Here are some specs for you: 1000W of power. 80+ Gold efficiency. Native 12VHPWR support for PCIe 5.0 graphics cards. £140. That's the spec sheet and deal price for MSI's excellent MPG A1000G power supply after a £40 discount at Amazon UK.
Lexar's NM790 is one of the best NVMe SSDs we've tested, offering excellent performance whilst keeping prices down lower than rivals like the Samsung 990 Pro or WD SN850x. Data hoarders are particularly fond of the 4TB model, which is now discounted at Scan in the UK - it's down to £204 and comes with a free NVMe heatsink, making it an awesome fit for a range of gaming PCs as well as Sony's PlayStation 5.
Super-powered MMO City Of Heroes closed down in November 2012, but in recent years it has been revived by industrious fans via privately-hosted servers. While those servers allowed caped crusaders to continue roleplaying, the caveat was that they could be shut down at any moment by the most dastardly supervillains of all: lawyers.
That should be less of an issue in future. One of those community-hosted servers, Homecoming, has been granted an official license to operate by City Of Heroes' IP owners NCSoft.
Every game is Who Framed Roger Rabbit now - or, less charitably, a metaversal hellscape where canonical integrity matters far less than providing a platform through which to sell cosmetics.
Apex Legends is the latest live service game to take the plunge with its first crossover event. It's with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and it'll bring the Buster Sword, Aerith, and other elements from the JRPG to the battle royale on January 9th.
From January 4, 2024, Square Enix will temporarily suspend the auto-housing demolition timer in FFXIV. This is in response to the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred in Japan on January 1, 2024.
You can read the full statement on the company’s official webpage. To sum it up, Square Enix stopped the auto-demolition counter in the early hours of January 4, 2024. It will resume depending on the situation, and Square Enix will inform everyone once it decides.
When it does, it will resume from before the suspension. This suspension affects all worlds under Elemental Data Center, Gaia Data Center, Mana Data Center, and Meteor Data Center. Square Enix also expresses sympathy to everyone who was affected by the earthquake.
As part of the Famitsu 2024 New Year Greetings column, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Producer Keiji Inafune said that he will “do [his] best to improve the quality of the game” for its Summer 2024 release. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
Famitsu also revealed that Inafune’s 2024 keyword is “explosion,” and his aspirations for the new year involve “endless evolution and growth as a person.” Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time was originally revealed on February 2023. The game will appear on the Nintendo Switch, and it was initially scheduled for a 2023 release.
The original Outcast was a PC-exclusive, 3D open-world action game that predated Grand Theft Auto III by two years. It was an innovative, well-regarded, but underplayed game about landing on an alien planet and trying to survive in the face of its dangerous fauna. A remake of that game, called Outcast: Second Contact, was released in 2017, but Outcast: A New Beginning is the long overdue, proper sequel to the cult classic.
Join Marcus Stewart and me as we check out what the game has to offer, which is primarily impressive jetpack mechanics that let you literally fly around the alien world at high speeds. Outcast: A New Beginning is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 15.
Head over to Game Informer's YouTube channel for more previews, reviews, and discussions of new and upcoming games. Watch other episodes of New Gameplay Today right here.
In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, returning guest and editor of this podcast, Matt Storm, joins us to discuss our most anticipated games of 2024. We dive into Game Informer's 2024 game release calendar and go month-by-month, highlighting the projects we're most looking forward to.
Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard), Matt Storm (@DJ_Stormageddon)
The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join host Alex Van Aken every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
City of Heroes was a beloved MMORPG that launched in April 2004 and lasted just over eight years. In that time it won a dedicated community of players who, even after the game died, kept playing the MMO via private servers that existed in a weird legal gray area. But now, the developers behind City of Heroes have…
Forever-in-development space sim Star Citizen might not be finished after over a decade of dev work and announcements, but it does already contain a lot of expensive ships you can buy and fly around in. And if you want all of those ships in one big DLC pack, Star Citizen has an option for you. Just be prepared to…
HoYoVerse has posted some information on the Raiden Shogun and Yoimiya re-run banners that will start soon in Genshin Impact. The Version 4.3 Phase II banners will begin on January 9 and run until January 30, 2024.
During this time, you can pull for Raiden Shogun and Yoimiya, who are usually unavailable in the game. The 4-stars who have a boosted drop rate are Kujou Sara, Bennett, and Chevreuse. Of these characters, Chevreuse is the only new one, and she’s a 4-star Ousia-aligned Pyro Polearm character. She will greatly benefit from Overload reactions, which you can cause with Electro and Pyro. This is likely why she’s running on Raiden Shogun and Yoimiya’s banners since these two characters are good at causing overload.
