s interesting to see the classics on top again, but I can’t imagine it will stay that way. For now… happy snapping!

Mobile games don’t have to make sense, as evidenced by the enduring popularity of a franchise that sees players catapulting …

Continue reading "‘Foxy’s Football Islands’ Offers Up Something Very Different on Mobile"

Mobile games don’t have to make sense, as evidenced by the enduring popularity of a franchise that sees players catapulting birds (which can fly) at pigs (green). But even in the topsy-turvy world of mobile game concepts, Foxy’s Football Islands is gloriously out on a limb. The hypercasual gameplay spans a number of different genres, including football, building, collection, and multiplayer tit-for-tat. These genres aren’t natural bedfellows, any more than a fox is an obvious choice for a football game, but it all works like a dream. Here’s how it all works. Your first port of call is an island called Aztlan, a lush green habitat dotted with palm trees and building sites. Tap on one of these sites and you’ll begin construction on a building. Once that building is finished, you can tap again to upgrade it, and again, and again, all over the island, until every building has reached its final form. Then you move to the next island, earning stars that determine your place on the leaderboards. But hold up. It’s not that simple. Construction is an expensive business, and you’ll need to keep filling your coffers with gold coins to finance the work. And what’s the easiest way to earn coins fast? That’s right: by playing football. The soccer part of Foxy’s Football Islands sees you taking shots at a goal – or, more specifically, at targets nested within a goal. To take a shot, you slide your finger up the screen in the direction of the target. Unless, that is, there’s wind over the pitch, in which case you have to adjust for the gusts. Some targets move, too, requiring you to lead your shots. Hitting a target can have a number of different results, the most common of which is a great cascade of coins. The size of this cascade depends on the amount you stake. While a basic shot uses up one unit of energy (more on that later) it’s possible to double or treble the ante in exchange for proportionately greater rewards – as long as you don’t miss. You’ll also get to attack another player’s island, either at random or in a targeted fashion, destroying one of their buildings and setting them back in their quest to overtake you on the leaderboards. Sometimes you’ll bring up a moving target, opening the way for a major payday, and on other occasions you’ll obtain a special glove that lets you block a single attack on your own island. There are familiar elements in Foxy’s Football Islands, including an energy system that limits the number of shots you can take (unless you pay for more), gems for buying coins, a tiered upgrade system, and so on. But it’s the way the game manages to bring together a vast range of different genres that really helps Foxy’s Football Islands really stand out. One minute you’re enjoying a physics-based football game, and then next you’re expanding your territory by ploughing coins into the construction of an Aztec pyramid or an Ancient Egyptian monument. The multiplayer is equally varied, combining the extremely devious with the extremely wholesome. For instance, when you’re not taking revenge on players who have aggrieved you or targeting your friends for lols you’re trading the adorable relics that you obtain throughout the campaign. We’re not sure whether Foxy’s Football Islands is a nasty game with a nice streak or a nice game with a nasty streak. Either way, there’s nothing else quite like it. To play the game for yourself, head to the Google Play Store or the App Store and download Foxy’s Football Islands for free right now. Sponsored Content This article is sponsored content written by TouchArcade and published on behalf of Frank’s Football Studios to promote Foxy’s Football Islands. For questions or comments, please email ads@toucharcade.com

While most fans have been looking forward to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 or basically a sequel to Warhammer 40,000: …

Continue reading "Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Review (in Progress) – GOTY Contender, but Play It Elsewhere for Now"

While most fans have been looking forward to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 or basically a sequel to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine for many years, I wasn’t really aware of the first game until I played Total War: Warhammer and was looking into other Warhammer 40,000 games. Since then, I’ve played many of them, with my favorites being Boltgun and Rogue Trader. I did end up playing some of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine on Steam Deck many months ago to see how it felt. Having played many of the Warhammer 40,000 games on PC and even console more recently, I was excited to see how Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 felt after that amazing reveal it had. Over the last eight days, I’ve put in about 22 hours into Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 across my Steam Deck and PS5 making use of cross progression and also testing out the online. This Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck review is an in progress one for two reasons. The first is I cannot score a game like this without testing out cross platform multiplayer and also the online in general with public servers. The second is because Focus and Saber have confirmed that they are working on official Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck support and aiming to have it out by the end of the year. Having seen how amazing Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine looks and plays on Steam Deck, and because Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has cross progression, I was very curious to see how it plays on Steam Deck if at all. There’s good news and bad news right now, and I’m going to cover all of that in this Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck review in progress with the gameplay, online co-op, visuals, PC port features, PS5 features, and more included. Note that the screenshots in the article with the performance overlay or fps displayed are from my Steam Deck OLED while the 16:9 screenshots are from my PS5 playthrough. My testing has also been done on Proton GE 9-9 and Proton Experimental (bleeding edge). Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a third person action shooter that is equal parts brutal, gorgeous, and fun, and this also applies to newcomers to the world of Warhammer 40,000. After a brief but well thought out tutorial-like intro segment that introduces you to the basics of combat and movement, you arrive at your main hub, the Battle Barge. This is where you choose your missions, game mode, adjust cosmetics, and much more. The moment to moment gameplay is superb with the controls and weapons all feeling perfect. I’m sure some will gravitate to using ranged more, but I adore the melee weapons and how visceral the combat feels up close. I never got tired of the executions and just plowing through tons of fodder enemies before the more powerful foes appear. The campaign is super fun solo and with a friend (or two) in co-op, but I hate any sort of defense missions. Thankfully I wasn’t too bothered by the implementation here. When playing with a friend of mine who lives in another country, I kept thinking how Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 felt like a big budget take on a co-op shooter from the Xbox 360 era that we don’t really see much of these days. It managed to get its hooks in me just like Earth Defense Force or the recent Gundam Breaker 4 have done, and I really hope Saber and Focus can somehow work with SEGA to give the original game’s campaign a modern facelift. Before going further, my knowledge of Warhammer 40,000 is through the Total War Warhammer, Dawn of War, Boltgun, and Rogue Trader more or less. With that said, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has been refreshing to play and is one of my favorite co-op experiences in years. It is too soon to say if this is my favorite Warhammer 40,000 game, but I just want to save this review draft and get back to playing right now. I’m addicted to playing with a friend in Operations mode while trying out the different classes and slowly progressing through the missions and unlocks. I don’t want to definitively say this since I’ve not played Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 once the full game launches with randoms, but what I’ve experienced in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 co-op so far is superb. I cannot wait to properly try out the online this week once the game launches with cross progression and cross platform online. Visually, I can only comment on how Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is on PS5 and Steam Deck, and it is definitely a looker in the 4K mode on PS5 when played on my 1440p monitor. While it has always looked good in trailers, I’m floored at how good the environments look and also how much work has clearly gone into making everything feel alive not only with the massive number of enemies in the swarms, but also the texture work and lighting. This is all complemented by stunning direction for the main character voice acting and all the gear and customization options included. You can tell a lot of care went into making it so that you can show off your creativity with the customization options and more. There’s also a photo mode you can access during singleplayer letting you adjust frames, expressions, characters visible, FOV, and much more. One thing to note is that if you do this on Steam Deck right now, some of the frames or effects don’t look too good when using FSR 2 and a lower resolution. On PS5 though, the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 photo mode is amazing. On the audio side, I didn’t know what to expect from the music. Ideally, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 would have shipped with Bolt Thrower’s Realm of Chaos, but that likely wasn’t an option. I know bringing this up is like when I wished God of War (2018) had some Amon Amarth music. That tangent aside, the real star of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s audio is the voice acting and general sound design. This is top tier stuff. The music is very good so far, but I’ve not heard anything (so far) that I would want to listen to a lot outside the game. It works perfectly in-game though. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC graphics options So how is the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC port? I’ve only played it on Steam Deck of course, but I can still cover what features it includes. When you boot up Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, it installs Epic Online Services, but there is no need to link your Epic account. I have one, but didn’t bother linking it. As for the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC graphics options, you can adjust display, display mode (windowed, borderless, and fullscreen), resolution (800×600 and above), render resolution (native, dynamic to hit the fps target), quality, balanced, performance, and ultra performance), resolution upscaling type (TAA or FSR 2 on Steam Deck), dynamic resolution target, toggle v-sync, adjust brightness, motion blur intensity, fps limit (30, 60, 90, 120, unlimited), and then change many quality-related settings. The Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 visual quality settings include four presets that adjust the following: texture filtering, texture resolution, shadows, screen space ambient occlusion, screen space reflections, volumetrics, effects, details, and cloth simulation. As mentioned in the blog post linked above, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 on PC ships with DLSS and FSR 2 support. FSR 3 is planned for post-launch. I imagine the game will benefit from this on Steam Deck whenever it ships. I also hope the team adds full 16:10 support when the ultrawide update ships because the game is 16:9 only now. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC control options On the control side, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has keyboard and mouse controls in addition to full controller support. Initially, I wasn’t able to get it to display PlayStation button prompts on Steam Deck by default, but turning off Steam Input fixed this. I noticed an adaptive trigger option under control settings, and this made me try disabling Steam Input. This menu also lets you remap keyboard and mouse bindings. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 displays PlayStation button prompts when I use my DualSense controller over Bluetooth, and it even supports Adaptive Triggers wirelessly on PC. This isn’t too common so I thought it was worth highlighting. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck performance Before getting to the visuals and performance, I want to note that I had some freezing (only while booting up the game) on the default Proton or Experimental (bleeding edge), but I did not have any freezing when using Proton GE 9-9. Aside from that, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is playable (technically) on Steam Deck with no config change needed. The bad news is that it is a bit too much for Valve’s handheld right now. When playing at 1280×800 (it still is 16:9) and using the low preset with FSR 2.0 at Ultra Performance, it still cannot hold a locked 30fps. There are regular dips to the mid 20s in tense combat, and it can even go lower. Even when playing at a lower resolution, it drops below 30fps. For a game like this, that isn’t close to ideal. I hope it can eventually reach a stage where it can run at 30fps, but it isn’t possible right now as far as I can tell across the 10 hours I played on my Steam Deck OLED. When using the dynamic upscaling for a 30fps target and the low preset, it can hit the 30s, but it drops to the low 20s often. This mode does still look very good on the Deck’s own screen, but as you can tell, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is too much for Steam Deck right now. It also sometimes doesn’t exit out correctly requiring you to manually force close the game when you hit quit. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck multiplayer impressions With all that aside, I wanted to make sure Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is playable online on Steam Deck. We sometimes have games where the developers add some anti cheat that blocks online play on Proton or Linux. Thankfully, I can report that Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 works perfectly online. I tested with a friend in Canada and we had a blast for a few hours playing in co-op. The only issue I had was some internet related disconnection, but since these are pre-release servers, I will be waiting to test out the game in a more public environment with randoms and friends once the game launches. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PS5 features – DualSense, Activity Cards, and Performance Mode Since I also played Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 on PS5, I wanted to cover how it feels on a current console for those who play on Steam Deck and consoles like I do. I’ve only tried the performance mode so far, and it feels mostly great. Don’t expect a locked 60fps though, and there seems to be some dynamic resolution or upscaling happening because I noticed it got very blurry in two big fights in the operations mode with a friend. Aside from that, I have no qualms in recommending Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 on PS5 right now based on the time I’ve put into it, but I want to make sure the online works cross platform before giving it a definite recommendation. The load times are fast and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 also has PS5 Activity Card support for different modes and getting back into your save file saving time from the PS5 dashboard. As of this writing, there is no gyro support on PS5. If this changes, I will update this section, but sadly I didn’t see anything hinting at it in the build I’ve played pre-release. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 cross save progression explained While this may change with the full launch, I’ve been able to take my Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 progress across Steam and PS5. There is some sort of two day cooldown period before you can sync it back or to another platform. I reached out to Focus to check if the final build will let you do it again immediately or still have the cool down. Is Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 worth it for solo play only? This is a question I cannot fully answer yet because the servers are not as populated as they will be at launch. I will be updating this once I’ve played with randoms and seen how the matchmaking works in the Operations (PvE) and Eternal War (PvP) modes. Speaking of Eternal War, I’ve not been able to test that yet. I will be doing so to update this review in the near future. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 features I want to see in updates and patches Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is clearly going to get a ton of post-launch support through updates and DLC, and the main thing I want to see aside from improvements to Steam Deck performance is proper HDR support. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is gorgeous and the texture work, materials, and lighting would pop even more with HDR. Aside from that, I’m pleased with the DualSense implementation of triggers and vibration, but haptic feedback would be great. The blog post mentions haptics won’t be in “at launch" and I hope that means it is planned for later. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is an easy game of the year contender so far. While I still need a bit of time to test the online when cross play is available from launch day, the gameplay is sublime and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 looks and sounds superb across the board. Having played it on PS5 and Steam Deck with cross progression, I don’t recommend playing it on Valve’s handheld right now. It gets an easy recommendation on PS5 though. I will be updating this with a full score once I’ve gotten enough time with the multiplayer and some patches. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Review Score: TBA

With August in the rear-view mirror, taking the Young Avengers with it, we’re about due for another season in Marvel …

Continue reading "Swing Into ‘Marvel Snap’ With The Amazing Spider-Season"

With August in the rear-view mirror, taking the Young Avengers with it, we’re about due for another season in Marvel Snap (Free). And indeed, a new one has kicked off today! What is the theme, you might be wondering? Why it’s the best kind of Marvel theme! The deadly… the terrifying… the Amazing Spider-Season! BONESAW IS READY! Sorry, Bonesaw isn’t in this season. Maybe someday. But there are some cool new cards and locations, so let’s check them out! This season is a bit of a doozy as it is introducing a new type of card ability: Activate. With Activate, you choose when to fire off the card’s ability. It’s like an On Reveal that you can trigger at any time, while also dodging things that affect On Reveal abilities. The Season Pass card naturally takes advantage of this new feature, and so far he is looking like a real doozy. If you want to see the folks at Second Dinner introduce the new season, I’ve linked the video below. Read on for my summary. Symbiote Spider-Man is the new Season Pass card. He’s 4-Cost 6-Power, and he has an Activate ability that absorbs the lowest cost card at the location and copies the text of that card. If that includes an On Reveal ability, it will fire off again as though the card was just played. Combine with Galactus for HIJINKS. I’ll be really surprised if this card survives the season without being nerfed, but he sure is a whole lot of fun already. Now for the rest of the lot. Silver Sable is 1-Cost 1-Power, but she has an On Reveal ability that steals two power from card at the top of your opponent’s deck. Decent as a standalone, really useful in combinations with certain locations and other cards. Next, the star of the hit film Madame Web. She has an Ongoing ability that allows you to move one of the other cards at her location elsewhere once per turn. Next, Arana. Another 1-Cost 1-Power card, and she’s our next Activate ability user. Activate her to move the next card you play to the right and give it +2 Power. She’s going to be a staple of move decks, I’m sure. Rounding out our Spider-Friends is Scarlet Spider, the Ben Reilly variety. He’s a 4-Cost 5-Power card, and he has an Activate ability too! Use it to spawn an exact clone to another location. Power him up, then multiply him! Clones don’t have feelings! As for the new locations, there are two. The Brooklyn Bridge is a big part of Spider-Man lore, and it’s certainly due for an appearance in Marvel Snap. The gimmick with this location is that you can’t place cards there two turns in a row. You’re going to have to get creative to dominate this spot! The other location is Otto’s Lab, and it works a lot like Otto himself. The next card you play there will pull a card from the enemy’s hand to the location. Ooh, surprises! THE DIE IS CAST! And that’s the lot for the new season! Some very interesting cards this time around, and that new Activate ability is sure to create some fascinating possibilities. We’ll have our September deck guide up very soon, as we could all use a little help in handling this wall-crawling menace and his friends. What do you think of this season? Any cards you’ll be playing? Are you buying that Season Pass? Let us know in the comments!

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 3rd, 2024. In today’s article, I have a few …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Castlevania Dominus Collection’, Plus Today’s Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 3rd, 2024. In today’s article, I have a few more reviews for you. Some lengthy thoughts on Castlevania Dominus Collection, a look at Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn, and some quick critiques of a pair of Pinball FX tables that recently arrived as DLC. After that, we check out the new releases of the day including the quirky and cool Bakeru, then roll into the latest sales and expiring discounts for the day. Let’s get into it! Reviews & Mini-Views Castlevania Dominus Collection ($24.99) Say what you will about Konami in the modern era, but it has been absolutely killing it with most of its classic collections. Castlevania in particular has been enjoying a great deal of love in this regard, with Castlevania Dominus Collection being its third on modern platforms. This time around, the focus is on the Nintendo DS trilogy of games in the franchise. The development chores have again been handled by M2, with the usual excellent results. But there’s more here than meets the eye, and with everything taken into account this may well be the most essential Castlevania collection yet. I’m getting ahead of myself, though. Let’s talk about the main course first. The Nintendo DS era of Castlevania was a historical one in some ways for the franchise, and not all of them good. On the positive side, all three of the games had a unique identity and make for a surprisingly varied trio. Dawn of Sorrow is a direct sequel to Aria of Sorrow. It hit very early in the Nintendo DS’s life, and is thus cursed to some stupid touchscreen gimmicks that have thankfully been mitigated in this release. Portrait of Ruin shoves the touchscreen nonsense into a bonus mode, relying on an interesting dual-character gimmick to distinguish itself. Order of Ecclesia really mixes things up, with considerably higher difficulty than its predecessor and a design that calls back to Simon’s Quest of all games. All good games. Great even? Would recommend. On the negative side, this was the last gasp of the run of exploratory Castlevania games created by Koji Igarashi, who gave the series a kick in the pants with Symphony of the Night when it needed it most. Returns were diminishing, and Konami thought it had a better play in MercurySteam’s Lords of Shadow. Well, hindsight is 20/20 I suppose. Were these games so distinct from each other because IGA wanted to stretch his creative legs, or was it a desperate attempt to find something that would stick with an increasingly disinterested audience? We’ll never know. I do remember at the time many people were feeling exhausted with this type of Castlevania, and I will shamefully admit that despite buying them on day one every time and playing the heck out of them, I was also feeling like the series was falling into a rut. Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone? So, weird thing here is that these games don’t appear to be emulated, but are instead native ports. That allowed M2 to do neat things like replace the annoying touchscreen seals in Dawn with far more manageable button presses, and show you not only the main screen and the status screen at all times, but also the map as a third screen. What is this, a Nintendo TS? There are still some very DS-like aspects to these games, but they all had to work with a controller for docked mode, and so they all do. This actually makes Dawn of Sorrow a lot better, and I would now put it within my top five Castlevania games of all-time. In terms of options and extras, there is plenty here. For general options, you get a choice of which region of each game you’d like to play, the ability to swap confirm/cancel button mapping, and the choice of whether you want the left stick to be mapped to character movement or the touch cursor. The latter is important for one of the bonus modes in Portrait of Ruin. There is also an incredibly adorable credits sequence where one of the unsung heroes of the series achieves his dreams. Make sure you watch them. There’s a nice gallery where you can view some art, manual scans, and box art for each of the three DS games. You can also listen to the music from all of the included games, and when the music is this good you know that’s a treat. You can even make your own custom playlist of tunes. Once in-game, you can make use of save states and a rewind feature, remap the controls as you like, adjust how the three screens are laid out, choose from a handful of background colors, and adjust the levels on the different audio elements. There is also an exhaustive compendium for each game, with information on equipment, enemies, items, and other points of interest. Pretty much anything you would need to enjoy these games to the maximum. About all I could ask for is perhaps a few other screen arrangement options that allow me to make the play area bigger, but that’s a very minor nitpick. This is a great way to enjoy three very cool games, and for the price it’s an absurd value. But wait! There’s more! The absolutely dreadful arcade Castlevania game, Haunted Castle, has been included here. I’m not sure why it was left off the first collection and shunted to the otherwise shooter-heavy Konami arcade collection, but here it is. Here too you get a variety of options, including the virtually necessary option for unlimited continues. Seriously, this game is brutally unfair. Good music, a terrific opening that sees Simon in a snazzy tux, but the game itself is horrible and completely irredeemable. Or… is it? The last extra, and it feels ridiculous to call something so substantial an extra but it’s M2’s wording not mine, is a complete remake of Haunted Castle. Much like when it took on the task of remaking Castlevania: The Adventure with Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth on the Nintendo Wii (please reissue all of the Rebirth games), M2 basically took a look at the original game and decided to make a good one instead. Haunted Castle Revisited takes a lot of cues from the arcade original, but it really does its own thing virtually from top to bottom. Yes, we have a new Castlevania game! A very good one! It’s tucked away in the Extras tab of a Nintendo DS collection, but it’s here! If you like Castlevania, you really should buy Castlevania Dominus Collection. There’s an entire new Castlevania game here and it kind of rules. You also get what you’re ostensibly buying the collection for with the three Nintendo DS IGAvanias, presented in as fine a form as you could hope for. The original Haunted Castle is also here. If, on the other hand, you don’t like Castlevania, we are not friends. And finally, if you don’t know Castlevania, you should pick up all three of the collections and get to the good times. Another absolutely stellar showing from Konami and M2. SwitchArcade Score: 5/5 Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn ($19.99) I’ve been through a bit of a roller coaster with Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn. I’ve enjoyed all of Tengo Project’s releases so far, and I believe its versions of Wild Guns and The Ninja Warriors are definitive in every way. I had a few issues with Pocky & Rocky, but overall that was also a very enjoyable romp. Shadow of the Ninja seemed like a different kettle of fish in a lot of ways, however. The Tengo Project team members didn’t have much to do with the original game, and this was an 8-bit game being updated rather than a 16-bit one. I also personally don’t think the original game is as good as Wild Guns, The Ninja Warriors, and Pocky & Rocky were. As a result, when this remake was announced I was a little hesitant. Then I had a chance to play the first little part of the game at the Tokyo Game Show last year, and I enjoyed that well enough to get excited again. Now that I’ve played through the game a few times, I’ve settled somewhere in the middle. I think relative to the other games from this developer, Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn is a bit less well-rounded. The improvements from the original game are many, from the excellent presentation to a more refined weapon and item system. You don’t get any fun new characters in this one, but the two existing playable characters have been differentiated. It is, as one would expect, better than the original game while maintaining the important aspects of its spirit. If you loved Shadow of the Ninja, you’ll really love this. If on the other hand you’re like me and only found the original to be a decent action-platformer, you probably won’t land much further from that mark with Reborn. Having access to both the chain and the sword at all times is a great improvement, and the sword on the whole is more useful than it was in the original game. The new inventory system is cool, adding a little spice to a game that needed something like that. The presentation is excellent, and you would never know it was based on an 8-bit game. There are a couple of rude difficulty spikes, and I think this is actually a more challenging game on the whole than the original. Perhaps that’s necessary, as it’s not a very lengthy affair overall. It’s the best Shadow of the Ninja you could play, but it is still Shadow of the Ninja. Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn is another solid effort from Tengo Project, and in some ways is the most substantial improvement over its predecessor of any of their releases yet. Whether or not you should pick it up is really going to depend on how you feel about that original game, because the core is still very much in line with that NES title. Those without any prior experience will find an enjoyable but not essential action game here, one that very much subscribes to an 8-bit design sensibility. SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5 Pinball FX – The Princess Bride Pinball ($5.49) Just a couple of quick Pinball FX DLC reviews, partly to celebrate the massive update Pinball FX has received that finally makes it properly playable on Switch. To go with that, two new tables were released as DLC: The Princess Bride Pinball, and Goat Simulator Pinball. The former is based on the cult classic movie, and it includes not only real voice clips but also video clips from the film. Now that’s the kind of thing I want to see in these licensed tables, Zen. Mechanically speaking, this table feels like something you could actually see a real physical version of. Relatively straightforward to learn, relatively authentic to the license, and satisfying to score attack on. Zen Studios doesn’t always hit with its licensed tables, often missing things like music, real voices, and likenesses. The Princess Bride Pinball is one of the better ones in that regard, and I think any fan of the movie who isn’t allergic to pinball would do well to check it out. It’s not the most innovative of tables, relying on a lot of well-worn design choices, but I think that too fits. A good time for newcomers or veterans alike. SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5 Pinball FX – Goat Simulator Pinball ($5.49) Then we have Goat Simulator Pinball, and this one understands its license equally well. That means this is a very odd table in a lot of ways, and it certainly could only exist in video game form. You’ll get involved in a lot of silly goat-related incidents, adding effects to your ball to trigger various elements of the table. It’s a little bewildering at first, but stick with it and you’ll be rewarded. More of a table for the veteran players, I think. Goat Simulator fans with no pinball experience will probably have some difficulty getting a handle on it enough to see some of the funnier antics. Goat Simulator Pinball is another solid piece of DLC from the folks at Zen Studios, who have made so many tables by now that they likely relish a chance to do something off-the-wall like this. It’s a tricky table to learn, but once you do you’ll get to see some truly wacky stuff. Fans of the Goat Simulator games who can stick with the game long enough to learn the ropes will be rewarded, but it’s going to take a bit more work to get there than with some other tables. SwitchArcade Score: 4/5 Select New Releases Bakeru ($39.99) If you read my review yesterday, you’ll know I really enjoyed this breezy, charming 3D platformer from the fine folks at Good-Feel. Play as a tanuki named Bakeru who is on a mission to save Japan from an evil overlord who has trapped people in an eternal festival. Battle enemies, get interesting Japan trivia from hidden poo, collect souvenirs, and maybe even laugh here and there. The framerate in this Switch version is inconsistent, so tech heads may want to play it elsewhere. If you don’t mind that aspect, this is a nice game to play on your Switch. Holyhunt ($4.99) This is a top-down arena-based twin-stick shooter. It describes itself as a love letter to 8-bit games, but I don’t really remember seeing many games like this back then. At any rate, it looks amusing enough for what it is. Shoot, shoot, dash, dash, get new gun, repeat. Watch out for bosses. That kind of thing. Shashingo: Learn Japanese with Photography ($20.00) I don’t normally include these language-learning things since we’re more game-focused here, but this one at least seems to have some additional effort put into it. You go around, take pictures of things, and learn the Japanese names for them. Would I spend twenty on it? Probably not. But everyone learns in different ways, and this might be how you learn. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) Some decent games in the inbox today, including OrangePixel’s selection of great pick-up-and-play titles. Alien Hominid is enjoying an extremely rare discount, and you can also scoop up Ufouria 2 at a nice price. Over in the outbox, titles from THQ and Team 17 are finishing up their latest discounts. Check out their publisher pages as I’ve only included a handful for each. Have a gander through both lists, as ever. Select New Sales Space Grunts ($8.39 from $13.99 until 9/7) Meganoid ($5.39 from $8.99 until 9/7) Stardash ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/7) Gunslugs ($4.79 from $7.99 until 9/7) Gunslugs 2 ($4.79 from $7.99 until 9/7) Heroes of Loot ($4.79 from $7.99 until 9/7) Heroes of Loot 2 ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/7) Warhammer 40k Dakka Squadron ($1.99 from $19.99 until 9/9) Castle Crashers Remastered ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/10) Alien Hominid HD ($9.59 from $11.99 until 9/10) Alien Hominid Invasion ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Conscript ($17.59 from $21.99 until 9/15) Overdelivery ($1.99 from $7.99 until 9/15) Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption ($2.99 from $19.99 until 9/16) Agent Intercept ($7.99 form $19.99 until 9/16) Secret Files Tunguska ($2.09 from $14.99 until 9/16) Secret Files Puritas Cordis ($2.09 from $14.99 until 9/16) Secret Files Sam Peters ($2.02 from $6.99 until 9/16) Lost Horizon ($2.09 from $14.99 until 9/16) Lost Horizon 2 ($2.09 from $14.99 until 9/16) Zombo Buster Advance ($1.99 from $3.99 until 9/16) Skautfold Usurper ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/17) Nuclear Blaze ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/17) Helvetii ($5.09 from $16.99 until 9/17) Heidelberg 1693 ($4.49 from $14.99 until 9/17) Sophstar ($6.49 from $12.99 until 9/17) Harmony’s Odyssey ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/17) Ufouria 2: The Saga ($17.49 from $24.99 until 9/17) Promenade ($12.49 from $24.99 until 9/17) Shinorubi ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/17) Last Night of Winter ($6.99 from $9.99 until 9/17) Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/18) Nobody Saves The World ($9.99 from $24.99 until 9/23) Summer in Mara ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/23) Guacamelee 2 ($4.99 from $19.99 until 9/23) Railbound ($2.59 from $12.99 until 9/23) Sales Ending Tomorrow, September 4th Capes ($29.99 from $39.99 until 9/4) Fates of Ort ($4.49 from $14.99 until 9/4) Floogen ($1.99 from $3.99 until 9/4) Fluffy Horde ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/4) Gum+ ($1.99 from $7.99 until 9/4) Hopping Girl Kohane EX ($16.74 from $24.99 until 9/4) Kingdom Come Deliverance ($29.99 from $49.99 until 9/4) Kona II: Brume ($11.99 from $29.99 until 9/4) Metro 2033 Redux ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/4) Metro Last Light Redux ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/4) Outward Definitive ($23.99 from $39.99 until 9/4) Overcooked Special Edition ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/4) Rolling Car ($1.99 from $7.99 until 9/4) Stunt Paradise ($5.19 from $7.99 until 9/4) Tiny Pixels Vol 1 Ninpo Blast ($3.99 from $4.99 until 9/4) Worms WMD ($5.99 from $29.99 until 9/4) Yoku’s Island Express ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/4) That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new releases, more sales, and perhaps some news. Maybe a review? No promises. I think we’re officially in the season of TOO MANY GOOD GAMES, so hold on to your wallets and enjoy the fun. It’s probably the Switch’s last holiday ride, so let’s make it worth the while. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home has been a very interesting game to follow pre-release. I say this not only because …

Continue reading "‘Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home’ iOS Review – A Great Start, but Needs More Work"

Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home has been a very interesting game to follow pre-release. I say this not only because it is a premium mobile-first Harvest Moon game, but also because the reactions from my friends who are longtime fans of the series have gone from apathy to interest with every bit of gameplay shown. Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home launched recently on iOS and Android as a mobile-exclusive entry in Natsume’s Harvest Moon series, and I’ve been playing it for about a week and a half now on iPhone 15 Pro and iPad Pro for review. Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is a very good farming simulation game, but one that is held back by a few issues right now. A lot of fans of the Harvest Moon series of games from Marvelous have been around since the SNES or N64 days, but I only got into it on 3DS with Story of Season. Back then, I had no idea about the name change and that Marvelous’ releases would be called Story of Seasons while Harvest Moon would be the name used by Natsume going forward. I’m making that clear now because I don’t want people confused about what Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is and also to give you my history with the series before getting into how I feel about Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home ($17.99). If you’re new to farming and life simulation games, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home takes you back from the city to a calming village where you fish, farm, interact with many NPCs, partake in festivals (that need to be unlocked), and even find a companion. The village of Alba, your new home, is dense and cozy (sorry but I had to), and I’m glad it isn’t a big open location because those usually result in a lot of empty spaces when it comes to life simulation games. If you’ve played many in the genre, think of Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home as one that focuses more on the characters with a bit less depth when it comes to farming. After a short tutorial explaining the basics of movement and a bit of farming, you unlock the map and main menu letting you save just about anywhere (this is very important for a mobile game), and this is where you get into the flow of Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home where you try and finish quests for NPCs, upgrade your tools, gather, mine (this unlocks a bit later), and of course farm through the game’s main chapters. The more I played Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home, the more I realized that the developers understood what makes life and farming simulation games great, but fell short in some ways. These may or may not affect newcomers to the genre, but those who have played many recent games will find them lacking. The potential partners are likely the weakest aspect of Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home. They just aren’t as interesting as other games in the genre. If you don’t care about that aspect, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is quite a polished entry in the genre. Approaching Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home from a general life simulation game enthusiast’s perspective feels different though. While other platforms are spoiled for choice with tons of games from big and small developers, we don’t really see much like that on mobile, but that doesn’t make up for some of the flaws here, especially at a much higher price point. I think this is a very solid base that the developers can build on to the point where it would even be a great fit for PC and consoles. The only “mobile" aspect of Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home right now is the touch control option. Visually, aside from the performance and load times that I will cover below, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home looks very good. Some characters look generic, but the interface, farm, building layout, and everything looks good. I also appreciate that Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home supports fullscreen on iPhone 15 Pro and iPad Pro. It really feels like a game properly tailored to mobile with its visuals and controls. While Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home does look nice visually for the most part, it is lacking when it comes to the character designs. This applies to your own character with customization options that should’ve been more detailed and also the main NPCs in the town. A lot of them feel lifeless even during cut-scenes. Barring that, I like the aesthetic a lot, and Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home looks excellent on my iPhone and iPad. The one disappointment is in performance. Right now, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is capped at 30fps on my iPhone 15 Pro and iPad Pro. I was expecting above 60fps let alone 60fps, but it isn’t possible to play at a higher frame rate now. The load times are also not as fast as they should be. On the audio side, I was pleased with the music and sounds in Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home. Nothing stood out to the point where I’d listen to it outside the game, but it sounded good and the music changes were appropriate to the gameplay. When Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home was announced as a mobile-exclusive game, I was curious how it would control. The developers have done a fantastic job with the touch controls here letting you play by tapping to move, dragging to move, and more. Interacting with objects or characters, farming, and navigating menus all feel good. Some text and touch targets feel a bit too small on iPhone, but they are fine on iPad. I would’ve loved some haptic feedback on iPhone though for using tools and even fishing. Maybe this can be added in a future update. If you’ve played the two best life simulation games on mobile: Stardew Valley and My Time at Portia, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home feels closer to the former, but it isn’t as polished. I dislike bringing up other games in the same genre to compare, but I’m doing it here specifically for the mobile port. Those two games were built for PC/console and brought over to mobile while Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home was built for mobile and yet it doesn’t feel as tailored to the platform in its features. Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home is a mobile-exclusive game, and while I appreciate the touch control scheme, it has a few issues right now when it comes to features. The lack of cloud saves is beyond disappointing. When I first downloaded Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home on my iPhone, I played it for about three hours before picking up my iPad to see how it feels there. I found no way to get the save across, and still haven’t been able to move saves across devices. The lack of controller support is also disappointing for a game like this. The developers did a great job with touch controls, but it would be nice to have controller support for when I play on iPad. I would also like some quality of life features for movement, like we’ve seen in recent games in the genre. As a newcomer to Natsume’s new Harvest Moon games but a fan of all the recent Story of Seasons and other life simulation games, Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home ended up being worth playing, but it needs a few updates and features to be truly essential at full price. I have no issues with developers wanting to charge premium prices on mobile, but Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home lacking basic features like cloud saves and controller support definitely makes it harder to recommend alongside a few other design issues. If the developers continue working on this, it will be one of the best in the genre on mobile, and I’m glad to see them take a chance on a premium mobile life simulation game because that is very rare.

Summer holidays might be over, but fans of Gunship Battle: Total Warfare are still in for a treat as Joycity …

Continue reading "‘Gunship Battle: Total Warfare’ Launches Massive Sky Ace Update"

Summer holidays might be over, but fans of Gunship Battle: Total Warfare are still in for a treat as Joycity released one of the game’s most impressive updates that introduces Sky Ace alongside numerous QOL enhancements and a special event to keep things as exciting as possible this fall. Sky Ace is a classic 2D puzzle shooter that pays homage to the legendary shooters of console gaming with an unquestionably high level of polish and prestige. It also has its own storyline. With the help of a famous cast of fighter jets, players will be able to engage in aerial battle against enemy troops in Sky Ace and retrieve lost allies and locations. Players control their fighter jets left and right against a barrage of guided missiles and fast-moving enemy incursions as they shoot and strafe their way through simple calculation-based tasks. This vibrant, engaging feature combines the thrill of solving puzzles with traditional shooter action. But Sky Ace is not the only thing to look forward to and we are sure that players will enjoy the enhanced unit, the inventory navigations, rings that provide fast access to more easily control essential features at log in. Additionally, a new statistics tool has been implemented to let players confirm, use, and increase things more quickly. Together with input from both new and experienced players, these improvements significantly improve player convenience on all fronts. And to mark this special occasion, Joycity also decided to treat the GBTW with a special event that awards all players with an exclusive Jet, the ‘F-35 Sky Pro’ when they successfully complete specific Sky Ace stages. You can find out more about this major update on the official website or on the game’s Facebook page for the latest developments. Gunship Battle: Total Warfare is available for free on the Google Play Store or App Store. Sponsored Content This article is sponsored content written by TouchArcade and published on behalf of Joycity to promote the new Sky Ace update for Gunship Battle: Total Warfare. For questions or comments, please email ads@toucharcade.com

[youtube] Netflix has just showcased its full Netflix Geeked Week 2024 trailer alongside the announcement of tickets going up for …

Continue reading "Netflix Geeked Week Trailer Teases More Game News for Event on September 16th"

[youtube] Netflix has just showcased its full Netflix Geeked Week 2024 trailer alongside the announcement of tickets going up for sale on the official website. Netflix has been announcing and releasing new games at a regular pace for a while now, and the next releases will be SpongeBob: Bubble Pop and the original Monument Valley (Free). Today’s new trailer for Geeked Week 2024 includes a tease for more games news including but not limited to (as far as I can tell) Monument Valley and more. I’m curious to see what else we get at the event. Watch the full trailer below: I hope we see some more premium indie game ports get announced for Netflix because the year has been bonkers good for indie game releases, and I’d love to replay some of them on iOS. If you somehow haven’t played Monument Valley on mobile and would like to on Netflix, you can sign up here for it on iOS. Aside from games, the event will have updates on many shows and there will also be an in-person event on the 19th in Atlanta with a Games Lounge to play some of Netflix’s latest mobile games. What would you like to see at the event?

