PUBG creator Krafton has revealed a new game from Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds, which is currently only known by the code name 'Project M'.

Project M will be the first game to be developed by Unknown Worlds since its acquisition by Krafton in 2021. Project M is due to release for early access sometime this year and Krafton has revealed that it will be a "wholly unique turn-based strategy game set in a sci-fi world".

Read more

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Bandai Namco
Release: July 8, 2022 (Switch), 2022 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)
Rating: Everyone 10+

While the rumors surrounding a possible Half-Life movie may be as suspect as anything we heard about Half-Life 3 over the past few decades, I can tell you that I would be in the theater on day one if it stared Rowan Atkinson’s Mr. Bean, especially after watching the following amazing Half-Life 2 parody.

In the video above, Youtuber eli_handle_b.wav showed exactly what it would look like if Mr. Bean became a citizen of Half-Life 2’s City 17, as he proceeds to put trash in the bin and navigate the horrors that make up the setting like a pro. It’s honestly amazing how many of his skits work with some of the most notorious scenes in the game.

This is the second such viral video that eli_handle_b.wav is responsible for staring Mr. Bean in recent memory, as the upcoming meme Youtuber also made a hilarious Cyberpunk 2077 crossover for the character as well.

Warner Bros. has announced a new mobile collectible card game in the Harry Potter universe, featuring MMO and RPG elements.

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, developed by Netease and co-published by WB Games under Portkey Games, will let players collect and level over 70 cards to be used in PvP brawls and PvE challenges.

Read more

In Japan, Live a Live is getting a limited collector’s edition. While there’s no worldwide release for it, part of it will be available everywhere. The Square Enix Store is accepting pre-orders for the Live a Live model kit that lets you build a Steel Titan figure. It will cost $45/€46. It is expected to ship in October 2022.

The Live a Live Steel Titan is a part of the Structure Arts line and builds an articulated figure. This is a character you’ll encounter during Akira Tadokoro’s Near Future storyline. There are 107 pieces total to put together. Once assembled, you get a three and a half inch tall figure. It is articulated, with people able to do things like move its head and arms. You also can display its HP.

Here’s a better look at a completed Steel Titan figure. The product page noted that this version of the model kit is painted. So if someone does get the kit, they would might need to do some painting to get it to look like this. One photo shows all of the parts on the 14 sprues. Another stands a completed Steel Titan next to the box to provide a sense of scale.
[gallery columns="6" ids="915859,915860,915861,915862,915863,915864" link="file"]

Inspired by how much Matthew made me laugh with his withering assessment of the MacGuffin in the film Red Notice being an egg, this week the Electronic Wireless Show podcast is all MacGuffin, all the time. We discuss some of our favourite examples of the plote device in question to be found in video games, which of course leads to some interesting discussions about what even is a MacGuffin. Can a MacGuffin be intangible? No, probably not.

We discuss whether any MacGuffin is improved by replacing it with an egg (yes), why a lot of games have souls as MacGuffins, and what our own personal MacGuffins would be. Plus! Impressions of Henry "Vitamin H" Cavill, and sensational new character Sir Terence Plunder. Will Sir T become a podcast regular? Only time will tell. There is no Cavern Of Lies this week, but in a shocking turn of events it's because Nate forgot, not because I forgot. Hooray!

Read more

NetEase has today announced plans to bring its popular free-to-play collectible card game/MMO Harry Potter: Magic Awakened west later this year. There’s no firm date for its global launch, yet, but interested parties can pre-register for the game over on its official website, which also offers an overview of its gameplay and features.

If you’re not up to speed, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened is a story-driven, multiplayer wizarding dueling game with a unique art style.

In Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, players will begin as young witches and wizards who have just received their acceptance letters to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Fans can customize their own character and go on to experience all the hallmarks of a magical education including purchasing school supplies at Diagon Alley, wearing the Sorting Hat to be sorted into a House and competing in the Duelling Club.

