Much hay is made of the concepting of Batman villains, especially from 60s TV series ft. Adam West. It's done within canon, even! The Condiment King was created for the 90s animated series as a play on those kinds of whimisical, pun-focused villains. He shoots sauce and says things like "You just don't cut the mustard, Batman!". Maybe when you have to put out at least one issue a month, you throw a lot of villain spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks, and once something does you then go about making "guy who has a thing for the calendar" more of a rounded character - a sinister dude with a weird backstory. Or you make him the world's greatest wife guy.

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Square Enix showed off 20 more minutes of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth during a special State Of Play stream last night, and holy heck, they sure are bringing it with the mini-games in this one. There's a whole Gwent-like card game called Queen's Blood (watch out Triple Triad), dolphin ride obstacle courses, playing with Mooglets, the return of Intergrade's Fort Condor battles, a strange bit of chicken wrangling, photographing Red XIII, frog jumping... and that's before we even get to all the stuff at Gold Saucer. Honestly, Like A Dragon better watch out, as Rebirth is clearly making a play for its mini-game crown in this second part of Squeenix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake project, and man alive, I'm so very here for it.

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UPDATE 2.20pm: Xbox Palworld players, your time has come. The below patch, known as version v0.1.1.4 on Xbox, is now available for you as well.

The original story continues below.

ORIGINAL 11.29am: Palworld developer Pocketpair has detailed a patch that will ensure all those Pals sent to the breeding farm will no longer be so exhausted from reproducing they go to sleep and never wake up.

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High-profile wrestler Brock Lesnar has been removed from WWE 2K24's special edition box art, following the publication of a lawsuit regarding disgraced former WWE boss Vince McMahon.

The lawsuit alleges McMahon sexually assaulted and sex trafficked an employee while running WWE, and claims an unnamed wrestler then requested an explicit video of the victim from McMahon during a contract renegotiation.

The Wall Street Journal has said that wrestler is Lesnar. McMahon has denied the allegations in the lawsuit. Lesnar has not responded to requests for comment.

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Modern Warfare 3 is offering a free multiplayer trial this weekend, during the launch of Season 2.

Modern Warfare Season 2 begins later today at 5pm GMT / 12pm ET, and will add three new 6v6 maps called Stash House, Vista, and Departures.

Both Vista and Departures are medium-sized maps, while Stash House is small-sized. Here's a quick look at them from Activision.

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The latest major Palworld update is live, fixing a range of crash and save data bugs while also addressing a glitch which saw your much-abused indentured munsters falling into an eternal slumber when assigned to a Pal breeding farm. I continue to wonder how much of Palworld is deliberate satire.

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Five of the Best is a weekly series for supporters of Eurogamer. It's a series that highlights some of the features in games that are often overlooked. It's also about having your say, so don't be shy, use the comments below and join in!

Oh and if you want to read more, you can - you can find our entire Five of the Best archive elsewhere on the site.

Come on, there's nothing more fun than watching a conference and seeing someone demo a game and then announce: "It's available right now!" Whatever the game is, it produces a jolt of excitement. It's an occasion! It's a talking point. And they seem to be more popular now than ever.

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In a statement from Anycolor to its investors, the company announced that “the impact of this decision [to terminate Selen Tatsuki] on our financial results will be negligible.” The whole statement is available via the Nijisanji owner's website.

Aside from assuring investors that Selen’s termination will not negatively impact the company’s bottom line, the statement does not go into any further details. On February 5, 2024, Anycolor terminated its contract with EN VTuber Selen Tatsuki, citing misconduct and violations. It specifically noted that she breached a clause in her contract when she requested fans to upload her cover of “Last Cup of Coffee” after Anycolor made the video private. It also noted that Selen posted “misleading statements” on social platforms in regards to this incident.

Pocketpair released a new Palworld patch, and this times it eliminates a certain situation in which Pal may sleep forever if put at a breeding farm. The full patch notes also detailed that save data with over 7,000 captured pals will work again.

With the sleeping beauty Pals, this fixes an issue that only applied to manual breeding farm placement. Apparently once the patch is applied, people will be able to wake them up again.

As for the save file issue, this is the second part of a fix. Pocketpair first started working on the issue at the beginning of February 2024. That first patch essentially prevented the crashes tied to catching over 7,000 Pals from happening. This one finishes the job by fixing save files that were still crashing because of the problem.

Here are the full patch notes for Palworld v0.1.4.1 for PCs via Steam and v0.1.1.4 for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

▼Major Fixes

Alongside the release of a new trailer and demo, Square Enix also shared an array of FFVII Rebirth screenshots and character renders. These include people allied with Shinra like Rufus and the Turks, former Shinra folks like Cissnei, and allies like Bugenhagen and Zangan.

