After a half hour hands-on preview with Sonic Colors: Ultimate, I'm reminded of just how fast the world's most famous hedgehog really is. If I'm honest, 30 minutes was nowhere near enough time to get a firm grasp on this garden dweller.

Colors: Ultimate is a remaster of a 2010 platformer originally for the Wii, remastered in time for Sonic's 30th birthday. It was well recieved by fans at the time, so I suppose HD-ifying it now makes sense. But if I pick through the blue dust left in Sonic Colors Ultimate's wake, I'm left with the feeling that I just prefer the going-fast hedgehog when he's focused on going fast.

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"Plaintiffs are informed and believe, and on that basis allege, that the Cheating Software has been downloaded and used by Destiny 2 and Rainbow Six Siege players thousands of times." ...

Even though the scariest thing of all is growing up and having to deal with life’s numerous challenges, the next best thing is watching a good ol’ horror flick from the comfort and safety of your own living room. Yes, watching scary movies rules, and if you’re not a fan of those things that go bump in the night, then you’d best skedaddle — you’re in the wrong place!

Still here? Excellent. *rubs hands*

Welcome one and all to Twinfinite’s latest film quiz. Much like our recent creepy quizzes about horror movie icons and video game villains, we’ve decided to set our sights on the most iconic horror movies of all time. Instead of naming specific characters, though, we’re going to focus on naming the actual films instead.

That’s right, it’s time to have some fun trying to identify these horror movies with just a single image to go on. However, because we’re also really nice folks, we may give you a clue as to the year the film was released, and maybe even a hint as to what the sub-genre of said movie is.

If you think it’s going to be too easy, well, hold onto your zombified horses! Indeed, we may start off easy-breezy, but we’ll make sure to ramp things up and give all you hardcore gore-hounds an appropriate challenge by the time we wrap things up.

So, without further ado, grab your crucifixes and holy water, and come join us as we venture back into the shadowy recesses of one of the best genres in the world. Good luck!

Another day, another review-bombing. Final Fantasy fans are review-bombing Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series over the platform of choice for the game's release. On Steam, however, the review scores maintain a positive reception, especially with changes Valve has made in recent years to prevent review bombing from occurring. 

Ignoring the odd font choices for this game, the Pixel Remaster series saw a user rating over a measly 0.7 just last night. This morning, that score was able to mosey on up to a 3.5 at the time this article was written. Critic reviews are sitting at a healthy 80 on Metacritic, with our own Dan Tack previously talking about how much this remaster is worth your time. 

One petulant user writes, "Get the console version, and I'll change my assessment," after scoring the game a 0. "Square Enix long ago said that all installments listed would be available on consoles; we fans demand this minimum." Another poor scorer said, "We want to be able to play these games on consoles. Classic games such as Final Fantasy should not be gated behind mobile phones and computers." 

The interview also reveals how the story of Final Fantasy X was conceptualized, including Nojima's key inspirations.

The post Yoshinori Kitase Cried While Playing Final Fantasy X for the First Time appeared first on Siliconera.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla's game director, who worked at Ubisoft for 16 years, is now the game director on EA's recently announced Dead Space remake.

Eric Baptizat updated his LinkedIn profile to reveal the job title (via VGC).

In June, it was reported that Baptizat left Ubisoft to work at EA Motive on an unannounced title. Now that the game has been announced, we know Baptizat is the game director.

Baptizat is just the latest big name to join EA to work on the new Dead Space. As announced in July, the game's senior producer is Philippe Ducharme, who spent nearly seven years with EA from 2003-2010 before moving to Ubisoft where he was a producer on Watch Dogs Legion. He re-joined EA in August 2020. Roman Campos-Oriola is Dead Space's creative director. He worked at Ubisoft from 2005-2020, and was the game director on For Honor.

The art director on the new Dead Space remake is Mike Yazijian, who held that same title on Dead Space 2. He left EA in 2011 to join Warner Bros. where he worked on Batman: Arkham Origins before coming back to EA in 2018 where he was the art director on Star Wars: Squadrons.

Epic Games is hosting an in-game music festival later this weekend called the Fortnite Rift Tour and to kick off, the company has announced that pop star Ariana Grande will be headlining the upcoming event. The Grammy-winning artist will be joining millions of battle royale fans worldwide for a musical experiences Epic promises players won't be able to forget. 

The Rift Tour will run from August 6 through August 8 and will feature popular tracks mixed with elements of the game, not unlike previous Fortnite-centered concerts in the past. With the pop star's musical contribution also comes a few themed cosmetics, such as the Ariana Grande outfit and the Piggy Smalls Backbling.