“With Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, we have worked jointly with NetEase Games to create the most robust multiplayer experience set in the wizarding world and we are very excited to launch the game globally,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Games. “Harry Potter: Magic Awakened utilizes the best-in-class development and publishing capabilities of both NetEase Games and Warner Bros. Games to bring players a captivating gameplay experience with compelling features, an in-depth collectible card system and beautifully distinct art style.”

When February 2022 began, Warner Bros. Japan, Liden Films, Netflix announced that a new Bastard anime would appear. Now there’s a full trailer showing off how the new adaptation will look. The Japanese voice actors also spoke about the show and the roles they’ll play.

First, here’s the trailer. The focus is on Dark Schneider, the series’ star, as you might expect. It looks at moments showcasing his power. However, Tia Noto Yoko, Nei, and Ninja Master Gara appear in passing as well.

Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard has expectedly led to back-and-forth discourse about the likelihood of exclusivity. In response, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer confirmed that popular titles like Call of Duty would remain multiplatform. However, at the end of that same statement, Spencer briefly voiced Microsoft's interest "in taking similar steps to support Nintendo's successful platform." While this leaves room for interpretation, a recent CNBC interview doubles down on Spencer's final remarks meaning Microsoft might bring Call of Duty to Switch. 

Freaky sci-fi shooter Atomic Heart has often been as mysterious as the Soviet research base-cum-house of robot horrors it takes place in. It looks like the four-year wait for answers will end this year, though: a new story trailer ends with confirmation of a 2022 launch, apparently in a month ending in “ber”. As in, “#######ber” literally pops up on screen. There’s your release window, puzzle fans.

Read more

Zynga, maker of Farmville and Words with Friends, plans to expand its team making games centred around the blockchain and NFTs to a studio-sized amount by the end of the year.

This means as many as 70 to 100 staff will be working on such titles, Zynga blochain boss Matt Wolf told Axios. Hiring is now ongoing, including for a position titled "tokenomics designer".

Read more

Guerilla has detailed what accessibility features will be available for Horizon Forbidden West, including a new custom difficulty setting and co-pilot system.

Some of the accessibility features that will be available within Horizon Forbidden West will be familiar to players of Zero Dawn, while others have been created specifically for Aloy's latest adventure as Guerrilla "continue to learn and understand more about the needs of [its] players".

Read more

With Guerrilla Games’ anticipated sequel Horizon Forbidden West only just around the corner, the developer has today highlighted some of the accessibility features that will be available for the game at launch.

“…we established that we wanted to bring the game to as many fans as possible and create an immersive and accessible experience that can be enjoyed by everyone. Some of these return from Horizon Zero Dawn, and some are newly added as we’ve continued to learn and understand more about the needs of our players,” said principal designer Brian Roberts in a PS Blog post earlier today.

The article then provides a full overview of the features, which includes general features such as subtitles, tutorials, and difficulty settings. There are also options that offer a more granular level of customization, which allows players to change controls, audio and visual settings, and gameplay assist settings. I won’t list them all here when they’re so neatly laid out over on the blog.

Overall, it looks like a fairly standard list of features, though it’s positive to see features like subtitle size and audio levels for speech as a customizable function. Also, that Guerrilla committed to ensuring the game can be played by the widest volume of players who may have individual needs; Roberts notes that in addition to what has been listed today, Guerilla will “continue to look at ways to make Horizon Forbidden West even more accessible.”

Horizon Forbidden West releases for PS5 and PS4 on Feb. 18, 2022.

As suggested in a Japanese screenshot, Squall from FFVIII will be among the initial characters in Chocobo GP. However, he won’t be a part of the default roster. Rather, an unlocking element will come into play. To get him, people will have to acquire and pay Gil in the shop.

Square Enix revealed the method of earning Squall on Twitter. When the company did, it also shared his character model. While this is a racing game, he'll still come armed with his Gunblade. It also mentions he will appear alongside the first season of Season Pass content.