First, here are all the new FFVII Rebirth character renders. In the case of Rufus and Turks like Tseng, Reno, Rude, and Cissnei, they appear as both full body art and portraits.

The Evo 2024 games lineup was revealed on February 6, 2024, and both Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6 will be a part of it. They will be two of eight games appearing July 19-21, 2024, and tickets are now open.

Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 are two of multiple games where new entries will be a part of the Evo lineup. The only “classic” fighter showing up in the eight featured titles is Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. Returning games from Evo 2023 include Guilty Gear Strive, KOF XV, and Street Fighter 6.

Here is the full list of games appearing at Evo 2024. Of the eight, both Tekken 8 and Under Night In-Birth Sys: Celes both made their debut in 2024. 

• Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
• Guilty Gear Strive
• The King of Fighters XV
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
• Street Fighter 6

The Capcom Super Elections survey is now available from the Capcom Town website. The survey includes 10 questions about a variety of popular Capcom game series.

The most notable questions in the survey are the fifth and sixth questions. The fifth question asks players to choose up to three game series from Capcom’s catalogue that players would like to see get a sequel or a new game. In addition to currently successful series, this question includes some highly requested dormant franchises like Darkstalkers, Okami, Sengoku Basara, Dino Crisis, and Capcom's versus fighting series.

Meanwhile, the sixth question asks people to select one game that players would like to see completely remade with the latest technology available. The question also notes that this full remake would include both character designs and storylines. Some of the game series featured in this question includes Onimusha, Breath of Fire, Rival Schools, and Mega Man.

During today's PlayStation State of Play, Square Enix gave us new details for what to expect when Final Fantasy VII Rebirth arrives later this month. The game continues to impress with each passing look, earning its spot as the "Most Anticipated Game" at The Game Awards 2023.

The world of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is broken into various regions, which seamlessly blend into one another. After the intro sequence, players enter into the Grasslands, a grassy area south of Midgar. From there, you travel to Junon, a vast open area in the shadow of Shinra's military; this area also features chocobos that can climb up cliffsides. The game also includes Corel, which features the touristy beach town of Costa del Sol, the massive playground known as Gold Saucer, and the dusty portion of the region to the south. The Gongaga region allows you to explore Zack's hometown and explore the Mako Reactor. The Cosmo Canyon region lets you learn more about Red XIII's roots and glide around on special chocobos. The Nibel region lets you relive Cloud and Tifa's younger days and visit Shinra Manner. Finally, Meridian Ocean allows you to explore the waters.

Square Enix and Sony revealed new information about the upcoming FFVII Rebirth in the latest State of Play broadcast, with gameplay showing familiar faces like Cissnei and Gilgamesh. The new video offers an in-depth look at some of the mechanics, as well as showcase some new story elements.

The new story trailer confirmed the appearance of new characters to the story of FFVII Rebirth. A short scene showed Cissnei in the Gongaga Region where Zack used to live. Cissnei is a former member of the Turks that made her debut in Crisis Core FFVII, and was not present in the original Final Fantasy VII. She is seen wearing combat attire and fending off from intruders alongside other locals. Furthermore, a silhouette reminiscent of Gilgamesh appeared at the top of a pagoda.

You can check out Cissnei and Gilgamesh in FFVII Rebirth here:

If your nights spent kingly (or queenly) crusading have been growing a little stale of late, Paradox Interactive would like you to know there's a busy year ahead for its acclaimed medieval grand strategy game, with its newly revealed 2024 Crusader Kings 3 roadmap promising two new large-scale expansions and more to freshen up that sandbox.

2024 marks the start of what Paradox is calling Crusader Kings 3: Chapter 3, which includes the aforementioned two expansions - Legends of the Dead and Roads to Power - plus the Wandering Nobles event pack, and the Couture of the Capets cosmetic clothing DLC.

Legends of the Dead is up first, falling under the banner of what Paradox likes to call a Core Expansion - which is to say, sizeable but not quite as sizeable as Crusader Kings 3's Major Expansions. Legends of the Dead is, as its name suggests, primarily concerned with legends, giving players the means to raise their renown and strengthen the legitimacy of their rule by either commissioning an epic tale of their general awesomeness - which can then be usefully spread around the place - or by actually going out and doing some heroic deeds themselves.

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"My take on Final Fantasy, and this is quite deliberate, is I don't restrict it to being any one thing," says series producer Yoshinori Kitase. I'd asked him what he felt was the essence of Final Fantasy, especially as so many fans have their own ideas of what the series should be.

"We talk about Final Fantasy as being a toy box," he continues. "The idea that you take the lid off the toy box and you've got all kinds of different things in there. There's a dinosaur here, you've got your football here and your baseball here. And there are so many different things to play with and have fun. And that to me, that's what Final Fantasy is."