Raiden Shogun made her playable debut in Version 2.1, and she’s a 5-star Electro Polearm character who can work as either a main or sub-DPS character. She can work very well as an on-field DPS with her Elemental Burst and apply Electro to enemies with her Elemental Skill. As for Yoimiya, she debuted in Version 2.0 and is a 5-star Pyro Bow character. She is a good on-field DPS character against single targets and can increase her team’s ATK with her Burst.
Kitty cat versions of the Jujutsu Kaisen cast will appear as plushes, which you can pre-order from Movic. They cost 2420 JPY ($16.70) each and will ship out in early May 2024. [Thanks, PR Times!]
There are two variations of Jujutsu Kaisen cat plushes. You can get keyholder versions of them where they’re standing up. Only three characters—Gojo, Geto, and Toji—are part of this set. Gojo and Geto will look like they did during the Hidden Inventory/Premature Death Arc, which means they look younger than they do now.
The second variation of cat plushes has them lying down on their front. You’ll be able to get a plush of Yuji, Megumi, Nobara, Nanami, or Gojo. All cat plushes have an eyemask that you can put over their faces to change their expressions.
You can check out the plushes in the gallery below:
As part of Famitsu’s 2024 New Year Greetings column, Mistwalker CEO Hironobu Sakaguchi said that the studio has started production of a new scenario. The developer also said that he has been playing a lot of Final Fantasy XIV every day. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
Corresponding with his message, the keyphrase for the studio this year is “production of a new work begins.” Hironobu Sakaguchi didn’t elaborate on what type of scenario Mistwalker is working on. Still, the developer confirmed that they concluded plotted the overall scenario and are now in the main scenario writing stage. Sakaguchi remarked that it is important to condense and make the writing entertaining at this stage of development.
The latest game developed by Mistwalker is the Apple Arcade exclusive turn-based RPG Fantasian. On August 2023, a listing for Fantasian appeared on SteamDB. No information about a possible port has appeared after this, but Sakaguchi himself commented on the possibility of a PC release or a sequel to the game back in February 2023.
NHK has revealed its line-up of games that its TV show Game Genome will cover in season 2. It’ll start airing its episode on Final Fantasy XIV on January 10, 2024. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]
There will be ten episodes in total. The list of games that Game Genome will cover is:
Hello! We're back. I hope you had a nice break. What We've Been Playing is our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've been playing over the past few days - or in this case over the festive break. This week: bears, Jedis, and tears.
If you fancy catching up on some of the older editions of What We've Been Playing, check out our archive.
Not to go all conspiracy theorist, but they've changed root beer. I don't know when and I don't know why, but the final notes of this drink-of-all-drinks now trend towards caramel rather than wintergreen. It no longer goes hard for the dentist! It's a bit of a disaster.
Ubisoft's upcoming 2.5D Metroidvania game Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has been developed to be "accessible by design", with a host of features that aim to make it an approachable release for all.
In a new video from the developer focused specifically on accessibility, the team shared how they have approached this release, with senior gameplay programmer Christophe De Labrouhe stating "Metroidvania games can be quite hard, and this one can be quite hard too".
But while The Lost Crown can be challenging, the team doesn't want this to put players off, and so has included a variety of accessibility options as standard. This includes larger text by default, no quick time events and "no colour-based feedback". In addition, there will be options that will allow players to customise the gameplay difficulty to a style that's best for them.
UPDATE 8/1/2024: Baldur's Gate 3 Xbox players whose capture clips have been flagged by Microsoft should start to see their bans lifted.
Developer Larian shared an update on X (formerly Twitter) over the weekend, to state work is ongoing to sort these bans. The bans in question saw players being penalised for capturing in-game footage containing nudity, which was then uploaded to Xbox servers.
"Microsoft team is aware of the issue," the developer said. "If you're wanting to upload any clips in the meantime, make sure to turn off mature content."
Platinum Games Apple Arcade game World of Demons will end service and no longer be downloadable from 18th January.
A short blog for the game from Platinum further states the game will be unavailable to play from 1st February, even for those who have already downloaded it.
"We extend our gratitude to all players who have enjoyed the game since release," reads the post. No further reasoning has been given for the decision.
Atlus has released the intro video for Persona 3 Reload, premiering the all-new music track Full Moon Full Life.
Each of the games in the series features a stylish animated opening, known for their brilliantly catchy songs. Persona 3 Reload is no different.
The remake of the 2006 RPG brings the game up to the modern standards set by Persona 5 and that's exemplified by this opening video: it's far more detailed and story driven than the original and the new music track is something of a remix. Check it out below.
It looks like both Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Silent Hill 2 Remake could be released this year.