The best looking guy here, Squall Leonhart from #FinalFantasy VIII joins the race for season 1 in #ChocoboGP.

Squall will appear in the line-up at the Gil shop for you to unlock him! pic.twitter.com/xXMWbSTZvW

— FINAL FANTASY (@FinalFantasy) February 10, 2022

Marvelous Europe and Primal Game Studio have revealed Mandragora, a beautiful and painterly side-scrolling Metroidvania game coming to modern consoles and PC sometime in the future. 

Described by Marvelous as a “story-driven, side-scroller action RPG set in a universe of gorgeous paint strokes and inevitable tragedy,” this game has an art style worth a look. Of course, we don’t know how it plays, but if it feels as good to play as it does to look at it, it’s one we’re excited to check out. 

Click here to watch embedded media

“Mandragora is a genre-blending mix of everything we love about our favorite games, which made it a challenge to find the right publisher who understands our vision for a title that doesn’t fit into just one box,” Primal Game Studio creative director Istvan Zsuffa said. “That’s why we’re so glad to be working with Marvelous Europe to help bring our game to the players on all their favorite platforms. We’re thankful for all the fan support so far and can’t wait to continue this journey together.” 

Being told you have exactly six hours to explore a brand new and expansive build of Elden Ring is both an exciting and a terrifying prospect. You're immediately thinking about where to go, what to do, how to carefully spend your time to get the most information from the experience - it's a lot of pressure, but it's also an exhilarating undertaking that makes you feel like a true adventurer - setting off into unmapped territory with absolutely no idea what you might find around any given corner.

Unlike the Closed Network Test that allowed a number of lucky individuals to trial some early areas of the game back in November 2021 with five pre-selected and pre-buffed builds, this latest - and last - Elden Ring preview allowed us to choose from any of the ten starting builds that will likely be present in the final game. These are: Prisoner, Samurai, Prophet, Astrologer, Bandit, Hero, Warrior, Vagabond, Wretch and Confessor.

Read more

I'm happy to announce that rapper Rick Ross is richer than he's ever been. That's according to a song from his latest album: "Richer Than I Ever Been". He may be referring to his own pockets, but it can't be a coincidence that he's perfectly summed up yet another of my early hands-on sessions with FromSoftware's action-RPG Elden Ring.

That's because I've now been able to return to the starting area of Limgrave, this time on PC and with unfettered access to all the nooks and crannies we'll be exploring in just a couple of weeks time - and I found it to be richer and more vast than, well, it had ever been. FromSoftware have tweaked some things and removed some barriers from last year's closed network test, so in a single six-hour excavation, I discovered just how ambitious this game really is. Limgrave is way bigger than I first thought. Here's what I found.

Read more

The serious security hole affecting PvP in the whole Dark Souls series on PC should not be a problem with Elden Ring, Bandai Namco have announced. In January, they took all Dark Souls PvP servers offline following the publicisation of an remote code execution exploit which let wrong'uns run commands on other players' computers. Some feared this hole might be present in Elden Ring too. Bamco now say that Elden Ring is fine, but those Dark Souls servers won't come back down until after FromSoftware's new game launches.

Read more

Edens Zero: Pocket Galaxy will appear worldwide soon. Konami announced a release date for the mobile game based on Hiro Mashima's latest ongoing manga series. It will be available on February 24, 2022.

A launch trailer for the Pocket Galaxy mobile game appeared on the official Edens Zero YouTube channel. It is available in two separate language versions — Japanese and English. However, there are no significant differences between both versions, including the worldwide simultaneous release date. The English trailer only added subtitles to the Japanese voiceovers.

[tnm_video layout="mnmd-post-media"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xfRwqlUV7w[/tnm_video]

The channel also hosts an exclusive gameplay video of Pocket Galaxy. It features captions in multiple languages, including English. In this video, Hiro Mashima showed a preview of how the game reproduces the Granbell arc story. Mashima also revealed that he personally requested Konami to add a large number of voiceovers into the game.

