August 2023

G-Mode will release Megami Ibunroku Persona: Ikuu no Tou Hen for the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC in Japan. However, there is no release date, nor is there any information on whether or not it will appear overseas. Megami Ibunroku Persona: Ikuu no Tou Hen originally came out for phones in Japan on December 1, 2006.

Here is a trailer for Megami Ibunroku Persona: Ikuu no Tou Hen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqhX_nxaKMM&

It looks to be a remaster of the original title, so it still looks like a game that you would play on a phone. As for the story, it’s based on the original Persona and is a spin-off that takes place during the events. The Deva System transports the protagonists to a bizarre space in between worlds, in which demons roam. They must then try to find a way back to their world, all while fighting or negotiating with the demons they come across.

The story will not be the same as the first Persona. However, it will have similar mechanics, such as negotiation and Fusion. It is also similar to a roguelike in which your party dying will lead to you losing all of your money and items. This will create a more “thrilling” experience, according to G-mode’s webpage for the game.

The four new Naruto episodes that Studio Pierrot is working on for the 20th anniversary of the Naruto anime will be delayed. Originally, the first episode would have aired on September 3, 2023. However, according to a tweet on the official Boruto social media account, the studio will delay these episodes. This is so the studio can increase their overall quality.

The full statement includes the fact that it has been six years and five months since Studio Pierrot worked on Naruto. Since these episodes will be to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Naruto anime, it decided to delay them in order to improve their quality. It apologizes to fans who have been waiting for the broadcast. More information on when they’ll premiere will appear on official social media accounts, as well as the Naruto website.

There weren’t a lot of details on what the new episodes would entail. What we do know is that Studio Pierrot previously stated that this will be “newly-made animation,” which was the same wording it used for the “Road of Naruto” trailer. There is the chance, then, that these episodes will not be completely new content.

An in-depth look at Super Mario Bros. Wonder will take place in a dedicated Nintendo Direct this week. The presentation is set to air on August 31.

Beginning at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET the Direct will run for about 15 minutes and, hopefully, peel the curtain back on Wonder’s new features and power-ups. The game's biggest change centers on the Wonder Flower, which transforms stages into trippy versions of themselves laden with mind-bending effects. More than anything, however, we’re excited to see more of Mario's new elephant transformation as well as the elephant versions of his friends.

Join us for an in-depth look at Mario's latest 2D side-scrolling adventure in the livestreamed Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct!

📆 August 31st
🕓 7am PT / 10am ET
⏳ Roughly 15 minutes

Watch the #SuperMarioBrosWonder #NintendoDirect here: https://t.co/cLiWEN2hHd pic.twitter.com/Nyb3bqnZ4R

Sad news, folks. Munich, Germany-based independent developer Mimimi Games have announced that they're closing doors following the release of Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, which RPS only recently described as the studio's best work yet. The developer plan to support Shadow Gambit with patches and additions, but are otherwise ceasing development and will "slowly ramp down" in the coming months. Founders Dominik Abé and Johannes Roth are even now trying to relocate the studio's few dozen employees, who will be paid a bonus taken from Shadow Gambit profits to ease the transition.

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"What's better than gazing at the Milky Way?", asks Bethesda. The answer? "Savouring it as well." That's right folks, I may not have laid my hands on big Todd's mega RPG Starfield, but I've actually tasted its universe, in the form of a promotional drink handed out at Gamescom. It’s composed of cinnamon and stardust, with the boundless expanse of space taking on the form of a grey liquid goop. I’ve got to admit, I think it makes for an excellent beverage, and could perhaps have elicited more excitement from me than the game itself will on release.

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You may have noticed a mounting squabble between Starfield fans and detractors concerning the game's planetary maps, triggered by some leaks or fake leaks over the past week. Said skirmish has now escalated to "-gate" status, with "Tilegate" doing the rounds on forums and even creeping into search results, presumably much to the alarm of innocent, unaligned ceramics company Tilegate Trading Llc in Florida. The nub of the dispute seems to be thus: some people claim the procedurally generated tiles that comprise many Starfield environments actually glue together into complete globes, so that you can see and walk from one to the other and, indeed, all around the equator, while others claim they're discrete maps with invisible walls, similar to those of the astonishing "dreamable" space sim Noctis.

Every weekend, indie devs show off current work on Twitter's #screenshotsaturday tag. And every Monday (well, unless it's a holiday), I bring you a selection of these snaps and clips. This week, my eye has been caught by decorating tapes, a wide range of wet worlds, a spread of cool violence, a murderous squirrel, and yes, immersive sims. Come admire these attractive and interesting indie games!