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 2nd, 2024. I think it’s a holiday today in …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Bakeru’ & ‘Peglin’, Plus Highlights From Nintendo’s Blockbuster Sale"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 2nd, 2024. I think it’s a holiday today in the United States, but here in Japan it’s Monday as usual. That means I’ve got some goodies for you, and in our typical week-starting fashion that means a bunch of reviews. Three written by yours truly, and one from our pal Mikhail. I take a look at Bakeru, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, and Mika and the Witch’s Mountain. Mikhail dives once more into Peglin, a game he can speak to better than anyone else at TouchArcade Towers. Beyond that, we’ve got a bit of news from Mikhail, and a massive list of deals from Nintendo’s Blockbuster Sale. Let’s get to it! News Guilty Gear Strive Nintendo Switch Edition Coming January 2025 Arc System Works has done it. They’re bringing Guilty Gear Strive to Nintendo Switch on January 23rd with 28 characters included and rollback netcode for online battles. It won’t be crossplay sadly, but should be good for playing offline and with other Switch owners. I adore the game on Steam Deck and PS5, and will definitely try this one out. Check out the official website here. Reviews & Mini-Views Bakeru ($39.99) Bakeru is not Goemon/Mystical Ninja. It is made by some of the people who worked on that series. There are some superficial similarities. But it is not Goemon, and coming into it expecting Goemon is both a disservice to Bakeru and yourself. Bakeru is Bakeru. Goemon is still on the milk carton, to the upper-left of the Sunset Riders. Expectations set, let’s talk about this game instead. Bakeru comes to us by way of Good-Feel, a studio that has frequently worked with Nintendo on games in the Wario, Yoshi, and Kirby franchises. Most recently, it developed Princess Peach: Showtime!. Its specialty appears to be in cute, low-friction, well-polished platformers. Guess what Bakeru is? Bad things are going down in Japan, and a little goober named Issun stumbles on some assistance in the unlikely form of a tanuki named Bakeru. With his mighty abilities to change forms and wield a taiko drum and drumsticks, Bakeru might just be the guy for the job. You’ll tour Japan prefecture by prefecture, whacking baddies, grabbing cash, talking to poop, and looking for secrets. You’ve got more than sixty levels to play here, and while I wouldn’t say they’re all super-memorable, it’s an easy-going experience that remains rather engaging throughout. I genuinely enjoyed the collectibles in this game more than those in most platformers I’ve played, just because they usually reflect the location you’re in. Lots of little nuggets about Japan, and some things that even a long-time resident like me didn’t know. Boss fights! Okay, this is one part where I’ll allow comparisons to Goemon. Or any other Good-Feel game, I suppose. This is a development team that understands the value of a good boss battle, and gosh are they fun here. Creative spectacles that nicely reward the player for winning. Indeed, Bakeru takes a lot of creative swings for what is essentially a straight-up 3D platformer, and I will admit some work out better than others. Well, that’s how this kind of thing goes. I genuinely appreciated the ones that worked out well, and I can forgive the ones that didn’t. I kind of fell in love with this game despite seeing all of its flaws as I went along. It’s that sort of game. Intensely likeable. The only real fly in the ointment here is the performance on Switch, something I believe Mikhail talked about in his look at the Steam version of the game. The framerate is quite variable here, at times climbing up to 60 fps but frequently dipping considerably when things get busy. With the full admission that I am not a person that tends to be bothered by inconsistent framerates, I will say that it wasn’t enough of an issue to dampen my enjoyment of the game. But if you are more sensitive to that than I am, I want to make it very clear that there are still problems here despite the improvements since the Japanese launch last year. Bakeru is a highly endearing little 3D platformer, one with a well-polished design and lots of fun ideas to spice things up during its relatively lengthy adventure. It really commits to its bit, and that part of it is almost infectious. Some framerate issues keep this from being all it could be on Switch, and I think people who come into this expecting Goemon are going to be disappointed by the fact that it’s not even trying to be that, but otherwise this is a highly-recommended title to close out your summer with. SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5 Star Wars: Bounty Hunter ($19.99) There was a lot of merch put out around the releases of the films in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Video games were a big part of that, and it’s kind of impressive how many Star Wars games we saw put out in that era after going entire generations of consoles with only a handful. And while the movies weren’t exactly critical darlings, it’s inarguable that they opened up a lot of new story-telling avenues. Remember Boba Fett? The guy with the cool armor who got knocked into a living pit by a guy who couldn’t even see? Well, here’s his dad! He also has cool armor, and is also defeated in a very undignified way. But maybe you’re wondering about how his life was before we met him in Attack of the Clones? Star Wars: Bounty Hunter fills in that story, whether you asked for it or not. This is the tale of Jango Fett, a bounty hunter so cool and awesome that an entire army ended up being cloned from him. The finest in the galaxy! Don’t ask what happened ten seconds after he had to face off against a Jedi Master. Cool armor! Besides being the number one manhunter in the business, what else made him fit to be the model for the clone army? That’s what this game is about, actually. Jango’s try-out for the job, if you will. He is sent to hunt a Dark Jedi by the totally innocent Count Dooku, and if he picks up a few extra bounties on the way, more’s the better. That’s pretty much how this one goes. You take on each level with a particular target in mind, but there are optional targets you can find, mark, and bring in dead or alive. You get access to a wide array of weapons and other toys, including the iconic jetpack. It’s pretty interesting at first, but the gameplay doesn’t really change things up enough as it goes on so it’s quite repetitive over the long haul. It has a lot of problems you would expect from a 2002 video game, an era where some of this stuff was still being figured out. Targeting is an absolute mess. Cover doesn’t work as well as you might hope. Level designs are often trying to be open but somehow end up feeling cramped and badly sign-posted. Even in its time, this was an average game at best, tied to the worst Star Wars movie. Well, at least that’s not the worst Star Wars movie anymore. In some ways age has not been kind to Bounty Hunter, but Aspyr has done what it could to improve it without changing too much. The game looks and runs better than it ever did, and the new default control scheme is a lot better. Nothing was changed in how it saves your progress mind you, so be prepared for the very real possibility of having to start the lengthy stages over if you mess up too much. Oh, but you can unlock a Boba Fett skin, so that’s neat. If you were ever going to play this game, this new version is the way to do it. There’s a certain nostalgic charm to Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. There is a particular flavor to games from the PlayStation 2/GameCube/Xbox generation of consoles, and this game is absolutely steeped in it despite the nips and tucks made by Aspyr in the porting process. And it’s really in that capacity that I can most confidently recommend it, when I think about it. Are you in the mood to time travel back to 2002 and play a thoroughly rough-edged yet genuinely earnest action game? Here you go. If on the other hand you lack that proclivity, this might be a bit too much Jank-o Fett for you. SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5 Mika and the Witch’s Mountain ($19.99) After some horrible video games based on Nausicaa, Hayao Miyazaki put his foot down in a very Miyazaki way and essentially forbade any further games based on his work. Did that extend to all of Ghibli? I’m not sure, the story isn’t clear on that. It seems likely, since we have not seen even one video game based on a Ghibli movie since then. I respect that, but it does mean I will never have my epic Porco Rosso open world flying game. It happens. Game studios Chibig and Nukefist clearly had another Ghibli movie in mind when they made Mika and the Witch’s Mountain, and I’ll trust your reasoning skills enough to sort out witch on your own. You’re a rookie witch, ready to get going on witchy things. The teacher you were sent to see decides to chuck you off the mountain top, breaking your flying broom. Get back up and she might help you out, but your broom isn’t going to bring you there in its current condition. The good news is that there is a town nearby with someone who can fix brooms and even make new ones. The bad news is nothing is free in this world, so you’ll have to take up a job delivering packages to earn some scratch. Zipping around on your broom makes that kind of a job a bit easier and a lot more fun, and the town in question has a lot of things that need delivering. That’s pretty much how it goes. There are some side jobs you can do, but most of the time you’ll be going back and forth in the world trying to get things where they need to go, when they need to go, and hopefully with a minimum of damage done in the process. It works well enough, and the vibrant world and interesting cast of characters contribute greatly to the experience. The Switch is clearly struggling with all of this at times, and the resolution and framerate both take regular hits depending on what part of the world you’re in and what’s going. I would imagine this would play better on more powerful hardware, so if you have that option you might want to take it. Otherwise, people who can forgive some technical flaws (and we’re Switch owners, I imagine most of us are getting good at that) will probably be able to roll with the punches here. Mika and the Witch’s Mountain wears its inspiration on its sleeve, and it is so dedicated to its core gameplay mechanic that it can wear a little thin before the game is up. It also suffers from some performance issues on the Switch. With all that said, I can’t say I didn’t have some fun zipping around on my broom, delivering packages to a bunch of quirky characters. This is one of those games where if you think the concept sounds good, you’ll probably like what you get well enough. SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5 Peglin ($19.99) About a year ago, I reviewed the early access version of Peglin on iOS. We also featured it as our Game of the Week when it hit mobile. Peglin, a pachinko roguelike, has always had a lot of promise, and things have only gotten before for it through major updates over time. Last week during Nintendo’s Indie World and Partner Direct combo, Peglin was announced and released for Switch. I thought the team had just brought the current game to Switch, but I didn’t realize it was actually 1.0 until a few hours later when I got the game. Peglin hit 1.0 last week on Steam and mobile as well alongside the Switch debut, and it definitely is a more complete experience now, but Peglin is a great game for a very specific kind of person. Your aim is to, well aim, your orb to target specific pegs on the board. This lets you damage enemies (above the board) and you make your way towards the end of each zone map like you would in Slay the Spire. There are events, bosses, shops, tons of battles, and more in Peglin, and it is very difficult early on. As you make your way through the zone, you can upgrade or unlock new orbs, heal, and collect relics. You don’t just need to get your orb to a specific portion of the board at the bottom though. Peglin’s strategy is aiming so you correctly use critical or bomb pegs depending on the situation with enemies. You can also refresh the board by hitting a specific peg. There’s a lot to take in at the start, but it all clicks soon and you will be humming the songs even when you aren’t playing Peglin. Having played Peglin on Steam and mobile, I was curious to see how the Switch port would feel. It is mostly great when it comes to performance. The aiming isn’t as smooth as on other platforms, but I got around this by using touch controls. Aside from that, the load times are longer than mobile and Switch. These aren’t huge issues given how some recent Switch ports ship in a miserable state, but it is worth keeping in mind if you own multiple platforms and are curious where to buy Peglin. I’d say Peglin is best on Steam Deck, but the second place is close between mobile and Switch. While the Switch has no achievements, there’s a system in place inside Peglin to track those. I like it when developers do their own achievements since the Switch lacks them on a systemwide level. You can ignore these as usual, but I liked the addition here. One feature I wished to see in 1.0 was cross save across platforms. This likely isn’t feasible for a small developer, but some way to carry over or unlock things on Switch from mobile/PC would’ve been nice. Other than that, my only issues with Peglin on Switch have to do with the load times and aiming not being smooth. Hopefully these can be improved over updates because more free updates are coming as confirmed by the developers at Red Nexus Games. I already thought Peglin was fantastic even in its early access state. While some balance issues hold it back a bit, it is an essential on Switch if “pachinko x roguelike" sounds good to you. I also love that the developers made full use of the Switch hardware features by adding good rumble, full touchscreen support, and button controls making it so that you can play however you want. Now we just need a physical release. -Mikhail Madnani SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5 Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) Okay, wow. A lot of stuff on sale, and while I’ve got a lot of it here this is only scratching the surface. I’ve put together another article with what I think are the best picks from the sale, so keep your eyes open for that as well. Anyway, good luck with all of that. I’ll meet you at the bottom. Select New Sales Avenging Spirit ($2.99 from $5.99 until 9/5) NOISZ re:||COLLECTION G ($19.99 from $24.99 until 9/7) Fur Squadron ($2.79 from $6.99 until 9/8) Agnostiko Origins ($13.74 from $24.99 until 9/9) Sonic Mania ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle ($13.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Puyo Puyo Tetris ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap ($5.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Super Bomberman R ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) The Red Strings Club ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) Goat Simulator The GOATY ($5.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Downwell ($2.00 from $2.99 until 9/10) Sayonara Wild Hearts ($7.79 from $12.99 until 9/10) Ghostbusters: The Video Game ($7.49 from $29.99 until 9/10) Hotline Miami Collection ($6.24 from $24.99 until 9/10) Torchlight II ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Huntdown ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions ($7.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Streets of Rage 4 ($11.24 from $24.99 until 9/10) Disc Room ($3.74 from $14.99 until 9/10) Kathy Rain: Director’s Cut ($4.94 from $14.99 until 9/10) Mayhem Brawler ($6.79 from $19.99 until 9/10) TMNT Shredder’s Revenge ($16.24 from $24.99 until 9/10) Gal*Gun Returns ($16.49 from $49.99 until 9/10) Gal*Gun Double Peace ($13.19 from $39.99 until 9/10) Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection ($15.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Infernax ($13.39 from $19.99 until 9/10) Rise of the Third Power ($11.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Astroneer ($11.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Lair Land Story ($5.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) Return to Monkey Island ($12.49 from $24.99 until 9/10) Shiro ($2.19 from $4.99 until 9/10) Horgihugh And Friends ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Card Shark ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Pac-man Museum+ ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Sonic Origins ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Sonic Frontiers ($20.99 from $59.99 until 9/10) Sonic Superstars ($29.99 from $59.99 until 9/10) Escape Academy: Complete Edition ($17.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Gunbrella ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/10) Unicorn Overlord ($41.99 from $59.99 until 9/10) Terra Nil ($14.99 from $24.99 until 9/10) Reverie Knights Tactics ($6.24 from $24.99 until 9/10) Windjammers 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Two Point Hospital: Jumbo Edition ($7.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Blizzard Arcade Collection ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak Deluxe ($24.49 from $69.99 until 9/10) Gloomhaven: Mercenaries Edition ($7.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Fae Farm ($41.99 from $59.99 until 9/10) Mr. Sun’s Hatbox ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) Best Day Ever ($5.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) Willy Morgan & the Curse of Bone Town ($7.49 from $24.99 until 9/10) FEZ ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/10) Tales of Kenzara: ZAU ($13.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Make Way ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) ARK: Ultimate Survivor Edition ($24.99 from $49.99 until 9/10) Cult of the Lamb Cultist Edition ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Life is Strange 2 ($12.79 from $31.99 until 9/10) Strayed Lights ($5.19 from $12.99 until 9/10) Rakuen: Deluxe Edition ($19.99 from $24.99 until 9/10) Valrithian Arc: Hero School Story 2 ($11.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Stones Keeper ($8.79 from $19.99 until 9/10) Bat Boy ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) Jack Jeanne ($29.99 from $49.99 until 9/10) Bandle Tale: League of Legends Story ($12.49 from $24.99 until 9/10) Song of Nunu: League of Legends Story ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Convergence: League of Legends Story ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) The Mageseeker: League of Legends Story ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Vanaris Tactics ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/10) The Last Spell ($14.99 from $24.99 until 9/10) Charon’s Staircase ($2.99 from $24.99 until 9/10) The Vale: Shadow of the Crown ($14.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Dungeon Drafters ($19.99 from $24.99 until 9/10) Pentiment ($11.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Demon Slayer KnY – Sweep the Board ($41.99 from $59.99 until 9/10) Tetris Effect: Connected ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Boomerang X ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Tenderfoot Tactics ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) CEIBA ($4.39 from $9.99 until 9/10) LEGO Marvel Super Heroes ($9.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Tears of Avia ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) Vengeful Guardian Moonrider ($11.04 from $16.99 until 9/10) Dorfromantik ($11.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi ($29.99 from $59.99 until 9/10) Persona 3 Portable ($11.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Persona 4 Golden ($11.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Persona 5 Royal ($29.99 from $59.99 until 9/10) Persona 5 Strikers ($17.99 from $59.99 until 9/10) Persona 5 Tactica Digital Deluxe ($39.99 from $79.99 until 9/10) Astebros ($7.79 from $12.99 until 9/10) Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble ($37.49 from $49.99 until 9/10) GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon ($14.99 from $24.99 until 9/10) Ys Origin ($5.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Archetype Arcadia ($20.09 from $29.99 until 9/10) Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster ($24.99 from $49.99 until 9/10) The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood ($10.79 from $17.99 until 9/10) Solar Ash ($15.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Adore ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Prison City ($7.99 from $9.99 until 9/10) Two Point Campus ($7.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) OMNIMUS ($4.39 from $9.99 until 9/10) Ring Racer ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/10) RWBY: Arrowfell ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) The Dragoness: Command of the Flame ($11.69 from $17.99 until 9/10) Die After Sunset ($13.39 from $19.99 until 9/10) Outer Wilds ($14.99 from $24.99 until 9/10) COCOON ($14.99 from $24.99 until 9/10) The Talos Principle ($4.49 from $29.99 until 9/10) Alien: Isolation ($14.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Dicefolk ($11.24 from $14.99 until 9/10) Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown ($23.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Heads Will Roll: Reforged ($14.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Eternal Threads ($14.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Paper Trail ($13.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Spellbearers ($10.04 from $14.99 until 9/10) Wrath: Aeon of Ruin ($20.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Spy x Anya: Operation Memories DE ($45.49 from $69.99 until 9/10) Luxor Evolved ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) MotoGP 24 ($29.99 from $49.99 until 9/10) Reigns: Beyond ($3.24 from $4.99 until 9/10) The Mildew Children ($6.99 from $9.99 until 9/10) Class of Heroes 1 & 2: CE ($27.99 from $34.99 until 9/10) Tengoku Struggle: Strayside ($34.99 from $49.99 until 9/10) Plague Inc: Evolved ($5.09 from $14.99 until 9/10) Catherine: Full Body ($9.99 from $49.99 until 9/10) Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark ($7.49 from $29.99 until 9/10) Spyro Reignited Trilogy ($15.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Wobbledogs ($8.19 from $19.99 until 9/10) Adventure Academia: TFC ($17.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) McPixel 3 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/10) Crypt of the NecroDancer ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Her Majesty’s Spiffing ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/10) South Park: The Stick of Truth ($7.49 from $29.99 until 9/10) Into the Breach ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/10) Raging Loop ($10.49 from $29.99 until 9/10) Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series ($9.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Rogue Legacy ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) Rogue Legacy 2 ($13.74 from $24.99 until 9/10) Valkyria Chronicles ($4.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Valkyria Chronicles 4 ($5.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Minit ($2.49 from $9.99 until 9/10) Contra Anniversary Collection ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Castlevania Anniversary Collection ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Castlevania Advance Collection ($11.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Reigns Game of Thrones ($1.99 from $3.99 until 9/10) Spirit Hunter: Death Mark ($19.99 from $49.99 until 9/10) Spirit Hunter: NG ($24.99 from $49.99 until 9/10) Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II ($34.99 from $49.99 until 9/10) SEGA AGES Sonic the Hedgehog ($2.39 from $7.99 until 9/10) Darkest Dungeon ($7.49 from $24.99 until 9/10) GRIS ($3.39 from $16.99 until 9/10) The Lara Croft Collection ($19.99 from $24.99 until 9/10) Gorogoa ($4.49 from $14.99 until 9/10) Enter the Gungeon ($4.49 from $14.99 until 9/10) Exit the Gungeon ($2.49 from $9.99 until 9/10) Ion Fury ($6.24 from $24.99 until 9/10) Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid ($4.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Power Rangers: BftG Super Edition ($12.49 from $49.99 until 9/10) Minecraft Legends Deluxe Edition ($29.99 from $49.99 until 9/10) Minecraft Dungeons Ultimate Edition ($24.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Parasite Pack ($3.19 from $7.99 until 9/12) Rider’s Spirits ($4.19 from $5.99 until 9/12) Shockman Collection Vol. 1 ($7.69 from $10.99 until 9/12) Cities Skylines ($9.99 from $39.99 until 9/12) Empire of Sin ($9.99 from $39.99 until 9/12) Demon’s Tilt ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/12) Shadowrun Trilogy ($9.99 from $39.99 until 9/12) Date Z ($13.49 from $14.99 until 9/14) Gerda: A Flame in Winter ($6.99 from $19.99 until 9/14) Cardfight! Vanguard Dear Days ($48.99 from $69.99 until 9/20) West of Loathing ($4.18 from $11.00 until 9/20) Shadows Over Loathing ($15.87 from $23.00 until 9/20) Adventure Field Remake ($2.99 from $4.99 until 9/20) MADiSON ($20.99 from $34.99 until 9/20) Frowntown ($7.79 from $12.99 until 9/20) Infantry Attack: Complete ($2.99 from $10.99 until 9/20) 100 Demon Fantasia ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/20) Shadow Gangs ($14.39 from $23.99 until 9/22) Suicide Guy: The Lost Dreams ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22) Sales Ending Tomorrow, September 3rd Balatro ($13.49 from $14.99 until 9/3) Blade of Darkness ($2.75 from $14.99 until 9/3) Door Kickers ($1.99 from $11.99 until 9/3) Kamitsubaki City Ensemble ($3.59 from $3.99 until 9/3) Neodori Forever ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/3) That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more reviews, some new releases, more sales, and perhaps some news. The typhoon has fizzled out, giving way to hot temperatures and sunny skies. I suppose I’ll take it for a day or two. I hope you all have a magnificent Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!

It’s that time again: eShop sale time! Nintendo’s calling this one the Blockbuster Sale, so I’m sure we can expect …

Continue reading "The Best Nintendo Switch eShop Sales From The ‘Blockbuster Sale’"

It’s that time again: eShop sale time! Nintendo’s calling this one the Blockbuster Sale, so I’m sure we can expect a lot of VHS tapes and stale candy. Hm? Oh, it means big games. Alright, that does make some sense. At any rate, there are a ton of games on sale right now, too many to really deal with on your own. As ever, TouchArcade is here to help you out with a list of fifteen hot discounts you should consider. No first party games, but there are still a ton of great games to pick from. No particular order as usual, so let’s get into the deals! 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim ($14.99 from $59.99) A unique blend of side-scrolling adventure and top-down real-time strategy gameplay, 13 Sentinels tells the story of thirteen individuals from various points in time who must battle against invading kaiju in an alternate 1985. They do that through use of their Sentinels, large mechs designed for taking down giant monsters. It has a very good story and the presentation is at the level we’ve come to expect from Vanillaware. The RTS bits are… somewhat less good, but they’re not bad. A sleeper hit that is well worth checking out at this deeply discounted price. Persona Collection ($44.99 from $89.99 until 9/10) If you need to fill a few months’ worth of free time, this will be the best forty-five bucks you could spend. You get Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal, all excellent RPGs and great Switch ports. That works out to fifteen bucks per game, and each of them will easily keep you busy for hours on end while also teaching you the important value of friendship as a means of defeating any evil. It totally works in real life, too! JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R ($12.49 from $49.99) I’ll start with a proviso: if you mean to seriously get into JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R, you’re probably better off heading over to one of the other platforms where it runs at 60 fps. This Switch port is solid enough to play, however, and JoJo fans will likely have a good time with it. This is a quirky fighter in a lot of ways, and it’s well-suited to the license. Something a little different if you’re tired of the usual Capcom fighters and Mortal Kombat games. Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 ($41.99 from $59.99) Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 could have been better than it is, particularly with regards to performance and game options. It has received a number of updates to improve it, however, and for what it is, it’s an easy title to recommend. You get a bunch of absolutely top-tier games to play and some really cool extra materials to dig through. Sure, there isn’t much new here for people who have played these games before. But for those craving Metal Gear on the go, or those who somehow haven’t dug into these titles in the past, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a fantastic value with this tidy discount. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition ($41.99 from $59.99) Ace Combat 7: Unknown Skies is an excellent port of a high-quality action game, and it fills a gaping hole in the Switch’s library almost perfectly. It’s more approachable than you might expect, and it’s very easy to get sucked into both its story and gameplay. It’s unfortunate that the multiplayer seems to have a handful of oversights and balance issues, but you’ll get your time and money’s worth out of the campaign and its many unlockables all on its own. Definitely one to add to the collection for those feeling the need for speed. Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection ($39.99 from $79.99) Hm, I guess this is an Atlus list now. The excellent Etrian Odyssey series came to Switch with these HD remakes of the first three games. These are awesome, challenging games that just kept upping the ante with each new installment, and trying to buy the Nintendo DS cartridges now can get very expensive indeed. The signature mapping feature doesn’t work as smoothly here as it did on the DS, especially if you’re playing docked, but it’s as good as it can be. Plus, you can use auto-mapping if you don’t want to deal with it. At half the usual price, you get a lot of game for your buck here. Darkest Dungeon II ($31.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Embrace the fact that Darkest Dungeon II isn’t interested in building on the original game’s structure but rather in doing its own thing, and you’ll be able to enjoy the charms of this moody, chunky roguelite. Its merits are many, from its distinctive style to its combination of traditional story-telling bits and the magic of emergent, personalized stories. Roguelite fans will want to check it out, even if Darkest Dungeon fans might feel like pushing away from the table and going back to the original. Braid: Anniversary Edition ($9.99 from $19.99) One of the poster children of the indie boom that kicked off in the late 00s, Braid came back with a big splash in this fancy Anniversary Edition. You get a nicely remastered version of the original game, with one of the best developer commentary features seen in a game so far. Braid might not have the punch it once did, but only because so many games that followed were so heavily inspired by it. Even if you’ve played it before, the discounted price should be enticing enough for a replay. Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition ($11.69 from $17.99) Might & Magic – Clash of Heroes: Definitive Edition doesn’t add very much to the original, but it was already a strong game that stands for itself quite well in modern times. Dotemu did a capable job of bringing it to the Switch, and it fits the platform almost as well as it fit the Nintendo DS. If you’re looking for a cool puzzle game that offers both a substantial single-player mode and enjoyable multiplayer gameplay, you’ll likely be quite satisfied with what this game has to offer. Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection ($15.99 from $39.99) While the Switch versions of the games in Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection suffer from a number of visual and technical flaws compared to other platforms, the games themselves still shine as brightly as ever. It’s hard to say what the future holds for this franchise, but if you’re new to it all and just want a quick and slightly dirty way to explore its origins, picking this up at its sale price is a fine enough way to do that. Loop Hero ($4.94 from $14.99) Loop Hero is as hard to put down as the finest of idle games, but with enough meat on its bones to make it feel like your input actually matters. It’s the kind of game that has something to offer no matter how much or how little time you have to throw at it, and one that will likely keep you coming back now and then to play again. While it isn’t the most challenging of affairs, it’s certainly engaging and full of enough surprises to keep your interest over the long haul. Death’s Door ($4.99 from $19.99) Death’s Door is one of those nice combinations of a superb presentation and strong gameplay. The game could coast well enough on either of those points, but it hits them both and is excellent as a result. There’s nothing overly deep about the gameplay mechanics, and its brand of action is going to be familiar to most. The most impressive bits are the bosses, which require strong pattern recognition and good reflexes. The gorgeous sights and sounds along the way add tremendously to its atmosphere, doing their part to keep the player pulled into this unusual, compelling world. Action-RPG fans will certainly want to give this a go. The Messenger ($3.99 from $19.99) This is the lowest price yet for the Switch version of this popular indie action game, and it’s so low that I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to give it a punt. What seems like a straightforward ninja action game gets bigger and more ambitious as you go, and it juggles things relatively well as it does so. It’s not a perfect game, and I feel like its star has faded a bit over time, but it’s one of those indie games that everyone with any love for 8-bit and 16-bit classics should at least try out once. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 Turbocharged ($14.99 from $49.99) Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged is just as fun of an arcade racer as the first game, and the various tweaks and improvements to the formula makes it a far smoother experience. Some players might run into some issues with the challenging post-game content, but that’s why it’s in the post-game. If you enjoyed the first game, you’ll probably like this one even more. Series newcomers should feel comfortable jumping immediately to this sequel, too. For fifteen bucks, it’s hard to go wrong if you like racing. Pepper Grinder ($9.74 from $14.99) Pepper Grinder is an enjoyable, unique platformer with a zippy pace, interesting mechanics, and some cool level designs. The boss battles are a bit clunky and only subtract from what is otherwise a very tight experience. It’s also worth noting that the game is quite brisk in its run-time, so do take that into account before buying. I personally think it ends a little too soon, but that’s not a terrible problem for a game to have, especially with a little shaved off the sticker price. And those are our picks from the Blockbuster Sale on the Nintendo Switch eShop. There are plenty more great games on sale right now besides these, so make sure to check your wishlists and dig into the pages for your favorite publishers just to be sure you aren’t missing anything. If you have any sales you’d like to share, please hit those comments below. Thanks for reading!

Following developer TRAGsoft bringing monster collecting game Coromon to mobile after it debuted on PC and Switch, we are getting …

Continue reading "Roguelite ‘Coromon: Rogue Planet’ in Development for Release on iOS, Android, Switch, and Steam in 2025"

Following developer TRAGsoft bringing monster collecting game Coromon to mobile after it debuted on PC and Switch, we are getting a roguelite spin-off in the form of Coromon: Rogue Planet (Free) due next year for not only Steam and Switch, but also iOS and Android. Coromon: Rogue Planet aims to blend in the turn-based combat of the main game with roguelite gameplay to deliver an endlessly replayable monster collecting gameplay loop. The Steam page mentions “10 ever changing biomes", 7 different playable characters, over 130 monsters, and more. Watch the Coromon: Rogue Planet official announcement trailer below: The original Coromon is a free to play game on mobile. I’m curious to see how Coromon: Rogue Planet ends up on mobile when it does arrive and also whether it hits alongside the Switch and Steam versions. As of now, you can wishlist Coromon: Rogue Planet on Steam here. I haven’t played Coromon in a while, but the gameplay in Coromon: Rogue Planet sounds more interesting. It feels like the perfect pick up and play game based on the Steam screenshots as well. Until this one is out, you can grab the original for free on iOS here. What do you think of Coromon: Rogue Planet so far and did you play Coromon?

Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of …

Continue reading "Best iPhone Game Updates: ‘Peglin’, ‘Brawl Stars’, ‘Genshin Impact’, ‘Royal Match’, and More"

Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of the last seven days. You know it’s one of those weeks when Shaun has to throw more than one free-to-play matching puzzle game update in the list. Don’t worry, we have some cool stuff in the mix too. And you get to see Shaun kick King Robert, an activity we all enjoy. Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself by participating in the TouchArcade forums. This weekly summary is just here to fill you in on the things you might have missed. Let’s go for it! Peglin, Free I know it’s somewhat rare for me to do this, but I’m giving out the coveted UMMSotW award to the first game in the list this week. Peglin‘s 1.0 update allows you to challenge up to level 20 in Cruciball, battle a new Slime Hive mini-boss, and take advantage of a whole ton of tweaks, bug fixes, balance adjustments, and other improvements. This game didn’t really need much in the way of updating, but I’ll take it anyway. Brawl Stars, Free Brawl time! Stars time! Dare we say… Brawl Stars time?! Yes, we dare. SpongeBob. SpongeBob is here in a new event, and that is cool. A couple new Brawlers coming in the form of Moe (Mythic) and Kenji (Legendary), and a handful of new Hypercharges for various characters. All of this will roll out over the course of the next couple of months in the usual Brawl Stars fashion, but the SpongeBob stuff should be kicking off rather soon if it hasn’t already by the time you read this. stitch., What more would one expect from an update to the soothing and satisfying stitch but more Hoops to play? That’s just what you get here, this time with a bit of a martial arts theme. Sort of, anyway. Like with any good puzzle game, it doesn’t really matter as much what the theme of the puzzles are so long as you get more of them. So yes, update your app and go do some Hoops. You’ll feel better. Genshin Impact, Free I guess this game is called Genshin Impact: Natlan Launch now. Nothing to be done about it. You’ve got a new region, Natlan, and three new characters to go with it: Mualani, Kinich, and Kachina. New weapons as well, of course. Plenty of new events and stories to take on, and some new artifacts too. Regular players likely know by now what to expect from Genshin Impact updates, and while this one is a little bigger than the usual one, it’s very much in line with previous ones in the broad strokes. Temple Run: Puzzle Adventure, Alright, here we go. At least this one is on Apple Arcade, so it’s not completely free-to-play. It sure is a matching puzzle game update, though. There are one hundred new levels to play in this Temple Run spin-off, which is quite a lot as these things go. The tournaments have also been refreshed, as usual. That’s about all, but I’m sure it will keep many players busy for a bit. Maybe even until the next update? I’ve seen how people who play games like these chew through levels, so I’m not super-confident about that! Jetpack Joyride 2, In this very special update to the Apple Arcade sequel to Halfbrick’s mega-hit auto-runner: Barry Steakfries escapes to the one place that hasn’t been corrupted by capitalism – SPACE! It’s a shame that leaving that be would ruin the formatting for the article. Really best as a mic-drop reference, but if I do that things will look very messy, so I have to stand here and ramble a bit so that everything stays properly in its place. Tim Curry, folks. He’s a treasure. We were graced by his many performances, big and small. Much love to Mr. Curry, who I am 99% sure is reading this. Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop, Moving right along, it’s another matching puzzle game. But to be fair, this is one the all-timer matching puzzle games. At least in it’s original form, anyway. As for this particular version, there are new character episodes for Sig, Carbuncle, and Rafisol in the Adventure Mode. Meena has been added as a playable character, minus an episode of her own. An additional seven music tracks are available in the shop, all arrangements of fan favorite tunes from previous entries. Add in some bug fixes and that’s that. Hearthstone, Free Hearthstone time! This one is usually pretty good with its update notes, so let’s open the ol’ paperwork and see what’s in front of us. Hm. Well, we’ll make do. Battlegrounds Season 8, Trinkets & Travels, is incoming. All the kinds of new stuff we’ve seen in previous seasons, which is nice. The Trinket Shop is here, with Buddies taking a hike. Two times per game you can buy Trinkets with Gold, which will affect the rest of the match. That seems troublesome for balancing, but I suppose that is where Hearthstone is at by this point. Toon Blast, Free The first of the two actual obligatory free-to-play matching puzzle game updates for this article is Toon Blast. There’s a whole new episode here, giving you fifty new levels to play. Some business involving bees, or happiness, or the combination thereof. Bees are pretty cool, even if I am a little scared of them sometimes. They’re cool little buddies that help the ecosystem, and I’d give them tiny hugs if not for the pointy ouchy bit. Hang in there, my bug friends. We’ll get through it all together. Royal Match, Free I don’t know which is more preferable to me: King Robert perishing permanently and never appearing again, or King Robert continually perishing and returning to perish again, in a perpetual and heckish cycle of pain. One hundred new levels. A new jousting arena. That seems to have some potential. I love that one ad where they have swapped King Robert in for the freezing pregnant lady and her child, like we’re supposed to care about this garishly garbed monarch who’s a little chilly. Burn your velvet robes to warm your flesh, you decadent old ogre. That about wraps it up for last week’s significant updates. I’m sure I’ve missed some, though, so please feel free to comment below and let everyone know if you think something should be mentioned. As usual, major updates will likely get their own news stories throughout this week, and I’ll be back next Monday to summarize and fill in the blanks. Have a great week!

Among Us (Free) has done loads of crossovers and collaborations over the years, but one I didn’t expect at all …

Continue reading "‘Among Us’ Is Collaborating With ‘Ace Attorney Investigations’ for Its Newest Free Cosmetic DLC Out Next Week"

Among Us (Free) has done loads of crossovers and collaborations over the years, but one I didn’t expect at all just got announced for next week. Later this week, Capcom is releasing the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection for PC and consoles bringing remasters of both games to modern platforms. Read my preview covering the Switch and PC versions here. Among Us is bringing in Miles Edgeworth from those games as a free cosmetic DLC on September 9th as a collaboration with the Ace Attorney series. Check out the promo art for Miles Edgeworth in Among Us below: Among Us x @aceattorneygame let's hope ur accusations aren't ludicrous. Miles Edgeworth is coming to Among Us as a free cosmetic drop on Sept 9th! pic.twitter.com/6XHdrD29zi — Among Us PAX West (@AmongUsGame) September 1, 2024 If you’ve not gotten Among Us yet, it is available for free on the App Store for iOS here and Google Play for Android here. Check it out on Nintendo Switch here and Steam here. Here’s our forum thread for the game. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection releases on September 6th for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Steam worldwide. Hopefully it comes to mobile in the near future as well. Have you been playing Among Us often on mobile and what do you think of the current state of the game?

One thing I love is when a game can successfully blend two fairly different types of gameplay into one cohesive …

Continue reading "TouchArcade Game of the Week: ‘Ocean Keeper’"

One thing I love is when a game can successfully blend two fairly different types of gameplay into one cohesive package. I’m thinking of games like the Blaster Master series with its vehicle-based side-scrolling platforming that’s coupled with cool top-down on-foot sequences. Or heck, a recent favorite like Dave the Diver with its roguelike diving portions blended with restaurant management. Well, Ocean Keeper from developer RetroStyle Games is another one of those games that successfully blends two sets of different mechanics together, and it does so with a gameplay loop and upgrade path that has you coming back over and over again. The basic gist of Ocean Keeper is that you’ve crashed onto a strange underwater planet in your big cool mech. You’ll need to dive down into underwater caves to harvest resources, but you can’t spend too long down there because waves of enemies are approaching and you’ll need to man your mech to defend against them. The mining portions play out from a side-view and involve digging out rocks to unearth various types of resources or special artifacts. Mining also earns you coins, for some reason. As mentioned you only have a short window to mine before enemies show up. Once you’re back in your mech things turn into a top-down twin-stick shooter with light tower defense elements as you attempt to fend off multiple waves of all types of crazy underwater creatures. All your resources go towards upgrading both your miner and your mech, and there is no shortage of branching skill trees to work your way through for both. This is a roguelike so if you die during the enemy encounter portion your game is over and you’ll lose any upgrades or abilities you unlocked during that particular run. However, there are also persistent upgrades and customizations you can unlock in between runs so this is the type of game you always feel like you’re making progress in even if you have a bad run or two. You can also expect the layouts of the overworld and the caves to be different each time you play. This is probably a good time to mention that Ocean Keeper starts off kind of slow, and you definitely will have some real clunker runs in the beginning. Just power your way through and before you know it the upgrades start flowing, your skills begin to improve, you start to get a better grip on the flow of the game, and before long you’ll be a whirling underwater mech of destruction. The synergies between the weapons and upgrades are really the heart of the game and it’s endlessly fun to try different builds or different tactics as you progress. I wasn’t quite sure about Ocean Keeper when I first started since things do start out so slow, but man once things pick up it’s been hard to want to play anything else.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. If you missed my Gundam Breaker 4 Steam Deck review, …

Continue reading "Steam Deck Weekly: Visions of Mana and More Reviews, Reynatis Preview, Age of Mythology Retold Steam Deck Impressions, News, and More"