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developer: Avalanche
Release: 2022

Warner Bros. Games has revealed that Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, a mobile game already released in the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, is coming to the Americas, Europe, and Oceania territories this year. 

Hikaru Utada released a new remix video for "Face My Fears," which serves as the main theme for Kingdom Hearts 3. The music video premiered exclusively through the musician's YouTube account. It features several key scenes from Kingdom Hearts 3, including major spoilers for story events in the title. The new "Face My Fears" remix was done in collaboration with A.G. Cooks and arrives just as the Kingdom Hearts series arrives on Nintendo Switch through its cloud system.

This new version of the song first appeared on Utada's album Bad Mode as a bonus track. Shortly after, it was announced that a music video for "Face My Fears" remix would appear on YouTube with scenes from Kingdom Hearts 3. The original version of the song was made in collaboration with Skrillex. While both versions of the song have a more electronic sound, this version sounds significantly different.

You can watch the music video for the "Face My Fears" A.G. Cooks remix below. Please keep in mind that it features flashing lights and some intense effects. Those with photosensitivity may want to avoid watching the video.

[embed]https://youtu.be/SbT55Ggd__E[/embed]

Yesterday’s Nintendo Direct was a very decent showing, and one announcement, in particular, should have fans of an iconic Nintendo classic excited: the release of Earthbound on Nintendo Switch Online. If you count yourself among those itching to either play or replay the trilogy then the availability of its original strategy guide is something you absolutely need to know about.

Now available as a digital download, the original guide is the perfect companion booklet for the game that essentially offers the most robust walkthrough and reference you’ll find anywhere. It’s also just a huge nostalgia trip and a throwback to an age-gone-by that’s really worth checking out. Here’s the link.

If you’re not up to speed, Earthbound, which was originally released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, is a role-playing game where four children team up to save the world. Earthbound Beginnings, also known as Mother, is the first game in the trilogy that was originally released on the Famicom exclusively in Japan.

You can watch the trailer for Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings joining the NSO lineup below.

The studio behind 80 Days and Heaven's Vault today announced A Highland Song, a game they're calling "a narrative adventure with rhythm and survival elements" set across the Scottish Highlands. That is an interesting combination of things. See for yourself in the first trailer, below.

Read more

To celebrate the extension of the life-size movable Gundam attraction in Yokohama, Bandai will set up Gundam Port Yokohama from February 19 to March 13, 2022. While people have to buy tickets to view the life-size Gundam up close, anyone can enter the extended venue in Yokohama Bay Area for free.

The venue will feature more attractions and displays related to the Gundam franchise. Some of the highlights include a reproduction of the White Base's bridge, a prototype scanner to bring Gunpla into virtual battles, and a Gunpla runner recycling center. It will also have limited giveaways of an exclusive RX-78-2 Gundam card for the new arcade game Mobile Suit Gundam: Arsenal Base.

Some of the venue's attractions will feature content outside of the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam show. There will be a projection mapping featuring the Unicorn Gundam, a floating balloon of Gundam SEED's Freedom Gundam, and an Iron-Blooded Orphans photo spot where visitors can take a picture with Mikazuki Augus and Orga Itsuka.

Sony has updated the store page for Horizon Forbidden West on the PlayStation Store after reports on unclear pricing surfaced last week in a number of publications.

The storefront appears to have changed overnight after Eurogamer yesterday asked Sony for comment.

Read more

Developer FromSoftware has this week announced plans to close Dark Souls PC servers until after the launch of its upcoming title Elden Ring. The decision comes after the game’s PC community relayed concerns that remote code execution exploits present in Dark Souls might also be used in Elden Ring. This type of exploit can be used to steal data, as well as take control of another player’s computer.