“Working with Epic and the Fortnite team to bring my music to life inside the game has been so fun and such an honor,” says Grande about her upcoming digital performance. “I can’t wait to join my fans and see all of your reactions to such an unforgettable, magical journey to new realities.”

For the last week of July--and the first day of August--Amazon's New World MMO dominated the Steam best-seller charts. Taking both the first and second place slots, New World beat The Ascent, Tribes of Midgard, and other games to the top of the charts.

As for how New World could earn the top two slots before its launch on August 31, Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad noted that the preorder which allowed access to the beta ended last week. This resulted in players rushing to get an early start in the game ahead of its full release, by purchasing its standard and deluxe editions.

Additionally, the interview shares insight to the creation and inspirations of the scenario.

The post Final Fantasy X Interview Reveals Tidus Was Originally Conceptualized as a Plumber appeared first on Siliconera.

After opening in July 1993, the nine-story Sega Ikebukuro Gigo became a neighborhood landmark. On September 20, the arcade will cease operations and close.

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Feardemic, the Polish game developer and publisher owned by Layers of Fear developer Bloober Team, has hired a new CEO and received an injection of cash to help the company pursue "aggressive expansion plans."

Scott Millard has been named as the new president and CEO of Feardemic, replacing Piotr Babieno. Babieno is staying with the company and will continue to work with Bloober Team.

Millard joined Feardemic in 2020 as its managing director, and a press release from the company praised the moves he made to improve Feardemic's financial outlook. He previously worked at Sega Ozisoft in Australia, while he also held positions at Star and Bandai Namco. Millard is also known for helping release Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls Online in Asia by establishing distribution networks for it.

Millard also bought a stake in Feardemic and now stands as the company's second largest shareholder after Bloober Team.

"I am proud to not only be CEO, but most importantly a partner in Feardemic. I see enormous potential and growth opportunities in the business," Millard said. "The horror narrative is one of the most predominant threads in the stories that developers tell through game development. I look forward to Feardemic becoming one of the most recognizable brands in the business of video game publishing while enriching the market with a wide range of diverse gaming products that will explore the entire spectrum of the horror narrative through multiple gameplay genres."

In addition to the promotion of Millard to president and CEO, Feardemic announced that it now has four new shareholders from "various private and institutional vehicles." The money from these firms will help Feardemic pursue its own plans to expand in a big way.

"In China, we have a lot of passionate players for League of Legends and Riot Games. There's a reason we would like to double down in China and continue to invest here." ...

Comiket 99 will go forward as planned and will be held in late December 2021.

The post Comiket 99 to be Held in Late December at Tokyo Big Sight appeared first on Siliconera.

Eric Baptizat, the former game director on Assassin's Creed Valhalla, will be directing the shiny new Dead Space remake at Electronic Arts' Motive Studios. He was previously at Ubisoft for almost 16 years working on a number of Assassin's Creed games, before joining Motive back in April.

From Vikings and stabby men, to aliens and fear - quite the genre leap, but Valhalla was pretty darn good, so that at least bodes well.

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By this point, of course, we know full well what the Switch OLED isn't. There's nothing by way of extra grunt, nothing to cater for 4K monitors when playing docked and not much else feverishly associated with the idea of a Switch Pro. Instead, this is a mild hardware refresh, something along the lines of the 3DS XL yet perhaps milder still, with the form factor instantly familiar and only that bigger 7-inch screen with its slimmer bezel giving the game game away that this is a different model at all.

Still, that screen! I'm not going to get carried away by what, at this point, is far from cutting edge technology, but it is at least a noticeable step up from the existing model. 7-inches is better than the current Switch's 6.2, and that slimmer bezel feels like a bigger improvement still. When it's in your hands, that screen is pretty much all you can see, which of course does wonders for immersion (the light sensor that creates a slight intrusion on the original Switch has been well hidden in the OLED model too - I poked around but couldn't find where it's been secreted in my short time with the new system).

Then of course there are the other benefits of the OLED screen. Perhaps sending along the colour blind member of the team wasn't the best approach, but Nintendo is being selective with who's able to access the machine and remains reluctant to put it in front of the likes of Digital Foundry who might be able to go a little more in-depth, and weeks after it was first shown off Stateside, photography of the Switch OLED remains prohibited. Still, even with my limited vision I could spot the lysergic pop of Hyrule's greens in Breath of the Wild, the deeper blacks in Mario Kart 8 and the enhanced intensity of Super Mario Odyssey's palette.

Well, it may not come as a massive surprise, but the Ariana Grande concert for Fortnite has now been confirmed - and it's taking place 6th-8th August.

Ariana will headline a concert called the Rift Tour, which will "begin with experiences that pair popular tracks with moments based on elements from the game".