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. If you missed my Gundam Breaker 4 Steam Deck review, read it here. Today’s article has Steam Deck impressions and reviews for Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash, Visions of Mana, Gori: Cuddly Carnage, Bloons Card Storm, and more. This week also sees a few notable new Steam Deck Verified games and the usual slew of sales and discounts. Let’s get into the reviews and impressions first. Steam Deck Game Reviews & Impressions We are officially in the very busy season of the year, and I’m going to try and cover as much as I can this week through a few scored reviews and impressions of games on Steam Deck with one preview as well. Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash Steam Deck Impressions Over the years, we’ve seen Cygames try and expand its Umamusume property through indirect ways with DLC in its other games, through the anime, and more. Umamusume: Pretty Derby itself is finally getting localized this year as well on mobile, and Cygames has released a party game based on Umamusume with Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash. I need a bit more time for my full review of Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash when I’ll likely also cover the Switch version, but I’ve been playing Cygames’ first ever official Umamusume: Pretty Derby release in the West on Steam Deck ahead of its launch this week. Until then, I wanted to give you an idea of how Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash is on Steam Deck. Out of the box, Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash seems to run at full 16:10, but it is stretched. I recommend going into the settings and changing the resolution to 720p and display mode to full screen so it displays correctly. One thing to keep in mind is Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash currently has some video playback codec issues resulting in a color bar pattern for some videos. I tested 3 different Proton GE versions including 9-9 with no luck as the game wouldn’t load some modes unless I used Proton Experimental. Aside from the videos, Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash runs fine at its 60fps target. I’m looking forward to playing more of it for my full review that hopefully covers the console versions as well. As of now Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash doesn’t have a Steam Deck rating from Valve, and I imagine it will be marked unsupported until the cut-scene issue is addressed. Reynatis English Release Preview Reynatis from NIS America and Furyu is set to release on September 27th for Steam, PS5, PS4, and Switch following its Japanese debut. Ahead of its launch, I had a chance to attend a preview event for the game to check out some of the English build. Usually, I don’t bother doing hands-off previews, but I’ve been curious to see how the English localization is, and also learn more about this release. Since this was a hands-off preview, I can’t comment on how the game feels or how it is on PC, but Reynatis is shaping up to be one of Furyu’s more ambitious games with its story, setting, and seemingly smooth combat. Over the years, I usually end up clicking with Furyu game stories and soundtracks, but one or two aspects always feel lacking. With Reynatis, I’ve been interested in the narrative and combat as well. Reynatis takes place in a recreation of modern-day Tokyo and the different perspectives make it seem like it will be unique. I won’t comment on much of the gameplay until I try it out for myself, but the English localization so far seems very good. I am a bit disappointed at no English dub though. A lot of folks likely are interested in Reynatis because it has music by Yoko Shimomura and a scenario from Kazushige Nojima both of whom are well known to Square Enix fans for their work on Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and more. If we do get a demo in the near future, I recommend trying it out to see how you find it for yourself. I’m looking forward to playing Reynatis myself hopefully soon for review, but it definitely feels like this might end up one of Furyu’s better games in recent years. While the story and setting are definitely highlights, I’m very interested in seeing how the combat system feels. Stay tuned for more Reynatis coverage in the near future. Visions of Mana Steam Deck Review When Visions of Mana was announced, I was very happy to see the series back after we saw the superb Collection of Mana and then the remake of Trials of Mana released across multiple platforms. When I tried the demo for Visions of Mana, I was concerned because there were some aspects that didn’t work for me at all, but I was hopeful. Fast forward to today and Visions of Mana is available on PS5, Xbox Series X, and Steam. I’ve been playing it on both Steam Deck and PS5 for review, and it ended up surprising me in a good way, but I feel like it would have benefited from a few months of polish and tweaking when it comes to its general movement. I’m going to focus on the game on Steam Deck in this review, but also cover how it feels on PS5. If you’re new to the Mana series, you can still start with this one. Visions of Mana is a new game in the series covering the Mana Tree and more. If you, like me, have played prior games, this will feel great in some ways, but you might be let down in parts, especially for the story. Visions of Mana’s strength is in its gorgeous world, the combat, and general gameplay. It is a huge step up over Trials of Mana in its scope and visuals, just like Tales of Arise felt in a way when it was released. The issues I have with Visions of Mana are to do with its general feel. The movement and camera never feel good. While I managed fixing this on PS5 with the camera distance and movement speed, I wish it was snappier in general. On the PC port side, Visions of Mana is quite bare-bones. You can adjust screen mode, resolution, frame rate target (30fps to unlimited), toggle v-sync, adjust FSR 2, and just “graphics settings" presets. These presets are low, standard, and high. It doesn’t tell you what the three options change, but it does affect draw distance, post-processing, and more. While the game boots up seemingly fullscreen at 16:10, it is actually stretched. Don’t be fooled into thinking the game supports the native resolution. Changing the display mode from borderless to windowed or fullscreen will have it adjust to 16:9 where the elements and screen are not stretched. A friend of mine recommended trying out forcing a lower resolution in the demo to get better performance, but that seems to come with its own issues where the resolution options bug out even when you go back to forcing native or higher resolution on the Deck’s own display. Visions of Mana is currently rated as Steam Deck Playable by Valve, but it has notable performance issues right now. Regardless of the settings I used when it comes to frame rate target or upscaling, I couldn’t get a locked frame rate even targeting 30fps with it dropping below in crowded areas. When using the low preset and different upscaling methods for testing purposes, the game runs above 60fps in parts, but it also drops below 30fps. Some areas just stutter in general, and even playing on Ultra Performance upscaling with the really low image quality isn’t enough. Visions of Mana’s art style really doesn’t work with heavy upscaling so I would not recommend it. After spending about 5 hours just testing out different settings across my save files in Visions of Mana, I settled on playing with FSR set to quality and the high preset for a 30fps target with drops below to the high 20s. If you’re ok with around 30fps and regular drops below to the high 20s, Visions of Mana is fine on Steam Deck, and looks excellent on the handheld’s screen when playing at the high graphics preset. I would recommend downloading the free Visions of Mana demo to try out the different graphics options, but note that the final game runs a bit differently. It is still worth checking to see how the aesthetic scales on Steam Deck with different settings used. Visions of Mana needs more optimization right now on PC in general though. I’d also love for the PC port to actually see more detailed graphics options added so that players can adjust things individually rather than relying on console-like modes. On the control side, Visions of Mana has support for controller and keyboard + mouse inputs. You can also change the controller glyphs which is always a welcome option. Speaking of console, Visions of Mana on PS5 is great after some tweaking. The default camera movement and distance felt awful. Having changed it to zoomed out and the camera speed to 10 resulted in a massively better feeling experience. The default gave me motion sickness in parts. I would also recommend toggling on auto-run. If you, like me, play on both current consoles or Steam Deck, I would grab Visions of Mana on PS5 for sure over Steam Deck until it gets some patches on the latter. Visions of Mana has higher highs but also lower lows than Trials of Mana, but it is a game I’m glad I got to experience by the end. If you enjoyed Trials of Mana and games like Tales of Arise specifically on the gameplay side, Visions of Mana is worth your time. I just wish the movement and PC port were better. In its current state, it is excellent to have a modern Mana game and Visions of Mana delivered on that front. Just don’t expect it to reach the highs of Secret of Mana. While it is rated Steam Deck Playable by Valve, I recommend playing it on PS5 rather than Steam Deck with how bare-bones the PC port is in its current state. Visions of Mana Steam Deck review score: 3.5/5 Gori: Cuddly Carnage Steam Deck Review When I first saw promotional art for Gori: Cuddly Carnage, I thought it would be a short horror game. I didn’t expect it to be a blend of Ratchet & Clank, Cyril Cyberpunk, and an action game with a ton of early 2000s humor sprinkled across. If that sounds good to you, just go download the demo because it is great. Gori: Cuddly Carnage has you playing as a badass cat in an action platformer that happens to have better combat than any recent game in the genre. While the aesthetic might not work for some, I found it perfectly suits the writing and was impressed by the smooth animations and visuals throughout my time playing it. On PC, Gori: Cuddly Carnage lets you adjust graphics presets (low, medium, high, very high), resolution, display mode, FOV, frame rate target (30fps to unlimited), toggle v-sync, toggle motion blur, toggle ray tracing, upscale method (off, DLSS, XeSS), and also adjust the quality for anti-aliasing, shadows, textures, effects, and post-processing. The PC version is quite a feature packed port for a game like this, and it controls perfectly on Steam Deck with good rumble as well. On Steam Deck playing at the very high preset with no upscaling used, expect to play with a 30fps target. I didn’t want to settle for just 30fps of course. Using the medium preset with no upscaling is good for playing with 45fps at 90hz on Steam Deck OLED. If you want to aim for 60fps or higher, I recommend playing with higher visuals but XeSS. Taking things all the way down at the low preset and XeSS set to ultra performance results in 90fps with some drops. It doesn’t look bad even now, but it is definitely a visual step down from native anti-aliasing. I also had access to Gori: Cuddly Carnage on PS5, and that version is just as impressive as the PC version with multiple performance modes including a ray tracing mode, 120fps mode, and more. It also has good DualSense support. When it comes to the game itself, Gori: Cuddly Carnage has some camera issues that affect platforming sections and also a few boss battles that annoyed me. While the latter could just be certain encounters not clicking with me, I hope the former can be addressed. Overall, I’m very pleased with how Gori: Cuddly Carnage is on Steam Deck, and expect it to get Verified very soon. The game itself surprised me with its quality, and it is one I won’t forget for a while. It excels with its fun gameplay, good writing, and great combat and feels right at home on Steam Deck from start to finish. It is just held back by a few annoyances. Gori: Cuddly Carnage Steam Deck review score: 4/5 Bloons Card Storm Steam Deck Gameplay Impressions When I learned about Bloons Card Storm, a collectible card game set in the Bloons game universe, I was curious about it. I had access to a Steam preview build of the game ahead of its full launch later this year on mobile and Steam, and it has been an interesting experience. Having played the Bloons games on iOS with touch controls, I wasn’t sure what to expect with Bloons Card Storm, but it feels right at home on Steam Deck with touch controls. As of now there is no controller support in the preview build, but it plays perfectly with touch controls. As for the game itself, Bloons Card Storm feels like a nice addition to the crowded genre. I played a few levels of the PvE mode and like how the team brought over Bloons characters and abilities to this world. If you’re new to Bloons, I recommend playing the super popular Bloons TD 6 or TD Battles 2 before, but you can still play and enjoy this one. I just hope the monetization is handled well when it launches because I can’t see what the in-game store is selling right now. I can safely say that it runs and looks great on Steam Deck even in its early preview build. Hopefully it gets controller support at or around launch though. It is shaping up to be a nice and accessible card game, and the cross platform multiplayer means I’m definitely going to get a few friends to give it a shot at launch. Age of Mythology: Retold Steam Deck Gameplay Impressions I’ve been very excited for Age of Mythology: Retold because I played the original a ton back in the day. The action RTS bringing together gods and monsters was already great on PC, but this remake had me more interested because it was coming to console day one. You might be wondering why that matters for a Steam Deck review, and I need to go back a bit to Age of Empires coming to Xbox for that. When Microsoft brought Age of Empires II Definitive Edition to Xbox, it played wonderfully with full controller support and a fantastic port. The company sadly did not bring this controller support to the PC version and I’ve had to rely on using the trackpad on Steam Deck to play Age of Empires II Definitive and also Age of Empires IV. I ended up playing both of those more on Xbox because I really love the controller support. It isn’t as good as playing with a mouse and keyboard for some specific areas, but I played enough of these games with a keyboard and mouse when they first released. Age of Mythology: Retold had a beta test on Steam, and when I tried it out, I was glad to see it included controller support even on Steam. This was enough for me to pre-order the game’s Premium Edition a few days ago to play on Steam Deck. So far, Age of Mythology: Retold feels great on Steam Deck, after making one change. By default, Age of Mythology: Retold is marked as Steam Deck Playable by Valve, but I actually couldn’t get it to boot up at all on my Steam Deck OLED or LCD models. It kept freezing or crashing. Moving to GE Proton 9-9 fixed this issue for me. I haven’t played enough to do a full review yet, but I’m glad at how good Age of Mythology: Retold feels and looks on Steam Deck right now. I’m looking forward to playing it more over the coming weeks. As for the best graphics settings for Age of Mythology: Retold on Steam Deck OLED, I need a bit more time to see how it performs later on. Right now, I’ve settled for 45fps at 90hz with a combination of medium settings with FSR 2 set to quality. It is going to be interesting to see how it fares later on in the campaign. Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn Steam Deck Gameplay Impressions Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn is Tengo Project and NatsumeAtari’s newest remake of a classic, and it is a damn fine release overall. Shaun is working on a full review of this one, but I wanted to cover how it feels on Steam Deck and also Xbox briefly. Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn on PC lets you adjust resolution and screen mode (borderless, windowed, and fullscreen). It only has 16:9 support, but the aesthetic absolutely shines on Steam Deck with the particle effects and crisp animation work. As for the PC port itself, there are some control issues if you want to use a keyboard, but I played Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn on Steam Deck only and it felt right at home on Valve’s handheld with fast loading and no performance issues. While Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn’s source game isn’t as amazing as the likes of Pocky and Rocky or even The Ninja Warriors like we’ve seen from Tengo Project in the past, it has gotten an excellent release that runs and looks perfect on Steam Deck and Xbox Series X. I also enjoyed playing it online through Steam Remote Play Together with a friend of mine in another country. If you aren’t sure about this one yet, I recommend downloading the demo and trying it out for yourself. News and Trailers Let’s start this week’s section with a brand-new extended showcase for Atlus’ upcoming RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio. It continues to look amazing and I can’t believe it is only a little over a month away. Watch the trailer below: Following that, Square Enix just posted new details for the upcoming Romancing SaGa 2 remake titled Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven coming to Steam and consoles this October. Check out some new screenshots here and one showcasing Glimmer below: Now let’s shift gears to the Nintendo Indie Direct + Partner Showcase that had 99% games coming to or on Steam. I’ve included the highlights here. Marvelous USA had an impactful trailer for Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma coming to Switch and Steam in Spring 2025. Watch it below: Bandai Namco announced Tales of Graces f Remastered for January 2025 release on Steam and all consoles with visual upgrades and DLC included. Watch the trailer below: Konami and M2 have released Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia in one collection out now on Steam and all consoles. I’ll be reviewing this one next week so stay tuned for that. Capcom announced Capcom Fighting Collection 2 featuring Capcom Vs SNK, Power Stone, and 6 other games coming in 2025 to Steam, Switch, and PlayStation. Capcom also announced that the Marvel Vs Capcom collection launches in under 2 weeks. The excellent Cuisineer from Marvelous USA is coming to Switch and other consoles early next year alongside a big update for the Steam release. I’m definitely getting the physical edition. The Ghibli-inspired action-adventure game Europa was showcased for Switch during the Nintendo Indie World showcase and will launch on October 11th for Switch and Steam. Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, the next mainline Atelier game is coming to Steam and all consoles including Xbox, a series first, in early 2025, and it looks incredible. Tetris Forever is the new Gold Master Series release from Digital Eclipse coming this year featuring more than 15 playable classic games from the series’ history. Some have never seen a release outside Japan before. PowerWash Simulator is going deeper into the madness with the Shrek Special Pack coming soon for Steam and all consoles. FAIRY TAIL 2 from Gust and Koei Tecmo is finally coming to Steam, Switch, and other consoles beginning December 11th. Watch the trailer below: Fantastic Games: Presented by Day of the Devs will be taking place from September 20th to 22nd, and the full list of games and developers has been revealed. I’m excited for quite a few of those, and I even have played a few of those already (but I can’t say which ones yet!). Channel: Death by Night City, Big Sir Games darkwebSTREAMER by We Have Always Lived in the Forest Fear the Spotlight by Cozy Game Pals and Blumhouse Games Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic by Steel Wool Grunn by Sokpop Collective Hollowbody by Headware Games Holstin by Sonka Horses by Santa Ragione Karma: The Dark World by Pollard Studio, Wired Productions and Gamera Games Pinball M (DLC) by Zen Studios Post Trauma by Red Soul Games and Raw Fury Skate Story by Sam Eng and Devolver Digital Tom the Postgirl by Oopsie Daisies SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream got two new character trailers this week. Check out the Yui and Oberon trailers below: D3 Publisher launched the first DLC pack for Earth Defense Force 6 in the form of Earth Defense Force 6 – Lost Days DLC 1. It is out now on Steam and PS5. Super Evil Megacorp posted a roadmap for TMNT Splintered Fate following its launch on Apple Arcade and Switch revealing that it will be Steam Deck Verified and more. Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival is coming to Steam and current consoles on November 7th with 120fps support and more. It plays amazing on Steam Deck already. Try the demo here. Panic’s newest showcase aired a few days ago and it is absolutely worth watching if you like interesting games. Ahead of Tokyo Games Show, SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio announced the next RGG Summit for September 20th at 3 AM PT. You can watch it below when the event begins: Pinball FX brings in Goat Simulator and The Princess Bride as DLC tables this week on Steam and other platforms. Stay tuned for my coverage of both of these and the game itself in the near future: The first DLC for That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles, “A Strange Fate" is now available with Hinata as a new playable character and an original story by the original author. Watch the launch trailer below: SYNDUALITY: ECHO OF ADA has a new trailer with closed network test sign ups now live. Sign up here and watch the trailer for it below: The final bit of news is The First Descendant’s Season 1: Invasion now available bringing in a new descendent: Hailey, battle pass rewards, new dungeon invasions, and much more. New Steam Deck Verified & Playable games for the week A lot of interesting additions this week with the newly released Castlevania collection and Gundam Breaker 4 being marked as playable alongside Marvel Vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics getting Verified ahead of its launch in under two weeks. I’m also glad to see the upcoming Dragon Quest Monsters release and Regency Solitaire II get tested by Valve. Age of Mythology: Retold – Playable Castlevania Dominus Collection – Playable DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS: The Dark Prince – Playable GUNDAM BREAKER 4 – Playable MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics – Verified Pool Panic – Verified Regency Solitaire II – Verified Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse – Verified The Elder Scrolls Online – Playable Visions of Mana – Playable Steam Deck Game Sales, Discounts, and Specials The notable sales of the week include a Tales of franchise sale where I recommend Tales of Berseria as the best game in the series on Steam followed by Tales of Arise, Kingdom Come Deliverance at 90% off, and Red Dead Redemption II at 60% off on Steam. Note that for Red Dead Redemption II, you can’t buy the Steam version outside Steam while you can for the other games I’ve mentioned here. That’s all for this edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. As usual, you can read all our past and future Steam Deck coverage here. If you have any feedback for this feature or what else you’d like to see us do around the Steam Deck, let us know in the comments below. I hope you all have a great day, and thanks for reading.

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 30th, 2024. In today’s article, we have a handful …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Umamusume: Pretty Derby’, ‘Super Dark Deception’, Plus Today’s Other Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 30th, 2024. In today’s article, we have a handful of new releases to look at as we bid farewell to August. A few decent ones, and a few unique ones. Outside of that, there isn’t much more than the lists of new sales and expiring discounts. This has been a busy week for me in many ways, but we should be back to the normal routine next week. Let’s get to what we’ve got! Select New Releases Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash ($44.99) I say thee neigh, Umamusume! Everyone’s favorite horse-girls arrive on Switch with this party game for up to four players via local or online multiplayer. There are four different minigames to play, and you get a full story mode with twenty-five playable characters to enjoy. It’s unbridled excitement for fans of the series, so if that’s you it’s time to start horsing around with your friends. I give you free rein to be as sore of a winner as you like, but get ready to hoof it if they get mad about it. Super Dark Deception ($17.99) Take Dark Deception, and then imagine how that would look as a sprite-based 2D game. Would it look like Super Dark Deception? Maybe not, but someone’s idea of it clearly did because here we are. Try to escape the mazes with your life intact, using anything and everything at your disposal to avoid being killed by the roaming creatures that go bump in the night. At launch, the game only includes the first chapter, consisting of four levels. More will be added over time as free DLC, but do consider that relatively low amount of content and admittedly uncertain future before purchasing. Forest, Fields and Fortresses ($4.99) A tile-placing puzzle game where you’re building a kingdom one piece at a time. There are two modes of play here. One is a puzzle mode where you have a set number and type of pieces and need to place them in such a way that you’ll earn enough gold to pass. The other mode is called Adventure Mode, where you can unlock and use a variety of starting maps and a random assortment of pieces to build with. Not bad at all if you’re looking for an affordable bit of puzzling fun today. Date Z ($14.99) A choice-based visual novel dating sim where you have to find a date by Friday or die. Well, no pressure there. There are five potential partners to woo, and naturally a bunch of different endings to uncover. I was ready to write it off as another in the big pile of games like this, but then I saw the above screenshot. How do I not include a game with that kind of screenshot on its store page? Bedrotting ($14.99) Well, this is a horror game premise I haven’t seen before. You play as a young girl who has been in a car accident. While your body is fine, your mental state isn’t. You can’t seem to get up out of your bed, basically. You need to survive for twenty days, which means eating, using a bucket as a toilet, and doing whatever you can to keep yourself together. That last bit becomes a very big problem as strange visions start to appear. Are they real? Your imagination? Does it matter? One for the enjoyers of creepy games, I’d say. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) Not quite as interesting a list of new sales as yesterday’s, but if you’re looking to fill up on Pinball FX tables a number of them are discounted right now. Retro City Rampage DX and Shakedown: Hawaii are at their lowest prices yet, and that may be of interest to some. Over in the weekend outbox, the latest sale from Limited Run Games is wrapping up. Grab what you must. Select New Sales WitchSpring R ($35.99 from $39.99 until 9/5) Dice Make 10! ($3.59 from $3.99 until 9/5) Bug & Seek ($11.24 from $14.99 until 9/5) The House of Da Vinci 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/6) Kingdom Rush ($5.49 from $9.99 until 9/6) Kingdom Rush Origins ($8.24 from $14.99 until 9/6) Kingdom Rush Frontiers ($5.49 from $9.99 until 9/6) Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey ($2.39 from $15.99 until 9/6) Charlie Brown Christmas Pinball DLC ($2.74 from $5.49 until 9/9) Marvel Pinball Collection 1 DLC ($11.99 from $23.99 until 9/9) Tiny Thor ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/12) Cilla ($5.59 from $6.99 until 9/12) The Legend of Dark Witch ($3.49 from $6.99 until 9/12) The Legend of Dark Witch Ep. 2 ($8.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) Brave Dungeon + Dark Witch Story ($4.49 from $8.99 until 9/12) Forward To The Sky ($9.79 from $48.99 until 9/13) Wall World ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/13) The Oregon Trail ($17.99 from $29.99 until 9/19) Sherlock Holmes The Awakened ($9.99 from $39.99 until 9/19) Mercenaries Saga Chronicles ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/19) Shadows of Adam ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/19) Retro City Rampage DX ($3.49 from $14.99 until 9/19) Shakedown Hawaii ($3.49 from $19.99 until 9/19) Rise: Race the Future ($6.59 from $16.49 until 9/19) Speed Overflow ($7.79 from $12.99 until 9/19) Path to Purge ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/19) Sales Ending This Weekend Another Crab’s Treasure ($23.99 from $29.99 until 8/31) Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/31) Cosmic Star Heroine ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/31) Dark Quest 3 ($7.59 from $18.99 until 8/31) Geometry Survivor ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/31) Hot Wheels Unleashed ($5.99 from $39.99 until 8/31) Hot Wheels Unleashed GotY Edition ($11.99 from $79.99 until 8/31) Jurassic Park Games Collection ($17.99 from $29.99 until 8/31) Night Trap ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/31) Oddworld Soulstorm ($17.49 from $49.99 until 8/31) Operation Wolf Returns ($10.49 from $29.99 until 8/31) The House in Fata Morgana ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/31) Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery ($13.96 from $19.95 until 9/1) That’s all for today, this week, and this month, friends. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, this was an unusually busy week for me beyond my work here on the site. I apologize if things have seemed a bit light as a result. We’ll be back to the normal schedule next week, and that means plenty of reviews, new releases, sales, and some news. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!

In our tour through retro games available to buy on Switch, we’ve worked our way through the NES, Game Boy, …

Continue reading "The 10 Best Super NES Games on Nintendo Switch, Plus 5 We’d Like to See – SwitchArcade Special"

In our tour through retro games available to buy on Switch, we’ve worked our way through the NES, Game Boy, and SEGA Genesis selections among other more recent console libraries. This time we’re taking a look at the games that originated with Nintendo’s 16-bit console, the Super NES. While you can find plenty of great games from the console in the Nintendo Switch Online app, we’re instead looking at those games that dare to exist in the wilds of the Switch eShop. We’ve got ten of our favorites here, plus five more games that we’d like to see. No particular order, of course. Oh, and to cut off potential comments at the pass: Mega Man X isn’t here because I feel the input lag in the Legacy Collection hurts it too badly. Stone-cold classic, just not a great play experience on Switch. On with the show! Sparkster – Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked ($29.99) A very rare case of a Konami franchise born on a SEGA platform, Rocket Knight Adventures was a game Super NES owners could easily envy. While that game never came to Nintendo’s console, a version of the sequel did. Sparkster is the name of two distinct games, and the Super NES offering bearing that title is probably the better of the two. Not quite up to the original game, but plenty of fun. Rock ‘n Roll Racing – Blizzard Arcade Collection ($19.99) Before Blizzard became a household name for joking about phone ownership, it was making some very good console games. Also a pretty iffy Justice League fighting game, but we’re not here to talk about that. Instead, we’re talking about the highly enjoyable isometric racer that fused exciting gameplay with a fantastic licensed soundtrack. This game alone is worth the price of admission for this collection, but you get a handful of other cool Super NES games with it. Top Racer – Top Racer Collection ($19.99) More popularly known under the title Top Gear, Top Racer is one of the better choices in the racing genre on the Super NES. It rides the line between arcade and sim very well, and the soundtrack is absolutely outstanding. You get all three of the games in this set, and I’d argue the second game goes toe-to-toe with the first. The third game… well, how about those first two games, eh? Secret of Mana – Collection of Mana ($39.99) Square Enix seems to favor remakes with its Switch takes on its Super NES classics, and while those aren’t technically against my rules for these lists I think I’ll go with a purer choice. Secret of Mana can be found in the excellent Collection of Mana alongside the Game Boy original and the Super NES third game in the series. The emulation was handled by M2, so it’s working just as it did back in the day, bugs and all. Secret of Mana is a thoroughly enjoyable action-RPG, despite its many rough edges. You get to save Christmas at the behest of Rudolph! What more do you need? A fluffy dragon you can ride in a Mode 7 overworld map? Well, you get that too! TMNT IV: Turtles in Time – TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection ($39.99) The 16-bit generation was the era of beat ’em ups, and Turtles in Time jostles with Streets of Rage 2 for the title of king among the many challengers. It looks almost as good as the arcade game, plays even better, and leans into its time-traveling gimmick in a lot of fun ways. One of the best games on the Super NES full-stop, and I’m glad we’re able to buy it on modern consoles for the time being. Contra III: The Alien Wars – Contra Anniversary Collection ($19.99) Lots of Konami here again. It occupies a lot of spots in these lists, but it has earned it. Here’s the third Contra game, and the first to have no roots in the arcades whatsoever. It aims for a more futuristic setting and feel, and in true Konami style it pushes the hardware in a variety of fun ways. Sure, those Mode 7 overhead levels don’t play quite as well as you might like them to, but there’s no denying the style that runs through this entire game. Super Castlevania IV – Castlevania Anniversary Collection ($19.99) For some people, this is the best action-based installment in the Castlevania series. I’m not sure I’m fully on-board with that, but this is one heck of a great game. The visuals, sound effects, and music create an incredible vibe, and Simon’s overpowered whip skills make you feel like a real pro. The Super NES would see a lot of great action games, but few of them are as confidently showy as this one. A highly memorable game, and if you’re looking for a somewhat fairer entry point into the series this is one of the better choices. Zombies Ate My Neighbors – Zombies Ate My Neighbors & Ghoul Patrol ($14.99) Okay, Konami published this back in the day, but it’s really a Lucasarts title. A really unique one, at that. A stage-based top-down action game with tons of wacky enemies, locations, and tools you can find and use, Zombies Ate My Neighbors offered an experience you couldn’t find anywhere else on the console. Play alone or pull in a friend, especially if you want to make an actual go at beating this tough game. Aladdin – Disney Classic Games Collection ($29.49) The debate rages on about which 16-bit console version of Aladdin is better, but the nice thing about the Disney Classic Games Collection is that it doesn’t force you to choose. Both are here, have fun. Since this is a Super NES list, we’re talking about that version of the game. Directed by Shinji Mikami, who later got up to some zombie nonsense, this version of Aladdin can’t match the authentic presentation of the Genesis game, but makes up for it with some excellent Capcom platforming action. A bit of a breezy affair, but that’s not so bad sometimes. Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move (16-Bit Console Version) ($7.99) Let’s squeeze a puzzle game in here to finish things out. Call it Bust-A-Move, call it Puzzle Bobble, either way you’re in for a good time. Shoot the bubbles, make the matches, and try to clear the field before you get squashed. A charming presentation and some devilish stage designs make this a hard one to put down. Sure, the sequels have a lot more to offer, but you can have plenty of good times with this version all on its own. And… 5 Super NES Games We’d Like to See on Switch Chrono Trigger I mean, of course. One of the best games on the console, and cited by many as the finest game in the genre. It’s a bit silly that it isn’t on Switch, even if there are probably good reasons for it. Well, this is a wishlist. I don’t care about reasons! I want results! Bring me pictures of Chrono! Er, bring me Chrono Trigger on Switch! SimCity The theme of these picks is going to be licensing issues from here on out, though I have to believe SimCity is somewhat possible. All we need is Electronic Arts and Nintendo to come together to make it happen, and it’s not like it hasn’t happened before. Why don’t we have any SimCity on Switch? Mysterious stuff. Give me this one and I’ll forget about how you parked the IP in the river, EA. For a while, anyway. Terranigma The one that got away for North American Super NES owners. Quintet’s run on the Super NES was outstanding, and I’d love to see all of them available to buy again. If I had to pick just one, it’s this one. A very enjoyable action-RPG with a story that will definitely stick with you, wrapped up in a gorgeous package that rivals what Square was doing on the console in a lot of ways. I’m hoping this can one day slip out of the vault it’s currently trapped in, even if that place isn’t on the Switch. U.N. Squadron There’s something about U.N. Squadron that tends to click with people who aren’t usually into shoot ’em ups. Maybe it’s the manga/anime-born style. Perhaps it’s the lenience afforded by the life bar. The cool jets? Maybe it’s the cool jets. Whatever the case, it would be amazing to see this game get a reissue. It’s tied up with a license which probably makes things difficult, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed that Capcom makes it happen someday. Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage The author’s bias on full display here, wow. Maximum Carnage? That iffy beat ’em up based on the comic event where Spider-Man defeats Carnage with the literal power of friendship? Yes. I love this game. It is stupid and kind of bad and I love it. I want it, even if I have to put up with it being packaged with Separation Anxiety or something. Get Green Jelly on the phone, patch Marvel into the conference call, find whoever bought the husk of LJN/Acclaim, and get it done. And that’s the list, friends. Are there any Super NES games you enjoy on the Switch? Any you would like to see? Feel free to sound off down in the comments and let us know what you’re thinking! It’s always interesting to hear the opinions of others on this kind of thing. As always, thanks for reading!

HoYoverse’s Honkai Star Rail (Free) version 2.5 update titled “Flying Aureus Shot to Lupine Rue" was just showcased during a …

Continue reading "‘Honkai Star Rail’ Version 2.5 “Flying Aureus Shot to Lupine Rue” Update Releases on September 10th, New Trailer Showcased During Livestream"

HoYoverse’s Honkai Star Rail (Free) version 2.5 update titled “Flying Aureus Shot to Lupine Rue" was just showcased during a livestream. It will release on September 10th for iOS, Android, PS5, and PC. This update’s highlights are the Wardance ceremony, many new enemies, new characters: Feixiao, Lingsha, and Moze alongside the silkpunk saga in the Shackling Prison reaching its climax, and also reruns of Black Swan and Kafka (!). Topaz will be returning for a rerun in part 2 of version 2.5. Watch the newest Honkai Star Rail version 2.5 update trailer below: If you’ve not played the game yet, you can download Honkai Star Rail on the App Store for iOS here, on Google Play for Android here, and here on the Epic Games Store in addition to its regular PC version. Check it out here on PS5. Have you been playing Honkai Star Rail recently and what do you think of 2.5 so far?

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 29th, 2024. We’ve got another big plate of new …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Emio: The Smiling Man’, ‘Gundam Breaker 4’, Plus Today’s Other Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 29th, 2024. We’ve got another big plate of new releases to check out today, and that’s going to be the bulk of the column as it usually is on Thursdays. We also have a relatively hefty list of new sales to delve into, and that’s really about it. We can’t have Nintendo Directs every day, after all. Let’s get to the games! Select New Releases Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club ($49.99) After a few decades without any sequels, Famicom Detective Club is back. This new case is very faithful to the original games, for better or worse. You get an entirely new mystery to unravel, and in terms of the presentation it’s relatively similar to the remake releases in Switch a little while back. Can you solve the latest serial murder case? I’ll be giving it a try in my review, coming soon. Gundam Breaker 4 ($59.99) Mikhail has already written a veritable book on this game in his review, so I’ll just direct you towards that if you want a full breakdown of the gameplay and how it performs on Switch. The short version is that you’re building and battling Gunplas, and while this Switch port is obviously going to falter behind the others in terms of performance, it does the job well enough that if it’s the option in front of you, it’s more than fine. Anyway, go read Mikhail’s review. It’s a goodie. Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn ($19.99) Tengo Project has had a very good run with its remakes/re-imaginings so far. Wild Guns Reloaded, The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors, and Pocky & Rocky Reshrined brought back some 16-bit cult favorites with a lot of awesome extras. Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn sees the team applying its touch to an 8-bit game, and as you might imagine it’s quite a bit more different from its source material than the aforementioned games. Still, if you’re fixing for an action-platformer with a classic style, this will serve you. I’ll be reviewing this early next week, so watch for that. Valfaris: Mecha Therion ($19.99) This is a follow-up to Valfaris, but don’t expect more of the same kind of gameplay you saw in that game. No, this is a 2.5D side-scrolling shoot ’em up, and it’s decent enough. I think some people were caught off guard by the genre shift and were put off as a result, but embrace the change and you’ll find plenty to enjoy. Yes, this is another one I’ve got a review coming up for. Funny how that works! Nour: Play With Your Food ($9.99) I’d like to pretend I know what’s going on with this game, but I really don’t. Those sure are some nice images of food, though. And you’re meant to play with all of that? Take some pictures, I guess? Look for secrets? Maybe I’ll dispatch our pal Mikhail to investigate this further. It seems like his sort of thing. Monster Jam Showdown ($49.99) If you like monsters, or you like jam, then… I have no idea if you’ll like this game. It’s about Monster Jam, the monster truck thing. No preserves or strawberries or goblins at all. Well, what can you do? It has support for multiplayer, both local and online, and seems to have plenty of modes and such to play around with. It seems to have met with a middling reaction on other platforms, but monster truck fans don’t have a whole lot of choices in front of them, I suppose. If that’s you, do what you must. WitchSpring R ($39.99) I think this is a remake of the original WitchSpring, but I might be wrong about that. WitchSpring to me was always the mobile “we have Atelier at home" series, and in that capacity and at that price point, it served its role well enough. Now that it’s getting very near to the price of an actual Atelier game, I’m not sure if I’m quite so on board with it. But if you’re willing to give it a go, it does look like the nicest WitchSpring game so far. Depths of Sanity ($19.99) Oh, this is one of those undersea exploration games. Those always have an interesting vibe to them. This one leans into the fantastical horror side of things, as you might expect from the title. You’re trying to figure out what happened to your missing crew, and you’ll have to poke around a big, dangerous interconnected underwater world to sort it all out. Yes, there will be fighting. This one is well-regarded on other platforms by fans of exploratory action games, and I suspect it will find an eager following on the Switch as well. Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire ($19.99) Kids, am I right? Voltaire is rebelling against his vampiric daddy by taking up a vegan lifestyle to prove there are other ways to live than biting necks. Daddy doesn’t dig that, and is going to try to teach his son a lesson. What this amounts to is farming, of course. This is the Switch, after all. But also some action, because you’re going to need to fend off daddy’s attempts to mess things up for you. I’m a little bit burnt out on this genre at the moment, but if you’re more energetic about picking up a hoe than I am you might want to check this one out. Marble Abduction! Patti Hattu ($11.79) One of those marble roller games, this one with seventy stages and eighty marbles to collect. There are some secret collectibles to find, and special challenges that will score you some of the rarer marbles. The usual appeal is here of trying to go as fast as you can without flying off the track, so if that’s your thing then here is a heaping helping of it. Leo: The Firefighter Cat ($24.99) We’ve seen a few firefighting games on the Switch so far, but most of them aim for a somewhat realistic style. But you know what? Kids can often be interested in firefighting too, and there might be something in a firefighting game more geared towards their tastes. There are twenty missions here, and it seems to have the main details you would want to see in this kind of thing. I doubt it’s Fancy Feast, but it will probably do the job for the right kind of kid. Gori: Cuddly Carnage ($21.99) And on the opposite end of the cat game spectrum, here is a grotesque action game about a hoverboarding cat who slices and dices his foes with glee. Early reports seem to indicate that the game itself is decent enough, but this Switch version suffers from a lot of technical issues that drag down the overall experience to a meaningful degree. Not to the point where there isn’t any joy to be had in it, but worth thinking twice about if you’re bothered by framerate issues at the very least. Arcade Archives Finalizer Super Transformation ($7.99) You know, I consider myself a relatively knowledgeable fellow when it comes to video games. But every once in a while, Hamster pulls out a game for Arcade Archives that I really have no memory of, and this 1985 Konami vertical shooter fits that bill. The gimmick here is that instead of a ship, you’re a transforming robot hero of some sort. Let’s call it a Blundam. Grab power-ups to change your form or activate various powers. As shooters go, this is very much a post-Xevious pre-Tiger Heli affair. There’s a charm to that, if that’s the flavor you’re after. EGGCONSOLE Xanadu Scenario II PC-8801mkIISR ($6.49) A very early example of an expansion pack for a video game, Xanadu Scenario II gives you a whole new underworld to explore. Since this was originally an expansion and not a new game, the gameplay mechanics and many other elements are identical to the first game. It’s naturally more difficult too, so you’ll likely want to finish the first game before trying this one. The most noteworthy thing about it? This game features the debut of the legendary video game composer Yuzo Koshiro, then just 18 years old. That might be reason enough alone to drop the cash for this depending on your tastes and interest in gaming history. The Backrooms: Survival ($10.99) A bit of horror, a bit of survival, a bit of roguelite, and overall a game that many players have enjoyed over on PC. You can play with up to ten players online, and that’s really the ideal experience for this game. Playing solo, it’s going to be more of a specific taste thanks to its repetitive-by-design nature. Can of Wormholes ($19.99) You are a sentient tin can, and you need to deal with worms in a variety of ways in this clever little puzzle game. You get one hundred hand-crafted puzzles to solve, and the game is really sharp about sprinkling in new ideas as you go so that it never gets stuck in a rut. Something of a whiff of Stephen’s Sausage Roll about it, and that is in no way a bad thing. A real winner for puzzle game fans, if you ask me. Ninja I & II ($9.99) A pair of modern NES games running under emulation that are essentially a ninja spin on Wario Ware-style microgames. All of them are competitive, so you’re either pulling in a friend for local multiplayer or going up against a CPU that may or may not drive you up the wall. Kind of neat to see game like these running on NES specs, if nothing else. Dice Make 10! ($3.99) Sometimes these unassuming titles can be a lot of fun, and this is one that does it for me. You have two modes of play here, one with Tetris-style falling blocks and the other where you’re just placing pieces like those wood block puzzle games. Regardless of which version you play, your goal is make rows or columns where the faces of the dice add up to ten or multiples of ten. They’ll clear out, and on you go with the next line. Yes, I like it. Very good. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) It’s the 30th anniversary of The King of Fighters, and Hamster and SNK are celebrating with a sale on every single game in the series on Arcade Archives. Time to finish your collection if you haven’t got them already. There are also a ton of Pixel Game Maker Series games at their lowest prices yet, so if you’ve been holding off on those, perhaps now is the moment. Nothing too thrilling outside of those, but you might as well check while you’re at it. A few good indies in the outbox, so I recommend giving that a scan as well. Select New Sales Kamitsubaki City Ensemble ($3.59 from $3.99 until 9/3) Floogen ($1.99 from $3.99 until 9/4) Rolling Car ($1.99 from $7.99 until 9/4) Fluffy Horde ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/4) Gum+ ($1.99 from $7.99 until 9/4) Stunt Paradise ($5.19 from $7.99 until 9/4) My Time at Portia ($4.49 from $29.99 until 9/6) SpongeBob Krusty Cook-Off ($4.94 from $14.99 until 9/9) PPA Pickleball Tour 2025 ($29.99 from $49.99 until 9/11) Talisman: Digital Edition ($2.99 from $5.99 until 9/12) Mystic Vale ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) Baron of Blood ($4.95 from $9.90 until 9/12) Fighting Fantasy Legends ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) Deathtrap Dungeon ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) White Eternal ($3.24 from $6.49 until 9/12) ACA NEOGEO The King of Fighters ’94 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) ACA NEOGEO The King of Fighters ’95 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) ACA NEOGEO The King of Fighters ’96 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) ACA NEOGEO The King of Fighters ’97 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) ACA NEOGEO The King of Fighters ’98 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) ACA NEOGEO The King of Fighters ’99 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) ACA NEOGEO The King of Fighters 2000 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) ACA NEOGEO The King of Fighters 2001 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) ACA NEOGEO The King of Fighters 2002 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) ACA NEOGEO The King of Fighters 2003 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) Kittey 64 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/12) Last Bloody Snack ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) PGMS Cat and Tower ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/12) PGMS Cat and Castle ($3.74 from $4.99 until 9/12) PGMS Pentacore ($6.59 from $9.99 until 9/12) PGMS BombMachine Gunzohg ($3.95 from $5.99 until 9/12) PGMS Pearl Vs Grey ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) PGMS Hunter of Devil ($3.74 from $4.99 until 9/12) PGMS Lunlun Superherobabys DX ($3.74 from $4.99 until 9/12) PGMS Storm Swordsman ($5.27 from $7.99 until 9/12) PGMS Project Nosferatu ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/12) PGMS Ninja Runner ($2.50 from $5.00 until 9/12) PGMS Ninja Sneaking R ($3.59 from $5.99 until 9/12) PGMS Ninja Sneaking VS ($3.60 from $6.00 until 9/12) PGMS Angel’s Gear ($7.49 from $9.99 until 9/12) PGMS Angel’s Blood ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) PGMS Ninja Otedama R ($3.59 from $5.99 until 9/12) PGMS Tentacled Terrors ($8.99 from $11.99 until 9/12) PGMS Loplight ($3.29 from $4.99 until 9/12) PGMS ClaM KNight ($2.99 from $5.99 until 9/12) PGMS Jetman ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) PGMS Lab ($4.19 from $6.99 until 9/12) PGMS Steel Sword Story S ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) PGMS Arcanion: Tale of Magi ($6.59 from $10.99 until 9/12) PGMS Shiba Mekuri ($2.74 from $5.49 until 9/12) PGMS Buraigun Galaxy Storm ($8.99 from $11.99 until 9/12) PGMS Block Slime Cave ($3.50 from $7.00 until 9/12) PGMS Game Battle Tycoon ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/12) PGMS MessiahEnd Refrain ($2.99 from $4.99 until 9/12) PGMS Oma2ri Adventure ($2.47 from $4.95 until 9/12) PGMS Dandan Z ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) PGMS Cham The Cat Adventure ($5.49 from $10.99 until 9/12) PGMS Verzeus ($7.91 from $11.99 until 9/12) PGMS Oumuamua ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) PGMS Jewelinx ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) Sushi Battle Rambunctiously ($13.99 from $19.99 until 9/13) My Incubi Harem ($2.99 from $4.99 until 9/13) Hot Blood ($7.49 from $9.99 until 9/13) Jenny LeClue Detectivu ($2.99 from $24.99 until 9/18) Asterix & Obelix Slap Them All ($12.49 from $24.99 until 9/18) The Sisters 2 Road to Fame ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/18) Noob: The Factionless ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/18) New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja ($11.99 from $29.99 until 9/18) Garfield Lasagna Party ($15.99 from $39.99 until 9/18) Muv-Luv Remastered ($26.99 from $29.99 until 9/19) Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered ($35.99 from $39.99 until 9/19) Sales Ending Tomorrow, August 30th #BLUD ($19.99 from $24.99 until 8/30) 8th Millennium: WAtPG ($7.49 from $29.99 until 8/30) Alpha Particle ($3.39 from $9.99 until 8/30) Batman: The Enemy Within ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/30) Batman: The Telltale Series ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/30) Empire of Angels IV ($6.79 from $19.99 until 8/30) Enter Digiton: Heart of Corruption ($2.39 from $7.99 until 8/30) Forager ($6.99 from $19.99 until 8/30) Hell Well ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/30) Midnight Fight Express ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/30) Mineko’s Night Market ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/30) Moonscars ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/30) OBAKEIDORO ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/30) Puddle Knights ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/30) Roxy Raccoon’s Pinball Panic ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/30) Slay the Spire ($8.49 from $24.99 until 8/30) Space Mercenary Defense Force ($3.49 from $4.99 until 8/30) Super Woden GP ($5.99 from $11.99 until 8/30) Supraland ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/30) Surmount ($9.89 from $14.99 until 8/30) The Last Dragon Slayer ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/30) The Last Worker ($3.99 from $19.99 until 8/30) Thunder Ray ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/30) Unpacking ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/30) Void Bastards ($8.99 from $29.99 until 8/30) That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow to finish up the week, with the remaining new releases, sales, and major news items on the schedule. Maybe some reviews? Perhaps. We’ll see. There’s a huge typhoon blowing through here this week, and I should acknowledge there is a chance I won’t be able to get to my office to do tomorrow’s article. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!