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I don't think I've ever been quite so enamoured by a menu screen. Spinning wheels and pressing buttons to make selections. Picking up figurines with my hands to inspect them closely. Looking down at the dusty library below me from my cosy attic - a library Moss fans will certainly be familiar with.

That's the power of virtual reality, something developer Polyarc is particularly adept at harnessing. Moss and its sequel remain two of the best adventures playable in VR; now there's Glassbreakers, a game set in the same world but with totally different gameplay.

Polyarc describes the game as a live service 1v1 real-time battler. In practice, it's you against another player online aiming to take control of a hex board using three champions who auto-battle in real time. You strategically manoeuvre your characters across the board to destroy your opponent's tower. It looks a bit like holochess in Star Wars, but with woodland creatures instead of aliens.

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UPDATE 1/9/23: With the dust now settled after Starfield's review embargo, I'd like to clarify a couple of points I've seen misunderstood about Digital Foundry's access to Starfield code. To be clear, Digital Foundry staff received Starfield code (without Eurogamer being involved in that process, as is standard) without agreeing to any specific proviso they could not share that code with Eurogamer. Eurogamer was separately told code was not available by Bethesda, which then stated that Digital Foundry's code could not be shared.

UPDATE 29/8/23 5.45pm UK: An hour after the publication of this blog, Eurogamer was provided Starfield review code by Bethesda. As stated below, our review will not be completed before embargo - but we can now begin our work to provide you with Eurogamer's judgement of the game.

ORIGINAL STORY 29/8/23 4.30pm UK: Just two days away from Starfield's review embargo, Eurogamer is still to receive a copy of the game from Bethesda.

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Even if you're not into the fantasy aesthetic or shooters in general, Immortals of Aveum is still an interesting title. The game is powered by Unreal Engine 5.1 and is the first triple-A title to simultaneously take advantage of several signature UE5 features in order to bring its world to life. Ahead of our look at the game's tech, this article's focus is PC performance.

After all, the release of the game's system requirements ahead of launch raised some eyebrows. The minimum spec calls for an RTX 2080 Super (a $699 graphics card in 2019), backed with an eight-core CPU and ideally an SSD too... and that's only for a 1080p 60fps experience. The recommended specs are even more jaw-dropping, with an RTX 3080 Ti ($1199 in 2021) and Ryzen 7 5700X ($299 in 2022) representing an acceptable level of horsepower for 1440p 60fps gaming - and both of these spec points assume the use of upscaling using DLSS or FSR 2 to boost performance, with native performance likely significantly lower.

Given what we've seen of Unreal Engine 5's performance in real-time demos, the high specs do make some sense - but they're undeniably high. For context, last month's Steam Hardware Survey shows nearly 60 percent of CPUs represented have fewer than eight cores, and only a tiny fraction of graphics cards are equal or better than a 2080 Super. As I have three machines that are pretty close to the suggested 1080p, 1440p, and 4K builds, I thought I'd put the game to the test on each and find out how accurate the recommended specs are in what must be one of the most challenging PC games ever released.

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Nintendo will broadcast a special Nintendo Direct presentation this week focusing entirely on Super Mario Bros. Wonder, its upcoming trippy side-scroller.

Tune in this Thursday, 31st August at 3pm UK time for roughly 15 minutes of action from the game, broadcast via YouTube - or hosted right here on Eurogamer.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the first all-new side-scrolling Mario game from Nintendo for a decade, and it looks to shake up the series' formula. Oh, and yes, Mario can turn into an elephant.

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German developer Mimimi Games has announced the studio's closure, which will gradually happen over the coming months.

The announcement comes shortly after the release of real-time strategy stealth game Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew two weeks ago. Other games under Mimimi's belt include Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun and Desperados 3.

The statement regarding the studio's closure, attributed to co-founders Dominik Abé and Johannes Roth, was posted on Mimimi's website which, at time of writing, returns a 403 error but can be viewed as a cached version via Google.

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Armored Core VI is hard enough if you’re playing it the right way, but have you considered trying to beat every boss without guns, laser swords, or rocket launchers? That’s what Twitch streamer ZeroLenny just did in what he’s billed as one of his least-fun stunt runs ever: He managed to beat the game using mech…

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Naruto, the mega-popular shonen anime series, was supposed to receive four “newly made” episodes on September 3 to commemorate the show’s 20th anniversary, but a recent announcement has pushed back their release.

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Diablo IV will host its first XP and Gold buff event, Mother’s Blessing, from September 1 to September 5, which IGN noticed coincides with “NASApunk” role-playing game Starfield’s release window.