"Players will be able to travel side by side with their friends on a journey to magical new realities where Fortnite and Ariana collide," the press release explains.

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Microsoft has announced new measures to help "lower the barrier to entry everywhere" for Halo Infinite's esports endeavors, and this includes supporting cross-play and cross-input play for online tournaments, and some changes for in-person events (more on that later).

"We're excited to reveal that Halo Infinite esports will be cross play for all online tournaments," 343 said in a blog post. "Have a beefy PC rig? Great, you're ready to compete! Have a last gen console? All good, you're ready as well! Just got your hands on a sweet new Xbox Series X? Nice, you're all set!"

343's esports lead, Tashi, said there was "so much to consider" before arriving at this decision, including the experience for player and tournaments themselves, along with considerations of teams and the operators of tournaments.

"What we envisioned was an ecosystem where players had the choice. Where if they had one platform, they weren't forced to get the other if they wanted to compete. Where Halo Infinite was suddenly a game they had the choice to play when it wasn't in the past because of the platform they had already decided to invest in," Tashi said.

For physical LAN tournaments for Halo Infinite, things are different. Players competing from the pool play on the mainstage will play on a PC. Those in the open bracket will be on Xbox Series X. If you make it out of the open bracket and into pool play/mainstage, you'll move to PC during the event.

Tashi said Microsoft decided against an "all console" approach because PC has become "the standard" in esports. Microsoft also observed that people had already moved over to PC through the Halo: The Master Chief Collection's PC tournaments. Microsoft also considered an "all PC" approach, but due to the scale of the event series, this was not possible.

The arcade will be closing its doors in mid-September 2021 due to issues regarding its lease.

The post Sega Ikebukuro GiGO Arcade Will be Closing in September appeared first on Siliconera.

Want to learn how to create the best Venti build in Genshin Impact? Anemo Bow user Venti is the vessel of Barbatos, the Anemo Archon. The wine-loving, lyre-toting bard always has a song up his sleeve and is especially carefree for someone with powers as strong as his. You’ll want to build Venti as a sub-DPS, meaning you’ll be using his Anemo powers more than his normal attacks.

This guide will show you how to create the best Venti build in Genshin Impact. Below we'll cover everything you need to know about Venti, including wishing, weapons, artifacts, ascension materials, talents, abilities, and constellations.

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Additionally, Tite Kubo has shared a new illustration of series protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki.

The post New Bleach One Shot Manga to Appear in Shonen Jump appeared first on Siliconera.

New friends and familiar faces will soon greet the Digital World.

The post Digimon Adventure 02 Movie and Digimon Ghost Game Anime Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

The Soulsborne community will never cease to impress, and if you thought you were good at FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, wait till you see what speedrunner Mitchriz has just accomplished.

After 100 hours of practicing and troubleshooting the run itself, he’s finally managed to clear the game while completely blindfolded. You can check out the run for yourself down below:

Relying purely on instinct, sound cues, and memory and knowledge of the game, Mitchriz was able to beat the game without needing to see anything. Of course, he also went for the Shura ending, which is the shortest ending in the game and also allows players to bypass some of the toughest players.

It’s an impressive feat nonetheless, as a run like this requires the player to have a good knowledge of the game in order to beat it completely blind.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is now available on PC and consoles.

The post Speedrunner Beats Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice While Blindfolded appeared first on Twinfinite.

Type-moon released a brand new trailer of its upcoming fighting game Melty Blood: Type Lumina, which will soon launch both in Japan and in the west.

The trailer focuses on one of the playable characters, Akiha Tohno, showing her in gameplay action alongside her powerful moves.

You can check it out below alongside an official description of the character from the developer.

After the death of her father, she inherits the role of leader of the Tohno family, a distinguished house in Souya.
One year younger than her brother Shiki, she arranged for his return from the Arima family.
Her flawless etiquette and bearing perfectly epitomize the daughter of a noble house.
She is strict even on herself, rejecting such things as modern-day amusements and frivolity.
Because of her prideful and strong-willed nature, many find her difficult to approach.
Sensing a mysterious presence in her town, and determined to uphold the Tohno family name, she sets off into the night to investigate…

Today Atlus released a large gallery of screenshots and artwork of the upcoming JRPG Shin Megami Tensei V.

First of all, we take another look at the members of Bethel, an organization created to fight against the demons with the demons summoning program.

They are Tao Isonokami, Yuzuru Atsuta, Miyazu Atsuta, Ichiro Dazai,, and Hayao Koshimizu. More screenshots showcase the turn-based battles that are the focus of the game, and we also get to see the Magatsushi skills.

During battles, a dedicated gauge fills up depending on your actions. When it’s completely full, you can use the Magatsushi Skills that have a variety of effects including attack, support, and recovery.