This week, Apple Arcade sees a major game update for Apple Vision Pro and a few notable updates. Castle Crumble …

Continue reading "Castle Crumble for Apple Vision Pro Is Now Available on Apple Arcade Alongside Big Updates for Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop, Crayola Adventures, and More"

This week, Apple Arcade sees a major game update for Apple Vision Pro and a few notable updates. Castle Crumble [apprice url="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/castle-crumble/id1616814625"] for Apple Arcade has been updated to be a fully universal game with support for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple is treating this like a new release ahead of September’s game launches. Read about those here. As for the regular game updates, the highlights include Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop bringing in three new character episodes, Meena as a playable character, and seven new BGM songs from the series. Crayola Adventures has a new micro story added with Video Games Day celebrations going on with Lights Camera Action and Pixel Madness. The Koala Face accessory is also available in-game. Time to Puyo-Party with even more Playable Pals! #PuyoPuyoPuzzlePop Update 1.5.0 has arrvied! Join additional playable characters and jam to 7 new BGM selections! #PuyoPuyoPuzzlePop is available now on @AppleArcade!https://t.co/PFEStkKxeO pic.twitter.com/e29H0op4k9 — Puyo Puyo Official (@PuyoOfficial) August 28, 2024 SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit brings in its next Tale of the deep with Karate Island where you can play as Sandy. Jetpack Joyride 2 brings in a new event taking Barry to outer space looking for a new signal. stitch. brings in new hoops featuring Taekwondo. The final notable update is Zookeeper World bringing 12 new puzzle stages. With the updates done, head over to our forum threads for Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop here, Castle Crumble here, Crayola Adventures here, SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit here, and Zookeeper World here. For all other Apple Arcade related things, check out our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of Apple’s newly released games and updates recently?

Last month, GungHo announced a new casual RPG for mobile in the form of Disney Pixel RPG (Free), due later …

Continue reading "Casual RPG ‘Disney Pixel RPG’ From GungHo for iOS and Android Gets New Gameplay Trailer, Listed for October 7th"

Last month, GungHo announced a new casual RPG for mobile in the form of Disney Pixel RPG (Free), due later this year. Today, Gungho has released (via Gematsu) the first trailer for Disney Pixel RPG. Disney Pixel RPG aims to let players explore with pixel versions of Disney characters across multiple worlds with battles, action, rhythm, and more challenges. It features an original story taking you on a journey with Mickey Mouse and other characters with many customization options. Watch the first gameplay trailer for Disney Pixel RPG below: Disney Pixel RPG is currently listed for October 7th on the App Store, but this should be treated as a placeholder date since it was originally listed for early September as a placeholder and that has already changed. Disney Pixel RPG is set for release this year on iOS and Android as a free to play game with in app purchases. Check out the official English website for Disney Pixel RPG here. If you’d like to play Disney Pixel RPG, you can pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here and pre-register for it on Google Play for Android here. What do you think of Disney Pixel RPG so far based on its debut trailer? Update: Added new English trailer.

Earlier this month, Bandai Namco Entertainment and developer Ganbarion revealed Dragon Ball Project:Multi, the franchise’s first 4v4 team based battle …

Continue reading "‘Dragon Ball Project:Multi’ Gets New Character Trailers Showcasing Super Saiyan Goku, Krillin, and Piccolo"

Earlier this month, Bandai Namco Entertainment and developer Ganbarion revealed Dragon Ball Project:Multi, the franchise’s first 4v4 team based battle game, with a regional closed beta planned. Today, Dragon Ball Project:Multi has gotten three new character trailers with the closed beta now available in select regions. The new trailers focus on three characters focusing on their gameplay. Watch the Dragon Ball Project:Multi Piccolo trailer below: Watch the Dragon Ball Project:Multi Super Saiyan Goku trailer below: Watch the Dragon Ball Project:Multi Krillin trailer below: Dragon Ball Project:Multi still doesn’t have a release date or window yet, but the closed beta is available now until September 3rd at 5:59 AM UTC on iOS, Android, and Steam. You can currently wishlist Dragon Ball Project:Multi on Steam here. The Dragon Ball Project:Multi regional closed beta is available in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States. Check out the official Dragon Ball Project:Multi English website here. What do you think of Dragon Ball Project:Multi and the new character trailers?

Square Enix just announced that Final Fantasy Brave Exvius (Free) is shutting down on October 30th (this year) following its …

Continue reading "‘Final Fantasy Brave Exvius’ Is Shutting Down on October 30th"

Square Enix just announced that Final Fantasy Brave Exvius (Free) is shutting down on October 30th (this year) following its debut back in June 2016. Since launching on mobile, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius has seen many collaborations including ones with some of Square Enix’s best games like NieR: Automata and also its other titles like Final Fantasy XV. It is being shut down because Square Enix says that it will be “difficult to maintain the app experience." Following this announcement, in app purchases will no longer be offered but you will be able to use anything you’ve bought until service ends. Bundles will no longer be sold as well. [Important Notice] Thank you for playing FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS. We regret to announce we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS app service as of October 30, 2024 23:59 (PDT). Please see details here: https://t.co/vcL5Dn8xe4 pic.twitter.com/W6U9QArq5O — FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS (@FFBE_EN) August 29, 2024 On October 30th at 23:59 PDT, service will end and accounts will be deleted. If you’d like to play Final Fantasy Brave Exvius until then, you can grab it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Read our review of the original game launch here. If you’d like to check out discussions from the game’s launch until now, check out our very old forum thread here. Have you played Final Fantasy Brave Exvius before and what do you think of today’s announcement?

Each and every day new mobile games are hitting the App Store, and so each week we put together a …

Continue reading "Out Now: ‘Harvest Moon Home Sweet Home’, ‘Ocean Keeper Mobile’, ‘Ogu and the Secret Forest’, ‘Death Travelers’, ‘Snake.io’, ‘RWBY: Arrowfell’ and More"

Each and every day new mobile games are hitting the App Store, and so each week we put together a big old list of all the best new releases of the past seven days. Back in the day the App Store would showcase the same games for a week, and then refresh those features each Thursday. Because of that developers got into the habit of releasing their games throughout Wednesday or very early Thursday in order to hopefully get one of those coveted features spots. Nowadays the App Store refreshes constantly, so the need for everyone to release all on the same day has diminished. Still, we’ve kept our weekly Wednesday night format as for years that’s the time people knew to check TouchArcade for the list of new games. And so without further ado please check out the full list of this week’s new games below, and let us know in the comments section which games you’ll be picking up! Death Travelers (Free) iTunes Description The Afterworld needs your help to stop it from collapsing! Travel the Afterworld’s various realms to save lost souls. Dodge and destroy obstacles along the way while stabilizing it with the resonance of music. Build your base, upgrade your car, unlock various abilities, play new music, and above all have some fun! Can you save the lost souls and stabilize the Afterworld? Forum Thread: Death Travelers (by Death Travelers LLC) Dusk of Dragons: Survivors (Free) iTunes Description Survive in a Medieval Fantasy World with Dusk of Dragons: Survivors! Immerse yourself in a thrilling survival sandbox where you’ll face extreme weather, hunger, traps, and hordes of zombies. As a true survivor, you’ll need to master the wilderness and outwit the undead. Forum Thread: Dusk of Dragons: Survivors (by COREGAMES) Harvest Moon Home Sweet Home ($17.99) iTunes Description Head back to your roots and leave the city life for your childhood village of Alba in Harvest Moon: Home Sweet Home, where the freshest fish and tastiest veggies are grown and caught by the local farmers and anglers! However, with its population getting older and younger villagers leaving for the big city, Alba Village has seen better days, so can you help turn it from a village on the decline to one of prosperity? With its beautiful surroundings, Alba definitely has the potential, so work hard to bring tourists and even new residents to this sprawling green village! Reunite with your childhood friend and other familiar faces to help put Alba on the map! Forum Thread: Harvest Moon Home Sweet Home (by Natsume Inc) MMC KENKEN Math (Free) iTunes Description Stretching the ability to make fun becomes academic ability – Solving puzzles in a fun way improves academic ability The hit teaching material that has sold over 2.5 million copies has been turned into game software as “Daizen"! A total of 3,000 math puzzles for children and adults to learn while having fun. Forum Thread: MMC KENKEN Math (by Tetsuya Miyamoto / KenKen Puzzle LLC / Gakken / MAGES.) Ocean Keeper Mobile (Free) iTunes Description A roguelike shooter with a top-down view where you play as a Miner whose spaceship has crashed on a planet, filled with underwater monsters! Use the time between each attack to power up your diver, mech, or weapon. Build automatic turrets, use drones to gather resources and improve your skills to increase your chances of survival. Discover mysterious locations and fantastic undersea deep biomes. EACH time you explore the underwater worlds, the layout changes, making every journey unique. You never play the same scenario twice in this drill dungeon core roguelite. Forum Thread: Ocean Keeper Mobile (by RetroStyle Games) Ogu and the Secret Forest (Free) iTunes Description Explore the wonderful world with baby Ogu! ‘Ogu and the Secret Forest’ is a 2D adventure game with hand-drawn characters and various types of puzzles. Befriend bouncy characters and defeat strange creatures to unravel the mystery of the charming world. Forum Thread: Ogu and the Secret Forest (by Sinkhole Studio Inc.) RWBY: Arrowfell (Free) iTunes Description Dive into an explosive new RWBY action-adventure! Instantly switch between all four members of Team RWBY — Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long — and use their signature weapons and Semblances to battle the Creatures of Grimm and other foes in this in-canon story set during RWBY Volume 7. Featuring voiceovers from RWBY’s original cast, all-new cutscenes from the team behind the show, and a brand-new theme song by Jeff Williams and Casey Lee Williams, RWBY: Arrowfell lets you explore Atlas and the surrounding areas to solve environmental puzzles, slay massive bosses, power up with Skill Points, and interact with characters such as Penny, Winter, and General Ironwood, as well as the enigmatic new team of Huntresses, Team BRIR! Only Team RWBY can protect Remnant from a mysterious new threat in RWBY: Arrowfell! Forum Thread: RWBY: Arrowfell (by Crunchyroll) SlidewayZ: A Musical Journey (Free) iTunes Description Welcome to SlidewayZ, a new kind of sliding block puzzle! Slide adorable character pieces through fun worlds to collect soothing classical music. Easy to learn and fun to play, SlidewayZ adds a new twist to sliding block puzzles with moves from games like chess and other classic board games. A gentle soundtrack of Classical music helps you unwind from the stresses of the day. Perfect for commuting or a quick brain break, no internet connection required! Filled with collectables, beautiful art and engaging gameplay, SlidewayZ will provide hours of low-key puzzling fun! Forum Thread: SlidewayZ: A Musical Journey (by DiG-iT Games) Snake.io (Free) iTunes Description It’s a snake-eat-snake world: Slither around the screen to collect energy, grow bigger and devour your competition in this fast-paced arcade game. You’ll start out as a small snake in each round. Eat energy pellets to expand your size, and surround or cut in front of other snakes to explode them into (edible) segments. But watch out — because they’ll be trying to do the same to you. In this reptilian battle royale, how long can you stay in one piece? Forum Thread: Snake.io (by Kooapps) Spidersaurs (Free) iTunes Description Alert! Alert! The nightmarish dinosaur-spider hybrids known as Spidersaurs have run amok and only you (and a friend in co-op mode) can stop them! Created by InGest Corp to provide the meat and muscle that humanity needs to end world hunger, the Spidersaurs are now on the loose, leaving it to two former taste-testers – officer-in-training Adrian and punk-rocker Victoria – to use their awesome firepower to overcome six stages of ferocious run-‘n’-gun action. Blast through a sweltering jungle, an infested laboratory, the heart of a live volcano, and more! The tangy food source with a bite is biting back, but by grabbing power-ups, gaining new abilities, and obliterating everything in sight, you can send these mutant monstrosities back to the stone age. Forum Thread: Spidersaurs (by WayForward)

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 28th, 2024. Gosh, that presentation yesterday sure had a …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Pizza Tower’, ‘Castlevania Dominus Collection’, Plus Today’s Other Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 28th, 2024. Gosh, that presentation yesterday sure had a lot of good stuff in it, didn’t it? A bunch of shadow dropped games, too. That means our usually quiet Wednesday is anything but, and that’s not a bad thing. We’ve got a bit of news, a look at all the new games on the eShop today, plus the usual lists of new and expiring sales for the day. Lots to see, so let’s get going! News The Partner/Indie World Showcase Had Plenty to Offer Sandwiching together two slightly smaller versions of the usual types of Directs was an interesting choice, and it means we got a bunch of announcements. I can’t go through all of them here, but highlights included some shadow drops we’ll talk about in the New Releases section, Capcom Fighting Collection 2, the Suikoden I & II remakes, Yakuza Kiwami, Tetris Forever, MySims, Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition, new Atelier and Rune Factory games, and many, many more. I’d advise just setting aside some time and watching the video. Skim if you must. Plenty of great games there for a variety of tastes. Select New Releases Castlevania Dominus Collection ($24.99) One of the many cool shadow drops from the Direct was a third Castlevania collection. This one includes the three Nintendo DS games: Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia. It also includes the absolutely rancid arcade game, Haunted Castle, and as an extra, a remake of Haunted Castle by the folks at M2. It’s a lot better. As you would expect from this developer, this is a top-notch treatment that features great emulation and pretty much all of the features you’d want. An absurd value for the price. Pizza Tower ($19.99) The Wario Land-inspired frenetic platformer dashes on to the Switch with this Direct shadow drop. Make your way through the five massive floors of the Pizza Tower in order to destroy it and save your restaurant. If you miss Wario’s handheld adventures, you’ll really want to grab this. If you have no strong Wario feelings but like platforming, you should also give this a look. We’re hoping to review this one, but we’ll have to see how things go. Goat Simulator 3 ($29.99) The shadow drops continue. Look, it’s a Wednesday. If it weren’t for these, we wouldn’t have much at all. Anyway, Goat Simulator 3. You know how Goat Simulator works by now. I can’t verify how this game runs on Switch, but I know more powerful consoles struggle with it in places. So, you know, proceed with caution. Though I suppose even if it does run badly, it might just play into the whole sh**post nature of the game. Well, I leave it to you to decide. Silly goats doing silly things in an open world, may or may not make your Switch vomit blood. Peglin ($19.99) I know it’s cliche to armchair quarterback and talk about companies leaving money on the proverbial table, but I genuinely think Electronic Arts made a giant mistake by not putting Popcap’s games on the Switch in some form or another. Maybe even a collection? Well, they didn’t. They aren’t going to. And so we must scratch that itch in other ways, and for my fellow Peggle fans I can’t recommend Peglin enough. This one has been available on mobile for a while, and it’s just as good here on Switch. It’s basically Peggle blended into a turn-based RPG roguelite. We’ll have a review of this soon in case you need more details. Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story ($20.00) How can Kairosoft spice up its now incredibly well-worn formula for simulation games? Well, I suppose one way is to add a license to the mix. That’s what we’ve got here with Doraemon Dorayaki Shop Story, a standard Kairosoft shop sim featuring the characters from the popular Doraemon manga and anime series. A decent effort has been made to do the license justice, and you might even spot some characters from the manga artist’s other works popping in as customers. Cute. Pico Park 2 ($8.99) More Pico Park for the Pico Park fans out there. Up to eight players can join in via local or online multiplayer, and this is one game where the rule of the more, the merrier is in full effect. Play through a bunch of puzzle stages that require some sharp thinking and cooperation to solve. One for those who didn’t get their fill with the first game, but not really different enough to be likely to pull in anyone new. And that’s fine. Kamitsubaki City Ensemble ($3.99) An affordable little rhythm game featuring music from Kamitsubaki Studio. Hit the notes, follow the story, enjoy the tunes. Not the fanciest dining, but for that price it doesn’t have to be. SokoPenguin ($4.99) Yes, that’s a Sokoban-style crate-pushing puzzler starring a penguin, alright. One hundred levels. You know if you want it or not. Q2 Humanity ($6.80) More quirky physics-based puzzles, over three hundred this time around. You’ll have to make use of your character’s abilities in addition to drawing to solve the problems now. Up to four players can get in on the fun, either via local or online multiplayer. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) Mostly NIS America games in the inbox today, but you can also score some deals on Balatro, Frogun, and The King of Fighters XIII Global Match if you want. The outbox has a fair bit in it, so you’ll probably want to have a careful look through there and see if there’s anything you want. Select New Sales Bilkins Folly ($12.59 from $19.99 until 9/2) Balatro ($13.49 from $14.99 until 9/3) MLB The Show 24 ($19.79 from $59.99 until 9/10) Frogun ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/11) Frogun Encore ($11.04 from $12.99 until 9/11) Death Road to Canada ($4.49 from $14.99 until 9/11) Demon Gaze Extra ($17.99 from $59.99 until 9/12) The King of Fighters XIII GM ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/12) Lapis x Labyrinth ($7.79 from $29.99 until 9/16) Raiden III Mikado Maniax ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/16) GrimGrimoire OnceMore ($24.99 from $49.99 until 9/16) Void Terrarium 2 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/16) Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails ($24.99 from $39.99 until 9/16) Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles ($24.99 from $49.99 until 9/16) Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Sword City ($17.49 from $49.99 until 9/16) Disaster Report 4 ($17.99 from $59.99 until 9/16) Labyrinth of Galleria: TMC ($24.99 from $49.99 until 9/16) The Cruel King & the Great Hero ($13.49 from $29.99 until 9/16) R-Type Final 2 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/16) The Legend of Legacy HD ($34.99 from $49.99 until 9/16) Poison Control ($3.99 from $39.99 until 9/16) Labyrinth Legend ($5.99 from $14.99 until 9/16) Giraffe and Annika ($9.99 from $29.99 until 9/16) LA-MULANA ($4.99 from $14.99 until 9/16) LA-MULANA 2 ($9.99 from $24.99 until 9/16) The Princess Guide ($3.99 from $39.99 until 9/16) Ys VIII Lacrimosa of DANA ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/16) Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory ($4.99 from $39.99 until 9/16) Fallen Legion: Revenants ($9.99 from $39.99 until 9/16) RPG Maker MV ($14.99 from $49.99 until 9/16) Happy Birthdays ($7.99 from $39.99 until 9/16) Penny-Punching Princess ($3.99 from $39.99 until 9/16) The Longest Five Minutes ($3.99 from $39.99 until 9/16) Disgaea 4 Complete+ ($17.49 from $49.99 until 9/16) Sales Ending Tomorrow, August 29th A Cat & His Boy ($1.99 from $2.99 until 8/29) Alan Wake Remastered ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/29) April’s Diary ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/29) Astebreed ($3.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) Bio Inc. Redemption ($10.49 from $14.99 until 8/29) Botany Manor ($22.49 from $24.99 until 8/29) Crashout Xtreme ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/29) Cyber Citizen Shockman ($4.19 from $5.99 until 8/29) Dead Cells Castlevania Bundle ($18.89 from $31.49 until 8/29) DoDonPachi Resurrection ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) Double Dragon & Kunio-kun Bundle ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/29) DRAINUS ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) Ebenezer & the Invisible World ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) Escaping a Fireworks Factory ($2.00 from $4.90 until 8/29) Espgaluda II ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) Gematombe ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/29) Gnosia ($17.49 from $24.99 until 8/29) Gunman Tales ($2.09 from $6.99 until 8/29) Gynoug ($3.49 from $6.99 until 8/29) Hero of Fate ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/29) Kero Blaster ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/29) Kowloon High-School Chronicle ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) Matchpoint: Tennis Championships ($31.99 from $49.99 until 8/29) Mighty Goose ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) Moonshine Inc ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) My Little Universe ($6.74 from $14.99 until 8/29) Noel the Mortal Fate ($9.99 from $24.99 until 8/29) OnlyUP! ($5.27 from $7.13 until 8/29) Operation Steel ($5.99 from $9.99 until 8/29) Overboss ($13.49 from $14.99 until 8/29) Pogo Joins the Circus ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/29) Radiant Silvergun ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) Red Colony ($2.99 from $6.99 until 8/29) Red Colony 2 ($2.99 from $6.99 until 8/29) Red Colony 3 ($2.99 from $6.99 until 8/29) Remote Life ($9.49 from $18.99 until 8/29) Retro Mystery Club Vol.1 ($7.90 from $9.90 until 8/29) Retro Mystery Club Vol.2 ($7.90 from $9.90 until 8/29) Retro Revengers ($7.90 from $9.90 until 8/29) River City Saga: Three Kingdoms ($20.99 from $29.99 until 8/29) Satay Shop Tycoon ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/29) Smashing the Battle ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/29) Smashing the Battle Ghost Soul ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/29) Spy Bros. ($4.79 from $7.99 until 8/29) Super Sean 007 ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/29) Taboo Trial ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) The Good Life ($15.99 from $39.99 until 8/29) The Ouroboros King ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/29) The Sokoban ($8.99 from $17.99 until 8/29) UNO Ultimate Edition ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) Vera Blanc: Supernatural Mysteries ($5.59 from $7.99 until 8/29) Within the Blade ($3.29 from $10.99 until 8/29) That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow is Thursday, and that means we’ll have another pretty big day for new games. The new Famicom Detective Club is among them, but there are other big names in there too. We’ll have summaries of the games worth summarizing, plus whatever sales and major news items roll in over the course of the day. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Fans of Jujutsu Kaisen and beautiful, anime-inspired JRPGs received a special reason to rejoice this week following the announcement that …

Continue reading "BILIBILI GAME Will Launch ‘Jujutsu Kaisen Mobile’ Worldwide Before the End of 2024"

Fans of Jujutsu Kaisen and beautiful, anime-inspired JRPGs received a special reason to rejoice this week following the announcement that Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade, the mobile game adaption of the acclaimed manga series, will finally receive its global release before the end of 2024. This announcement was part of Juju Fest 2024, which featured several notable reveals for fans of Jujutsu Kaisen, including a Hidden Inventory movie slated for 2025 and a Season 2 Guide Book set to be released for Japanese audiences in October. However, the most significant revelation was that publisher BILIBILI GAMES would be bringing Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade to players across all regions this year, with pre-registration already underway. Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade is free-to-play and you can pre-register right now via the game’s official website as well as stay up to date with the game’s latest developments via Discord, Twitter/X, and Facebook. But, if you’re only just now hearing of Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade and would like to know what it’s all about then here’s a quick breakdown of what lies in store. Gameplay Overview Developed by Sumzap, Inc. and initially launched in Japan by TOHO Games in 2023, Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade gives players the chance to immerse themselves in a dark and mystical world where gifted sorcerer’s battle cursed spirits to keep humanity from being destroyed. The core gameplay involves players forming teams of four sorcerers from various classes, such as tank, support, and damage dealers, and engaging in turn-based battles against cursed spirits. Players will have the opportunity to utilize the abilities of beloved characters like Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, and Satoru Gojo, all of which faithfully capture the character traits that fans have grown to love through the manga and anime series. Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade allows players to revisit several pivotal moments from the first season of the tv anime, while also introducing an entirely new storyline set in the Fukuoka Branch Campus, offering a fresh and unique narrative experience. Pre-registration Rewards Pre-registration for Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade is currently in progress, and participants will be rewarded with exclusive bonuses upon the game’s release. The exact rewards they receive will depend on the game hitting the following key milestones: 1 million pre-registrations: Cube x500 2 million pre-registrations: Cube x1000 3 million pre-registrations: Cube x1000 5 million pre-registrations: Cube x2000 8 million pre-registrations: Cube x3000 10 million pre-registrations: [Redrawable!] SSR-Character-Guaranteed Gacha Ticket x1 There’s little doubt that the game will hit the 10 million mark, but just to ensure it gets there, pre-registered players will also receive Cubes worth 25 draws to go alongside their re-drawable SSR-Character Guaranteed Gacha Ticket. Sponsored Content This article is sponsored content written by TouchArcade and published on behalf of BILIBILI GAMES to promote the global launch date for Jujutsu Kaisen Phantom Parade. For questions or comments, please email ads@toucharcade.com

Yesterday during the Nintendo Indie World Partner Direct whatever it is called for the double feature, Red Nexus Games’ pachinko …

Continue reading "The Huge ‘Peglin’ 1.0 Update Is Now Live on iOS, Android, and Steam Following Switch Launch Yesterday"

Yesterday during the Nintendo Indie World Partner Direct whatever it is called for the double feature, Red Nexus Games’ pachinko roguelike Peglin (Free) got announced and released on Switch. I didn’t realize it was then that it hit 1.0 on Steam as well. I got it on Switch and while we need a bit more time for our review, Peglin has also finally hit 1.0 on iOS and Android following its Switch launch yesterday and Steam update a few hours later. The highlights of this include the final Cruciball levels (17-20), a new forest miniboss, a new rare roundrel relic, tons of balance adjustments, gameplay changes to how dull pegs work, bestiary research rate changes, and much more. Read the full patch notes from the game’s Steam news story here. Watch the gameplay trailer for Peglin below if you’ve not played it yet: With Peglin hitting 1.0 today, it is still planned to get more updates, and I can’t wait to see what else the team does with over time. If you’re interested in playing it right now, read my review of Peglin on iOS here from its launch last year. You can also read my interview with Red Nexus Games here covering the game, pricing, and a lot more. Peglin on mobile is a free to try game, and you can grab it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. We featured it as our Game of the Week when it launched. Check it out on Steam here and Switch here. Head over to our forum thread for more impressions and discussion around the iOS version. Have you played Peglin before on mobile or PC, and what do you think of this huge update?

It looks like SNK is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the superb The King of Fighters series with a big …

Continue reading "All of SNK’s The King of Fighters ACA NeoGeo Games Are Discounted on iOS and Android, Switch Later Today"

It looks like SNK is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the superb The King of Fighters series with a big discount on the complete set of ACA NeoGeo games on mobile and Switch (coming later today). Many years ago, Hamster started releasing SNK’s older games through its ACA NeoGeo lineup. These saw a few useful emulation features arrive for classic games on consoles over the years. We started seeing these hit mobile at half the price ($3.99 compared to $7.99 on console) published by SNK as well. While the pricing was already great, you can now buy all the games in The King of Fighters ACA NeoGeo series of releases on mobile at just $1.99 each. ACA NeoGeo The King of Fighters game discounts list on mobile: The King of Fighters 94 ACA NeoGeo ($3.99) The King of Fighters 95 ACA NeoGeo ($3.99) The King of Fighters 96 ACA NeoGeo ($3.99) The King of Fighters 97 ACA NeoGeo ($3.99) The King of Fighters 98 ACA NeoGeo ($3.99) The King of Fighters 99 ACA NeoGeo ($3.99) The King of Fighters 2000 ACA NeoGeo ($3.99) The King of Fighters 2001 ACA NeoGeo ($3.99) The King of Fighters 2002 ACA NeoGeo ($3.99) The King of Fighters 2003 ACA NeoGeo ($3.99) Check out the games on Android here. I own a few of these on iOS, but all of them barring 96 on Nintendo Switch. The Switch eShop deals should go live in a few hours today in North America with the deals already being up in other parts of the World on Switch and PS4. Check out the official website for the series on mobile here. What’s your favorite recent ACA NeoGeo release and are you grabbing any of the KOF games today with this sale?

Following pre-installation going live earlier in the week, HoYoverse has just released the major Genshin Impact (Free) version 5.0 “Flowers …

Continue reading "‘Genshin Impact’ Version 5.0 Update Is Now Available Worldwide on iOS, Android, PC, PS5, and More"

Following pre-installation going live earlier in the week, HoYoverse has just released the major Genshin Impact (Free) version 5.0 “Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn" update on mobile, PC, and PlayStation worldwide. The highlights of this update include the new nation: Natlan which is open to early and mid-game players, new characters like Mualani, reruns for Raiden Shogun, and much more. The first Genshin Impact 5.0 banner features: Mualani, Kachina and Kaedehara Kazuha while banner 2 has Kinich and Raiden Shogun. Read about the improved visuals in Genshin Impact 5.0 here and the full patch notes for the update here. Watch the new Genshin Impact trailers for Mualani and more below: If you pre-installed the update on iOS, you should be able to play without downloading much, but the game will take a bit of time to split up old resources once you login. If you’d like to play Genshin Impact and don’t own it yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. I also featured it as one of the best iOS games to play with a controller. What do you think of Genshin Impact 5.0 so far?

When Square Enix released the monster collecting RPG Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on Switch last year, I loved …

Continue reading "‘Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince’ Is Coming to iOS, Android, and Steam on September 11th With All DLC Included From the Switch Release"

When Square Enix released the monster collecting RPG Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince on Switch last year, I loved my time with it. It had technical issues, but the charm and gameplay loop elevated it well beyond other Dragon Quest spinoffs on the platform bringing up to the same level as the superb Dragon Quest Builders 2. I always expected Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince to be ported to PC soon after just like Dragon Quest Treasures, but I didn’t even consider it hitting mobile anytime soon. Today, Square Enix announced that the Switch-exclusive Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince ($29.99) is coming to iOS, Android, and Steam on September 11th with all prior DLC included. This means the Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince Digital Deluxe Edition content will also be included. Watch the trailer for Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince below: Square Enix has also posted comparison images of the game on mobile, Switch, and Steam on the official Japanese website. Check out one of them below: The store pages also confirm that the network mode for Online Battles from the Switch version where players battle one another in real time will not be included in the Steam and mobile versions. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is currently available on Nintendo Switch priced at $59.99 for the standard edition and $84.99 for the Digital Deluxe Edition. Having loved this on Switch, I’m looking forward to replaying it for review on iPhone, iPad, and Steam Deck for the new platforms launch on September 11th. It is great to see Square Enix bring more Dragon Quest to mobile soon after the original platform launch. I expected we might see this one by 2027 on mobile given delays between console and mobile these days for the series like we saw with Dragon Quest Builders. It is priced at $29.99 on mobile and $39.99 on Steam. Check it out on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here where you can pre-register for it. Have you played Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince before on Switch or will you try it out on mobile and Steam in two weeks when it releases? Update: Added comparison image and website information.

About two and a half years ago we were treated to a lovely gaming experience titled Dungeons of Dreadrock from …

Continue reading "‘Dungeons of Dreadrock 2’ Announced, Launching on Nintendo Switch in November with Mobile and PC Versions to Follow"

About two and a half years ago we were treated to a lovely gaming experience titled Dungeons of Dreadrock from developer Christoph Minnameier. The game was a dungeon crawler inspired by the likes of classics such as Dungeon Master and Eye of the Beholder, but played from a top-down perspective rather than a first-person one. It also had a more puzzle-like focus in the designs of its 100 different levels, each one a different floor in the dungeon you were descending in order to rescue your brother. Dungeons of Dreadrock was quite challenging, with some levels almost feeling like logic puzzles as you sussed out when exactly to activate a trap or how to approach a certain batch of enemies. We loved the game in our review, and Dungeons of Dreadrock went on to release on basically every other gaming platform where it was similarly well-received. And now we’ve got a sequel to look forward to. Say hello to Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 – The Dead King’s Secret. That red background and big ‘ol Switch logo with the familiar finger snapping sound is an indication that this time around this new Dungeons of Dreadrock game is targeting Nintendo’s platform first, and according to the game’s website it’ll be launching on the Switch’s eShop on November 28th of this year. Fear not though! A PC version is also planned, and in fact can be wishlisted on Steam as we speak, and iOS and Android versions are also in the cards. It’s not super clear exactly when we’ll be getting Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 on mobile, but it makes me happy just knowing that it’s coming. Once more news on release dates for other platforms materializes we’ll be sure to update you.

Back in April we took a look at the trailer for Super Farming Boy from developer LemonChili. It took the …

Continue reading "‘Super Farming Boy’ Available for Pre-Order on iOS with 20% Discount, Launch Planned for Next Year"

Back in April we took a look at the trailer for Super Farming Boy from developer LemonChili. It took the basic idea of a cozy farming game–planting crops, harvesting, building out your own little dream property–and amped it up with lighting fast arcade-style gameplay mechanics and a devious antagonist to fight against. They dubbed it “Harvest Moon on steroids" and I got that same sort of vibe from watching the trailer. You play as a boy with super powers (your name is literally Super) so you’re able to zip around your farm harvesting crops, and the act of harvesting can trigger cool combos and chain reactions. Check out the trailer if you missed it before. Anyway, I love the idea of a farming sim turned up to 11, and this week LemonChili has announced a more specific roadmap for the release of Super Farming Boy and have even put the iOS version up for pre-order on the App Store. The launch isn’t exactly close, and the plan as of now is to release in Early Access in Q2 of next year with a full launch to follow afterwards. That’s definitely a while away, but if you’re really sure this is the type of game that’s up your alley then pre-ordering the mobile version now will net you a 20% discount off the price, so there’s some incentive. You can also check out how the game is shaping up thanks to a playable Windows demo on both Steam and Itch.io. Whether you feel like taking the plunge on the pre-order or not, Super Farming Boy is definitely one you’ll want to keep your eye out for next year.

JOYCITY has launched an exciting new update for Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War, inviting everyone to join in …

Continue reading "‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War’ Adds Cross-Server Battles in Latest Empire Invasion Update"

JOYCITY has launched an exciting new update for Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War, inviting everyone to join in on thrilling conquests against other Captains all over the world. In particular, the Empire Invasion event offers server-versus-server competitions that will have you vying for first place in exchange for valuable pirate treasure. Gear up for an all-out sea brawl – can you fight to stay afloat and sink those enemy ships across servers? After the matchmaking phase, you’ll need to clear missions in the Eve Festival preliminary round to enjoy some handy buffs for the final battle. This includes server-wide perks and the ability to switch between servers – a handy trick to have up your sleeve when you’re conquering the opposing Empire’s territories. During the Invasion Conquest, victorious Captains can switch to the opposing server and wreak havoc in Port Royal, while defenders need to hold their ground and remain in their Empire to see if they can survive the attack. Whoever wins the Empire Invasion Port Royal Conquest will not only grab bragging rights but will also nab awesome in-game goodies such as special base skins to boot. If all that sounds absolutely fabulous to you, you can head on over to Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War’s official website and start your naval dominance today. Sponsored Content This article is sponsored content written by TouchArcade and published on behalf of JOYCITY to promote the latest update to Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War. For questions or comments, please email ads@toucharcade.com

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 27th, 2024. In today’s article, we kick things off …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Today’s Nintendo Direct, Full Review of ‘EGGCONSOLE Star Trader’, Plus New Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 27th, 2024. In today’s article, we kick things off with a bit of news. After that, we’ve got one review for you to snack on. Just my look at the latest EGGCONSOLE release from last week, and the regulars probably know how that’s going to play out. After that, we have just one new release to take a gander at. Luckily, it’s a good one. We finish things up with the usual lists of new and expiring sales, and they’re okay as well. I have no idea what’s in that Direct tonight, so maybe it will make for a more exciting Tuesday? That is a mystery I cannot solve as I write, but you already know the answer to as you read. Let’s get into it! News Check Out Today’s Nintendo Direct/Indie World Showcase As recently prophesized by the once-in-a-while-correct insiders, Nintendo has scheduled a Nintendo Direct for August at nearly the last minute. We’re getting 40 minutes in total, split between a Partner Showcase and Indie World Showcase. Don’t expect any first-party stuff, and definitely do not expect anything about the Switch’s successor console. As you read this, the presentation should be long since finished. You can watch it above, and I’ll summarize the most important points tomorrow. Reviews & Mini-Views EGGCONSOLE Star Trader PC-8801mkIIsr ($6.49) It always comes down to two questions with these non-translated EGGCONSOLE releases. First, how is the game itself? Second, can it be enjoyed without understanding Japanese? Star Trader is an interesting game, though not what I would call a great one. Falcom fused a Japanese-style adventure game format with some side-scrolling shoot ’em up stages, and it doesn’t do either of those things amazingly well. The adventure game side at least has some nice art, and it’s interesting to see a shoot ’em up try to tell a story in this way. You’re mostly talking to people and picking up quests, the successful completion of which will earn you money you can use to upgrade your ship. This is important, because you’ll need to keep that cash coming in to stay on top of the action segments. As for the shoot ’em up parts… well, the PC-8801 wasn’t very good at scrolling the screen smoothly. So what you get here is a very choppy experience, and one that I’m not sure would even be all that great if things were moving at a normal clip. I’m not sure which part of the game is meant to serve the other, but in the end Star Trader is more interesting than it is good. Which naturally brings us to the second question. As you might expect, the adventure game segments are text-heavy and require some informed input from the player to achieve the best outcomes. If you can’t understand them, you’re not only missing out on half of the game, but you’re likely hobbling yourself for the other half because you’ll fail to earn enough credits to keep your ship up to date. You can brute force this one better than some EGGCONSOLE releases, but it’s not going to be a good time. Star Trader is an interesting piece of gaming history, showing a developer working outside of the lane we usually associate them with. Unfortunately, what joy could be had from poking at this curio is severely dampened by the fact that there is a ton of Japanese text in here that most Western players won’t be able to read. You might still get something out of messing around with it, but it’s hard to recommend it with much vigor. SwitchArcade Score: 3/5 Select New Releases Crypt Custodian ($19.99) A top-down action-adventure game about a recently-deceased cat named Pluto who, after a bad meeting with the Afterlife Guardian, is banished from the palace of the afterlife and sentenced to eternally clean. Dang. Explore, fight enemies with your broom, meet weird characters, battle bosses, expand your abilities, and so on. You know how this kind of game works. You know what? This is pretty good. If you enjoy this genre, I’d say you should give it a go. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) If you like colorful shoot ’em ups with some quirky mechanics, I recommend checking out the Dreamer games and Harpoon Shooter Nozomi. I’ve enjoyed all three of them. Over in the outbox, buy 1000xRESIST. Do it. Other things to consider: Star Wars games, Citizen Sleeper, Paradise Killer, and Haiku, the Robot. Maybe some Tomb Raider, as a treat. Check those lists! Select New Sales Return ($10.49 from $13.99 until 9/2) Summer Daze: Tilly’s Tale ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/9) Please Fix the Road ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/9) Ticket to Ride ($26.99 from $29.99 until 9/9) King ‘n Knight ($9.59 from $11.99 until 9/9) Spiritfarer ($7.49 from $29.99 until 9/9) Harpoon Shooter Nozomi ($6.98 from $9.98 until 9/16) Like Dreamer ($5.99 from $11.99 until 9/16) Cosmo Dreamer ($4.10 from $8.20 until 9/16) Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate ($8.99 from $59.99 until 9/16) Gluck ($5.59 from $6.99 until 9/16) Love Love School Days ($4.19 from $10.49 until 9/16) Ugly ($6.79 from $19.99 until 9/16) Replik Survivors ($3.44 from $4.99 until 9/16) Sales Ending Tomorrow, August 28th 1000xRESIST ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Citizen Sleeper ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Genesis Noir ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Haiku, The Robot ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Heads Up! Phones Down Edition ($1.99 from $39.99 until 8/28) Legend Bowl ($18.74 from $24.99 until 8/28) MythForce ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/28) Paradise Killer ($5.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Battlefront Collection ($28.00 from $35.01 until 8/28) Star Wars Bounty Hunter ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Episode I Racer ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Jedi Academy ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Jedi Outcast ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/28) Star Wars KotOR ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Star Wars KotOR II: Sith Lords ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Republic Commando ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Star Wars The Force Unleashed ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Super Mutant Alien Assault ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/28) Suzerain ($4.49 from $17.99 until 8/28) The Pale Beyond ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Times & Galaxy ($17.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Tomb Raider I-III Remastered ($22.49 from $29.99 until 8/28) That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow to talk a bit about whatever was in that Direct, plus have some new games, sales, and perhaps a review or two on top. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Action adventure game RWBY: Arrowfell from WayForward is now available on mobile through the Crunchyroll Game Vault. RWBY: Arrowfell, developed …

Continue reading "‘RWBY: Arrowfell’ Now Available on Mobile Through Crunchyroll Game Vault"

Action adventure game RWBY: Arrowfell from WayForward is now available on mobile through the Crunchyroll Game Vault. RWBY: Arrowfell, developed by WayForward, is an action adventure game featuring Ruby Rose, Weiss, Blake, and Yang using their signature weapons and Semblances to take on Grimm and more enemies. It has the original cast included, new cut-scenes from the show creators, and more. Shaun wasn’t too hot on RWBY: Arrowfell when it hit Switch, but he did say it is worth playing if you like the show. Read his review here. Watch the RWBY: Arrowfell Crunchyroll Game Vault trailer below: Check out RWBY: Arrowfell on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. If you have an active Crunchyroll Mega or Ultimate membership right now, you can play RWBY: Arrowfell at no additional cost today. While it didn’t have the best reviews on PC and console, I’m happy to see more WayForward titles hit mobile. I’m excited to try it out today since I skipped the original release. What do you think of today’s new Crunchyroll Game Vault release and have you played RWBY: Arrowfell before?