The news comes by way of a Twitter post from the developer:

#DarkSouls pic.twitter.com/ZRhX9OcvQe

— Dark Souls (@DarkSoulsGame) February 9, 2022

Console players won’t need to worry, though. It appears the exploit present in Dark Souls’ PC version isn’t something that affects the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X versions also launching on Feb. 25.

Twinfinite previewed Elden Ring last year and was thoroughly impressed, concluding:

“The most resounding endorsement I can give of Elden Ring is that I jumped into the network test as soon as the servers went live and I only stopped playing on the last day because the servers were shut down while I was exploring Limgrave. This hands-on preview has moved Elden Ring from a game I was excited about playing to my most anticipated game of next year.“

UPDATE: 2pm UK: The mysterious QR code hidden in Splatoon 3's trailer remains baffling to fans, who say an earlier attempt to enhance the image to show a release date - as reported below - may have been faked.

The QR code - again, visible at the 55 seconds mark in Nintendo's trailer broadcast last night and available on YouTube - certainly exists. However, the ability to scan it is being hampered by the code's size and the video's quality.

Read more

miHoYo released more information on Yae Miko ahead of her official appearance as a playable member of the Genshin Impact roster. Yae Miko will be a 5-star Electro Catalyst user and a damage dealer. With how her Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst work, she will likely fill the sub-DPS role.

Similar to Klee, Yae Miko’s attack animations are slightly different from normal catalyst users. Her attacks will look like kitsune spirits, and she will hold a wand. Her Skill, Yakan Evocation: Sesshou Sakura, will make her dash on the field and leave behind an Electro DMG turret. She can create a total of three turrets. The more turrets on the field, the greater each one’s damage output is.

She doesn't need to remain on the field for her turrets to take effect. However, you can make the most of them with her as the active character. Her Burst, Great Secret Art: Tenko Kenshin, sends down a bolt of lightning and destroys all Sesshou Sakura on the field. When you destroy a Sesshou Sakura in this way, they will burst and cause AoE Electro DMG. Her kit resembles a more powerful version of Fischl's.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV2QOX9fXEE

Xbox is trying to resolve an issue that has seen players unable to obtain the CrossfireX campaign content on Games Pass.

CrossfireX came to Xbox Game Pass today, much to the excitement of those who have been waiting for its release since it was first announced in 2019. However, fans have been left disappointed, as many are currently unable to gain access to its single player campaign developed by Alan Wake maker Remedy. Microsoft is aware of this issue and has shared it is working to fix it. At the time of writing, its status is currently close to being resolved.

Read more

Nippon Ichi Software revealed more information regarding Yomawari 3 and the areas and monsters that will appear in it. The areas include a shopping district, an abandoned school, a derelict ship, and a graveyard. Additionally, Nippon Ichi Software outlined what kinds of ghoulish apparitions will appear in these locations. As it stands, there will be a unique monster of sorts within each area. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

Each area will feature a different design and theme. For example, the shopping district will have stray dogs. These dogs appear to be barking at nothing, while another pack will impede your progress. The spirit that appears here is known as the Roadblock. It is a large furry mass made out of several eyes and mouths.

[gallery ids="915796,915797,915798" link="file"]

The abandoned school is more straightforward. In the school, the player will be able to obtain scraps of a diary. The diary will feature an exchange between two people about the various rumors regarding the school. Players can encounter a tall Faceless Man in the abandoned school who will begin to chase them upon spotting them. Additionally, players can check out a skeleton specimen, which has several rumors surrounding it.

[gallery ids="915799,915800,915801" link="file"]

Shortly before yesterday’s Nintendo Direct, Mother creator Shigesato Itoi tweeted, causing speculation to go wild.

Read more...

The rights to create films and games based on The Lord of the Rings are going up for auction.

As reported by Variety, the Saul Zaentz Co is selling its Tolkien rights, which includes films, games, TV shows over eight episodes, live events, merchandise, and theme parks based on The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and other Tolkien properties.

Read more