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D3 Publisher has revealed that it will release Custom Mech Wars for the PS5 and PC worldwide "this Winter." The new game will be a third-person shooter with a robust mech customization system. It will have an offline single-player mode and online co-op with up to four players.

As the title implies, the mech customization will be the game's biggest feature. While other established mech games like Armored Core and Gundam Breaker have pre-determined part locations, this game's Omega Customization System will let players freely construct mechs without such restrictions.

D3 Publisher has also shared some examples of mechs that players can produce with the Omega Customization System. Some of the bizarre examples show that players can use a tank, car, or train wagon as the mech's body, or even shape it like a hamburger.

[gallery columns="2" ids="980822,980823" link="file"]

The company also uploaded the reveal trailer for Custom Mech Wars in both Japanese and English. The official English version is available to watch right below.

[tnm_video layout="mnmd-post-media-wide"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLB2KnAVli4[/tnm_video]

HoYoVerse shared details about the Honkai: Star Rail Aurum Alley event that lets people earn Sushang in the 1.3 update. The Aurum Alley’s Hustle and Bustle takes place between August 31, 2023 and September 18, 2023. During that period, both the regular and limited time rewards will be available. The former will give you a free Sushang in Honkai: Star Rail, as well as enough Stellar Jades for a full 10-pull on one of the gacha banners.

First, to take part in the event someone will need to complete the new Trailblaze Mission appearing in 1.3. That’s “Obsequies Performed, a Long Road Ahead.” (This is also a requirement for some of the new Companion Missions.) It involves getting Guild Funds to revive Aurum Alley and restore it. The first Merchant Collab stage involves getting merchants and their goods to the guild. The second part is Logistics Planning, which involves using Cycranes to deliver items for them. The third Inventory Arrangement part involves arranging goods on starskiffs. This will all be followed by a Postscript. All of these actions allow people to earn Prosperity Certificates through their actions.

As for what you can get, here are the Honkai: Star Rail Aurum Alley limited rewards available alongside Sushang:

Bandai Namco added more details about its appearance at TGS 2023 by updating its webpage. The company will reveal more new information on upcoming titles like Tekken 8, Sand Land, My Hero Ultra Rumble, and Synduality at Tokyo Game Show 2023.

The company will also hold a 30-hour non-stop livestream from September 23, 2023, at 3am CET/10am JST/6pm PT/9pm ET. It will include a speedrun attempt on Tales of Arise that will go through midnight in Japan.

The TGS 2023 stream schedule from Bandai Namco is available right below. Note that all times listed are in Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) with a 24-hour format.

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Final Fantasy XIV, one player transcribed and compiled a written archive of main scenario quests and side quests from the 1.0 version of the game. mirkemenagerie on X, formerly known as Twitter, described this as a passion project that took them several years to complete. To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of FFXIV, they have made the 1.0 archive public.

The document itself is divided into five different sections, these being:

• Main Scenario Quests
• Grand Company Quests
• Side Quests
• Class & Job Quests
• NPC Talk Text & Newspapers

mirkemenagerie also included brief descriptions beneath the FFXIV main scenario quests, Grand Company quests, side quests, class and job quests, and NPC talk and newspaper that detail the information found in each. That said, the archive of FFXIV 1.0 is an extremely dense read. While there have been attempts to restore content to an emulated version of the 1.0 release, progress has been relatively slow.

Nintendo revealed details about Crableg Capital, a new stage coming to Splatoon 3. It showed off the new stage in a quick teaser video, showing off the stage’s details. The new stage will be released as part of Drizzle Season 2023, which starts on September 1, 2023.

Crableg Capital was first seen in the Drizzle Season 2023 trailer, where it was used as the location to show off the new Dread Wringer weapon. The new stage is set in the financial district of Splatsville, taking place among the clouds on the roof of a skyscraper. Construction cranes tower over the stage, suggesting the skyscraper is still under construction. The stage appears to be a larger stage than some others in Splatoon 3. It also appears to be a two-level stage, with the top level made mostly out of grates.

https://twitter.com/SplatoonNA/status/1696508102860808216

The new stage will arrive as part of Splatoon 3’s first anniversary celebration, which coincides with a special Splatfest. Adding to this celebration, Nintendo have announced that 80 new banners and 400 new Splashtag Titles will be added as part of Drizzle Season 2023. Some of these will part of the Catalog, while others will be available via the Shell-Out Machine in the Lobby.

Splatoon 3 is out now for the Nintendo Switch. Drizzle Season 2023 kicks off on September 1, 2023.

The Square Enix Store is selling a melody clock based on Persona 3 Portable for customers both in Japan and in North America. It will play a song every hour, for a total of twelve songs. There is a video on the Square Enix social media account that shows how the clock sounds and looks. The Persona 3 Portable clock costs 16,280 JPY, or $147.99, and it’ll come out in July 2024.