Usually, updates for premium priced ports on mobile are good to have for optimization or compatibility reasons, but Capcom’s newest …

Continue reading "Capcom Updates ‘Resident Evil 4′, ‘Resident Evil Village’, and ‘Resident Evil 7’ on iOS With Online DRM"

Usually, updates for premium priced ports on mobile are good to have for optimization or compatibility reasons, but Capcom’s newest update pushed out an hour ago for Resident Evil 7 biohazard (Free), Resident Evil 4 Remake (Free), and Resident Evil Village (Free) on iOS and iPadOS adds an online DRM that checks purchase history when you launch the games. This checks to see if you own the game or DLC and then proceeds to the title screen. If you click no, the game will close. If you’re connected to the internet, this takes a few seconds before you can get back to your save, but you cannot boot up any of these three games and play it offline. You will need to be online for the purchase check on launching the game. This is unfortunate, and frankly is awful because the games are all now worse off with online DRM as opposed to being playable and launchable offline before. I tested this with all three games before updating them and verified that they did launch and work offline as of the update prior to today. With today’s update, you see the alert above or a similar one and clicking no closes the game. If this doesn’t matter to you, that’s fine, but I’m not a fan of online DRM like this being patched into a game people have already paid for before. Hopefully Capcom can find a better solution for checking purchases or do it once in a while and not on every launch. Stuff like this makes it harder to recommend Capcom’s premium priced ports. If you’ve not gotten the games yet, they are free to try, and you can grab Resident Evil 7 biohazard on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, here. Check out Resident Evil 4 Remake here on the App Store and Resident Evil Village here. Read my reviews of them here, here, and here. Do you own the three modern Resident Evil games on iOS and what do you think of this update for all three?

Back in early 2016 when I was looking for import-friendly games on PS Vita, I used to often see Gundam …

Continue reading "Gundam Breaker 4 Review – Steam Deck, Switch, and PS5 Tested"

Back in early 2016 when I was looking for import-friendly games on PS Vita, I used to often see Gundam Breaker mentioned. If you’ve never heard of the series before, think of them as hack and slash action games with RPG elements, deep customization, and a pure unadulterated love of Gunpla. Around the time I was looking into the series, Bandai Namco announced an Asia English release for Gundam Breaker 3 on PS4 and PS Vita, and I decided to buy both versions. I ended up loving it as my first Gundam game. Since then, I’ve imported and played Gundam Breaker 1 and 2 on PS Vita, and also gotten basically every Gundam game released in English across platforms. To see Gundam Breaker 4 announced earlier this year and confirmed for a global multi-platform simultaneous release remains one of 2024’s biggest surprises. Fast forward to today and Gundam Breaker 4 is finally here on Steam, Switch, PS4, and PS5. Having put in about 60 hours across platforms, I adore Gundam Breaker 4, but it has a few issues right now. Gundam Breaker 4 is a very important release not only because of the game itself, but because of how far we’ve come with the series in the West. So what makes Gundam Breaker 4 a big deal? Gone are the days of waiting for an Asia English release to import. Gundam Breaker 3 was an Asia English release not released in the West, and just on PlayStation. I can’t recall the last Gundam game that had an English dub option, but here we are with a dual audio option and multiple subtitle options (EFIGS and many more). But what about the game itself and the different platform versions? I’m going to cover all of that in this extended review that will also take you on a journey of me starting my first Master Grade Gunpla (Gundam Plastic Kit if you’re new to this) after building some High Grade (easier and smaller kits) before. Gundam Breaker 4’s story ranges from getting the job done to some highs and lows. The lows are when I felt like certain pre-mission dialog was going on a bit too long, and the highs were in the latter half of the game when there are interesting character reveals and also more interesting dialog. If you’ve not played a single game in the series before, Gundam Breaker 4 still does a good job of bringing you up to speed, but you might wonder why the appearance of certain characters is a big deal later on. The embargo only allows me to talk about the first two chapters of the story, and it feels like a straightforward affair during those two. I ended up liking the main characters quite a bit by the end, but my two favorite characters appear much later in the story. The real draw of Gundam Breaker 4 is not the story though. It is building your own perfect Gunpla, improving it over time, getting better gear, and becoming stronger to tackle higher difficulties and more quests. When you begin, you get the basics, but what the team really underold in the promotion is the customization aspect. It is incredible. Not only can you adjust individual parts like left and right arms, but you can also adjust ranged weapons for each arm, melee with dual wielding, and adjust the individual part size and scale. This means you can even use SD (super deformed) parts on your normal Gunpla and either have it look like this weird frankenstein suit or scale things to your liking. Beyond the actual parts for each main category in assembly, the customization in Gundam Breaker 4 takes things further with builder parts that let you add even more things to your Gunpla. Some of these even have their own skills. Speaking of skills, you have EX and OP skills to use in combat. These depend on your parts and weapons. Later on, you also unlock ability cartridges that have their own specs that give you buffs or debuffs. As you go through the missions breaking parts and earning S-rank reward parts, you also get materials. These can be used to level up your parts. Each mission in Gundam Breaker 4 usually has a recommended parts level indicating how suitable it is for your current gear. In addition to materials you earn to upgrade parts, you start earning materials to increase part rarity later on. This lets you upgrade for more skills as well, and you can use older or lesser part skills when you upgrade and cannibalize those older parts. During the main story, I spent a bit of time on the optional quests to earn money or parts, but feel like the game is balanced enough where you won’t really need to grind during the main story on the standard difficulty at least. Speaking of the difficulty, you unlock three higher difficulties as the main story progresses, and these up the challenge and part level recommendation quite a bit. If you do plan on skipping most of the optional quests during the main story, make sure to keep an eye on the new unlocks because some of the optional quest types are a lot of fun, especially the survival mode. Outside of all of this, you can also adjust the paint of your suit which lets you color schemes you’ve unlocked through progression or from DLC. If you put time into Gundam Breaker 4, there’s a ton of stuff for you to get out of it, and I’m floored by how much has gone into this. When you’re done with paint, you can work with decals and weathering effects as well. Gundam Breaker 4 is the real deal for Gunpla enthusiasts, but does it play well? Having enjoyed everything Gundam Breaker 4 has to offer in its gameplay through story missions, side content, and boss fights aside from one specific mission type, I think the team nailed it. I never got bored of combat even though the normal difficulty is on the easier side. I kept swapping out weapons and trying the various types before settling on a greatsword style weapon for the rest of my playthrough. Everything feels varied enough, and the individual skills and stats make for a fresh experience throughout. When it comes to the bosses and minibosses, I love having them appear on the stage in the Gunpla boxes and then breaking out before fighting you. This never gets old, and seeing one of the Gunpla kits I built appear as a boss later on was awesome. Most boss fights involve targeting weak points, damaging the many health bars, destroying shields, and the usual. I did have trouble with one particular boss’ weak points using specific weapons, but I changed to a whip and sorted it immediately. The only real hard boss fight in the story was dealing with two of a specific boss at once. I won’t get into details for spoiler reasons, but I did struggle with the AI in one specific fight. Visually, Gundam Breaker 4 ranges from great to fine. The environments look lacking early on, but I found the variety good overall. Most of the work went into making sure the Gunpla kits and animations look the best, and it shows. The developers clearly weren’t trying to go for a realistic art style here, so don’t expect something like Gundam Evolution or even how some bits of Gundam Breaker 3 looked. The aesthetic in Gundam Breaker 4 works well and it scales as it should on lower end hardware. The effects look great, and the scale of many boss fights is awesome. The music in Gundam Breaker 4 ranges from forgettable tunes you won’t think of outside the game to a few really great songs in specific story missions. I am disappointed in no way to set music from the various anime and movies here. Usually we’d see some anime music pack DLC or a premium bundle for Asia and Japan, but I’ve not seen any of that yet in the game or announced. I also don’t see a way to load custom music like in Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs Maxiboost ON on PS4. The voice acting has been a pleasant surprise. I played through the game completely with English on one save, and also spent about a dozen hours with the Japanese voice option on another platform save. Both were very good and I found myself liking the English more during missions because I hate reading small subtitles during action battles when I’m focusing on fighting enemies. So far, aside from one mission type really annoying me (thankfully not too prevalent) and a few bugs, I’ve had no real issues with Gundam Breaker 4. If you are new to this series and aren’t a fan of replaying missions to grind out better gear and drops, you may find things repetitive. I’ve always viewed Gundam Breaker like Earth Defense Force and Monster Hunter where after finishing the story, I spend time building my perfect Gunpla. As for bugs, I ran into one where certain names wouldn’t save or two I think are Steam Deck-specific. The first is that returning to the title screen from in-game takes way too long. The second is one specific mission that crashed for me only when playing on my monitor. I replayed it on the Deck itself and it was fine. It might just have been relating to the performance penalty I see in some games docked, but I can’t say for sure. The one aspect I’ve not touched on so far is the online. Pre-release I managed to play a good amount of the network test on PS5 and Switch, but I only managed to test a bit of the retail release on PS5 with a friend who is reviewing that version. The PC version’s servers have not been online pre-launch at all, so I cannot test if the online works fine on Steam Deck yet. I will be updating this once servers go online and I’ve managed testing the PC version on Steam Deck with friends online. At this point, you’re probably wondering about the Gunpla I was building. I made some progress and got through 5 sets of runners, but made a mistake with one small part. I panicked and almost broke it while trying to separate things. This is where my guitar pick came into the picture and saved me. I ended up stopping with my RG 78-2 MG 3.0 about halfway done. Once the review embargoes of this week are over, I’ll get back to it and finish it. Now let’s get to the platform differences and features. Gundam Breaker 4 PC port controls – keyboard, mouse, and controller support Gundam Breaker 4’s on PC is the only version of the game that supports above 60fps. The PS5 version is capped at 60fps and the Switch version hovers around the 30fps mark. The Gundam Breaker 4 PC release also has mouse and keyboard support in addition to controller support with multiple button prompt options. When playing on the Deck itself, it displayed Xbox button prompts. When using my DualSense controller over the Dock on my monitor, Gundam Breaker 4 showed PlayStation prompts correctly. It also auto switches between keyboard mouse and controller prompts based on your input. The only controller-related issue I ran into is the game not correctly detecting when I’ve reconnected a controller. I tested this on my DualSense and 8BitDo Ultimate controllers wirelessly. Gundam Breaker 4 ships with three controller presets and a custom option. You can adjust the keyboard mouse and controller settings independently. One setting I recommend changing immediately or after you try out the first few missions is camera sensitivity and distance. You can do this in Player Mode from the game settings. I found the default too slow and close. Gundam Breaker 4 PC graphics settings and display options Gundam Breaker 4 supports multiple resolutions and frame rate caps. On the Steam Deck itself, it sadly doesn’t support a full 800p and runs at 720p and 16:9. On the frame rate side, it can go from 30fps to 360fps and unlimited on PC. I set it to 120fps when playing on Steam Deck since I played it almost exclusively on my Steam Deck OLED. You can also toggle v-sync. On the graphics side, you can adjust the quality of textures, anti-aliasing, post-processing, shadows, effects, and also adjust brightness and toggle motion blur. Gundam Breaker 4 Steam Deck performance – does it work out of the box? I played Gundam Breaker 4 with Proton Experimental (bleeding edge) as I normally do for untested games, but I also tested it on the default Proton. It works perfectly out of the box and even invokes the on-screen keyboard for text input. I have confidence in this being Steam Deck Verified pre-launch or soon after. The 35 hours I put into it on just my Steam Deck OLED prove that. When playing with all settings at High aside from shadows, Gundam Breaker 4 easily hit 60fps, but I wanted more. For this, I turned things to medium and played at 80-90fps almost across the board. A few late-game missions saw drops to the high 60s during gameplay, but otherwise I had no issues in actual gameplay. In-engine cut-scenes do take a hit to performance and run in the 50-70fps range for me on Steam Deck. I did run into one issue where the assembly section suddenly dropped to 1-3fps for a few seconds before shooting back up to 90fps. This didn’t happen more than three times total, but I couldn’t figure out what caused it. If this is a Proton related issue, I hope Valve can fix it. The only visual issue I had when playing on the Deck itself is some of the icon glyphs and menus had either smaller than expected fonts, or they weren’t as crisp as they should’ve been. I noticed this even on Switch so it likely is an issue with the game being designed for a higher res and bigger screen. Not a dealbreaker, but worth pointing out. Gundam Breaker 4 Switch vs PS5 – what to buy? On the console side, I didn’t have time to test Gundam Breaker 4 on my PS4, so I focused on the Switch (Lite and OLED) and PS5 versions. Gundam Breaker 4 on PS5 looks amazing and runs basically perfectly at 60fps in the time I put into it, but I didn’t reach the few missions in the story towards the end that were more visually demanding. I also didn’t reach here on Switch, but I put nearly two dozen hours into the Switch version to see enough of how it runs there. Check out a comparison of the opening tutorial mission on PS5 and Switch in the screenshot comparison below: The biggest downgrades on Switch aside from the performance are with resolution, detail, and reflections. This applies not only to the stages, but also the Gunpla parts. During the network tests, a friend of mine pointed out how the Switch version looked like an HG Gunpla while the PS5 version looked like an RG in some scenes. If you built Gunpla you will understand this, but for everyone else, it just means Gunpla in the Switch version ends up lacking in many details like decals, lining, and even weathering effects in specific situations. They do appear, but I think the lower resolution and draw distance makes it so that they are invisible sometimes. This is one of those changes you won’t realize until you see the game outside Switch. I honestly expected this to run at 120fps on PS5 given the visuals. Playing Megaton Musashi at 120fps was good as a recent release. Maybe the developers capped this to 60fps for multiplayer reasons with the PS4 version, but I’m not sure. Aside from the 60fps cap, Gundam Breaker 4 has decent rumble support and even has PS5 Activity Card support to load into your save quicker. Since the review embargo prevents me from showing anything beyond chapter two in the story, the screenshot below is from when I just began playing showing the Activity Card implementation for story mode. I hope this supports online play and lobbies in the future as well. Speaking of loading, the Switch load times are really long compared to PS5 and Steam Deck. Even running the game off the SD card on my old Steam Deck LCD had much faster load times than Switch. If you only care about portability, you obviously won’t bother with the PS5 version, but the Switch port currently has one major issue that makes me hesitate to recommend it. The assembly section and diorama mode feel very sluggish. While the main lobby or hub is also sluggish, the performance in missions is better albeit still not a perfect 30fps. I saw drops even in early missions from 30fps, but again, this is a lot better than I expected given some recent Switch ports. I would be ok with this given the hardware if the assembly section ran better considering you will be spending a lot of time there after each mission. Diorama mode also needs more optimization on Switch with how sluggish it feels. If you played Gundam Breaker 3 on PS Vita, you will be more than fine with the Switch version, but I was hoping for a better port all things considered. Since there are more content updates planned, I hope we see some optimization on this front. For those who own multiple platforms, I only recommend the Switch version if you exclusively want to play portably and don’t own a Steam Deck. Speaking of portable play, I enjoyed Gundam Breaker 4 on my Switch Lite aside from the text size in some menus. Gundam Breaker 4 is also sadly the final game I reviewed on it before the screen developed some LCD-related issues. Is the Gundam Breaker 4 Ultimate Edition worth it? I had access to some of the DLC included in the Gundam Breaker 4 Deluxe Edition and Gundam Breaker 4 Ultimate Edition. I can’t comment on the story DLC yet since it isn’t available, but the early unlocks aren’t game changing. You get level 1 parts for the suits listed on the store page, but I found the builders parts to be better as early DLC to help you get started. Beyond that, the Diorama content doesn’t seem to be fully available right now, but there is some content from the DLC I had access to, and it was really good for posing Gunpla and using the cel-shaded filter as well. Having tried the Diorama mode a lot across my playthroughs on all platforms, photo mode enthusiasts and those who enjoy those kinds of modes in games will find a lot to love here. Having more items and accessories in this mode will be good, but you could get those separately I assume. I love how Gunbarrel Strike Gundam – Gundam Breaker Ver looks, so having those parts was nice. I liked the design enough to order the collector’s edition the moment pre-orders went up as well. Is Gundam Breaker 4 worth it for the story? I’ve seen some folks excited to play Gundam Breaker 4 for its story, and while it is a fine story, you really are here for customization, battles, and building your ideal Gunpla. If you want a story-focused game instead, look at Megaton Musashi. Both games have their strengths and weaknesses, but I ended up clicking with the gameplay in Gundam Breaker 4 more as a fan of the older games. When I got my review codes for Gundam Breaker 4, I had a fun idea of starting the MG 78-2 Version 3.0 kit and building it alongside the game to finish both at the same time, but sadly there are too many other games releasing for me to be able to do that. Not only was it great to play a new Gundam Breaker alongside building my newest Gunpla kit, but there’s a new found appreciation I have for the work that goes into designing these kits now after moving to an MG and also an RG from HG kits. I’ve also been lucky enough to have some friends who are super helpful with Gunpla tips for decals, panel lining, and also what to do when stuck. I look forward to finishing this kit and then working on my RG next. The wait for Gundam Breaker 4 has been super long, and I didn’t even think we’d see a new game in the series after New Gundam Breaker, but here we are. Gundam Breaker 4 is real and it is spectacular in almost every way. It is my favorite Steam Deck game this year since Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance, and one I look forward to playing online and offline over the coming months with all the DLC planned. Gundam Breaker 4 Steam Deck review: 4.5/5

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 26th, 2024. In today’s article, we get the week …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Fragrant Story & Papaya’s Path’, Plus Today’s Other Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 26th, 2024. In today’s article, we get the week started with a somewhat lighter edition than we usually go with. No reviews today as I’m a bit busy on other projects, which means we just have a few new releases to go through plus the usual lists of new and expiring sales. Well, at least one of the new releases is interesting. The sales lists aren’t too shabby either. I’ll have some reviews tomorrow, hopefully. Let’s head on in and check out what we’ve got! Select New Releases Fragrant Story and Papaya’s Path ($7.99) Ah, the sordid tale of Fragrant Story, one of the would-be final Nintendo 3DS releases. There’s a lot of confusion out there around this game, so let me sort it out. Despite being a seemingly star-studded tactical role-playing game, those who bought the game on its release were surprised to get a game that lasted all of twenty minutes. The real story? Nintendo’s deadline for 3DS releases was coming quickly, so the developer pushed an unfinished game to the eShop. It was later updated into its intended from, a far more substantial game that lasts more than ten hours. So don’t worry if you see anything about this game being ridiculously short. It’s not. This version has the updates already packed in, and is a pretty solid pick-up for eight bucks if you’re into the genre. Quack Jump ($3.99) A simple platformer, but a functional one. It tries to keep things fresh through its 40-level run by sprinkling in new gimmicks as you go. For four dollars, it’s amusing enough. Underground Station ($7.90) Something of an idle game where you’re trying to repay your debts by working in a dungeon. It doesn’t look very fancy, but on a day where we have to wade through Moist Editions of AI-generated bikini anime girls, we take what we can get. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) Okay, let’s check that inbox first. Another sale from Limited Run Games, which is nice if you’re missing any of their quirky releases. Most of TROOOZE’s junk is on sale, of which I’ve listed only a few. Some Team 17 sales, too. Over in the outbox, the recent somewhat rare sale on the Front Mission remakes is drawing to a close. You might want to add them to your collection if you’re interested, because it seems like they’re discounted far less frequently than Forever’s other games. Select New Sales Jurassic Park Games Collection ($17.99 from $29.99 until 8/31) The House in Fata Morgana ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/31) Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/31) Night Trap ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/31) Cosmic Star Heroine ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/31) Phoenotopia: Awakening ($6.99 from $19.99 until 9/7) Enoh ($5.49 from $19.99 until 9/13) CosmoPlayerZ ($5.49 from $10.99 until 9/13) Knowledge Keeper ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/13) Three Minutes to Eight ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/13) Fall of Porcupine ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/13) Star Gagnant ($22.80 from $38.00 until 9/13) Moon Dancer ($13.29 from $18.99 until 9/13) Re:Touring ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/13) Life of Slime ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/13) Cybertrash STATYX ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/13) Awesome Pea 3 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/13) Itorah ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/13) Pizza Tycoon ($2.09 from $14.99 until 9/13) Lacuna ($1.99 from $19.99 until 9/13) Alien Survivors: Starship Resurrection ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/13) World War: Battle of the Bulge ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/13) World War: D-Day Part One ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/13) World War: D-Day Part Two ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/13) Out Racing: Arcade Memory ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/13) Last 4 Survive: The Outbreak ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/13) Modern War: Tank Battle ($1.99 from $14.99 until 9/13) Counter Delta: The Bullet Rain ($1.99 from $14.99 until 9/13) Haunted Dawn: Zombie Apocalypse ($1.99 from $14.99 until 9/13) Urban Warfare: Assault ($11.99 from $14.99 until 9/13) Operation Scorpion: Takedown ($11.99 from $14.99 until 9/13) Hamster on Rails ($5.99 from $14.99 until 9/14) Ultimate Chicken Horse ($6.74 from $14.99 until 9/14) Our Field Trip Adventure ($3.99 from $14.50 until 9/15) Overcooked! All You Can Eat ($15.99 from $39.99 until 9/15) Worms Rumble ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/15) The Survivalists ($2.49 from $24.99 until 9/15) Blasphemous 2 ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/15) Moving Out ($7.49 from $24.99 until 9/15) Sales Ending Tomorrow, August 27th Aeterna Noctis ($8.99 from $29.99 until 8/27) Arise: A Simple Story ($2.99 from $19.99 until 8/27) ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/27) Badland: GotY Edition ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/27) Bang-On Balls: Chronicles ($9.99 from $24.99 until 8/27) Blazing Beaks ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/27) Bus Driving Simulator 22 ($2.99 from $27.99 until 8/27) Chippy & Noppo ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/27) Cult of the Lamb ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/27) Descenders ($4.99 from $24.99 until 8/27) Everdream Valley ($9.99 from $24.99 until 8/27) Flame Keeper ($3.99 from $11.99 until 8/27) Front Mission 1st: Remake ($17.49 from $34.99 until 8/27) Front Mission 2: Remake ($23.44 from $34.99 until 8/27) Gamedec: Definitive ($2.99 from $29.99 until 8/27) LOUD: My Road to Fame ($1.99 from $7.99 until 8/27) Nine Parchments ($4.39 from $19.99 until 8/27) Ready, Steady, Ship! ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/27) Red Wings: American Aces ($1.99 from $11.99 until 8/27) Soundfall ($4.49 from $29.99 until 8/27) Summum Aeterna ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/27) SuperEpic: The Entertainment War ($1.99 from $17.99 until 8/27) Terra Flame ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/27) Tools Up ($1.99 from $19.99 until 8/27) Trine 2: Complete Story ($3.73 from $16.99 until 8/27) Trine 3: Artifacts of Power ($4.39 from $19.99 until 8/27) Trine Enchanted Edition ($3.29 from $14.99 until 8/27) War Titans ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/27) Xiaomei & the Flame Dragon’s Fist ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/27) That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new releases, more sales, and perhaps some reviews and news. It really depends on what else I’ve got to deal with. Wish me luck in getting things done in a timely manner. I hope you all have a magnificent Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of …

Continue reading "Best iPhone Game Updates: ‘TMNT Splintered Fate’, ‘Subway Surfers’, ‘Another Eden’, and More"

Hello everyone, and welcome to the week! It’s time once again for our look back at the noteworthy updates of the last seven days. Lots of big names in the list this week, though one heavily skewed towards free-to-play stuff. Some Apple Arcade games as well, naturally. Still, it’s a good mix of games with some interesting updates to consider. Of course, you can keep an eye out for updates yourself by participating in the TouchArcade forums. This weekly summary is just here to fill you in on the things you might have missed. Let’s go for it! Subway Surfers, Free Sydney is a city, and Sydney is the center of a couple of updates this week. Apparently in the world of Subway Surfers, there is a veggie revolution happening. Veggie, not Vegimite. Collect Veggie tokens, build a bean burger, and unlock Billy Bean. On top of this, you can look forward to a bunch of green-themed characters, boards, and bundles. Oh, I see. It’s a whole “green" thing. Okay, that’s fun. Save the planet, kids. It’s the only one we’ve got. Mars isn’t happening anytime soon. Tiny Tower: Tap Idle Evolution, Free Out with the Olympics event, in with the summer event. It’s still summer! So says the calendar, so says the temperature. Anyway, the gist of this event is that you serve up VIPs and roll the dice to earn event points, and at certain thresholds you get rewards. Each week is its own thing, and at the end you’ll get rewards based on your overall progress across all weeks. Different VIPs are worth different amounts of points, and you know the pay to win option is real here. But hey, free stuff. MARVEL Puzzle Quest: Hero RPG, Free I don’t talk enough about Marvel Puzzle Quest, but that’s more because it trucks along consistently and quietly. As with other Marvel games, this one was doing an event tied in with Deadpool and Wolverine. It’s over now, and all the sweeping up has been done. That includes a rebalance for Old Man Logan, complete with a new costume. The latest PVP Season of Mind has come to a close, so keep your eyes out for the next one. Hm. I’m now realizing this update is mostly clean-up, but at least you’re thinking about Marvel Puzzle Quest now. ANOTHER EDEN, Free The King of Fighters! In addition to being a pretty good little RPG in its own right, Another Eden has been home to some truly strange collaboration events. Is The King of Fighters the strangest? Probably not, but it’s up there. On top of that cross-over, this update adds a new Parallel Time Layer Ally, the Thornbound Witch Shanie. Is Mai here? Let me check the paperwork. Yes, she is. Good. Terry, Kyo, Mai, and Kula. Good enough. I’ll give this the UMMSotW award for this week because Mai is cool. Temple Run: Legends, The relatively recently-launched stage-based Temple Run game already has a nice little update to enjoy. The new Outfit System does pretty much what you would think it does. Unlock new Outfits to equip to the characters to change their looks. But wait, there’s more! Those Outfits have some useful new traits to give you a variety of advantages during your runs. Wacky looks that work for you? If only real life was like that! Instead people just point and laugh, which is not an advantage at all. TMNT Splintered Fate, Those Toitles are at it again! Splintered Fate launched on other platforms recently, and it seems the developers have decided to bring over some of the improvements for those versions over to the mobile release. Couch co-op! Cross-platform online multiplayer! Improved controller interfaces! All that, plus some nice upgrades to the graphics, audio, and more. It’s like getting extra cheese on your pizza without asking for it! Disney Dreamlight Valley, The Princess and the Frog is in the spotlight in the latest version of Disney Dreamlight Valley. Tiana is here to set up a restaurant and a new Stall, and apparently Remy is somewhere around too. Makes sense. Cooking is kind of his thing. You can also get a New Orleans style parade going on. That’s fun. I always like seeing Disney movies outside of the biggest hits get some representation in games like these. Outlanders, Okay, let’s try to parse the update notes for Outlanders. Always a challenge. Volume VI of Outlanders Chronicles is here, giving you six new playable leaders and following the rise and subsequent fall of a community. Something to do with a comet not appearing when it should have. Maybe they’re one of those weird cults? Well, I’m not about to bother them to find out. They seem sad about it. You, however, can feel free to bother them by checking out this latest version of the game. SimCity BuildIt, Free Here’s our other Sydney-themed update today, and it’s also somewhat focused on the whole green angle. Okay, that’s fine. Captain Planet would certainly approve, and I never mess with someone with a green mullet. Add buildings like the Beam Wireless, Green Exchange, and Flower Bud to your city. There are also some limited-time structures like the Sydney Zoo and Paper Bag. Jump in on this Mayor’s Pass Season and liven up your city with these new sites. Sights? Sites and sights. Merge Mansion, Free The obligatory free-to-play matching puzzle game update of the week is our closer this time, and I’ve picked Merge Mansion. A new area is available in the form of the Speakeasy. Wait, are those legal? Like Grandma would care. Some improvements have been made to the Landing Room and Lounge, a new Mystery Pass offers an intriguing new pet, some balance adjustments have been made, and a whole mess of events have been seeded in that you’ll see pop up in the coming weeks. Add in some bug fixes, and that’s about it for this one. That about wraps it up for last week’s significant updates. I’m sure I’ve missed some, though, so please feel free to comment below and let everyone know if you think something should be mentioned. As usual, major updates will likely get their own news stories throughout this week, and I’ll be back next Monday to summarize and fill in the blanks. Have a great week!

Niantic and Capcom just detailed the next major update coming to Monster Hunter Now (Free). Monster Hunter Now Season 3 …

Continue reading "‘Monster Hunter Now’ Season 3 To Add Magnamalo, Heavy Bowgun Weapon, Cooking, and More on September 11th"

Niantic and Capcom just detailed the next major update coming to Monster Hunter Now (Free). Monster Hunter Now Season 3 “Curse of the Wandering Flames" sees Magnamalo arrive as the first Monster Hunter Rise original monster joining the Monster Hunter Now roster. Alongside Magnamalo, two other monsters join in the action including my favorite: Rajang. The final monster addition is Aknosom. Monster Hunter Now’s Season 3 update also brings in a new weapon, the Heavy Bowgun, cooking as a feature, and more. I’m curious to see how Magnamalo and Rajang are in-game as I adore hunting both of them in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak and Monster Hunter World: Iceborne for Rajang. Check out Magnamalo’s artwork for Monster Hunter Now below: Check out some of the new gear from the update below: If you’ve not played Monster Hunter Now recently or are planning to just start playing, I put together tips and tricks for the game, details on the weapons, special skills, the current monsters list, my wishlist for future update monsters, and more. You can grab Monster Hunter Now on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The in app purchases include different sets of gems and upgrades. Check out the official website here. What do you think of the current state of the game and are you looking forward to Teostra next month?

At Anime NYC this weekend, Aniplex USA shared more details for its upcoming 3D action RPG Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist …

Continue reading "3D Action RPG ‘Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist Another Story’ From Aniplex Gets a New Trailer Ahead of Its Launch on Mobile and PC"

At Anime NYC this weekend, Aniplex USA shared more details for its upcoming 3D action RPG Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist Another Story (). Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist Another Story is in development for iOS, Android, and Windows release this year. Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist Another Story is based on the Blue Exorcist IP, and the story of the game features new original characters showcased in the game’s new trailer. In addition to this new trailer, pre-orders and pre-registrations have gone live for the game. Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist Another Story sees you taking on the role of an exorcist assigned to the Special Investigations Unit in the Japanese branch of the Knights of the True Cross. Watch the new trailer below: Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist Another Story doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet, and the App Store page also confirms that the date listed there is a placeholder. If you’d like to try Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist Another Story, you can pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Check out the official website here where a lot of the pre-registration reward tiers are detailed. Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist Another Story is due this summer on iOS, Android, and Windows. What do you think of Alterna Vvelt: Blue Exorcist Another Story so far?

Netflix recently announced more games coming to its service in the coming months, but an unannounced (as far as I’m …

Continue reading "‘SpongeBob: Bubble Pop’ Is a New Bust-a-Move-Like Coming to iOS and Android Through Tic Toc Games, Nickelodeon, and Netflix"

Netflix recently announced more games coming to its service in the coming months, but an unannounced (as far as I’m aware) casual Bust-a-Move-like game in the form of SpongeBob: Bubble Pop has gone up for pre-order on the App Store and pre-registration on Android. SpongeBob: Bubble Pop (Free) from Tic Toc Games and Nickelodeon is due on September 17th going by the App Store listing, and it aims to offer players hundreds of puzzles where you match colors and free sea snails to save Bikini Bottom. It will include boosters, various unlocks, SpongeBob cosmetics, a skill crane to earn even more costumes, and more. Check out some screenshots from it below: If you’d like to play SpongeBob: Bubble Pop at launch, you can pre-order it on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. If we get a gameplay trailer, Ill post about it, but I think everyone knows what to expect from a game like this. I’m curious if we see more games announced at Netflix Geeked week in the near future. What do you think of SpongeBob: Bubble Pop and Netflix bringing more casual games like this to its service?

HoYoverse has begun pre-installation for the major Genshin Impact (Free) version 5.0 “Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn" update for …

Continue reading "‘Genshin Impact’ Version 5.0 Update Pre-Installation Now Live, New Trailer Released"

HoYoverse has begun pre-installation for the major Genshin Impact (Free) version 5.0 “Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn" update for on supported platforms. If you’ve not followed the game recently, Genshin Impact 5.0 brings in the sixth nation: Natlan, new characters like Mualani, reruns for Raiden Shogun, and much more. The update will launch beginning August 28th for mobile, PC, PS5, and PS4 with the game launching on Xbox Series X this November. The first Genshin Impact 5.0 banner features: Mualani, Kachina and Kaedehara Kazuha while banner 2 has Kinich and Raiden Shogun. This update is also supposed to bring in updated visuals. Read about that here. Watch the new Genshin Impact trailer for Kachina below: You can pre-install it by tapping the pre-install resource package button. The download size is 2.67GB on iOS and about 16GB on PC. If you’d like to play Genshin Impact and don’t own it yet, you can download it for free on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. If you play on iOS, with iOS 14.5 or iPadOS 14.5 and later, you can use PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers to play Genshin Impact. We featured Genshin Impact as our Game of the Week when it released and awarded it our 2020 Game of the Year. I also featured it as one of the best iOS games to play with a controller. What do you think of Genshin Impact 5.0 so far?

In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show I talk about how I finally ended up getting sick after weeks …

Continue reading "Ok I’m Actually Sick Now – The TouchArcade Show #601"

In this week’s episode of The TouchArcade Show I talk about how I finally ended up getting sick after weeks of being teased with it, and then I really bum out the vibe of the show sharing my horrible cat-sitting story. We then go into the fiasco that is the latest Overcast update which really screwed the pooch for Eli’s podcast listening lifestyle, and touch on some of Apple’s latest upcoming changes in the EU region. We also hit on some more iOS 18 beta talk and finish things off by going through some listener emails, which is always a blast. Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated! As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer. Stitcher: The TouchArcade Show via Stitcher Radio for Podcasts RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-601.mp3

I’m a simple man. Give me an old-school first-person dungeon crawler and I’m a pretty happy guy. Make one centered …

Continue reading "TouchArcade Game of the Week: ‘Labyrinth: The Wizard’s Cat’"

I’m a simple man. Give me an old-school first-person dungeon crawler and I’m a pretty happy guy. Make one centered around rescuing a cat and, oh boy, now you’re really speaking my language. Throw in a really unique touchscreen control scheme that I’ve never seen in a game of this type before and we’ve got a winner winner chicken-that-you-found-in-a-barrel dinner. That accurately describes Labyrinth: The Wizard’s Cat from developer ZombiSoft, who appears to be just a single person named Anders Gustavsson. There are some rough edges here, and some negative things to note, but by and large I’m just having a super good time with Labyrinth: The Wizard’s Cat and I’m excited to see where it takes me. So as the story goes, you’re an apprentice wizard who is tasked with finding the runaway cat of your mentor wizard, and you graduating to become a full-blown wizard hinges on you completing this mission. Just when you think you’ve cornered the adorable little feline you find yourself transported to a dungeon labyrinth filled with traps and enemies. You also spot the kitty roaming around and so your mission now becomes more difficult as you try to make your way through this dungeon alive as well as rescue your boss’s pesky little cat. Now, Labyrinth: The Wizard’s Cat isn’t a highly complex game by any means. There’s some light RPG elements in the form of leveling up and finding cool new weapons and gear, but there’s no party system or any extensive character progression. It reminds me a lot of Questlord in that it’s a pretty simple affair mechanically but the story, the visuals, and the personality of the game compel you to keep moving forward. Also, just because this game is bright and colorful and has a fairly straightforward design don’t think it’s some pushover. The game actually gets rather difficult rather quickly, but thankfully you can save anytime and anywhere, which is something you should practice doing often. The really neat feature here is the control scheme. You can choose between virtual arrows or swipe gestures for directional movement, which is pretty par for the course. But if you lay a second thumb down on the screen you can free look in any direction. It takes a little getting used to but the swipe gesture movement coupled with the free look gesture combines to make for a very satisfying touchscreen control scheme. It almost feels like you’re playing a first-person shooter at times, once you get comfortable and start zipping around to and fro, but you’re actually still playing a game with grid-based movement. My small nitpicks are that I really wish this game had an option to play in portrait, and the swipe detection for movement is a bit finicky. It recognizes short, fast swipes as opposed to longer ones, and before I figured that out I was having a really frustrating time thinking the game wasn’t detecting my inputs. Probably something that can be smoothed out in an update. Overall though, despite being a bit basic overall and having some rough edges, Labyrinth: The Wizard’s Cat is a very enjoyable retro dungeon crawler, which is something we don’t get too many of nowadays. If that’s not worth a couple of bucks then I’m not sure what is.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. I delayed publishing this because Gamescom 2024 is on right …

Continue reading "Steam Deck Weekly: Gamescom 2024 Steam Deck News, Reviews Including Bakeru and SCHiM, New Verified Games, Discounts, and More"