I'm chatting with Kitase at a preview event for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the next game in the series and second in the planned trilogy of remakes. The Final Fantasy series is beloved, but the seventh is, perhaps, the most beloved of all - at least in its legacy of 3D graphics and cinematic storytelling.

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The grasslands lay out before me, the greens and blues seemingly luminous compared to the polluted, labyrinthine city of Midgar. The map screen is a tantalising glimpse of how sprawling this particular region is and icons at the top of the screen tempt me towards the main quest. But all I can think about is playing more cards.

The original Final Fantasy 7 had plenty of minigames, but not a card game. It was follow-up Final Fantasy 8 that introduced Triple Triad, which later found new life in Final Fantasy 14, while Final Fantasy 9 gave us the similar Tetra Master, later included in Final Fantasy 11. These card games are some of the most popular minigames in the series - there's now a real life trading card game too.

Which brings us to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Queen's Blood is this game's iteration: not just a fun diversion, but a key example of Square Enix stuffing the game with content to keep players occupied away from the main quest. Perhaps even too much.

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When I first sat down to play the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth TGS demo in September 2023, the first thing that stood out to me was how much work Square Enix put into fleshing out the game's characters. The Synergy ability, in particular, was a highlight, as it really added a lot of depth to the character's personalities. Cloud using Aerith's magic to create a spectacular fireworks display of damage was both an epic cinematic attack in combat and a neat narrative device that says much about their bond.

Ever since the launch of Final Fantasy VII Remake back in 2020, fans of the original have been wondering how the next installment of Square Enix’s reimagining of the landmark 1997 game would handle the many iconic setpiece moments, reveals, and twists yet to come. The Nibelheim Incident, which centers around Cloud’s…

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Platform: PlayStation 5
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Square Enix
Release: February 29, 2024
Rating: Teen

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second chapter in the highly anticipated remake project of the hallmark 1997 PlayStation game Final Fantasy VII is slated to arrive on PS5 on February 29, 2024. Through interviews and trailers, developer Square Enix has shared quite a bit about what folks can expect from Cloud and co.’s n…

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth continues to look fantastic. During today's PlayStation State of Play devoted to the upcoming exclusive title, we got a new look at various impactful scenes set to take place in this retelling of the middle portion of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series. 

The footage in this trailer shows off various scenes we haven't yet witnessed and characters we've seen very little of. The main thrust is Sephiroth's quest for the Black Materia and the party's efforts to save the world. As you might imagine, it's all set to the amazing soundtrack fans have come to expect from the game.

You can check out this cinematic trailer below.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth arrives on February 29 exclusively for PlayStation 5. For more, be sure to check out our in-depth coverage hub here.

At the February 2024 State of Play, Sony and Square Enix revealed the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo. People will be able to download and play through a brief section of the game ahead of launch starting today.

There is an added incentive to playing the demo. In addition to getting to see the start of the game, it will eventually be updated. When it does, a portion of the Junon area will appear for people to explore. There’s no set date for that update, however.

As a reminder, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth takes place after Cloud and his allies leave Midgar after seeing Sephiroth returned and the events at Shinra’s headquarters. As such, this means there will be multiple characters available. When the story left off, Cloud, Aerith, Barret, Red XIII, and Tifa were all leaving the city together. Yuffie, who appeared in the Intermission DLC for the game, will join the party after they take their first steps into the larger world.

I created God pretty early on, though not until I'd first created the Big Bang and, even earlier, Batman. This is the kind of thing you can do in Infinite Craft, a browser game in which you can seemingly craft anything, and in which it is glorious, time-stealing fun to try.

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It's rare to see an RX 7900 XT graphics card available for under £700 - especially a white overclocked model! - but that's exactly what you can get from British retailer Quozo at the moment, with code JAN24 knocking £8 off an already low price. The same card is a whopping £824 at Amazon UK right now, making this a much better deal!

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Coucougemu has opened pre-registrations for Hoshi Hikaru Sanran: Secret Love. The romance simulation game will star the character formerly known as the mascot character of Microsoft Silverlight. The title will be available on mobile devices in Japanese and Chinese languages. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

When the game launches, it will feature three scenarios where Hikaru gets different roles and personalities. The player can then unlock five more scenarios as they progress through the game. They can also chat with Hikaru with different situations based on the time of day.

Samsung's Evo Select series of Micro SD cards offer some of the best value on the market, while still delivering the A2-rated speeds that make them a good choice for Steam Deck, ROG Ally and Legion Go PC handhelds. The cheapest you're likely to find these are for £16 at Amazon UK, but thanks to a 10% off code at Ebay you can save a bit more - they're just £14 with code LOVE10 via the link below.

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Skull and Bones, Ubisoft’s oft-delayed open-world online pirate video game, is almost here. To celebrate that fact, the game got a fancy new launch trailer. As you might expect for a game originally scheduled to launch less than a year after Obama left the White House, this isn’t its first trailer. Not even close.