Here's the video showing off the clock.
https://twitter.com/sqex_estore/status/1696343832571625633?s=46&t=H5PQOQrVgcNnJC_jNkLBGA

According to the description on the North American Square Enix store, the Persona 3 Portable melody clock has a light sensor. It will only play a melody when it senses light, so you don’t have to worry about “Burn My Dread” waking you up in the middle of the night. It can also double as a night light, since it comes with a backlight that’ll turn on when the room gets dark.

The tracks that are in the clock are:

Sega Plaza revealed that new NieR Automata character cat figures will appear as prize items in select game centers throughout Japan. The protagonists included are protagonists 2B, 9S, and A2. The figures are expected to appear in Winter 2023. More news will come at a later date.

You can take a better look at the new napping cat mini figures of 2B, 9S, and A2 from NieR Automata here:

https://twitter.com/seganewsnavi/status/1696077741555409276

This is not the first time that these characters have been portrayed as cats. On April 2023, a new line of keychains depicting 2B, 9S, and A2 as cats appeared on Animate stores in Japan.

The new NieR Automata mini figures are joining the Ohiruneko line of merchandise, which has previously featured Nijisanji EN VTubers figures and plushies, as well as plushies from the Spy x Family series. Another NieR Automata merchandise good releasing this Winter includes a Good Smile Company plush of protagonist 2B that will appear on December 2023.

If you subscribe to the digital edition of Game Informer, you can now learn all about Assassin's Creed Mirage. Following the cover reveal, our digital issue is now live on web browsers, iPad/iPhone, and Android devices. Alongside the cover story, you will also find big features on Alan Wake II, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, a big retrospective developing the original Splinter Cell, and plenty more.

Individual issues are also now available for purchase at this link or in any GameStop store.

You can download the apps to view the issue by following this link.

Ubisoft revealed Assassin’s Creed Mirage last September as part of a special stream celebrating the series’ 15th anniversary. Now, one year later, and a little over one month before the game hits PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, it’s getting the Game Informer spotlight on our latest cover! We traveled to France to speak with Ubisoft Bordeaux, a relatively new studio in the worldwide company’s massive stable of studios. After opening its doors in 2017, Ubisoft Bordeaux has worked mainly as a support studio to others in the Ubisoft umbrella. But after leading development on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Wrath of the Druids DLC, the team was given a chance to create a full game. 

This cover story and our exclusive coverage on the site will bring you new details about how Assassin’s Creed Mirage began as a DLC for Valhalla before transforming into a full release, how Ubisoft Bordeaux is bringing 9th Century Golden Age Baghdad to life, why Basim Ibn Is’haq is back, and more. We played the game for two hours, completing three contracts nobody outside of Ubisoft has played, and spoke with three of the game’s leads to learn how Ubisoft Bordeaux is returning to the roots of Assassin’s Creed, and we can’t wait to tell you all about it. 

Like any good fantasy setting, Baldur’s Gate 3’s world is full of hidden secrets, accessible only to those with the right ability. There are entire areas and questlines you might miss, for instance, if you don’t have the skills needed to find them, like Feather Fall. But one particular spell that will help you not…

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Sonic Superstars, the new 2D Sonic platformer from Sega coming out later this year, looks a lot like a fresh take on the famous blue blur. It ditches pixel art for a cartoony new visual style that looks pretty good. But if you were hoping for a future Sonic game to return to its classic pixel-art roots, that might not…

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Larian Studios’ Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3 wouldn’t be what it is without nearly hundreds of actors’ diligent motion capture performances, mo-cap director Aliona Baranova explained in an August 25 Twitter thread.

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Though you still can’t play it, Bethesda’s massive spacefarer role-playing game Starfield recently beat out one of 2023’s biggest games, D&D RPG Baldur’s Gate 3, as a Steam top seller, GamesRadar first noticed.

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Riot Games’ free-to-play tactical hero shooter Valorant nerfed a bunch of characters in its latest update, and actor Ben Affleck doesn’t sound too happy about the tweaks made to one of the game’s most goated characters.

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One of the advantages of HBO moving the timeline of The Last of Us backward 10 years from the video game’s source material is that we are now living in the year in which it’s set. We get to fondly remember moments from the show by screaming, crying, and throwing up as we reach specific dates. Today, August 29, 2023 is…

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It felt like this day might never come, but former world champion Magnus Carlsen and grandmaster Hans Niemann have finally put the cheating scandal that rocked the chess world last year, including meme-filled speculation about anal beads, to bed.

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