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. I delayed publishing this because Gamescom 2024 is on right now with news from Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live, game announcements, show floor information, and more. If you missed my Black Myth: Wukong Steam Deck review, read it here. Today’s article has Steam Deck impressions for Bakeru and Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, reviews of a few notable indies, Shaun’s take on the Warhammer 40K: Boltgun DLC, bundles, new Steam Deck Verified games, and more. Let’s get into the reviews and impressions first. Steam Deck Game Reviews & Impressions Bakeru Steam Deck Review When Bakeru was released in Japan, a friend of mine imported it and praised it quite a bit. I tried the demo and was turned off by the technical issues. It was charming, but not enough to put up with no localization and performance issues on Switch. When it leaked on the eShop, I was hoping we’d see performance improvements or a port to PC. We ended up getting both more or less. Bakeru’s Switch release in the West is improved over the Japanese launch version, and it is also now on PC with an excellent port. Bakeru is an action platformer from Good-Feel who are most known for the Yoshi games and also more-recently Princess Peach Showtime from Nintendo. The studio has done some games outside Nintendo brands, and the newest in this line of non Nintendo games from Good-Feel is Bakeru. Shaun will be doing a full review for this one, but so far Bakeru feels and plays great on Steam Deck. On Steam Deck and PC, Bakeru lets you adjust display mode (windowed and borderless only), resolution (with full 16:10 support), toggle v-sync, adjust frame rate cap (Note that v-sync off means the game runs at 60fps. Turn it on if you would like to play at your monitor’s refresh rate or at 90fps on Steam Deck OLED), anti-aliasing (off, FXAA, SMAA), adjust filtering quality (trilinear, 2x, 4x, 8x, and 16x), and draw distance (low, medium, high). I played Bakeru on both my Steam Decks. My LCD is running the newest SteamOS beta. On that, I had zero issues with the game and it ran at a locked 60fps at maximum settings. On Steam Deck OLED running the public build of the OS, I only had some issues at 90fps. This seemingly wasn’t related to the settings, but something in the game because I had some shader-related or traversal stuttering in parts, but they only happened initially. I imagine Bakeru will be Steam Deck Verified soon as it runs perfectly if you play at 60fps and near-perfectly at 90fps. The one issue I ran into pre-release that Spike Chunsoft and the developers already fixed is button prompts being incorrectly displayed. This had the game showing Switch positions instead of Xbox ones when using my 8BitDo Xbox controller or the Steam Deck itself. I’m glad this was resolved pre-release as the game has no port issues, and it is dramatically better than the Switch version. When using a DualSense, it correctly showed PlayStation prompts with the proper labels and positions as well. Bakeru is a good platformer that I recommend playing on PC over Switch right now. The Switch version, despite performance improvements over the Japanese demo, still has too much variance in its performance to be an easy recommendation. The HD Rumble there is nice, but everything else holds it back. On PC, you miss out on the HD Rumble, but Bakeru runs a lot better across the board, and I’ve been enjoying digging into it over the last week. Stay tuned for Shaun’s full review of the Switch version in the near future. Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Steam Deck Review There have been many game franchises that I completely missed out on over the years. The Sam & Max series of games is one of those. When I was offered a code to play Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, I figured now was the time to finally play these games with the new remasters. If you’re just here for the game itself, I urge you to read Shaun’s Switch review here. I’m going to focus on how it plays on Steam Deck. Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse is the final game in the episodic Sam & Max main trilogy. This new remaster is amazing in basically every way. This includes how it controls, looks, sounds, and feels. It even has many accessibility options to make things go smoothly if you’re new to this kind of adventure game. You can toggle different hint levels and disable flashing in the accessibility settings. On the graphics and display side, you can play Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse at higher resolutions when docked on Steam Deck, but performance doesn’t hold close to 60fps if you play at 4K. I recommend sticking to it in handheld mode for a 60 or higher experience. You can adjust the graphics quality, texture quality, anti-aliasing, toggle v-sync, and adjust display mode and resolution in the graphics settings. With Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, I’m glad I finally got around to playing these games. Not only are they all absolutely worth your time and money, but they play superbly on Steam Deck. I’d love for the remasters to hit iPad, but until then the Steam Deck is my favorite way to play Skunkape Games’ remasters. SCHiM Steam Deck Review Given the sheer amount of releases lately, I didn’t get around to playing SCHiM much at launch. I’m glad I finally rectified that because it is equal parts charming and gorgeous, and it has been the perfect game to relax with as a break from the longer upcoming games I’m playing for review right now. Developers Ewoud van der Werf and Nils Slijkerman have released a brilliant take on a 3D platformer using light, shadow, and more for puzzles, and it is all elevated by excellent audio. Aside from the striking aesthetic, what really carries SCHiM through its four or so hours long runtime is the animation work and sound design. As you work towards solving the various puzzles in the game, every interaction has a lovely little animation, and it all feels beyond polished when played at a rock solid 90fps on Steam Deck OLED. The blend of the shadows and lights for puzzles also are enhanced by the screen in handheld mode. So SCHiM runs perfectly out of the box on Steam Deck at 90fps, but how about docked? When played at 720p docked, it nearly does a locked 144fps. Playing at 1080p results in well over 100fps at all times. SCHiM supports 16:10 as well which is great to see on Steam Deck. I have no complaints with it aside from the fact that it might seem short for its price to some, and that there really is no evolution of the mechanics over the course of the game. While this isn’t a dealbreaker, it does hold SCHiM down from perfection. SCHiM is a lovely abstract take on games like Frogger for the modern era. Come into this expecting a work of art with excellent audio design more than a complex puzzle game. I enjoyed just about every level despite the mechanics not really evolving. I enjoyed it enough on Steam Deck to order a physical copy of the Switch version from Japan already. This is definitely worth your time if you enjoy delightful, gorgeous, and relaxing puzzle games. SCHiM Steam Deck review score: 4.5/5 Gestalt: Steam and Cinder Steam Deck Review Gestalt: Steam and Cinder is another game I wish I got around to playing sooner like SCHiM above. It has been on the review backlog for a bit now, but having played it, this action platformer is fantastic. Not only does it nail the aesthetic with its blend of 16 and 32-bit visuals, but the sound design, story, and gameplay are sublime. What initially drew me to Gestalt: Steam and Cinder, is the steampunk visual style in pixel art. I adore the character designs, but wasn’t sure another action platformer would be able to hit hard enough for me in recent years. Having played it, the story is very good, but without getting into spoilers, I feel like there’s more to this tale. Hopefully we see some story DLC in the future. On the gameplay side, Gestalt: Steam and Cinder felt a bit easier than I expected outside of two bosses I had trouble with. Nothing major though, and the responsive controls help across the board. Gestalt: Steam and Cinder ships Steam Deck Verified, and it is perfect on Valve’s handheld. The only thing I’d like to see, if feasible, is support for 90fps. Right now, the game is capped at 60fps and 16:9. I tested this on both my Steam Decks docked and in handheld mode. Given how crowded the genre is, I know most people roll their eyes when they see another action platformer, but Gestalt: Steam and Cinder is one you cannot afford to miss. It is one of the best in the genre with its excellent gameplay, narrative, music, and slick visuals. Gestalt: Steam and Cinder is also perfect on Steam Deck from start to finish. Gestalt: Steam and Cinder Steam Deck review score: 4.5/5 Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Forges of Corruption Expansion Steam Deck Review The original Boltgun was a refreshing surprise for me when it was released last year. While I’m not as into first-person shooters as deeply as some, I can certainly enjoy a good boomer shooter. Give me fast, furious action with some interest levels to explore, a satisfying selection of weapons, and challenging enemy encounters and I’m there. Boltgun had all of that, all dressed up in a Warhammer theme that if nothing else helps the world feel like it extends outside of the borders of the game. A thoroughly enjoying game to play through, and one that left me properly sated… or did it? While I thought I had had my fill of Boltgun, I was actually quite happy when Forges of Corruption was released. I guess I was still hungry. This expansion gives you five more levels of carnage to engage in, and they run on the larger side. You get two new guns to play with, one being an enhanced flamethrower and the other a rocket launcher. Sure, can’t argue with that. You also get some new enemies to try those toys out on, and you’ll need every edge you can get to deal with them. When compared to the original game’s levels, Forges of Corruption‘s stages favor more wide open spaces. This puts your mobility skills to the test, as you’ll have to keep on moving to avoid getting surrounded or cornered. If you haven’t mastered the dash already from playing the main campaign, you’ll need to get up to speed fast here. It’s an interesting change-up from the more compact design that the base game relied on so much. The enhanced flamethrower’s spread can really help you out here, and rockets always prefer open spaces. Difficulty-wise, these levels are mostly going to be a relative breeze for those who played through the first game. The last one is a real beast though, and you’re going to have to use everything you’ve learned to overcome it. Which is to say that while you can play this expansion without finishing the main game, you really should leave it for after. All-up, it takes a few hours to get through it all. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Forges of Corruption keep the party rolling with a set of new stages that show off a slightly different design intent than those of the original. The new weapons and enemies are appreciated, and the level design makes the most of both. I do wish there was something more interesting going on visually here, and the difficulty curve isn’t as smooth as it was in the base game. Still, those looking for more Boltgun challenges to tackle will find them here.-Shaun Musgrave Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Forges of Corruption Expansion Steam Deck review score: 4/5 News and Trailers Let’s begin the massive (and fast-paced) news section of this week with a brand-new trailer for my most anticipated game of 2025: Monster Hunter Wilds. The trailer has the game looking better than before, and I’m getting more excited reading all the details from hands-on gameplay sessions people have at Gamescom. Watch the third Monster Hunter Wilds trailer below: The next bit of news I’m excited for is Final Fantasy XVI, the best singleplayer Final Fantasy game since XII, is coming to Steam in a few weeks with pre-orders and a demo now live. It is sadly pretty rough on Steam Deck, but I hope things improve. Terry Bogard launches on September 24th in Street Fighter 6 as the second DLC for the Year 2 Pass. His gameplay trailer looks incredible. While not directly Steam-related, Capcom is also bringing Resident Evil 2 to GOG on August 27th. I couldn’t get Resident Evil 1’s GOG release to work on Deck, but I hope this one works. Capcom also released a demo for the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection on Steam and consoles. Check it out here. Read my preview of the full game here. Silent Hill 2 from Konami got a new story trailer, and this is the first trailer that’s been liked by a friend of mine who is a huge fan of the series. This will be my first Silent Hill game, so I’m excited to try it. Square Enix released a new “Final" trailer for Visions of Mana ahead of its launch next week. I can’t wait to talk about the full game soon. A few days ago, Cygames released the big Version 1.50 update for Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising on Steam and consoles bringing in big balance adjustments, the new DLC character Versusia, and in-game content included with Battle Pass Round 5. Watch the trailer below: Persona 3 Reload’s expansion Episode Aigis is adding Joker as a boss fight. I didn’t expect that one, but I’m looking forward to playing the DLC very soon. Atlus will host a new ATLUS Exclusive showcase for Metaphor: ReFantazio on August 28th at 8 PM. It will be on YouTube. I’m looking forward to playing this hopefully soon for review. Atlus also revealed the English voice cast for the game. Check it out below: Protagonist – Caleb Yen Strohl – Stewart Clarke Hulkenberg – Kristin Atherton Gallica – Alejandra Reynoso Heismay – Phillipe Spall Junah – Emma Ballantine Eupha – Emily Burnett Neuras – David Monteith Louis – Joseph Tweedale More – Greg Chun Grius – Gordon Cooper A new trailer for Metaphor has also gone live, and it is the best one yet for the game ahead of its launch in October. Watch it below: SEGA released a new trailer for Sonic X Shadow Generations that makes me wish the game was out sooner. We need anime music videos based on this for sure. Tempest Rising from 3D Realms got a new PvP teaser trailer this week at Gamescom 2024. It looks superb. Check out the footage below: A game I’m excited to play later this year, Slitterhead from Bokeh Game Studio, got a new story trailer this week. Watch it below: A game most thought wouldn’t release this year, The Plucky Squire from Devolver Digital, launches on September 17th with a lovely new trailer you can watch below. I’m excited to try this out on Steam Deck and Switch. Devolver Digital is also launching Sumerian Six, the real time tactical stealth game via Steam, on September 2nd. Raw Fury is releasing the horror survival game Post Trauma on October 29th. Check out its release date trailer below: Blizzard is celebrating Warcraft’s 30th anniversary in Overwatch 2 with a new skin for Widowmaker as Sylvanas next month. Check it out below: Action adventure game Unknown 9: Awakening from Bandai Namco launches on October 18th for Steam and consoles. Pre-orders are now live with a new gameplay trailer you can watch below: Eternal Strands, set to launch in 2025, got a new gameplay trailer at Gamescom 2024 from Yellow Brick Games. Watch it below: Superhero-themed visual novel Sacrifice Villains from Shiravune is set to release on Steam this year. It will be priced at $19.99. Check out the Steam page here. Little Nightmares III also had a new trailer during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024. It releases on Steam and all consoles next year. Diablo IV’s Vessel of Hatred expansion got a new trailer showcasing the Mercenary companions ahead of the expansion’s launch this October. Inti Creates is releasing a demo for Card-en-Ciel on September 4th for Steam. Alongside this news, a new gameplay trailer has been released. Watch it below: A sequel to Wilmot’s Warehouse is set to release on Steam on October 23rd in the form of Wilmot Works It Out. I loved the original and cannot wait to play this. Risk of Rain 2’s Seekers of the Storm DLC launches on August 27th for PC and consoles. I’ll be checking this one out on Steam Deck. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II launches on February 11th, 2025 and a new gameplay showcase this week makes me wonder if this will even run on Steam Deck with how good it looks. I’ll definitely try it. Watch the showcase below: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves from SNK launches on April 24th, 2025 for Steam, PS5, PS4, and Xbox Series X. The launch price is a special edition with the first pass. Watch the new trailer showing off the amazing Mai Shiranui and the release date showcase below: Level Infinite streamed its recent “Into the Infinite" showcase featuring updates from its partners covering games like Soulframe, Warframe, and much more. Watch it below: https://www.youtube.com/live/KAIFQ8TZCp8 Sharkmob’s Exoborne had a new trailer released during the showcase above as well. Watch it below: Civilization VII from Firaxis and 2K launches for Steam and all consoles on February 11th, 2025 with pre-orders now live. Check out the gameplay trailer below: 2K also revealed two other games for 2025, and they’re big ones. Borderlands 4 and Mafia The Old Country are in development for Steam and consoles for 2025 release. Watch the trailers below: Arc System Works has revealed new details for Double Dragon Revive including the composers and story details. The composers include Raito and many more. Check out the website here. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches on Steam and Xbox on December 9th with pre-orders now live on Steam. I’m looking forward to playing this. The newest Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream trailers focus on Leafa and Sinon. Watch them below: Delta Force, the first person multiplayer shooter, previously known as Delta Force: Hawk Ops launches later this year for PC via Early Access on Steam from Level Infinite. It is also set to come to iOS and Android and consoles. Amazon Prime is doing a series on video games titled Secret Level with a focus on specific games over 15 episodes. These include Armored Core, Spelunky, New World: Aeternum, and more. It is set to begin streaming this December. Speaking of New World: Aeterum, a new video series based on the game can now be watched ahead of the game’s launch on October 15th: Marvel Rivals from NetEase Games launches as a free to play game on December 6th for Steam and consoles with all heroes included for free. Starfield’s Shattered Space DLC launches on September 30th for Steam and Xbox. A new update is also available now on all platforms. Akatsuki Games released a new trailer for the extreme action game Tribe Nine ahead of its launch on Steam and mobile. Free to play third person MOBA Predecessor is now available on Steam and consoles from Omeda Studios. Watch the trailer for it below: Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO gets another trailer showing off more of the game in its “50 days from now" trailer. Watch it below: Path of Exile 2 launches on Steam and consoles via Early Access on November 15th. Watch the new trailer from Grinding Gear Games below: Dying Light: The Beast is a standalone open world game that’s free for owners of Dying Light 2 Ultimate Edition. It is set to release in the future. Idea Factory International announced that Date A Live: Ren Dystopia releases on September 5th for Steam. I’ll be reviewing this one. Check it out on Steam here. Torn Banner Studios (Chivalry 2) announced that the UE5-powered shooter No More Room in Hell 2 will launch in Steam early access this Halloween. Watch the trailer below from Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024: Warner Bros Games also showcased a new Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns gameplay trailer focussing on Cyrax who is a part of the new DLC. Tokyo Xtreme Racer from Genki is a new entry in the long-running series coming to Steam in 2025. I’m glad to see this because a friend of mine is a huge fan. Watch the trailer below: Square Enix released a new trailer for Life is Strange: Double Exposure showcasing Max’s powers. Watch it below: New Steam Deck Verified & Playable games for the week This week, Yakuza 4 and Devil Blade Reboot are the highlights for new Verified games, and EA’s anti-cheat issues continue to make more games unplayable on Steam Deck. Check out every notable game tested by Valve since the last article below: #BLUD – Verified Atlas Fallen – Unsupported Battlefield 1 – Unsupported (new anti-cheat issues) DEVIL BLADE REBOOT – Verified EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25 – Unsupported (new anti-cheat issues) Eastward – Playable Flatout 3 – Playable hololive treasure mountain – Verified Isles of Sea and Sky – Verified LISA: The First – Unsupported Metropolis: Lux Obscura – Playable Mika and The Witch’s Mountain – Verified Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2: Deluxe Edition – Unsupported (new anti-cheat issues) Pocket Bravery – Playable shapez 2 – Playable Skull and Bones – Playable SNK VS. CAPCOM SVC CHAOS – Playable SPY×ANYA: Operation Memories – Playable Squirrel with a Gun – Verified Sword of Convallaria – Unsupported Teeny Tiny Trains – Playable The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker – Playable THE LAST BLADE – Playable Tomba! Special Edition – Playable Wild Bastards – Verified Yakuza 4 Remastered – Verified Steam Deck Game Sales, Discounts, and Specials The highlights of the week when it comes to sales and discounts are the Steam Rhythm Fest until August 26th with discounts on games like Crypt of the Necrodancer, Trombone Champ, and DJ MAX RESPECT V, and also the new Capcom Resident Evil Humble Bundle. Next week, following the Rhythm Fest, the Isometric Games Sale begins with many discounts from publishers and developers including Owlcat Games. Check out a trailer for the event below: That’s all for this edition of the Steam Deck Weekly. As usual, you can read all our past and future Steam Deck coverage here. If you have any feedback for this feature or what else you’d like to see us do around the Steam Deck, let us know in the comments below. I hope you all have a great day, and thanks for reading.

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 23rd, 2024. It’s the end of another week, and …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Thermonuclear’, ‘Magnus Trilogy’, Plus Today’s Other New Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 23rd, 2024. It’s the end of another week, and we’re creeping ever closer to the end of the month and the season. In the world of Switch, sometimes a slow Thursday means a big Friday. Well, not this time. We’ve got a few new releases to look at amidst the junk, plus the usual lists of new sales and expiring discounts for you to consider. Things will be busier next week, but only a little. September can’t come soon enough. Let’s finish up the week! Select New Releases Operation: Polygon Storm ($14.99) A relatively basic real-time base defense game, just from a slightly different point of view than the one we usually see in this genre. I wouldn’t exactly call it visually impressive, but the destructible environments do add a little spice to an otherwise straightforward take. Not my genre of choice, but if it’s yours then you might want to give it a closer look. Thermonuclear ($7.99) Set in a distant future where a third World War has broken out, Thermonuclear casts you as a member of a megacorporation out to claim victory. You have access to a powerful new technology called Thermonuclear, an advanced combat cyborg. Guide your cyborg through procedurally-generated stages, engaging in turn-based strategic combat with the enemies found within. You’ll upgrade your cyborg as you go, and if you’re lucky you might just be able to take down the Allfather AI and save the world. If not? Well, you can always try again. Seems decent from what I’ve seen so far. Magnus Trilogy ($8.99) A series of visual novels in the Magnus series, bundled together in one simple package. These lean more towards the bizarre and psychological end of the curve. At the very least, you can’t argue with the price per title here. Not for everyone, but some will get a lot out of this. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) An intriguing assortment of new sales, but a short enough list that I’ll mainly leave it to you. What I will mention is that PowerWash Simulator is not only featuring a discount on the main game, but also all of its paid DLC packs. Now is the time to stock up if you don’t already own them. In the weekend outbox, Team 17’s got a round of titles finishing up their sales. They’ll certainly be back on sale again soon, but maybe you want them now? Choices to make. Select New Sales Botany Manor ($22.49 from $24.99 until 8/29) Puddle Knights ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/30) Batman: The Telltale Series ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/30) Batman: The Enemy Within ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/30) Fuga: Melodies of Steel ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/2) Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 ($23.99 from $39.99 until 9/2) Kingdom Come Deliverance ($29.99 from $49.99 until 9/4) Outward Definitive ($23.99 from $39.99 until 9/4) Metro 2033 Redux ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/4) Metro Last Light Redux ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/4) Kona II: Brume ($11.99 from $29.99 until 9/4) F1 Manager 2024 ($27.99 from $34.99 until 9/5) Adventure Bar Story ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/5) Anomaly Agent ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/5) Ambition: A Minuet in Power ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/6) Skulls of the Shogun ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/6) Galak-Z The Void Deluxe ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/6) PowerWash Simulator ($17.49 from $24.99 until 9/6) Fear Effect Sedna ($1.99 from $19.99 until 9/6) Suhoshin ($4.49 from $14.99 until 9/6) Ty the Tasmanian Tiger HD ($10.49 from $29.99 until 9/6) Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 4 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/6) Hampuzz ($3.49 from $6.99 until 9/11) Yeah! You Want Those Games, Right? ($7.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) Carry Onward ($2.99 from $4.99 until 9/12) Abyss of the Sacrifice ($11.99 from $39.99 until 9/12) Starward Rogue ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/12) Commandos 2: HD Remaster ($14.99 from $19.99 until 9/12) Commandos 3: HD Remaster ($20.99 from $29.99 until 9/12) Incredible Mandy ($5.99 from $14.99 until 9/12) 4 The Elements ($7.19 from $8.99 until 9/12) Lunar Axe ($3.99 from $4.99 until 9/12) TMNT Wrath of the Mutants ($17.99 from $29.99 until 9/12) Frogue ($3.99 from $4.99 until 9/12) Toridama2: Brave Challenge ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/12) The Fall of Elena Temple ($2.39 from $2.99 until 9/12) Omega Labyrinth Life ($17.99 from $59.99 until 9/12) Funghi Explosion ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/12) A Dark Room ($2.79 from $6.99 until 9/12) Samurai Maiden ($29.99 from $59.99 until 9/12) Beholgar ($2.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) Raccoo Venture ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/12) Time Rift ($2.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) Doomsday Hunter ($8.99 from $17.99 until 9/12) Super Trunko Go ($2.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) WorldNeverland: Elnea Kingdom ($8.99 from $29.99 until 9/12) Zero Tolerance Collection ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/12) The Tale of Clouds & Wind ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/12) Sales Ending This Weekend All Noobs Must Die ($1.99 from $12.99 until 8/24) Demon Turf ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/24) Full Metal Sergeant ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/24) Mystic Academy: Escape Room ($5.49 from $10.99 until 8/24) Right and Down and Dice ($5.99 from $11.99 until 8/24) Venari Escape Room Adventure ($4.19 from $5.99 until 8/24) Blasphemous ($6.24 from $24.99 until 8/25) Blast Brigade vs. The Evil Legion ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/25) DREDGE ($16.24 from $24.99 until 8/25) Overcooked 2 ($6.24 from $24.99 until 8/25) Rack and Slay ($5.09 from $5.99 until 8/25) That’s all for today and this week, friends. We’ll be back next week with more new games, more sales, more reviews, and some news. I have a lot of things I need to get done this weekend, so wish me luck in doing them. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday, and as always, thanks for reading!

For our next dive into the retro games available on Switch, we’re going all the way back to 1989. Er, …

Continue reading "The 10 Best Game Boy and Game Boy Color Games on Nintendo Switch, Plus 5 We’d Like to See – SwitchArcade Special"

For our next dive into the retro games available on Switch, we’re going all the way back to 1989. Er, and then to 1998. We’re heading back to the old monochrome beast and its colorful successor: the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. While there is a robust selection of games from these handhelds in the Nintendo Switch Online app, we’re instead looking at those games that dare to exist in the wilds of the Switch eShop. We’ve got ten of our favorites here, plus five more games that we’d like to see. No particular order, of course. Time to Play It Loud! Shantae ($9.99) Once a genuine scarcity that would cost you hundreds of dollars to get your hands on in any legal capacity, Shantae is now quite readily available in digital form. This game is considerably rougher than its sequels, but it pushes the Game Boy Color hardware in a lot of interesting ways, providing a platformer with a bit more to it than the average Game Boy hop-and-bop. Wow, I haven’t seen the term “hop-and-bop" in something like twenty-five years. Well, there you go. Shantae: it’s pretty good fun. Trip World DX ($19.99) Here’s another game that would have cost you a pretty penny to play officially until very recently. Trip World is an interesting platformer from Sunsoft that offers up a short but sweet experience. This release of the game does a full-on colorization job while also including a number of extras to dig into. It’s an excellent way to play this quirky, charming tale. Final Fantasy Legend II – Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend ($19.99) Time to wade into the compilations, and we’ll start with one that is all Game Boy games: Collection of SaGa. You get all three games in the Final Fantasy Legend series here, and they’re all really good handheld RPGs. I’m picking out Final Fantasy Legend II to highlight here, simply because I think it’s the best of the three. It has plenty of the weird mechanics that make SaGa games so interesting, but feels more well-rounded and approachable than the first game. Probably the best turn-based RPG on the system pre-Pokemon. Final Fantasy Adventure – Collection of Mana ($39.99) Going hand in hand with the Final Fantasy Legend games, Final Fantasy Adventure is the game that kicked off the long-running Mana series. As such, you’ll find it in the Collection of Mana with the two Super NES follow-ups. Again, all games worth playing. This action-RPG provided an excellent alternative to the superb Link’s Awakening on the system, with a snappy pace and some surprisingly ambitious storytelling. It’s been remade a couple of times, but there’s nothing quite like the original. TMNT III: Radical Rescue – TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection ($39.99) Konami did some great Game Boy games, and it has made a handful of them available through its various collections. The Cowabunga Collection has all three of its original Game Boy TMNT games included, and I think they all have their merits. The open-ended, pseudo-Metroidvania TMNT III: Radical Rescue is the pick of the bunch, though. Plenty of action as you would expect, but the additional layers from exploring the world, rescuing your brothers, and finding all the upgrades makes this one you can really sink your teeth into. Operation C – Contra Anniversary Collection ($19.99) After the somewhat tepid attempt to bring Castlevania to the Game Boy via Castlevania: The Adventure, one would be forgiven for thinking there was little hope the tense run-and-gun action of Contra would survive the transition. Surprisingly, Operation C turned out to be really awesome. Sure, you can’t play with another player. Strictly a solo affair. But it’s fast, fun, and challenging in the way you want a Contra game to be. Perhaps there was hope for Konami action-platformers on the handheld after all! Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge – Castlevania Anniversary Collection ($19.99) How’s that for foreshadowing? Yes, after mostly biffing the first Game Boy Castlevania game, Konami turned things around in a big way with Belmont’s Revenge. This is an excellent Castlevania game, one that easily hangs with the home console entries even if it can’t quite surpass them. Given it was sandwiched by some less-than-great games, it’s possible many players skipped out on this one thinking it would be the same. If you haven’t played it yet, here’s a handy way to do that. Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great World Adventure – Ninja JaJaMaru: Retro Collection ($14.99) Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great World Adventure isn’t the best game in this bunch by any means, but I think it’s an important representation of some of the more off-beat titles that filled out the library around the releases from huge publishers. Some proper work was put into this reissue, too. It has a new localization and has been colorized, giving a nice spit-shine to a game that might not have topped anyone’s lists for such an effort. While The Great World Adventure is the only Game Boy game in the lot, this collection is an interesting one to poke at in general. Xtreme Sports ($9.99) WayForward’s most famous wholly-original property on the Game Boy Color is obviously Shantae, but Xtreme Sports is no slouch either. Essentially a collection of sports mini-games tied together with an open world, Xtreme Sports is a lot better than it has any right to be. The graphics are good, the gameplay is great for pick-up-and-play grazing, and those looking to completely finish everything will find a stiff challenge ahead of them. The Rescue of Princess Blobette – A Boy and His Blob Retro Collection ($9.99) Another game that is here more for its unique feel than anything, The Rescue of Princess Blobette brings the home computer-esque puzzle-adventure gameplay of the NES original to the small screen quite well. In some ways it’s a more polished game than its predecessor, delivered in a more compact and well-paced form. If you like games that take some figuring out due to occasional bits of opacity, you’ll love this one. And… 5 Game Boy and Game Boy Color Games We’d Like to See on Switch Batman: The Video Game Yes, it’s kind of weird that Batman is using a gun the whole way through this early Game Boy action game. But it’s also weird that Keaton’s Batman gleefully murders bad guys, so let’s just call it a sign of the times. The important thing is that this is another really great Sunsoft Batman game, and while I know the odds of any of these movie-based Batman games ever resurfacing are next to nil, I will never stop asking. Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal I’m generally avoiding games that I think might show up on Nintendo Switch Online at some point, which means most first-party Nintendo stuff is out. I really hope I’m wrong about this, but something tells me that while the Pokemon spin-offs will probably keep appearing in the subscription service, the mainline games won’t. Thus, I formally request the ability to purchase and play these fine Game Boy RPGs on my Switch. Gradius: The Interstellar Assault I waffled between including this or the excellent R-Type DX, but ultimately we have R-Type Dimensions on Switch to scratch that itch, whereas Gradius: The Interstellar Assault only exists in Game Boy form. For a platform whose display should have made it terrible for shooting games, the Game Boy had a good handful of excellent ones. This was Konami’s second kick at the Gradius can on the platform, and while that first one was fine this one really kicked things into gear. Honestly, I just kind of want a Gradius collection in the vein of Konami’s Contra, Castlevania, and TMNT ones. If that happens, this game ought to be in there. Metal Gear Solid Lots of Konami in this article, I’m coming to realize. Anyway, this is arguably the best third-party Game Boy Color exclusive. Just about everything that was great about the PlayStation Metal Gear Solid was somehow squeezed into this completely original adventure. This game completely blew me away at the time thanks to that fidelity, and it still impresses me today. Yes, much of the template was laid down in the MSX2 Metal Gear 2, but it’s cool to see something like this on a Game Boy Color. Maybe this will show up in the next Metal Gear collection? Dragon Warrior Monsters Pokemon spawned a lot of imitators, but to be fair to Dragon Quest it had monster-catching elements in the main games before Pokemon arrived. So, you know. We forgive you, King. Dragon Warrior Monsters is one of the better Game Boy games inspired by Pokemon‘s success, and I think it would be terrific to see it available on Switch. And you know what? It is available on Switch, but only in Japan. Come on, Square Enix. Just drop the Western ROM in the wrapper and help some Dragon Quest fans out! And that’s the list, friends. Are there any Game Boy or Game Boy Color games you enjoy on the Switch? Any you would like to see? Feel free to sound off down in the comments and let us know what you’re thinking! It’s always interesting to hear the opinions of others on this kind of thing. As always, thanks for reading!

Playtonic Friends just announced that Victory Heat Rally from developer Skydevilpalm is coming to mobile through Crunchyroll and also on …

Continue reading "‘Victory Heat Rally’ From Skydevilpalm and Playtonic Friends Is Coming to PC and Crunchyroll for Mobile on October 3rd"

Playtonic Friends just announced that Victory Heat Rally from developer Skydevilpalm is coming to mobile through Crunchyroll and also on Steam this October. Victory Heat Rally is an arcade racer with stylish visuals. I aims ot be a 2.5D pixel perfect racer featuring 12 drivers, solo play, multiplayer, a world tour mode, and more. It also features tons of customization across paint jobs, parts, and more. Playtonic Friends also confirms that Victory Heat Rally will be playable on Switch at Gamescom. Watch the Victory Heat Rally release date announcement trailer for mobile through Crunchyroll and Steam below: While the mobile page isn’t up yet, you can wishlist Victory Heat Rally on Steam here. Victory Heat Rally is confirmed to have 4 player splitscreen, but I’m unsure if this is just Steam or also on mobile. If you have an active Crunchyroll Mega or Ultimate membership right now, you will be able to play Victory Heat Rally when it releases at no additional cost on October 3rd. This is definitely one of the better Crunchyroll Game Vault announcements as it is a day one release alongside PC. I’m excited to check it out. What do you think of today’s announcement and the Crunchyroll Game Vault releases so far?

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 22nd, 2024. In today’s article, we continue to bear …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Rise Eterna War’, ‘As Per My Last Email’, Plus Today’s Other Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 22nd, 2024. In today’s article, we continue to bear witness to the slow yet clear decline of Switch releases in this eighth year. It’s Thursday, but we don’t even have a dozen games worth mentioning today. Even among the ones we have, there isn’t anything that is jumping out. Sure, it’s August. Things are going to pick up soon. But it’s still odd to see such dry Thursdays, even at this time of the year. At least the sales are healthy. Let’s have a look at all of that! Select New Releases Verne – The Shape of Fantasy ($14.99) Play as Jules Verne, who has been brought into a world sprung from his own imagination, in this adventure game. He’ll join forces with Captain Nemo as they try to fend off an evil force determined to destroy all imagination, which I reckon would be pretty bad. Solve puzzles, engage in dialogue, and enjoy the story. An interesting premise, and that’s a big part of the battle when it comes to this genre. Rise Eterna War ($9.99) A prequel story to Rise Eterna, this looks to be a base defense-style game to me. Build your team and use your limited resources to deploy them against the enemy. Seems fine for what it is, even if what it is isn’t terribly novel. With more than forty stages to play, it will keep you busy for a few days at least. As Per My Last Email ($6.29) One of those stress relief games. You’re an office worker and you have a sledgehammer. You can break pretty much everything in the office. Go for it. Play the ten-level campaign mode, or enjoy the infinite Mayhem Mode as you like. The affordable price is about right for the experience on offer. Ring Sculptors ($14.99) A choice-based narrative adventure where you pick from nine different characters and try to survive a trip to the Ring Sculptors’ base. On top of making choices at various points, there are also stats to manage, dice rolls to try to luck out on, and plenty of endings to uncover as a result. Argol – Kronoss’ Castle ($8.99) This is a side-scrolling action-platformer in the vein of games like Castlevania or Valis. You play as a sword-wielding warrior on a quest to vanquish evil. Or at least I presume that’s the story, anyway. All I know is that there is a fellow named Kronoss and his castle must be stormed. A decent game with a pretty lively soundtrack backing it. Nothing I’d run down the street yelling about, but it might scratch an itch. Ataraxie ($4.99) An affordable Metroidvania-style game starring a mummy. It’s really rough around the edges, but for the price you might not mind. I at least appreciate the novel protagonist. Shame about the ropey collision detection, though. Arcade Archives The Ninja Kids ($7.99) Taito’s 1990 beat ’em up featuring puppet ninjas is the latest Arcade Archives release. Up to four players can join in on the fun via local multiplayer, and that’s probably the best way to enjoy this one. Even going alone, the wacky tone makes this an enjoyable game to play through. The mechanics aren’t as tight as in the better titles in this genre from Capcom or Konami, but there’s some charm in the janky nature of it all. Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch ($29.99) Here’s a visual novel with some simulation elements. Maybe it isn’t right to call it a visual novel because of those elements? Forgive me if my choice of words isn’t on point. Your character ends up homeless on a mysterious island, and soon runs into a witch that is having some problems of her own. They decide to work together, and they’re eventually joined by several others. Can this rag-tag group survive Toyotoki Island and grow along the way? Play to find out! I should write box copy, I swear. EGGCONSOLE Star Trader PC-8801mkIISR ($6.49) When you think of Nihon Falcom, you definitely think of… shoot ’em ups? Okay, maybe not. But this one did happen back in the day, and as you might expect it’s not an orthodox take by any means. There are adventure game scenes mashed in with the shooting action here, and your skill at handling trading will determine your available funds for upgrades. Naturally, this is all in Japanese. EGGCONSOLE and all that. If I think it’s even remotely playable for someone who can’t understand the language, I’ll do a review soon. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) Another sale for 1000xRESIST. Buy 1000xRESIST. Maybe Freedom Planet 2 and Haiku, the Robot too, depending on your tastes. The latest sales from id Software and Inti-Creates are finishing up today, so fill your boots while you can. Check those lists! Select New Sales 1000xRESIST ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Times & Galaxy ($17.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Super Mutant Alien Assault ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/28) The Pale Beyond ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Suzerain ($4.49 from $17.99 until 8/28) Paradise Killer ($5.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Genesis Noir ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Citizen Sleeper ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Haiku, The Robot ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Ebenezer & the Invisible World ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/29) Freedom Planet 2 ($18.74 from $24.99 until 9/5) Deadcraft ($5.99 from $19.99 until 9/5) Silent Hope ($13.99 from $39.99 until 9/5) Untitled Goose Game ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/5) Corpse Party ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/5) Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/5) Wing of Darkness ($5.99 from $29.99 until 9/5) SCHiM ($17.49 from $24.99 until 9/5) Marchen Forest ($6.99 from $34.99 until 9/5) Violet Wisteria ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/6) Oops, I Said Yes?! ($20.99 from $29.99 until 9/9) even if TEMPEST Dawning Connections ($34.99 from $49.99 until 9/9) Pirate Bloopers ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/11) Sales Ending Tomorrow, August 23rd Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/23) Berserk Boy ($14.00 from $20.00 until 8/23) Blaster Master Zero 3 ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/23) Bloodstained Curse of the Moon 2 ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/23) CounterAttack: Uprising ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/23) Dead End City ($9.89 from $14.99 until 8/23) DOOM ($7.99 from $39.99 until 8/23) DOOM 3 ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/23) DOOM 64 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/23) DOOM Eternal ($9.99 from $39.99 until 8/23) Dragon Marked for Death ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/23) Fireside ($11.99 from $14.99 until 8/23) For The Warp ($1.99 from $17.99 until 8/23) Froggie ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/23) Gal Guardians: Demon Purge ($13.74 from $24.99 until 8/23) Gunvolt Records: Cychronicle ($10.49 from $14.99 until 8/23) Little Kitty, Big City ($19.99 from $24.99 until 8/23) Luminous Avenger iX 2 ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/23) PuzzMiX ($2.99 from $3.99 until 8/23) QUAKE ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/23) Quake II ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/23) Sally Face ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/23) TES V: Skyrim ($29.99 from $59.99 until 8/23) TES V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition ($34.99 from $69.99 until 8/23) Umbraclaw ($17.49 from $24.99 until 8/23) Wolfenstein II: TNC ($5.99 from $39.99 until 8/23) Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deepblue ($20.39 from $29.99 until 8/23) That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the remaining releases for the week, plus whatever sales and major news items roll in during the course of the day. We’ve been getting so many thunderstorms lately around here. Hot and sunny during the day, stormy in the evening. Very odd, and not conducive to the laundry schedule. Oh well. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Each and every day new mobile games are hitting the App Store, and so each week we put together a …

Continue reading "Out Now: ‘Punch Club 2: Fast Forward’, ‘Labyrinth: The Wizard’s Cat’, ‘TENSEI’, ‘Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York’, ‘Auto Pirates: Captains Cup’, ‘Jenny LeClue – Detectivu’ and More"

Each and every day new mobile games are hitting the App Store, and so each week we put together a big old list of all the best new releases of the past seven days. Back in the day the App Store would showcase the same games for a week, and then refresh those features each Thursday. Because of that developers got into the habit of releasing their games throughout Wednesday or very early Thursday in order to hopefully get one of those coveted features spots. Nowadays the App Store refreshes constantly, so the need for everyone to release all on the same day has diminished. Still, we’ve kept our weekly Wednesday night format as for years that’s the time people knew to check TouchArcade for the list of new games. And so without further ado please check out the full list of this week’s new games below, and let us know in the comments section which games you’ll be picking up! Auto Pirates: Captains Cup (Free) iTunes Description Auto Pirates is a competitive player vs world strategy game where you choose your crew, equip your ship and battle, earning plunder based on your global rank. Earn plunder and collect trophies for your exploits on the seas and create the perfect pirate hideout for your crew. Combine pirates from four fantasy factions with magical relics and a multitude of ships to optimize your strategy or create crazy hijinks. You can shoot, board, blast, burn, sink or push your opponents to get the upper hand and go for the top 1% prize. Forum Thread: Auto Pirates: Captains Cup (by Featherweight Games) Baron of Blood (Free) iTunes Description Baron of Blood is a 2D pixelart platformer game in which you have to fight your way through numerous levels and defeat different monsters. Collect coins to buy powerful items. 24 different levels in 5 different zones and boss fights await you and offer an exciting and varied gameplay. Hidden diamonds and various achievements will keep you busy even longer after you finish the game. Forum Thread: Baron of Blood (by Castle Village Games) Cube Farm (Free) iTunes Description -no ads or pay-to-win mechanics -quick sessions, break from scrolling -endless progression with prestige bonuses -time slows at higher layers, with larger harvests -dynamic produce market with supply and demand -pets to collect, feed, train, and battle Forum Thread: Cube Farm (by Tarot Focus) Dadish Collection ($8.99) iTunes Description Three great games in one! He’s a dad AND a radish! Join Dadish on his quest to rescue his missing kids in three classic platforming adventures. Dadish Collection combines Dadish, Dadish 2 and Dadish 3 in one rad package. Forum Thread: Dadish Collection (by Tomas Young) Demon Squad (Free) iTunes Description A long time ago, the demons had lost the war and scattered away. “Now, they shall gather for the revival of the Demon Lord and the demon race" 1. Team idle RPG that takes strategy to new levels Train 3 demons to form the ultimate squad! Auto or manual control. Utilize both options to conquer the battlefield! Forum Thread: Demon Squad (by SuperPlanet) Fish Hero! (Free) iTunes Description Discover a world as a fish outta water! A physics, parkour adventure! Launch yourself up a collection of biomes as a lonely fish to become Fish Hero! Explore a unique world as a fish out of water. Good Luck! Forum Thread: Fish Hero! (by Henry Mead) Going Up ($1.99) iTunes Description Going Up is a strategy game where you control groups of lifts in a skyscraper to deliver passengers before they lose their patience. Optimise elevator movement as you deal with a fussy cast of passengers—impatient CEOs, mean soldiers and confused tourists. There is no one solution to elevator optimisation: every stage will have its unique bottlenecks, passengers and problems. Forum Thread: Going Up (by Dylan Kwok) Jenny LeClue – Detectivu ($6.99) iTunes Description Jenny LeClue is a thrilling story of mystery, adventure and growing up. Set in the sleepy town of Arthurton, the game is filled with memorable, complex characters and rendered in a unique aesthetic. Embrace the choosiness and shape the metanarrative. You are not the only guiding hand shaping Jenny’s destiny, but your choices will help her unravel the tangled mystery and become the detective she was born to be. Forum Thread: Jenny LeClue (by Mografi) Labyrinth: The Wizard’s Cat ($1.99) iTunes Description Enter the dungeon and help the master wizard to find his missing cat in this oldschool dungeon crawler game with nice retro pixel art graphics. Make your way deep into the dungeon. You will explore levels filled with challenging enemies and various traps & puzzles. Discover powerful magical items and weapons and fight your way through hordes of enemies in this real time combat dungeon crawler. Forum Thread: Labyrinth: The Wizard’s Cat (by Anders Gustavsson) LEVELS II (Free) iTunes Description This is a dungeon where treasures slumber. Level up and strengthen adventurers, defeat monsters blocking your path, and gather treasures. # New Feature: Tile Appearance Rules In previous LEVELS, the color and level of appearing tiles were determined randomly. However, in this game, the next appearing tile is determined based on how the player moves the tiles. Forum Thread: LEVELS II (by flow Incorporated) Lyra 2 (Free) iTunes Description Lyra 2 is the sequel to a simple, relaxing, minimalist puzzle game that offers endless levels. The only goal is to clear the level, there are no timers, no achievements, no distractions, just the number of cleared levels going up. Are you looking for a game that you can just relax and play without thinking too much, a game that you can play anytime, anywhere? Lyra 2 is here for you. Forum Thread: Lyra 2 (by Cold Hours) Overboss ($3.99) iTunes Description Become a villain in this retro-inspired board game. Draft terrain tiles, recruit monsters, build your dungeon, and become the OVERBOSS! Forum Thread: Overboss (by Goblinz Studio) Phantom Rose 2 Sapphire (Free) iTunes Description Unique roguelike deckbuilding adventure. Explore, fight, and collect powerful cards. ◆ A Special Card Adventure Phantom Rose is an indie game by solo developer & artist makaroll. Craft your deck with cards obtained by defeating Phantoms. There’s no random card draw during battle. Instead, manage your card’s cooldown to defeat your foe swiftly and efficiently. Forum Thread: Phantom Rose 2 Sapphire (by Studio Maka) Punch Club 2: Fast Forward (Free) iTunes Description You’ve spent your whole life living in the confines of your overbearing mothers garage, your father mysteriously vanished before you were born. But hey, you had plenty of time to work out and dream about the wonders of the world. Sucks to be you though, people eat slime, corruption is rife and everyone wants to fight you… But maybe you can find your father and become the ‘dark fist’ people whisper about, somehow you could actually be humanity’s savior, the one who uncovers the super secret secrets of the Goodness Corporation… Or not. It’s a choose your own adventure, stay in the garage if you want. Forum Thread: Punch Club 2: Fast Forward (by TinyBuild) TENSEI ($2.99) iTunes Description An experience of self-discovery set in soothing Zen landscapes. “Tensei" is an ultra-casual endless action game. Leap and fall over and over in the style of a brush flowing across paper, and go on a relaxed journey into the sky. Leave the hectic routine of life behind for a chance to enjoy this deeply immersive experience. Forum Thread: TENSEI (by NEURON AGE) Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York ($4.99) iTunes Description **Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York** is a visual novel set in the rich universe of Vampire: The Masquerade, and is the continuation of the story started in **Coteries of New York.** You don’t need to have played **Coteries** to appreciate and understand the story behind **Shadows of New York.** While Coteries was a general introduction to the world depicted in the 5th Edition of the hit tabletop role-playing game, Shadows presents a more personal and unique tale. Forum Thread: Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York (by Plug In Digital)

Back in October last year, Feral Interactive announced that cross platform multiplayer was in the works for Company of Heroes …

Continue reading "‘Company of Heroes’ Mobile Multiplayer Beta Announced for Next Week on Android, Full Update Coming to iOS and Switch As Well"

Back in October last year, Feral Interactive announced that cross platform multiplayer was in the works for Company of Heroes ($14.99) on iOS, Android, and Switch. If you’ve not played it yet on mobile or Switch, read my iOS here and Switch review here. Today, Feral Interactive confirmed that the first Company of Heroes mobile multiplayer beta will take place only on Android from August 29th until September 3rd. A full FAQ is here covering what you need to know about the test. Watch the Company of Heroes Collection Switch trailer below: The FAQ also confirms that the update with full multiplayer will be shipping simultaneously on Switch, iOS, and Android using learnings from the Android test. The test is only on Android since the Google Play Store has a better functionality for opt-in betas. As of now, the multiplayer update has no release date. If you’ve not kept up with the game on Switch and mobile, read my interview with Feral Interactive here. If you’ve not bought the base game yet on mobile, Company of Heroes is available on the App Store for here and on Google Play here. Check out our forum thread for it here and the official website for the mobile conversion here. Have you played Company of Heroes on mobile or Switch yet and will you be checking out the Android beta next week?