In a new PlayStation blog and video (below) detailing the various games coming to the platform throughout 2024, Sony has listed both the upcoming remakes. Until now, neither game had an official release window.
Konami's Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 Remake both sit nestled among the likes of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
One of the pleasures of January in Sussex is the aimless countryside walk. If you're lucky enough to live near a bit of greenery you might know what I mean. One morning, for no real reason, you find yourself heading off to wander around trees and grass and mud and the odd patch of sukebind.
This kind of walk can never be planned, but it can be postponed - by the kind of miserable weather we've had the past few days. So inevitably I found myself loading up Garden Galaxy on Steam and getting a bit of the same feeling going indoors. It's been wonderful, and it's our Game of the Week as a result.
Garden Galaxy is fascinating, slightly hypnotic even. I guess you could argue it's a clicker, but it has none of the usual connotations that come with clickers. Your job, such as it is, is to build a garden. You have a stretch of tiles and a magical pot. Visitors pop up in your garden now and then and when you click on them you get a coin, a coin that you can then drop into the pot to exchange it for an item for your garden. Repeat. That's it.
Thanks to the modding community, the Forgotten Realms in Baldur's Gate 3 got a little more dangerous. Now, instead of worrying about some NPC trying to use magic against you, you'll also need to be on the lookout for bullets flying your way.
Thanks to an IGN report, we know that Palmaman33, a Neux Modder, uploaded multiple mods that include various modern-day guns. Some of these include the Glock 19, AKM, and a few others. Anyone in your party can equip these guns, and each one packs a serious punch.
What makes this even funnier is that the Baldur's Gate 3 community loves the idea of Asterion carrying a fully loaded weapon. In all of the thumbnails for the file, you can see what seems to be Astarion handing you a giant gun.
Some players have even gone to X/Twitter to voice their share their thoughts about some of their party members having guns. One user wrote, "Who gave this guy a f****ng gun I can't breathe." At the same time, other players decided it might be smarter to give characters like Gortash a gun instead.
DW I took away Astarion's gun and made the responsible decision.....giving it to Gortash- pic.twitter.com/qWAlQJ9ENQ
Hideo Kojima's new Xbox Game Studios project OD is a horror game that is "also a movie, and at the same time a new form of media" and who knows, perhaps it also runs on solar power. That's the extremely direct and literal reading of Kojima's latest social media tease, in which he compares his latest endeavour to Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand, an isometric vampire-hunting game for Game Boy Advance, which Kojima worked on while at Konami in the early noughties. Boktai stands apart to this day for making use of solar energy. There's a sun sensor built into the cartridge, which allows you to re-energise your weapon by using the console in sunlight, though this isn't outright necessary to prevail.
I doubt OD employs a similar peripheral, though a Steam Deck verified horror game that can only be played outdoors in pleasant weather would be an... interestingly contrary experience. But it's an opportunity, at least, to jump aboard one of my personal hobby horses and give you a scrappy rundown of older and recent games that employ similar functionality.
Persona 3 Reload is right around the corner – it hits PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on February 2. If you've ever played a Persona game, you're likely familiar with the "opening movie," which is the awesome animated opening to the game set to what is typically the main theme song. Ahead of Persona 3 Reload's release next month, Atlus has released its opening movie, debuting a brand new track called "Full Moon Full Life."
In it, we get a look at the main character and the rest of the cast, as well as Persona, Igor, and more. As you might expect, the opening movie retains the flashy and stylish animation Persona has become known for over the years, and no surprise, it looks great. Atlus notes the trailer contains violent and sensitive content, however, so be wary of that before pressing play.
Check out the Persona 3 Reload opening movie for yourself below:
The nominees for the New York Game Awards 2024 were announced yesterday, with Baldur's Gate 3 taking six nominations.
Larian Studios' title was nominated in five categories, including Best Game of the Year, Best Writing, Best World, and Best Music. The game received two nominations in the Best Acting category, for Amelia Tyler as the Narrator and Neil Newbon as Astarion.
Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake 2 saw nominations across the same five categories, with Melanie Liburd receiving a nomination for her performance as Saga Anderson.
UK developer Bossa Studios has laid off around one third of its staff, GamesIndustry.biz has learned.
Sources shared a list of 19 people that were affected by the redundancies, mostly in QA and production roles as well as non-UK employees.
Bossa Studios has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that it did dismiss a number of staff at the end of 2023, and that 40 people remain in the studio.
Loot box researcher Leon Xiao has released the results of his latest study into loot box advertising, which found that ads for games on social media routinely run afoul of UK and EU regulations when it comes to disclosing the presence of loot boxes, or even in-game purchases of any kind.