Another element is skill aptitudes for demons. Demons are strong at some skills and weak at others. Those they’re good at are marked by a “+”, making them more powerful. However, if they inherit a skill they’re not suitable for, those will be marked with a “-” and their power will be weakened.

You can check out all the images below.

The Fortnite collaborations won’t end, as Epic Games is hosting a Rift Tour this weekend, this time featuring pop star Ariana Grande. The event will allow players to enjoy her music along with in-game activities whenever they log into the game at the appropriate times. You can check out the trailer for yourself down below:

And here’s the schedule for the Rift Tour itself, which will run from Aug. 6 to Aug. 8:

Show 1
Friday, August 6 @ 6PM ET

Show 2
Saturday, August 7 @ 2PM ET

Show 3
Sunday, August 8 @ 12AM ET

Show 4
Sunday, August 8 @ 10AM ET

Show 5
Sunday, August 8 @ 6PM ET

And of course, the Ariana Grande Outfit and the Piggy Smallz Back Bling will be made available in the in-game shop as well to tie in with the event. Fortnite is now available on PC and consoles.

In the lead up to Shin Megami Tensei V's launch in November, we've been rolling out exclusive previews on the highly anticipated RPG from Atlus. In past articles, we've taken a look at the protagonist and the characters, but now we're shining a light on the other side of the fence: the demons.

For a little while now, Owlboy creator Simon S. Andersen has been working on a personal project where he takes some old and obscure Mega Man games and gives them a fresh, albeit unplayable, coat of paint.

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Over the weekend, amidst all the turmoil and toxic publicity being generated by the investigation and subsequent lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing over the company’s abusive workplace conditions, Activision Blizzard’s Fran Townsend thought it would be the perfect time to tweet “the…

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A man from Robertson County, Tennessee was playing a video game on Saturday night during a storm when a nearby lightning strike resulted in him being shocked straight up the wire of his controller.

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Doggone is a new indie game in development for PC by Raconteur Games, based on the story of a lost dog trying to find its way back home to its family. The developers made a post in their Twitter account announcing that the game can now be wishlisted on Steam. There’s no planned release date for now, as it’s listed in the store as “Releasing: When it’s ready”.

The game itself is a 2.5D platformer where the player gets into the role of said lost dog, solving puzzles and progressing through the world. The canine in Doggone has a special “smell-o-vision” ability that allows it to sniff out points of interest. He can also dig to reveal items and hidden collectibles. There are also just regular dog actions like barking and rolling around.

According to its developers, the game offers an adventure that takes some pages from classic movies like Disney’s Homeward Bound and an art style inspired by artist Eyvind Earle, known for Sleeping Beauty. The gameplay takes a bit from games like “Inside” with light platforming and puzzles, but it’s not as sad.

One thing that is made clear by Raconteur is that Doggone is a feel-good type of game. There’ll be an emotional roller coaster through the story, but there’s no violence against the dog and no sad ending. There’s even a small joke from a casual talk between the developers and Xbox’s Phil Spencer, where they guarantee it’s not going to be like “Old Yeller”.

"We'll be friends forever, won't we?"

The post New Hololive Error Horror Project Announced, Coming August 2021 appeared first on Siliconera.

This week there’s really no big games, instead a relatively short list of smaller games. Perhaps a diamond in the rough or two can be found below?

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Frontier Developments released a new trailer of Jurassic World Evolution 2, focusing on one of the features that will come to the new game.

We hear about scientists that you can hire to improve your scientific progress, but you’ll also need to make sure that their stress doesn’t go through the roof. Working with T-Rexes is a stressful job.

You can check out the trailer below.

If you’re not familiar with Jurassic World Evolution 2, you can check out a description below. The game is coming for PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store), PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is the much-anticipated sequel to Frontier’s highly successful Jurassic World Evolution, building upon the groundbreaking and immersive 2018 management simulation. It introduces a compelling, new narrative campaign, incredible new features, and awe-inspiring new dinosaurs brought to life with captivating authenticity. Together with expanded construction and more customisation options, the result is an even bigger, better and authentic Jurassic World game.  

Features

The figure of the soft-spoken necromancer looks to include finer details such as her skull-themed accessories.

The post Good Smile Company Presents Painted Hololive Uruha Rushia Figma appeared first on Siliconera.

Epic announced today that Ariana Grande is the next big musician who will be teleporting into the virtual world of Fortnite in a series of concerts starting next week.

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The high-end watch features various subtle references to the Caster character, including her signature insignia and Staff of Selection.

The post This Fate/Grand Order Artoria Caster Seiko Watch Costs 400 Dollars appeared first on Siliconera.