Following yesterday’s big Disney Dreamlight Valley update on Apple Arcade and other platforms, a few more notable games on Apple’s …

Continue reading "Apple Arcade Weekly Round-Up: New Content and Feature Updates Are Now Live for TMNT Splintered Fate, Temple Run: Legends, Vampire Survivors, Simon’s Cat, and More"

Following yesterday’s big Disney Dreamlight Valley update on Apple Arcade and other platforms, a few more notable games on Apple’s gaming service have gotten big updates. Alongside its standalone release, Vampire Survivors+ got a new stage, secrets, character skins, and more. Read about this update here. TMNT Splintered Fate on Apple Arcade now supports couch co-op on the save device and also online co-op with cross platform support. This is great since it is also coming to Steam following its Switch release. Temple Run: Legends adds support for a new Outfit system with the ability to unlock new cosmetics, powerful traits, and more. Outlanders’ Volume VI of the Outlanders Chronicles: Wandering Stars is now live with six new playable leaders and more. Simon’s Cat – Story Time has a Summer Search Party on for daily rewards when you find beach balls in the gardens. SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit concludes the latest Tales of the Deep in this week’s update. The final notable update of the week is Disney Coloring World+ bringing in the Muppets in a new coloring pack featuring Kermit, Fozzie, and more. With the updates done, check out our forum threads for Outlanders here, SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit here, Simon’s Cat – Story Time here, Disney Coloring World+ here, and TMNT Splintered Fate here. Head over to our dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussions on the new and older releases on the service. What do you think of the state of Apple Arcade right now and this week’s updates?

Nintendo just announced that Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (Free) is shutting down on November 28th at 3 PM UTC. Animal …

Continue reading "‘Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’ Shutting Down This November, New Paid Game Set To Release With Save Transfer"

Nintendo just announced that Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (Free) is shutting down on November 28th at 3 PM UTC. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp debuted on iOS and Android nearly seven years ago, and it has since received multiple content and feature updates. From November 28th, you will no longer be able to play this version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, but the team is developing a version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp for mobile with save carrying over. This will be a flat-fee paid version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. Social aspects from the original game will not be available here. Details for the new paid app are here. A full release date announcement for the paid app will be made around October. Check out the full announcement below: We have an important announcement for everyone playing the Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp app. Please see the following page for details as well.https://t.co/JGacPgXFyo pic.twitter.com/RHZt5u7SPU — Pocket_camp (@Pocket_Camp) August 22, 2024 While this is good news for those playing Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp since we rarely see games like this get paid standalone releases, I can’t help but be annoyed that Nintendo didn’t do something like this for Dragalia Lost. That game deserved so much better. At least I still have the music from it. Either way, you can play Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp on iOS and Android right now ahead of it shutting down in November. I’m curious to see how the paid version feels when it launches. Check out our forum thread for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp here. Do you still play Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp regularly and what do you think of today’s news?

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 22nd, 2024. In today’s article, we’ve got a handful …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Mika and the Witch’s Mountain’, Plus Today’s Other Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 22nd, 2024. In today’s article, we’ve got a handful of new releases to check out. That’s unusual for a Wednesday, but I suppose it makes up for the slowness of the last couple of days. After summarizing those, it’s time for the lists of the latest sales and expiring discounts. Star Wars and Capcom, if one must make long stories short. Let’s get to those games! Select New Releases Mika and the Witch’s Mountain ($19.99) If you’ve ever been watching Ghibli’s classic Kiki’s Delivery Service and felt like playing a video game version, you might be into what Mika and the Witch’s Mountain is offering. I mean, it isn’t Kiki, but it’s clearly inspired by it. You play as an apprentice witch who has to fly around on her broom to deliver all kinds of packages to the various residents of a mountain town. The game has a nice, colorful vibe and I’m certainly going to be investigating it further to see if it lives up to its initial potential. My Lovely Empress ($19.99) A lovely wife, a lovely daughter, and now a lovely empress? Phew. In this game you play as an Emperor who reigns over a massive empire. Seems like you’ve got it all, but your wife passes away and suddenly none of it matters anymore. Still, you’ve got to keep things running. This is a simulation game of sorts, but one with a heavy narrative bent that will eventually lead to you having to make a critical choice. The previous games in the series have been fascinating despite their rough edges, and I expect this will deliver in the same way. Cyber Mission ($9.99) I’d call this a run-and-gun action game, but it’s probably better classified as a fly-and-gun action game. You play as a cyber trooper who is on a mission to destroy hostile alien forces. If you don’t feel like being a one-trooper army, you can grab a friend or family member for some local co-op multiplayer. Looks like a pretty good time for those enjoy things like S.C.A.T. or Contra, and reasonably priced to boot. Mangavania 2 ($4.99) More Mangavania for those who want it. A gentle reminder that these games are not Metroidvanias, just linear stage-based platformers with very light exploratory elements. If that’s your thing, this does that. Not terribly well, mind you. But it does it. That’s all I’ve got to say about that. White Eternal ($6.49) After his friend goes missing during the harsh winter, Simon sets out from his mountain town to try to find out what happened to them. This is a turn-based RPG where you explore a land cursed to harsh winters (Winnipeg?), seeking out allies and battle monsters as you go. You can actually get in battles where you have as many as sixteen party members. Neat! The description promises over twenty hours of gameplay, which would be quite a lot of game for the price. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) Bounty Hunter is already on sale? Wow. Well, that’s good news for Star Wars fans, who likely already own everything else in that sale. We also have a good selection of the usual Capcom stuff, a sale on the Tomb Raider remasters, and a very deep discount on the Switch version of Heads Up!. Over in the outbox, don’t forget to stock up on Picross. Everyone needs more Picross! Have a look through both lists. Select New Sales Star Wars Bounty Hunter ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Battlefront Collection ($28.00 from $35.01 until 8/28) Star Wars The Force Unleashed ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Republic Commando ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Episode I Racer ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Jedi Academy ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Jedi Outcast ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/28) Star Wars KotOR ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Star Wars KotOR II: Sith Lords ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Tomb Raider I-III Remastered ($22.49 from $29.99 until 8/28) MythForce ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/28) Heads Up! Phones Down Edition ($1.99 from $39.99 until 8/28) Street Fighter 30th Anniversary ($9.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Ultra Street Fighter II TFC ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Capcom Fighting Collection ($15.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Capcom Fighting Bundle ($19.99 from $59.99 until 9/10) Monster Hunter Generations Ult. ($9.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak ($19.99 from $59.99 until 9/10) Resident Evil Revelations ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Resident Evil Revelations 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Resident Evil 0 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Resident Evil ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Resident Evil 4 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Resident Evil 5 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Resident Evil 6 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Mega Man Legacy Collection ($7.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Mega Man X Legacy Collection ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection ($9.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Mega Man Battle Network Collection ($29.99 from $59.99 until 9/10) Mega Man 11 ($9.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective ($19.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Shinsekai Into the Depths ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Okami HD ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Ghosts n Goblins Resurrection ($9.99 from $29.99 until 9/10) Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/10) Capcom Arcade Stadium Bundle ($15.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium Bundle ($15.99 from $39.99 until 9/10) Disney Dreamlight Valley Gold ($45.49 from $69.99 until 9/10) Sales Ending Tomorrow, August 22nd A Fragile Mind ($2.99 from $5.99 until 8/22) Bunny Garden ($19.54 from $22.99 until 8/22) Conjured Through Death ($2.24 from $14.99 until 8/22) Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/22) Football Manager 2024 Touch ($19.99 from $49.99 until 8/22) Hard Racing Stunt Car Driving ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/22) Hero’s Hour ($8.99 from $17.99 until 8/22) Inkulinati ($17.49 from $24.99 until 8/22) Insurmountable ($18.74 from $24.99 until 8/22) Life of Delta ($6.99 from $19.99 until 8/22) Love on Leave ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/22) Maid of the Dead ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/22) Pickleball Smash ($7.99 from $39.99 until 8/22) Picross LogiartGrimoire ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/22) Picross S Genesis & Master System ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/22) Picross S8 ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/22) Picross S9 ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/22) Plantabi Little Garden ($4.54 from $6.99 until 8/22) Sentimental Death Loop ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/22) Smurfs Kart ($13.99 from $39.99 until 8/22) Starward Rogue Complete ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/22) Survivor Castaway Island ($11.99 from $29.99 until 8/22) The Night of the Rabbit ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/22) Trinity Fusion ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/22) Ultimate Racing 2D 2 ($6.69 from $9.99 until 8/22) You Suck at Parking ($6.79 from $19.99 until 8/22) That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the big Thursday new releases. Should be some goodies in there. I hope, anyway. August. It’s rough. We’ll also have whatever sales and major news items that arrive during the course of the day. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Digital Extremes has released the next big update for Warframe in the form of The Lotus Eaters update. This update …

Continue reading "‘Warframe’ Prologue Quest for Warframe 1999 The Lotus Eaters and Sevagoth Prime Now Available"

Digital Extremes has released the next big update for Warframe in the form of The Lotus Eaters update. This update brings in a prologue quest for Warframe 1999 which is due this Winter. Alongside that update, Warframe also adds in Sevagoth Prime access from today. If you’ve not played Warframe in a while, The Lotus Eaters is the game’s next story beat available a free narrative chapter. As for Sevagoth Prime access, this includes cosmetics, the Epitaph Prime weapon, and much more. You can collect the required blueprints to craft Sevagoth Prime for free or buy it from the Warframe Marketplace. Digital Extremes also confirms new Jade Shadows TennoGen with a deluxe Ares Skin for Warframe Styanax, the Rhodora Syadana backpiece, and more. Check out the Warframe patch notes here and key art for the update below: Check out Sevagoth Prime art below: Watch the newest game trailer below: If you’ve not played Warframe in a while, read my interview with Creative Director Rebecca Ford about Warframe Jade Shadows and more here. If you’d like to play Warframe on iOS now, you can get it on the App Store for iOS here. Check out the official Warframe Mobile iOS website here. You can pre-register or check out the Android website for the game here. You can also read my interview with Warframe Creative Director Rebecca Ford & Mobile Product Lead Jussi Elonen about the game, cross platform support, controls, and a lot more from launch here. I featured Warframe Mobile as one of the best mobile games of 2024 so far as well. What do you think of Warframe so far if you’ve played it on iOS and what would you like to see added in the next update?

Last week, Gameloft announced the next major and free Disney Dreamlight Valley update for PC and consoles alongside Disney Dreamlight …

Continue reading "‘Disney Dreamlight Valley’ Dapper Delights Update Now Available for Apple Arcade, Consoles, and PC"

Last week, Gameloft announced the next major and free Disney Dreamlight Valley update for PC and consoles alongside Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition () for Apple Arcade in the forming of the Dapper Delights update. This update has now gone live alongside Act III of A Rift in Time. A Rift in Time is the paid expansion for PC and consoles, but it is included in the Apple Arcade release. Today’s update brings in Tiana from Disney’s The Princess with you trying to help set up her own restaurant: Tiana’s Palace. A Rift in Time Act III brings in Rapunzel, EVE, Gaston, and Oswald joining in for a final confrontation with Jafar. Watch the new Disney Dreamlight Valley Dapper Delights update launch trailer below: If you’ve not gotten it yet, you can download Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition on Apple Arcade here. Read my review of Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition here. It is also available as a paid game with the expansion pass sold separately or in a bundle on all other platforms including Switch and Steam. It plays great on Steam Deck if you’re curious about that version. Check out the official website here for details on the expansion pass and more. Head over to our forum thread for Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition here. We also have a dedicated Apple Arcade forum for discussion on the service and every game included here. What do you think of Disney Dreamlight Valley if you’ve been playing it recently and will you be getting back for this update today?

Another mobile reveal from Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024 was the latest trailer for the open world dress up game …

Continue reading "Open World Dress Up Game ‘Infinity Nikki’ Gets New Trailer With Closed Beta Sign Ups Now Live, Pre-Registrations Also Available"

Another mobile reveal from Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024 was the latest trailer for the open world dress up game Infinity Nikki (Free) from developer Papergames. This was announced for mobile and PC a little while ago, and was also confirmed for PS5 which seems like the home for free to play games these days on the console side. The newest reveal for Infinity Nikki includes a trailer and also pre-registrations going live. The full game for Infinity Nikki will also have English voice over and the German localization is available for those to try out at the Gamescom showfloor. Sign-ups for the global Closed Beta Test are also now live. Watch the newest trailer for Infinity Nikki below: Infinity Nikki will launch with text support for English, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Japanese, Korean, German, French, Thai, Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, and Indonesian. Audio support will be available for English, Chinese (Simplified), and Japanese. If you’d like to sign up for the closed beta, you can do so here. A release date has not been announced so treat the date listed on the App Store page as a placeholder for now. You can pre-order Infinity Nikki on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Pre-registration for console is not live yet. As a different premise than usual for an open world game, I’m curious to try this one on iOS and PS5. What do you think of Infinity Nikki so far?

Following its announcement recently, Netflix’s upcoming multiplayer game based on Squid Game, Squid Game: Unleashed, has gotten its first reveal …

Continue reading "‘Squid Game: Unleashed’ Gets Full Trailer at Gamescom 2024, More Games Announced for Netflix"

Following its announcement recently, Netflix’s upcoming multiplayer game based on Squid Game, Squid Game: Unleashed, has gotten its first reveal gameplay trailer during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024. Squid Game: Unleashed is a 32 player showdown featuring challenges from the show in addition to new ones for the game. There will be daily missions and events inspired by the brand’s universe. Squid Game: Unleashed is in development at Boss Fight (a Netflix Game Studio) and Season 2 of the show arrives this December. Watch the first Squid Game: Unleashed gameplay trailer below: Alongside that, Netflix also revealed other games coming to the service in the near future including the Monument Valley series. These include recently-released games like Diner Out and Ludo King: Netflix with more coming soon like Battleship, Roller Coaster Tycoon, and Snake.io. So far, Netflix has been killing it with quality releases on mobile. I hope the service continues to bring premium quality titles and also older games to the service while not just adding engagement focused releases like other gaming services have been doing these past months on other platforms. What do you think of the current slate of Netflix Games titles arriving this year and will you be trying any of the new games?

During Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024, HoYoverse had reveals and new information for each of its main games. Genshin Impact …

Continue reading "Gamescom 2024: Zenless Zone Zero, Honkai Star Rail, and Genshin Impact See New Announcements and Trailers"

During Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024, HoYoverse had reveals and new information for each of its main games. Genshin Impact (Free) will see its major 5.0 update release next week bringing in the brand new region and much more. For Genshin Impact, HoYoverse’s big reveal was that it is coming to Xbox Series X on November 20th. Alongside this news, a new look at Natlan was also revealed in the Gamescom 2024 trailer for Genshin Impact. Watch it below: Zenless Zone Zero (Free) just had its major 1.1 update launch, the first big one for the game since launch, and Gamescom 2024’s trailer had a tease of the new region coming in version 1.2. This will be the base for the next chapter of the Zenless Zone Zero story. The trailer also highlighted some of the Zenless Zone Zero 1.1 characters. Watch it below: Honkai Star Rail (Free) had a trailer showcasing Feixiao, who is joining the game in the near future. Feixiao is a female warrior from the Xianzhou Yaoqing who will be added to Honkai Star Rail in version 2.5. The trailer also had new information about the upcoming Honkai Star Rail Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] collaboration. Watch it below: You can grab Genshin Impact on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. The PC version is available on the official website here and the Epic Games Store. It is coming to Xbox Series X on November 20th. Grab Honkai Star Rail yet for iOS here, on Google Play for Android here, and here on the Epic Games Store in addition to its regular PC version. Check it out here on PS5. You can download Zenless Zone Zero on the App Store for iOS here and on Google Play for Android here. Check out the links to the PS5 and PC versions here. What do you think of HoYoverse’s reveals?

I did not have Another Eden, beloved mobile role-playing game, having a crossover event with The King of Fighters, legendary …

Continue reading "Legendary Fighting Series ‘The King of Fighters’ Crosses Over into ‘Another Eden’ with the “Another Bout” Event that Kicks Off August 22nd"

I did not have Another Eden, beloved mobile role-playing game, having a crossover event with The King of Fighters, legendary fighting game series from SNK, on my Bingo card, but here we are! Actually I shouldn’t be surprised, as Another Eden crossing over with popular IPs from all walks of the universe is nothing new, and they always do a fantastic job with it. This latest crossover, which is titled Another Bout, is no exception. Aldo gets a mysterious invite to a fighting tournament, and before he knows it him and his party are transported into the world of The King of Fighters, where they get to fight alongside some of the series’ most recognizable and beloved characters: Terry Bogard, Kyo Kusanagi, Mai Shiranui, and Kula Diamond. Together you’ll play through a brand new branching story with the ability to unlock the King of Fighters characters for use throughout the rest of Another Eden. The Another Bout event really leans into its fighting game crossover by providing a new battle arena where you can pick a team of 3 fighters and fight against another team of 3. Skills have been replaced with actual fighting game-style input combos, and you’ll need to learn to chain your moves together in order to unleash your Special Moves. At the end of it all you’ll face off against Rugal, longtime King of Fighters boss and tournament mastermind. The Another Bout crossover event in Another Eden officially kicks off this Thursday, August 22nd across PC, iOS, and Android, so be sure to check it out.

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 20th, 2024. In today’s article, I’ve got a couple …

Continue reading "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse’, Plus the Latest Releases and Sales"

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 20th, 2024. In today’s article, I’ve got a couple more reviews for you. I’ve got my take on the lovely remaster of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, plus my thoughts on the rather messy Elrentaros Wanderings. Then there’s one new release to check out, plus the usual lists of new and expiring sales. Not a very busy day today, but that works out well for my schedule. Let’s go! Reviews & Mini-Views Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Remastered ($19.99) Ten years ago, you would never have expected things to end up the way they did for Telltale Games. Having just wrapped up The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead: Season Two, the adventure game publisher seemed like it was nigh unstoppable. Just a few years later, everything fell apart. And here we are in 2024, happy to see any of those pieces picked up and made available again. For all of Telltale’s problems, there was really something to the games it released. Adventure games were finally part of the popular conversation again, and it was in no small part thanks to Telltale’s work. That’s why I’m happy to see what I feel is the heart and soul of Telltale Games fully available on Switch via this release. To a great extent, Sam & Max Save the World brought Telltale into the eyes of many players. The follow-up, Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space kept the ball rolling. The last of the trilogy, Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse feels in some ways like the end of a particular era. Scant months later, Back to the Future: The Game would launch its first episode, and it laid down the track that Telltale would drive on for the next several years. Big licenses, a focus on character relationships, and less of a focus on traditional puzzle-solving. Nothing wrong with that, of course. I just happen to like what Telltale was up to before that. So, Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse. The first two Sam & Max seasons from Telltale came off like the developer was trying to find its feet. Good, to be sure. But sometimes lacking in confidence, and the games seemed to be put together on a shoestring budget. The Devil’s Playhouse was different. The writers were clearly comfortable with these characters enough to take them places. Telltale had sharpened its skills significantly and had more money to put into projects. It shows. The story here is excellent. Irreverent, funny, and smart the way you would hope a Sam & Max game would be, but with a slightly darker tone that adds a bit of spice. The puzzle design is refined without being toothless. The locations you visit are well-realized. The last episode (remember episodic games?) doesn’t quite stick the landing, but it’s hard to be too upset about it given the quality of the rest. This Remastered version follows in the footsteps of the last two. In cooperation with members of the original team, the visuals have been enhanced in a number of ways. The lighting is more interesting, the lip-flap is better, and there have even been some adjustments to the cinematography. It’s not too strong by any means, maintaining the feel of the original release. It’s Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse as you perhaps remember it, not how it actually was. I’ve been quite pleased with how these remasters have been handled thus far, and I didn’t expect the team to drop the ball here. A fine job all-around, one the whole team can be proud of. Out of all the things that could be salvaged from the defunct original form of Telltale Games, the Sam & Max trilogy was just about the highest on my list. Now, with this excellent remaster of The Devil’s Playhouse, that job is complete. If you’ve never played a Sam & Max game before, feel free to slide on in with Sam & Max Save the World and see it through to the end of The Devil’s Playhouse. It’s quite the wild ride. If you have played these games before, the enhanced presentation might just convince you to go for a replay. They quite literally don’t make them like this anymore. SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5 Elrentaros Wanderings ($39.99) Sometimes it feels like a game is just a few smart tweaks away from greatness. And then there are games like Elrentaros Wanderings. The basic premise is solid enough, and one that gets the engine running when you find out this game is from Rune Factory’s creator. You’re an amnesiac wanderer who comes across the town of Elrentaros. The people there are friendly, if a little one-note, and they have all kinds of work for an adventurer like yourself. Dungeon work, mainly. As time progresses you can get closer with the townspeople and deepen your bonds with them. So far, not so unusual. But then you beat a boss, and suddenly you’re in a school setting in modern Japan. All the townspeople of Elrentaros are there, but they’re acting differently and don’t seem to know you. What is going on? That’s a good hook. Good enough to keep me happily playing despite how tired I was getting of running the uninteresting dungeons again and again, trying to complete objectives and get my gear in shape. Bored of seeing the same enemies, just in a new color palette. If I beat that next boss, I can move towards resolving this mystery. If I keep talking to these uninteresting townspeople, maybe I can see where this all goes. I wish I could say it was worth it in the end, but it wasn’t. A decent story, but not one worth the slog of playing through this game. Anyway, the basic loop here follows a fairly standard looter dungeon crawler template. Dive into the dungeon, battle enemies, get some new gear, dive in again, and so on. There are multiple dungeons to tackle here that each culminate in a boss battle. What’s different here is that powering up your character is more a matter of completing particular tasks in each dungeon and reaping the rewards. You won’t know what those tasks are on your first run, and you really do need to check off those lists to keep your character strong enough to push forward. At a bare minimum, you’ll be doing each dungeon twice. Beyond gear and more direct power-ups, you’ll also get your hands on gifts that you can offer up to the townspeople to win their favor. That pursuit has its own rewards, so you don’t want to neglect it either. The problem is that just about none of this is very interesting. The townspeople aren’t very deep or well-written. The dungeon layouts are bland and certainly aren’t better on subsequent runs. The enemies are cool the first time you see them, but you’ll be seeing them again and again in slightly different colors. The battle system offers little to sink your teeth into, and the loot fails to hit the spot the way it ought to in a game like this. The story is spread far too thin across the gameplay, a meager oasis in a vast, exhausting desert of repetition. I was enjoying this game early on, patient to see how things unfolded as it went on, but the reward never came. I think if you are okay with a pure grind, Elrentaros Wanderings might not turn you off the way it did me. But if you have even the slightest allergy to excessive banality, then this game is likely to have you heading for the hills. Its few good ideas are squandered by watering down the broth too much, stretching far too little content far too far. Not without any merit, but thoroughly disappointing. SwitchArcade Score: 2.5/5 Select New Releases Stumble Guys (Free) Here’s a Switch version of Stumble Guys, the game that seems to have wrested the ball away from Fall Guys and ran with it. Up to thirty-two players compete online in a variety of events and modes. The game is free to start, just like on other platforms. But there are a wide range of ways to spend your real cash, so don’t you worry about that. Anyway, it’s free, it’s here, try it if you want or walk on past if you don’t. Sales (North American eShop, US Prices) Not a whole lot to get excited about today, beyond Dadish and company being on sale. All good games, from Dadish on down. Buy and enjoy. Over in the outbox, the main thing of note is Kairosoft’s latest sale wrapping up. It won’t take but a minute to check those lists, so you might as well do just that. Select New Sales Rack and Slay ($5.09 from $5.99 until 8/25) Sagres ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/26) Gravity Oddity ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/26) Warhammer 40k Dakka Squadron ($1.99 from $19.99 until 8/26) Guilt Battle Arena ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/26) Chippy & Noppo ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/27) Soundfall ($4.49 from $29.99 until 8/27) Last Encounter ($1.99 from $14.99 until 9/2) Ultra Foodmess ($1.99 from $3.99 until 9/2) Dadish ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/10) Dadish 2 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/10) Dadish 3 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/10) Dadish 3D ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/10) Daily Dadish ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/10) Super Fowlst ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/10) Super Fowlst 2 ($2.00 from $10.00 until 9/10) Molecano ($1.99 from $8.00 until 9/10) Sales Ending Tomorrow, August 21st 50 Pinch Barrage ($4.29 from $4.99 until 8/21) 8-Colors Star Guardians + ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/21) Attack of the Karens ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/21) Cafe Master Story ($6.00 from $12.00 until 8/21) Children of Morta Complete ($7.99 from $26.99 until 8/21) Claire: Extended Cut ($2.99 from $14.99 until 8/21) Goliath Depot ($3.49 from $6.99 until 8/21) High Seas Saga DX ($6.00 from $12.00 until 8/21) Oh!Edo Towns ($4.62 from $14.00 until 8/21) Pocket Stables ($3.96 from $12.00 until 8/21) Whitestone ($3.99 from $19.99 until 8/21) That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new games, more sales, perhaps some news, and maybe even a review? I wouldn’t bet too much money on that last one, but who knows? I have a family thing tonight, and so I’m cutting out a little early today. Don’t tell the boss! I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Gamescom is kicking off in Cologne, Germany as we speak, and during their Opening Night Live event they’ve already revealed …

Continue reading "‘Monument Valley 3’ Coming to Netflix Games in December, ‘Monument Valley 1 & 2’ Heading to the Service in the Coming Months As Well"

Gamescom is kicking off in Cologne, Germany as we speak, and during their Opening Night Live event they’ve already revealed some major news across all of gaming. One of the big announcements that pertains to us in the mobile gaming world is the official unveiling of Monument Valley 3 from developer ustwo, which will be arriving as part of the Netflix Games library on December 10th. We’ve known that Monument Valley 3 was in the works since at least July of 2019 so it’s very satisfying to see some real news about when we’ll be able to get our hands on this latest entry in the legendary puzzle game series. Here’s the announcement teaser. As you can see, it’s not just Monument Valley 3 that’s heading to Netflix Game, but the previous two entries will also be making their way to the service. The original Monument Valley will hit Netflix next month on September 19th with the sequel Monument Valley 2 making its way to Netflix on October 29th. It’s been clear for a while now that Netflix Games is not messing around when it comes to bringing high profile titles to their mobile library, and Monument Valley 3 is certainly another one to add to the list. The trailer also says to expect more news about the game during the Netflix Geeked Week which is set to take place from September 16-19th, so look for some more about Monument Valley 3 then.

When thinking about the classics or games I’d recommend people play on mobile, Mini Metro is one of the best …

Continue reading "Exclusive: Dinosaur Polo Club Interview – CEO Amie Wolken on Mini Metro, Mini Motorways, the Team, Free DLC, Working With Apple, Ports, and More"

When thinking about the classics or games I’d recommend people play on mobile, Mini Metro is one of the best by far. Sure, it is on other platforms, but having played it just about everywhere, the iOS version is my favorite. When Dinosaur Polo Club announced and released Mini Motorways, I was curious if it would manage to deliver something amazing again. The team did. Since then, we’ve seen both games get multiple updates including a collaboration between them. A few weeks ago, I had a chance to talk to Dinosaur Polo Club’s new CEO Amie Wolken about the studio, the Mini series, canceled projects, coffee, expanding the studio, working with Apple, Nintendo, the future, and more for an exclusive interview. This was conducted on a video call. It was then transcribed and edited for brevity in the case of some portions. TouchArcade (TA): Before getting to the things you’ve been doing recently, can you tell me a little bit about what you’re doing right now at Dinosaur Polo Club. Amie Wolken (AW): I’ve come on board as the new CEO and it means working with the team to set strategy and vision for the next few years, and to really get them humming on the next project that they’re working on. TA: You previously were the Studio Director at Weta Workshop’s games studio and you worked on Tales of the Shire as Lead Game Programmer. How was it working at the game studio and also how was it working on Tales of the Shire which is supposed to finally be coming out later this year? AW: It was amazing. I was the Lead Game programmer on Tales of the Shire and before that, I had been working closely with the Magic Leap and Weta Workshop collaboration working in the augmented reality space. I’d been focused on the technical side of things and after Weta Workshop went on its own journey of game development after the Magic Leap collaboration, we decided to pursue Tales of the Shire as our first game as an independent game studio and it was amazing to be there from the ground up working on the Prototype. TA: Since you joined earlier this year, I think it was April, how involved have you been with the two current live game projects: Mini Metro and Mini Motorways. I ask because both of them still get updates despite Mini Metro being really old now. It is getting a lot of great support. AW: I try to stay involved over only in the periphery. The game teams know best what their games need, and so my role is more to support them to make sure that they have what they need to make the games great, and to work closely with them on long-term strategies for those games. What does the studio need out of those games and then really enable the teams to just do their good work on the games itself. TA: How did you end up getting in touch with Dinosaur Polo Club to basically take over as CEO? When I was looking at when you took over, everyone was very positive from the start looking at reactions from developers around. AW: So I saw the role advertised, and I’ve also known quite a few people who worked at dinosaur Polo Club over the years. So a couple of people let me know that they were looking for a new CEO and so I applied. So I just went through their application process. Yeah. TA: Did you play a lot of Mini Metro and Motorways before taking over? AW: I did not. In fact, I think I played Mini Metro when I applied for the job. I thought I better play the games. *laughs* TA: What does the day in your life look like right now as CEO of Dinosaur Polo Club? AW: That’s a good question and honestly it changes all the time. Recently and after a few months of being in the job, I thought that the studio could benefit from sort of a few weeks of tools down and coming together as a team, and working on sort of high level studio goals. So actually a lot of my time over the past couple of months has been working on that. We called it a studio pause, and we put tools down on the games, and we really focused on coming together as a team and trying to envision the future that we wanted as a studio. So a lot of work was done around that and then there’s a lot of work around budgeting and finance, making sure that we’re compliant, and making sure that we have good practices and processes in the team. So policies, making sure that leadership development is well supported and it really kind of depends on what the team needs at the moment. Working with the teams on pitching upcoming products and projects. TA: So when you joined Dinosaur Polo Club, I saw “Foster great culture and games" mentioned a few times. Obviously the studio pause seems like one of the major steps to having great culture to get everyone together and stuff. But I was curious what other things are planned for this year on that front to help grow the team? AW: I mean, we always take growing the team and onboarding quite seriously. So having good recruitment processes and practices to make sure that you’re finding people who want to come on the same journey as the studio is on, and part of that means having a clear idea of where you’re kind of going as a studio, and exactly like you said, the pause was really designed to make sure that everyone in the studio, because we’re a small studio at 30 people, so everyone is on the same page with the way we’re going, which means that everybody can be ambassadors for who we are, and what we’re creating together, and it also helps to speed up decision making processes because everybody is on the same page about where we are going and we’re going there together. Now we’ve actually got a lot of really great information and the pause as well. So we generated a lot of really good ideas for what we could do going forward, and part of what I’ll be doing is looking at that and carrying forward some of the ideas that came out of that around how we sort of live our values and what it means to be part of Dinosaur Polo Club, and what it means for us to create an impact in the world in the way that we want to do it sustainably and looking after our people while we make games. The future and for the rest of this year I suppose, a significant portion of that will be taking what we’ve learned in the pause and applying that in practice going forward. TA: So you’ve been there since April till right now. That’s less than six months. How have you grown with the team? How does it feel for you and have you accomplished what you wanted to in a few months? I know it is a very short time for this kind of question, but given the positive sentiment around the studio and announcements, I was curious how it has been for you over the course of this period. AW: It has been great. I do feel like I have grown with the team over the last few months. A lot of my time, especially in the first couple of months, was just listening to the team trying to figure out where everyone was at, trying to figure out where the pain points were. Everything that you put out you try to look at the positives. Every team has things that they can work on and Dinosaur Polo Club is no different. The first few months were listening to the team, figuring out where I could have the biggest impact, and then the pause was sort of what came out of that. TA: Before asking specific questions about the games, since you’ve been the CEO for a few months, have you been involved with any of the teams working with Apple and other platform holders? Dinosaur Polo Club has Mini Motorways which is one of the best Apple Arcade games right now even though it is also on other platforms. Have you been working with Apple in any way or is that another team at the studio? AW: I have been involved in conversations with Apple on a regular basis. TA: I first played Mini Metro on iOS many years ago. Since then the game has been ported to a lot of platforms. Mini Motorways launched directly as an Apple Arcade exclusive and that made its way to Nintendo Switch and Steam. I still feel like the games are best on a nice big touch screen like an iPad because you get the gorgeous visuals and you have direct interaction with them. I wanted to know if you could comment on how the games have been doing outside mobile because it feels like these are very much designed for touch screens? I know some folks play them with a controller or a mouse as well on Switch or Steam. AW: It’s not something I’m really super close to. I don’t think it’s any surprise that the games do play really well on the touchscreens, but there is a wide audience that are enjoying the games, and we try and make sure that we’re designing the games to support those audiences too, and all of the controls that we support. But I agree, I think that there is some nice synergy there with the touch screen in there and iPads and iPhones. TA: A few weeks ago, Dinosaur Polo Club announced that it was working on a game which has now been canceled called Magic School. This announcement was interesting for a few reasons. Obviously having a game canceled is never a good thing, but the phrasing of the announcement and the response has been very positive with how you all are trying to take the best from the situation and move forward. How was it working towards that announcement for you and the team? AW: I wasn’t actually involved in making the decision to cancel. I was there for the tail end of it, but that decision had already been made as I was onboarding. So I don’t want to speak closely to it. I think there are other team members who are much closer to that decision and that project then been, but I have been there to talk to the team as they sort of process the impact of canceling a project that had been worked on for years, and that is significant. It was a piece of work that many people care deeply about and had poured their creative hearts and souls into, so we’re always very conscious of that, and I think that’s a big part of why you want to share as well the efforts that have gone into a project that doesn’t necessarily make it to launch, but had a huge potential, a huge amount of talent, and effort that went into it, so it is a pleasure to be able to share those when you can. I’m really glad that we were able to do that for the team who worked on it and for the studio as a whole as well. TA: Getting back to Apple Arcade. Can you comment on whether anything has changed in the last few months for how your work with Apple or things still going smoothly and is everyone happy with the arrangement you have with them? Mini Motorways still gets updates so it is still ongoing. I also wanted to know if there are any plans to do any more projects with Apple? AW: Yeah, that’s probably not something that I can comment on right now, but I can say that we’ve got an incredible relationship with Apple and we really enjoy working with them. TA: You said you played Mini Metro when you were working on getting this role and stuff, but since joining, have you started playing them and giving any feedback to the team directly? AW: No. Even though I have been a game developer, and because I’ve not been a game developer of this style of games, or involved in developing the Mini games, I’m super tentative to have creative opinions unless they are looking for creative opinions from lay people who are under NDA. That is where I really try to power the team who are the creative masterminds behind the Mini series, and sometimes the weight that your opinion can carry as a CEO, certainly in my situation would far outweigh any actual practical relevance of my opinion. TA: You mentioned since taking over that Dinosaur Polo Club is a small studio. Is there any need to grow the studio? AW: We’re pretty good. We do have a small plan for bringing on new people as we start developing more products as well. We have an ambition to remain a small studio. So, in terms of studio size, we would love to not grow Beyond say 40 to 45 people. That is kind where we want to go in terms of the kinds of games that we make. We want to make sure that we stay small. We want to make sure that we can still know everybody’s names. We know everybody that we work with and focus on making games within that capacity and excelling at that rather than expanding and expanding. TA: Mini Metro is on iOS, Android, Apple Arcade, PC, Switch and PS4. Mini Motorways is on Apple Arcade, Switch, and Steam. Are there any plans to bring them to Xbox and also to bring Mini Motorways to PlayStation and have you noticed any demand to bring your games to more platforms? AW: It hasn’t featured highly in the conversations that I’ve had in the studio. That’s not to say that there isn’t demand or there hasn’t been conversations, but it’s just that they haven’t been conversations that have been a high enough priority in the last few months for it to be raised with me. TA: You said that you were happy with how the team has been handling Mini Metro and Mini Motorways. Has anything changed since you took over where the team now feels like it can do more with the games? Both games are pretty great as it is. AW: I think everybody can expect that Mini Motorways will continue to have some exciting updates. The team is working on an update plan and the strategy is fully behind supporting Motorways to continue to be supported and content updates. So I think people can expect to see cool things coming out of Motorways. TA: That leads into my next question well. Both games are successful critically and they’ve gotten a ton of post-launch support through free content updates. Has there been any consideration to doing a paid expansion for any of them? AW: No, we’re pretty set on the free content update strategy. TA: So basically have a premium game and support it for years and build your audience who wants to keep supporting you as a publisher? AW: That’s right. TA: How do you like your coffee? AW: I drink oat flat white. I’d like to thank Amie Wolken from Dinosaur Polo Club and also Noah Vaca and Yunah Smirnov from Stride PR for their time and help here. You can keep up with all our interviews here including our recent ones with FuturLab here, Shuhei Matsumoto from Capcom about Marvel Vs Capcom here, Santa Ragione here, Peter ‘Durante’ Thoman about PH3 and Falcom here, M2 discussing shmups and more here, Digital Extremes for Warframe mobile, Team NINJA, Sonic Dream Team, Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, and more. As usual, thanks for reading.