Using a list of games known to have loot boxes that he had prepared for a previous study, Xiao combed through Meta's ad library (covering its Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger platforms) and found 188 ads for 63 different games featuring loot boxes.
Only 11% of those ads properly gave notice that the game contained in-game purchases, and just 7% noted that the game contained loot boxes. What's more, games were often inconsistent in making such disclosures. Only one game, Elder Scrolls Online, disclosed both in-game purchases and loot boxes in every ad it ran.
Calliope Mori announced on social media that all five Vtubers in Hololive English Myth, which includes Amelia Watson, Kiara Takanashi, Ninomae Ina’nis, and Gawr Gura, will play Lethal Company together on January 5, 2024. She also teased an announcement will come up at the end of the stream.
Due to schedules and other obligations, it can often be difficult for all five members of the three and a half year old generation to get together. For example, Gawr Gura is taking part in other kinds of activities, such as the Gurarium Sendai Umino-Mori Aquarium promotional event. Her last solo stream was one going over that event in November 2023. Calliope Mori often is working on music, as are other members like Kiara Takanashi.
The Hololive English Myth Lethal Company collab stream will involve all four Vtubers playing it at 2pm PT/5pm ET/11pm CET. It is unknown how long it will last. So far, Calliope Mori, Kiara Takanashi, and Amelia Watson shared placeholder videos indicating people will be able to watch from their viewpoints.
Get ready to take down Brainiac and the Justice League on Feb. 2
So, the first thing is, there’s an Alex Jones video game. And the second thing is, yes, it’s as awful as you might guess, both in terms of its racism, homophobia and misogyny, and that it’s just a dreadful game. But there’s a third thing, and it’s more interesting: it’s really weird.
We asked and you answered. Some games and franchises, no matter how popular they are, just don’t make the cut for some of us, and we wanted to know which ones just don’t click with you.
Baldur's Gate 3 includes an incredibly touching tribute to a player's father living with Alzheimer's.
To fully appreciate this tribute, we need to go back a few years. When Baldur's Gate 3 was still in early access, forum user Solfalia messaged Larian to thank the studio for releasing Act I, despite the game not being complete. This release allowed Solfalia to play the game - as it was at the time - with their father, who had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Their father had played other Larian games in the past and was a fan, so this opportunity meant a lot to them both.
"This Early Access means that this Xmas I'll be able to go on an adventure with him one last time, and I know he'll enjoy it," Solfalia wrote in their original post from 2020.
Vtuber Pomu Rainpuff from Nijisanji EN announced her graduation from the agency, which will hapen on January 20, 2024. She thanked her fans in the initial and discussed the announcement during her January 5, 2024 stream, which is live at the time of writing.
Nijisanji said that after her graduation, her Twitter, Youtube, and other social media accounts will be made private and the sale of her various merchandise will be ended gradually, although the company will still collect fan letters until February 20, 2024. However, during Pomu's January 5, 2024 stream, she said her videos will remain available.
Pomu debuted in 2021 as part of Nijisanji EN's first unit, LazuLight, alongside Finana Ryugu and Elira Pendragon. She is known for her streams of the Metal Gear Solid series and frequent collaborations. She will continue streaming until her graduation date and shared a schedule on her Twitter account.
You can find the official Nijisanji Announcement, as well as Pomu's comment, below:
HoYoVerse brought up the new 7.2 playable character joining Honkai Impact 3rd, and it is an S-rank battlesuit for Fu Hua. It is called Fenghuang of Vicissitude, and the company shared a video going over some in-game footage and her development.
Fua Hua is a Honkai Impact 3rd character who featured prominently in the game for years. She’s been affiliated with both Schicksal and the 13 Flame-Chasers. This will mark her eighth battlesuit in Honkai Impact 3rd.
The new trailer for her begins by showing her training, then using a flurry of fiery kicks, punches, and energy blasts. After that, members of the team discussed the inspiration behind the new version of the character’s design. One described her as a “divine bird rising from the ashes.” Another called her the “strongest version of Fu Hua.” This is because she’s tapping into the Ichor of Garuda for this battlesuit.
Square Enix is now selling a Final Fantasy XIV Woodland Warden’s Attire glamour set in the FFXIV Online Store. There’s also a sale on some items ahead of the Japanese Fan Festival event starting on January 7, 2024.
The Woodland Warden’s Attire is a set of five items. It costs $18. People get the Woodland Warden’s Breeches, Fingerstalls, Longboots, Skirt, and Top in the bundle. Any race or gender can wear it. Someone can also dye it.
Here’s a gallery showing the new FFXIV Woodland Warden’s Attire glamour set on different races from the front and back, with one screenshot showing how it would look if someone chose to dye it.