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A Paradox game? Getting DLC? You are pure joshing, you are simply having me on. But no! It's true! Crusader Kings 3 is getting another year of updates, including two full expansions. The first of them, Legends Of The Dead, introduces the Black Death and will release on March 4th.

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Bandai revealed a teaser image for Ride Kamens, which will be a new free-to-play game themed after the Kamen Rider series for mobile devices.

The teaser image shows a handsome man dressed like a Kamen Rider who will be the new game's main character. But while Kamen Riders are usually known with helmets that wholly cover their heads, this character's hair and mouth are completely exposed, with the partially transparent visor also showing one of his eyes. The teaser also comes with a Japanese catchphrase that translates to "A hero has an unknown mask/face."

Bandai also announced the key staff members for Ride Kamens, and some of them have been involved for a long time with the Kamen Rider series. Yuya Takahashi, who fully wrote Kamen Rider Ex-Aid and Geats, will create this game's main story and world setting with supervision from Toei's Naomi Takebe, who was also the producer of multiple series shows since 2001's Kamen Rider Agito.

A Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, currently called "Project Orion", is currently in the early stages of development at CD Projekt Red's new Boston studio. Today, CDPR announced several new high profile hires were joining the project, most notably Anna Megill. Megill, who will serve as lead writer on the project, has previously worked on games such as Control, Dishonored: Death Of The Outsider, and the upcoming Fable reboot.

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Helldivers 2 pits co-op players against swarms of computer-controlled aliens and robots in the context of a vast, ongoing galactic war. There might be someone else in battles with the power to tip the scales, however: an omniscient game master, employed by developers Arrowhead, who can monitor the fight and drop in buffs and debuffs to change the flow of the fight.

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This is a lot so, sit down and take a deep breath. Gina Carano, the actress who was fired from The Mandalorian for “social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities” is now suing Lucasfilm for discrimination and wrongful termination. And, because the comments were made on X,…

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In that strange time period nestled between 9/11 and the Obama administration, the video game industry—specifically the console market—thrived in previously unimaginable ways. With Microsoft and Sony raking in numbers worthy of massive Hollywood production companies and global theater chains, and the mobile gaming…

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San-Ei revealed a new batch of Kirby Kororon Friends plush. Waddle Dee and King Dedede are two of the seven characters that will newly join the plush collection lineup. The new stuffed animals will appear in April 2024. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

The plushes will come at varying prices based on their sizes. King Dedede, whose plush is the largest, will cost the highest at ¥2,750 (~$18.57).

The full batch lineup, price listing, and sample images are available right below. All prices are listed in Japanese yen and already include the Japanese 10% consumption tax.

• Waddle Dee: ¥1,760
• King Dedede: ¥2,750
• Magolor: ¥1,980
• Scarfy: ¥1,760
• Rick: ¥1,980
• Pon: ¥1,980
• Con: ¥1,980

Here's a closer look at all the new Kirby plush characters.

A big part of Palworld is, of course, collecting the Pokémon-like Pals themselves, but sometimes, finding or catching a particular Pal can feel like a real chore. Should you happen to be tired of scouring the world to try and capture a specific Pal, the Black Marketeer might just have what you’re looking for.…

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Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is set to arrive on most platforms, including Xbox and Switch, later this month. However, the PlayStation 5 version of the collection won’t include a platinum trophy for collecting all the other trophies. Weirdly, the PlayStation 4 port will.

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Super Bowl LVIII week is upon us, as we’re merely days away from the showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. For a couple of decades now, we’ve had Super Bowl simulations played out via EA Sports’ John Madden Football video game. It’s been a crapshoot, in large part, with some years getting it…

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Idea Factory International’s next Switch otome Switch game is going to be Sympathy Kiss, a title that looks at love in the workplace. At the same time, it features more mature elements and fears, such as things like dealing with the looming concerns about layoffs, getting along with coworkers, and furthering your career. To help learn more, Siliconera spoke with Director Hiroe Aoki about the game and its themes.

Jenni Lada: How did real apps and software developers influence the development of Sympathy Kiss?

Hiroe Aoki: The release ofLover Pretend, a game I previously created, significantly influenced Sympathy Kiss, as I discovered that there are players who enjoy stories set in the modern real world. I decided to be bold and dive deeper into a story that explored that setting.

Sympathy Kiss is a workplace romance otome game that features more mature themes, so how did actual office life influence the tone, storylines, and love interests?

Over the February 3 weekend, reports from different outlets and insiders claimed that a number of big, Xbox exclusives—like Starfield and Gears of War—could possibly end up on PlayStation 5 in the near future. Once the news spread around the internet, the most Xbox-pilled users and creators began theorizing, denying,…

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