Earlier this year, Feral Interactive’s superb iOS version of Alien: Isolation (Free) was updated to change the game’s business model …

Continue reading "‘Alien: Isolation’ for Android Is Now a Free To Start Release Just Like iOS Letting Everyone Try Two Missions for Free"

Earlier this year, Feral Interactive’s superb iOS version of Alien: Isolation (Free) was updated to change the game’s business model to be free to try with a single in app purchase for the full game unlock. Today, Alien: Isolation on Android has been updated to be a free to try game just like the iOS version. With this, Android players can sample the first two missions. After that, a single in app purchase will be required to unlock the full game for $13.49. Those who own the game already should see no change. For new customers, the saves from the first two free missions will carry over to the full game once the full game unlock purchase is complete. Watch the new trailer for Alien: Isolation on iOS and Android below: I featured Alien: Isolation as one of the best games to play with keyboard and mouse on iPad, and I assume it plays well on Android tablets as well. If you’ve not gotten it yet on iOS, read my glowing review of the game here covering the game at launch. We featured it as our Game of the Week as well when it launched. The full version of Alien: Isolation on mobile includes all seven DLC packs in its unlock price of $14.99. You can grab Alien: Isolation for free on the App Store here and on Google Play here. Check out our forum thread here. Have you played Alien: Isolation on mobile yet or will you be trying it today for free?

I’ve been a big fan of SIGONO’s OPUS series of narrative adventure games for a long time. If you’ve not …

Continue reading "‘OPUS: Prism Peak’, the Newest Entry in the Amazing ‘OPUS’ Series, Gets New Gameplay Screenshots"

I’ve been a big fan of SIGONO’s OPUS series of narrative adventure games for a long time. If you’ve not checked it out yet, OPUS: The Day We Found Earth (Free) is a great place to start but OPUS: Echo of Starsong, the newest release, is brilliant as well if you want to try a newer game. Read my review of the mobile version of that release here. Following its reveal back in January last year, SIGONO’s latest project, OPUS: Prism Peak, is shaping up to be another excellent narrative adventure game. With Gamescom 2024 beginning today, SIGONO has shared new screenshots for OPUS: Prism Peak in addition to a gameplay trailer that I missed from a few weeks ago. Watch the newest OPUS: Prism Peak gameplay trailer below: Check out a new screenshot from OPUS: Prism Peak below: OPUS: Prism Peak will feature multiple endings and it has you playing as a photographer using your camera to find your way back home from an ethereal realm. The music in OPUS: Prism Peak will be from Triodust and Audio Textural with a story from Brian Lee who wrote OPUS: Echo of Starsong. While OPUS: Prism Peak hasn’t been announced for mobile yet, my interview with Scott Chen, co-founder of SIGONO and executive producer of the OPUS series, mentioning Echo of Starsong on iOS being like returning home gives me hope to see this one on mobile as well at some point. You can wishlist OPUS: Prism Peak here as of now. It hasn’t been officially announced for more platforms yet. Have you played the OPUS games and what do you think of OPUS: Prism Peak so far?

Back in May, Dysmantle ($9.99) from 10tons Ltd. got its final major content update on Steam. Dysmantle version 1.4.0 titled …

Continue reading "Dysmantle’s Final Major Update Is Now Live on iOS Bringing In Ark Level 4, Night Terrors, Link Towers, and Much More"

Back in May, Dysmantle ($9.99) from 10tons Ltd. got its final major content update on Steam. Dysmantle version 1.4.0 titled “The Final Patch" brought in Night Terrors, Link Towers, Ark level 4, and more on PC as the team started working on porting it to other platforms. Earlier today, Dysmantle 1.4.0 hit iOS and it isn’t live on Android as of this writing. After day 24 in-game Night Terrors are a new enemy type for the base map. The Frore and Hibernus regions have been expanded and DLC owners will be able to use Link Towers to travel between base and DLC maps thanks to today’s update. Dysmantle was one of our favorite games of 2022, and with all of its paid DLC and updates, it is even better. With it being content complete, now is a great time to jump in. Watch the Dysmantle Pets & Dungeons DLC trailer below: If you’ve not gotten it yet, we featured Dysmantle as our our Game of the Week when it hit iOS. Dysmantle has you trying to escape the island by breaking everything for materials, fight creatures, survive, build outputs, and more. You can grab the iOS version of Dysmantle for $9.99 (or regional equivalent) usually with it being discounted once in a while. If you’d like to play Dysmantle on iOS, you can grab it here on the App Store. It is available on Android here. Check out the official website for Dysmantle here. Make sure to head over to our forum thread for more discussion around it here. Have you played Dysmantle yet and will you be trying out the final content update this week?

One of the biggest advantages to PC gaming is having access to multiple generations of game releases. We’ve seen entire …

Continue reading "Musou Games on Steam Deck – Samurai Warriors, Dynasty Warriors, Warriors Orochi, Empires, and Much More Tested on Steam Deck OLED"

One of the biggest advantages to PC gaming is having access to multiple generations of game releases. We’ve seen entire franchises released over time, and in many cases, Steam has more entries in a single franchise than consoles where said franchises began. With Omega Force and Koei Tecmo’s Musou or Warriors games, I usually enjoy playing them on a portable, and have played tons on PS Vita, 3DS, and Nintendo Switch over the years. The Steam Deck changed things, but Koei Tecmo’s older ports are not the best. This got me thinking of an article and here we are. There is a very specific kind of person I’m aiming to help with this feature, and I’ve gotten every Koei Tecmo published Musou/Warriors game installed on my Steam Deck to see how they run (or don’t run) today. I also want to help those with multiple platforms decide if they should play a game on Steam Deck or another platform here. What is a Musou game or Warriors game? For a lot of newer fans of the genre including myself with Hyrule Warriors on 3DS, Koei Tecmo and Omega Force’s Musou or Warriors games basically are hack and slash action games where you play as a character plowing down hundreds of enemies on a battlefield, but also doing things like taking down captains (more powerful enemies), capturing forts, taking down bosses, and much more. Over the years, we’ve seen Omega Force bring this formula to many collaboration projects like Fire Emblem Warriors and Hyrule Warriors for Nintendo, One Piece Pirate Warriors for Bandai Namco, and even bring elements from the Warriors games to action RPGs like Dragon Quest Heroes for Square Enix and Persona 5 Strikers for SEGA/Atlus. Basically, the Warriors games are the best podcast games or mindless fun games as far as I’m concerned, and I’ve been playing every single one that was released after getting into the genre. My testing setup for Musou games on Steam Deck I played all of them on my Steam Deck OLED, used an external controller as well to see how the games handle those, and then tried different Proton versions to see if performance improves or issues are fixed. I’ve also specified Valve’s rating if applicable for every game featured here. Note that the Steam Deck Verification system is not even close to perfect, and hopefully this article helps you realize that and also find your next favorite Musou. Samurai Warriors 4 DX Samurai Warriors 4 DX is Steam Deck Verified. On my Steam Deck OLED, out of the box Samurai Warriors 4 DX runs with a 60fps target, but drops to the mid 40s often during busy combat when played at 720p. I turned everything low or off and had it running around the 50s in the test area. I then turned everything on and used the high preset. This is good for a 30fps target because the game hovered between 30 and 40fps. As of this writing, a locked 60fps is not possible at 720p as far as I can tell. I hope this can be improved in patches. The high and medium presets look very good on the handheld screen. Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate Definitive Edition Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate Definitive Edition is Steam Deck Playable for not setting the native res by default. On my Steam Deck OLED, Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate Definitive Edition defaulted to a very low resolution. After setting it to 720p, everything went smoothly at 60fps. I didn’t need to change anything, but I turned shadows down as usual since I always do in most games to ensure the performance doesn’t drop later on. Touken Ranbu Warriors Touken Ranbu Warriors is Steam Deck Verified. Touken Ranbu Warriors runs fine across the board including cut-scenes. I played at 720p and medium graphics quality on Steam Deck. It runs and looks a lot better than the Switch version, and this one also targets 60fps. I don’t really have much to say about this one aside from the Steam Deck is my favorite way to play it by far. If you like Touken Ranbu, this one is worth getting, but there are better Warriors games on this list to consider before getting this one as a newcomer. Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is listed as Steam Deck Unsupported. Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires using Proton GE boots up and plays the videos on the title screen, but lacks controller glyphs. I expected this to run a bit better than Dynasty Warriors 9 given it is on Switch as well, but it isn’t an amazing experience. When playing at the low preset and 720p, I saw at most 40fps outside combat. I would not recommend playing Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires on Steam Deck if you have access to the home console versions, but if you want to play on a portable, this is better than Switch, but that’s a low bar given how it runs and looks there. I recommend this one on PS5 or Xbox Series X at this stage. Samurai Warriors 5 Samurai Warriors 5 is listed as Steam Deck Unsupported. Before Samurai Warriors 4 DX released on Steam, this was my favorite Warriors game on the platform. I still love it, but I hadn’t played it since launch year on PC. Revisiting it showed me that it can run ok and look very good, but the performance is a bit iffy. A friend of mine recommended using Proton GE, so I ran it with 9-9 and turned shadows to low. This helped a lot and it stayed almost locked at 60fps in the three maps from the campaign I revisited to test from my old save. This test definitely made me want to play more Samurai Warriors 5. It is superb. DYNASTY WARRIORS 7: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition DYNASTY WARRIORS 7: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition is Steam Deck Playable and not Verified because some text may be small, the resolution is not set correctly by default, and because it shows keyboard and mouse prompts on Steam Deck. After setting DYNASTY WARRIORS 7: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition to 720p it seemed to run perfectly at 60fps, but it started dropping to the mid 50s in the opening stage. I didn’t have any other issues, but there is no Steam Cloud save support. My 30 hour save file from when I used to use a Windows laptop is sadly gone. I can forgive a lot of port issues, but the lack of Steam Cloud is beyond awful in games like this. Despite that, if you are ok with a manual backup, DYNASTY WARRIORS 7: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition is superb value and it runs a lot better than expected on Steam Deck. Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate Warriors Orochi 4 (Ultimate with the DLC) is Steam Deck Playable for not setting the display resolution by default correctly. Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate can have an issue where it doesn’t display anything, and you can resolve this by forcing fullscreen off by playing the game in Desktop Mode first and then going back to Game Mode on Steam Deck. Aside from that, and it didn’t happen to me, but did happen to a friend, Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate out of the box runs at around 30fps, but if you set it to the low graphics settings from the title screen and run it at 720p, it holds a locked 60fps in the missions I tried. Thankfully, this one does have Steam Cloud support so my save carried over from when I played it before. Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate runs and looks a lot better than the Switch version even at the lowest settings. Dynasty Warriors 9 Dynasty Warriors 9 is Steam Deck Unsupported. This is the big one. Not in terms of its importance, but because Dynasty Warriors 9 is one of the worst-performing games I’ve ever played on console back on PS4 and Xbox One. It is just about good on PS5 and Xbox Series X via backward compatibility. Playing on Steam Deck is not a great experience out of the box. Switching to Proton GE (9-9 in my case) helps, but it still was stretched up and down for some reason regardless of the display mode I chose. Not only are controller glyphs missing even with that, but the default medium preset has it running at about 20fps often with some video playback issues. Turning things to low or off resulted in it running at about 5 or 10fps more, but still not great with how much it was fluctuating. It also didn’t help that the game seems to think I’m playing the trial when I own all the season passes and the base game on Steam. I’ll need to revisit this one later, but I’d skip this on Deck right now. Warriors All-Stars Warriors All-Stars is listed as Steam Deck Playable for not setting the display resolution by default and having a launcher that requires the touchscreen. It does not have Steam Cloud support. After setting Warriors All-Stars’ launcher to 720p, the game refused to display anything but a small dot on Proton Experimental and whatever I used. I realized fullscreen was the issue. Turning fullscreen off in the launcher fixed this. On the default settings, Warriors All-Stars runs at between 40 and 60fps. Playing at low resulted in a smooth 60fps. Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada is listed as Steam Deck Unsupported. Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada cannot get to a locked 60 regardless of the setting. In fact, even when using Proton GE to get improved performance, it hovers in the mid 30s. Other than the subpar performance at even low settings, Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada runs fine on Steam Deck. This is fine if you want to play at 30fps. Berserk and the Band of the Hawk Berserk and the Band of the Hawk is listed as Steam Deck Unsupported. Just like Spirit of Sanada, I set Berserk and the Band of the Hawk to low, and while that had issues, this one plays fine at 60fps on my Steam Deck OLED in the early parts. The later stages get more chaotic and see drops, but this runs better than the PS4 version by a lot. I used Proton Experimental and disabled fullscreen. That’s basically all I had to do to get Berserk and the Band of the Hawk to run on Steam Deck. Arslan: The Warriors of Legend Arslan: The Warriors of Legend hasn’t been tested by Valve yet. Arslan: The Warriors of Legend has a launcher you navigate with a touchscreen. Beyond that it works fine on Steam Deck and with an external controller outside cut-scenes that displayed a color bar pattern by default. Playing with GE Proton 7-20 resulted in cut-scenes working, but there was no audio in them. I then tried GE 9-9 and had no luck with audio in cut-scenes. Barring the opening cut-scenes, the game seems to hover around 40fps. Not great and without cloud saves, it is hard to recommend on Steam Deck right now. Samurai Warriors 4-II Samurai Warriors 4-II is listed as Steam Deck Unsupported. Without changing any compatibility, Samurai Warriors 4-II doesn’t boot up on Steam Deck. I swapped to GE Proton 9-9 and then Experimental and still had no luck. Going back to Proton 7 had it finally load for me. Samurai Warriors 4-II does not have Steam Cloud support and it also only displays keyboard and mouse button prompts on Steam Deck. When it comes to performance and visuals, it looks good, but performance is erratic. Particle effects during combat tank the frame rate from 60 to the 30s often, and it has shader-related issues as far as I can tell. It can run at 60fps for parts of a battle, but it varies too much. Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires is Steam Deck Unsupported. Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires surprisingly has Steam Cloud support. I say surprisingly because this game is nearly 10 years old, and older Koei Tecmo ports were not good. Either way, after launching the config and disabling fullscreen, I had no trouble playing Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires on Steam Deck with no change to any settings. Performance in the battles I tested was also solid. The only issue is it displays keyboard and mouse button prompts. I couldn’t figure out how to make it display controller prompts as of this writing. DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition is Steam Deck Unsupported. After disabling fullscreen through the config launcher, DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition loads correctly with cut-scenes and audio playing as they should. DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition also displays only keyboard and mouse prompts for some reason. This one sadly does not have Steam Cloud support. If you do own a Nintendo Switch, I’d recommend playing it there despite the fact that DYNASTY WARRIORS 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition runs better on Steam Deck only because all the DLC included on Switch makes that a massively better value proposition right now. I used to play DYNASTY WARRIORS 8 on console, but moved to PC and have gone back to playing it on Switch to treat it as my main platform for that game. Bonus Persona 5 Strikers Persona 5 Strikers is currently Steam Deck Unsupported. Persona 5 Strikers is not a Musou/Warriors game, but it has elements from those games. The reason I’ve included it as a bonus is because it isn’t a traditional Warriors game, but I’ve had a lot of folks ask me about this one when I talk about Warriors games in recent years. On trying to boot it up for the first time, I thought my Steam Deck froze. I waited a whole minute and it was stuck on a black screen. I switched to using Proton GE (9-9) and Persona 5 Strikers finally booted up with cut-scenes and audio playing correctly. I had no issues testing different points of my old save from when I reviewed the game years ago on Steam Deck after that. One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 is currently Steam Deck Playable by Valve for not showing the correct button prompts on Deck. If you’re wondering why I’ve featured One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 and not 4 here, well the latter is region locked and I tried buying a Steam key for it, but that didn’t activate. I do own One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 so I may as well test that as I enjoyed it a lot on Nintendo Switch a few years ago and on PS Vita before. One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 does not have Steam Cloud support. It seems capped to 58 fps regardless of the settings I used. I also couldn’t find a way to get this to show controller prompts on Steam Deck. Just like Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends, at this point you’re getting a better experience in One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 by playing on Switch despite the frame rate being variable on Nintendo’s hybrid system. Which is the best Musuo game to buy on Steam Deck? As of now there isn’t a single answer. My top three for Steam Deck are Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate Definitive Edition, Samurai Warriors 4 DX, and Samurai Warriors 5. The first two are cheaper and offer more value with DLC included, but I love coming back to Samurai Warriors 5, and having a great version on Steam Deck makes me not want to touch my Switch save anymore. Is the Steam Deck the best portable for Musou games? Well, yes and no. Almost all the multi-platform ones are best on Steam Deck compared to Switch, but there are three particular Nintendo collaboration games that are on Switch (and N3DS for one). Hyrule Warriors Definitive, Fire Emblem Warriors, and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes are excellent Warriors/Musuo games that you can’t play on PC. Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity is a technical mess that I do not recommend. Hopefully it runs better on the Nintendo Switch successor whenever that launches. A combination of older Koei Tecmo ports being lacking, some Proton issues, and some features missing mean the PC versions of some of these games in general are not the best way to experience them. Since I own all the Musou/Warriors games from the PS4 and later on all platforms, I usually have a different platform I use for some of them. As an example, Samurai Warriors 4 was best on PS4, but the DX version on Steam Deck is now my favorite. Warriors Orochi 4, I’d play on PS5 or Xbox Series X, but I’ll play Warriors Orochi 3 on Steam Deck. I play Dynasty Warriors 8 and One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 on Switch for the good ports and massive value with all DLC included. Dynasty Warriors 9 I don’t really play anymore outside of listening to the music. Hopefully this helped any Musou fans who own a Steam Deck or are considering getting one to play these games. I can’t wait for Dynasty Warriors: Origins in 2025. The big takeaway for Musou fans who own a Steam Deck, is that you need to spend some time fixing some of the older ports to run well on Steam Deck.

Reviewing all the coolest, newest games for Xbox, Playstation, Switch & PC!

Activision seems to be teasing an announcement for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, suggested by clues in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Grind map, pointing towards a potential remaster.

Obsidian's new game, Avowed, has received positive reviews but modest player counts, peaking at 17,490. It's performing below previous releases, raising questions about its success, particularly on Game Pass.

Tyshawn Jones revealed a new remaster of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4, titled Project Chicago, expected to launch in June during the Xbox Showcase, likely on Game Pass.

Tyshawn Jones hinted at a possible remaster of Tony Hawk 3+4 during a podcast, referencing discussions by Tony Hawk with Activision, suggesting excitement for the series' future.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has sold over 2 million copies in two weeks, achieving impressive player numbers on Steam. Meanwhile, Avowed prepares for its full release, attracting fewer early access players.

Days Gone Remastered was announced, allowing existing owners to upgrade for $10 on April 25. However, those who obtained the game for free via PS Plus are ineligible for the upgrade.

Ubisoft faces declining sales but announces a major update and rebranding for Rainbow Six Siege, celebrating its 10th anniversary with anticipated gameplay changes, set to be revealed on March 13.

Corsair's VP Ronald van Veen speculates that GTA 6 will launch on consoles in fall 2025 and on PC in early 2026, though this claim raises doubts about its credibility and timing.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins has sold over 1 million copies, marking a notable success for the series. The game enjoys positive reviews and strong player engagement, especially on PC.

Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment's new RPG, launches today and has got fairly strong reviews. Critics praised its depth and charm, though some noted it feels unfinished and lacks innovation. Overall, it holds an 81 score.

Free Video Game Alpha & Beta Tests. The Worlds Biggest Beta Testing Site

HoverGrease 2 is a single-player top-down shooter and a 5v5 hero shooter where anthropomorphic mutants fight for their freedom in a bio-cyberpunk world ruled by big corporations.

Blending top-down shooter intensity with hero-based combat, HoverGrease 2 catapults players into the chaotic Diamond Core Metropolis. The game offers a robust single-player campaign spanning 14 chapters and a 5v5 online multiplayer hero shooter experience.

Choose from 10 … Read More

The post HoverGrease 2 – Open Beta first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Mecha BREAK is a fast paced multiplayer mech combat game that can be played as a 3v3 Deathmatch, a strategic 6v6 Hero Shooter or a challenging PvPvE Extraction shooter.

Previously featured on Alpha Beta Gamer during the closed Beta sign up, Mecha BREAK takes place in a post-catastrophic Earth ravaged by the mysterious Corite mineral. Humanity’s last hope lies in advanced mechs and skilled … Read More

The post Mecha BREAK – Open Beta first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Shotgun Cop Man is a gloriously silly gun-based precision splatformer where a shotgun wielding cop goes to Hell to arrest Satan.

Currently in development by DeadToast Entertainment (creators of My Friend Pedro), Shotgun Cop Man is a precision platformer where you propel yourself through the air using your guns. You’re an oddly shaped cop who has just one mission – enter Hell and arrest … Read More

The post Shotgun Cop Man – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

The Liquid Jet is a thoroughly bizarre psychedelic adventure about a girl attending a warehouse party with her friends.

In The Liquid Jet you are a young woman called Mae, who has planned to go to a warehouse rave party with her friends to honour the memory of the death of a close friend. However, Mae experiences a bad trip and the world morphs into … Read More

The post The Liquid Jet – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Last Frontier is a cooperative horror game that challenges players to survive against terrifying mutant creatures in the grim shadows of World War II battlefields.

In Last Frontier you are thrust into the role of medics on a critical mission to combat genetic monstrosities during WWII. Armed with nothing more than a gas torch and teamwork, players must strategically burn mutated creatures to collect ingredients … Read More

The post Last Frontier – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Enginefall is basically a multiplayer sandbox Snowpiercer game where players fight their way to the front of a massive megatrain to take control of it and carve their own path to freedom.

In the claustrophobic depths of a massive mega-train, a new breed of survival game emerges. Enginefall challenges players to break free from their predetermined fate as “tailies” through a dynamic blend of combat, … Read More

The post Enginefall – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Salvage Protocol is a darkly comedic Sci-Fi horror adventure where you smash things for salvage in monster-filled space stations.

In Salvage Protocol you have a MASSIVE (unfairly accrued) debt to pay off and to do so you’ll need to become a Scrap Walker. Your job is to enter derelict space stations and use your tools to smash things up for salvage. Gather enough salvage and … Read More

The post Salvage Protocol – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

SAND is a vast open-world PvPvE game set on a desolate desert planet where players build, customize and fight giant walking mechs.

Previously featured on Alpha Beta Gamer during the closed Beta sign up, in SAND, players build and customize gigantic “Tramplers” – walking mechs that serve as mobile bases for exploration and loot storage. It takes solace in an alternate history where … Read More

The post SAND – Open Beta first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Promise Mascot Agency is a delightfully strange open world narrative adventure where a Yakuza legend runs a mascot agency in a cursed Japanese town.

Currently in development by the team behind Paradise Killer, in Promise Mascot Agency you are a Yakuza legend who has been sent to a cursed Japanese town after a job went bad. You now need to take over a failing … Read More

The post Promise Mascot Agency – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Deliver At All Costs is a carnage-filled narrative-driven open world driving game where a delivery driver causes untold amounts of destruction in a large 1950’s American city.

Playing like a glorious blend of GTA and Blast Corps., Deliver At All Costs is an open world driving game that puts you in the shoes of Winston – an aspiring rocket engineer and recently employed delivery … Read More

The post Deliver At All Costs – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Abject Abyss is a Sci-Fi first person horror adventure that traps players in the nightmarish depths of a collapsing corporate facility on a distant planet.

In Abject Abyss you are a technician for the Luminary Corporation on the alien world of Marzanna. You’ve worked there with many other staff for a couple of years, but now due to a catastrophic event, the facility is collapsing … Read More

The post Abject Abyss – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

EXPEDITION TO THE BACKROOMS is a found footage Backrooms horror game that does some interesting things as you solve puzzles and explore its eerie liminal space world.

In EXPEDITION TO THE BACKROOMS you are an intrepid explorer who has stumbled into the Backrooms. You now need to explore, solve puzzles, use gadgets and evade monsters as you try to escape.

There are lots of Backrooms … Read More

The post EXPEDITION TO THE BACKROOMS – Alpha Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

s&box is a Source 2 powered game creation sandbox from the creators of Garry’s Mod, which allows users to create and share games in an easily accessible community-focused way.

A spiritual successor to Garry’s Mod (not a sequel), s&box aims to eclipse what’s possible in Garry’s Mod rather than just update it. It’s a little like a blend of Garry’s Mod, Dreams and Roblox… Read More

The post s&box – Developer Preview first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Forgery Craft is a narrative-driven simulation game where you meticulously forge documents and artworks that can fool the greatest experts.

In Forgery Craft you are a talented forger who starts off altering documents by changing signatures, dates, pictures, etc.. As the game progresses though your forgeries get more ambitions and you use a wide array of tools to great forgeries of works of art. Some … Read More

The post Forgery Craft – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Egging On is a tricky physics-based platformer where a fragile little chicken egg attempts to roll and jump their way high up into the sky.

A little like Only Up! but with lots of chickens and an egg, Egging On puts you in the role of an egg as you climb from the bottom of a chicken house up into the heavens. There are lots … Read More

The post Egging On – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

A Week in the Life of Asocial Giraffe is a lighthearted and very relatable point and click adventure about an asocial giraffe who lives in a city where everyone’s way too friendly.

In A Week in the Life of Asocial Giraffe you are a giraffe who lives in Friendly City – the friendliest city in the world. Everyone’s always happy and keen to chat to … Read More

The post A Week in the Life of Asocial Giraffe – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a ridiculously over the top Like a Dragon spin-off where an amnesiac becomes a modern day pirate.

Taking place after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Pirate Yakuza is a beat ‘em up action adventure starring Goro Majima. After being stranded on an island Goro has lost his memory, but he becomes the captain … Read More

The post Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii – Beta Demo (Steam, PS5 & Xbox) first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Pirate Commander is an immersive survival strategy game where players take the helm of their own pirate vessel and seek plunder on the high seas.

In Pirate Commander you’ll manage every aspect of ship life aboard their vessel as you travel to exotic islands, battle other ships, upgrade vessels and recruit new crew members from diverse sources, including defeated enemies and local inhabitants. A key … Read More

The post Pirate Commander – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Twisted Tower is a BioShock inspired horror FPS where you venture into a freaky theme park filled with fairy-tale mascots, to win back the love of your ex.

Taking place in the 1950’s, in Twisted Tower you have returned from the war to find that your beloved has left you for someone more financially stable. You then receive an invite to the Twisted Tower, which … Read More

The post Twisted Tower – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Train Jumble puts players in charge of their own European railway experience, combining puzzle-solving with train management in a charming new simulator.

In Train Jumble players must strategically arrange passengers to keep everyone happy while traveling through beautiful Bavaria and beyond. It features lots of customization features, allowing players to furnish their train cars with various amenities including snack machines, bars, and music corners.

Happy … Read More

The post Train Jumble – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Ruffy and the Riverside is a wholesome open world puzzle platforming adventure where you can copy and paste textures onto different surfaces, with interesting results.

In Ruffy and the Riverside you are a cute little Ewok looking bear guy called Ruffy, who is trying to stop a mischievous villain from destroying the World Core. The game has a Mario 64-esque structure, with a large open … Read More

The post Ruffy and the Riverside – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

BodyRecords is a co-op multiplayer horror game with bodycam aesthetics, clever use of microphone integration and eerie liminal spaces.

In BodyRecords your real-world voice becomes both a tool and a liability. Whisper too loudly, and you might attract unwanted attention from the mysterious entities that stalk the halls. The game emphasizes genuine teamwork, requiring players to communicate effectively while solving intricate puzzles scattered throughout its … Read More

The post BodyRecords – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Sheepherds! is a charming co-op party game where players become playful sheepdogs guiding fluffy flocks through vibrant meadows.

Playable in single-player or up to four player co-op, Sheepherds! is a wholesome game that focuses on creating a stress-free environment where friendship and fun take center stage. The game’s core mechanic revolves around herding sheep through colorful flower fields to dye their wool, which players can … Read More

The post Sheepherds! – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Neon Inferno is a beautifully animated and action packed cyberpunk retro arcade shooter with bullet parrying, epic boss fights and gallery shooter style background combat.

Drawing inspiration from arcade classics like Metal Slug, Sunset Riders and Wild Arms, Neon Inferno is a jaw-droppingly good looking slice of retro run n gun side-scrolling action. It takes place in a cyberpunk future where four factions are at … Read More

The post Neon Inferno – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Settler’s Domain is a chilled out city-building game where you build and manage a thriving settlement in a cozy procedurally generated world.

Combining resource management with strategic expansion, Settler’s Domain sees you working to grow a community from humble beginnings. The game features five distinct building categories: housing, production, exploration, services, and processing. Players must carefully consider structure placement to maximize efficiency while maintaining an … Read More

The post Settler’s Domain – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Hypogea is an atmospheric 3D platforming adventure where you use a staff to pole-vault through an ancient Sci-Fi megastructure.

An entirely wordless experience, in Hypogea you are a robot who is accidentally brought back to life by another robot as they’re making their way through a rusty old megastructure. You’re then gifted a staff that comes in handy as you search for power-cells to help … Read More

The post Hypogea – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Monster Hunter Wilds is now in open Beta on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation, so everyone can jump into its ever-changing monster-filled world.

Set in the mysterious Forbidden Lands, Monster Hunter Wilds introduces unprecedented environmental shifts that directly impact both wildlife and hunting strategies. The story follows the aftermath of a young boy’s escape from a mysterious monster attack, leading to a Guild-sanctioned expedition into uncharted … Read More

The post Monster Hunter Wilds – Open Beta (Steam, Xbox & PS5) first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Bad Cheese is a Steamboat Willie based psychological horror adventure about a little mouse with a compulsive eating disorder and a dysfunctional dad.

In Bad Cheese you take on the role of a (now in public domain) little cartoon mouse who looks a lot like Steamboat Willie. You live at home and must be on your best behavior as you try to keep your … Read More

The post Bad Cheese – Beta Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Outwith is a first-person RPG that promises players unprecedented freedom in a richly detailed medieval fantasy open world.

Aiming to be an open-world adventure emphasizes player choice, Outwith allows adventurers to forge their own path through a landscape steeped in ancient lore and magic. The game features a flexible combat system, enabling players to master melee weapons, perfect their archery, or harness magical powers – … Read More

The post Outwith – Open Beta first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

Industrial Dreams is an isometric horror game that features a clever fusion of text-based and point and click adventure gameplay as you explore the world via CCTV cameras.

In Industrial Dreams you awaken in a derelict factory in a world ravaged by war. You are confined and can only view the world via a computer screen that’s hooked up to a network of cameras (don’t … Read More

The post Industrial Dreams – Alpha Demo first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

This channel features the latest computer hardware related articles.

It is with great sadness that I find myself penning the hardest news post I’ve ever needed to write here at AnandTech. After over 27 years of covering the wide – and wild – world of computing hardware, today is AnandTech’s final day of publication.

For better or worse, we’ve reached the end of a long journey – one that started with a review of an AMD processor, and has ended with the review of an AMD processor. It’s fittingly poetic, but it is also a testament to the fact that we’ve spent the last 27 years doing what we love, covering the chips that are the lifeblood of the computing industry.

A lot of things have changed in the last quarter-century – in 1997 NVIDIA had yet to even coin the term “GPU” – and we’ve been fortunate to watch the world of hardware continue to evolve over the time period. We’ve gone from boxy desktop computers and laptops that today we’d charitably classify as portable desktops, to pocket computers where even the cheapest budget device puts the fastest PC of 1997 to shame.

The years have also brought some monumental changes to the world of publishing. AnandTech was hardly the first hardware enthusiast website, nor will we be the last. But we were fortunate to thrive in the past couple of decades, when so many of our peers did not, thanks to a combination of hard work, strategic investments in people and products, even more hard work, and the support of our many friends, colleagues, and readers.

Still, few things last forever, and the market for written tech journalism is not what it once was – nor will it ever be again. So, the time has come for AnandTech to wrap up its work, and let the next generation of tech journalists take their place within the zeitgeist.

It has been my immense privilege to write for AnandTech for the past 19 years – and to manage it as its editor-in-chief for the past decade. And while I carry more than a bit of remorse in being AnandTech’s final boss, I can at least take pride in everything we’ve accomplished over the years, whether it’s lauding some legendary products, writing technology primers that still remain relevant today, or watching new stars rise in expected places. There is still more that I had wanted AnandTech to do, but after 21,500 articles, this was a good start.

And while the AnandTech staff is riding off into the sunset, I am happy to report that the site itself won’t be going anywhere for a while. Our publisher, Future PLC, will be keeping the AnandTech website and its many articles live indefinitely. So that all of the content we’ve created over the years remains accessible and citable. Even without new articles to add to the collection, I expect that many of the things we’ve written over the past couple of decades will remain relevant for years to come – and remain accessible just as long.

The AnandTech Forums will also continue to be operated by Future’s community team and our dedicated troop of moderators. With forum threads going back to 1999 (and some active members just as long), the forums have a history almost as long and as storied as AnandTech itself (wounded monitor children, anyone?). So even when AnandTech is no longer publishing articles, we’ll still have a place for everyone to talk about the latest in technology – and have those discussions last longer than 48 hours.

Finally, for everyone who still needs their technical writing fix, our formidable opposition of the last 27 years and fellow Future brand, Tom’s Hardware, is continuing to cover the world of technology. There are a couple of familiar AnandTech faces already over there providing their accumulated expertise, and the site will continue doing its best to provide a written take on technology news.

So Many Thank Yous

As I look back on everything AnandTech has accomplished over the past 27 years, there are more than a few people, groups, and companies that I would like to thank on behalf of both myself and AnandTech as a whole.

First and foremost, I cannot thank enough all the editors who have worked for AnandTech over the years. There are far more of you than I can ever name, but AnandTech’s editors have been the lifeblood of the site, bringing over their expertise and passion to craft the kind of deep, investigative articles that AnandTech is best known for. These are the finest people I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with, and it shouldn’t come as any surprise that these people have become even bigger successes in their respective fields. Whether it’s hardware and software development, consulting and business analysis, or even launching rockets into space, they’ve all been rock stars whom I’ve been fortunate to work with over the past couple of decades.

Ian Cutress, Anton Shilov, and Gavin Bonshor at Computex 2019

And a special shout out to the final class of AnandTech editors, who have been with us until the end, providing the final articles that grace this site. Gavin Bonshor, Ganesh TS, E. Fylladitakis, and Anton Shilov have all gone above and beyond to meet impossible deadlines and go half-way around the world to report on the latest in technology.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the man himself, Anand Lal Shimpi, who started this site out of his bedroom 27 years ago. While Anand retired from the world of tech journalism a decade ago, the standard he set for quality and the lessons he taught all of us have continued to resonate within AnandTech to this very day. And while it would be tautological to say that there would be no AnandTech without Anand, it’s none the less true – the mark on the tech publishing industry that we’ve been able to make all started with him.

MWC 2014: Ian Cutress, Anand Lal Shimpi, Joshua Ho

I also want to thank the many, many hardware and software companies we’ve worked with over the years. More than just providing us review samples and technical support, we’ve been given unique access to some of the greatest engineers in the industry. People who have built some of the most complex chips ever made, and casually forgotten more about the subject than we as tech journalists will ever know. So being able to ask those minds stupid questions, and seeing the gears turn in their heads as they explain their ideas, innovations, and thought processes has been nothing short of an incredible learning experience. We haven’t always (or even often) seen eye-to-eye on matters with all of the companies we've covered, but as the last 27 years have shown, sharing the amazing advancements behind the latest technologies has benefited everyone, consumers and companies alike.

Thank yous are also due to AnandTech’s publishers over the years – Future PLC, and Purch before them. AnandTech’s publishers have given us an incredible degree of latitude to do things the AnandTech way, even when it meant taking big risks or not following the latest trend.  A more cynical and controlling publisher could have undoubtedly found ways to make more money from the AnandTech website, but the resulting content would not have been AnandTech. We’ve enjoyed complete editorial freedom up to our final day, and that’s not something so many other websites have had the luxury to experience. And for that I am thankful.

CES 2016: Ian Cutress, Ganesh TS, Joshua Ho, Brett Howse, Brandon Chester, Billy Tallis

Finally, I cannot thank our many readers enough. Whether you’ve been following AnandTech since 1997 or you’ve just recently discovered us, everything we’ve published here we’ve done for you. To show you what amazing things were going on in the world of technology, the radical innovations driving the next generation of products, or a sober review that reminds us all that there’s (almost) no such thing as bad products, just bad pricing. Our readers have kept us on our toes, pushing us to do better, and holding us responsible when we’ve strayed from our responsibilities.

Ultimately, a website is only as influential as its readers, otherwise we would be screaming into the void that is the Internet. For all the credit we can claim as writers, all of that pales in comparison to our readers who have enjoyed our content, referenced it, and shared it with the world. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you for sticking with us for the past 27 years.

Continuing the Fight Against the Cable TV-ification of the Web

Finally, I’d like to end this piece with a comment on the Cable TV-ification of the web. A core belief that Anand and I have held dear for years, and is still on our About page to this day, is AnandTech’s rebuke of sensationalism, link baiting, and the path to shallow 10-o'clock-news reporting. It has been our mission over the past 27 years to inform and educate our readers by providing high-quality content – and while we’re no longer going to be able to fulfill that role, the need for quality, in-depth reporting has not changed. If anything, the need has increased as social media and changing advertising landscapes have made shallow, sensationalistic reporting all the more lucrative.

Speaking of TV: Anand Hosting The AGN Hardware Show (June 1998)

For all the tech journalists out there right now – or tech journalists to be – I implore you to remain true to yourself, and to your readers' needs. In-depth reporting isn’t always as sexy or as exciting as other avenues, but now, more than ever, it’s necessary to counter sensationalism and cynicism with high-quality reporting and testing that is used to support thoughtful conclusions. To quote Anand: “I don't believe the web needs to be academic reporting or sensationalist garbage - as long as there's a balance, I'm happy.”

Signing Off One Last Time

Wrapping things up, it has been my privilege over the last 19 years to write for one of the most impactful tech news websites that has ever existed. And while I’m heartbroken that we’re at the end of AnandTech’s 27-year journey, I can take solace in everything we’ve been able to accomplish over the years. All of which has been made possible thanks to our industry partners and our awesome readers.

On a personal note, this has been my dream job; to say I’ve been fortunate would be an understatement. And while I’ll no longer be the editor-in-chief of AnandTech, I’m far from being done with technology as a whole. I’ll still be around on Twitter/X, and we’ll see where my own journey takes me next.

Gallery: AnandTech Over The Years

To everyone who has followed AnandTech over the years, fans, foes, readers, competitors, academics, engineers, and just the technologically curious who want to learn a bit more about their favorite hardware, thank you for all of your patronage over the years. We could not have accomplished this without your support.

-Thanks,
Ryan Smith

Corsair, a longstanding and esteemed manufacturer in the PC components industry, initially built its reputation on memory-related products. However, nearly two decades ago, Corsair began diversifying its product line. This expansion started cautiously, with a limited number of products, but quickly proved to be highly successful, propelling Corsair into the industry powerhouse it is today.

One of Corsair's most triumphant product categories is all-in-one (AIO) liquid coolers. This success is particularly notable given that their initial foray into liquid cooling in 2003 did not meet expectations. However, Corsair didn’t throw in the towel. Undeterred, they re-entered the market years later, leveraging the growing popularity of user-friendly, maintenance-free AIO designs. This gamble paid off handsomely, as AIO coolers are now one of Corsair’s flagship product lines, boasting a wide array of models.

In this review, we focus on the latest addition to Corsair's AIO cooler lineup: the iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX. This model is similar to the iCUE LINK H150i RGB, but introduces subtle yet significant improvements, including a performance upgrade with an enhanced pump. The TITAN 360 RX continues Corsair's tradition of innovation and quality, seamlessly integrating into the iCUE ecosystem for an optimized user experience. Its single-cable design ensures a clean and effortless installation, making it a standout in Corsair's evolving cooler lineup.