The release date for Stellar Blade was announced in a new trailer at the January 2024 PlayStation State of Play showcase. The game will be released on April 26, 2024.

The trailer showed off a bunch of new details of Stellar Blade. You play as Eve, a member of the airborne squad left on a post-apocalyptic Earth to fight off alien invaders called NA:tives. Through the story she'll be accompanied by two companions named Adam and Lily.

The trailer also showed some more of the Stellar Blade combat mechanics. In addition to the hack and slash gameplay previously seen with swords, some third-person shooter gameplay was also shown off. We also got to see more of the game's world, which appears to have an open world setting featuring towns full of NPCs. There are also camps out in the wasteland where Eve can replenish her health, purchase supplies and get upgrades.

You can see the full Stellar Blade release date trailer here.

Sonic x Shadow Generations was officially announced at tonight's PlayStation State of Play.

A remastered version of the 2011 game was rumoured to appear, but Shadow adds a welcome twist.

Generations featured 2D and 3D levels in a nod to both modern and classic Sonic. Now that game will be completely remastered, plus we'll get a brand new Shadow campaign including new abilities. It's set to release in autumn this year.

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At the January 2024 State of Play, Sony and HoYoVerse shared a new Zenless Zone Zero PS5 trailer highlighting characters. It essentially confirmed that it will be on the console and showed some cast members we already knew about. 

A handful of agents from different groups shwoed up. For example, Belobog Heavy Industries’ Koleda appeared first. Then Nicole and Nekomata from the Cunning Hares appeared. At the end, a confirmation of the PS5 version’s development came up. 

Do you want to build a PC? Not ready to give up your older Ryzen motherboard but still want great gaming performance? Previously your only option was the (superb) 5800X3D, which uses a 3D V-Cache to massively boost gaming performance, but now the cheaper 5700X3D is also available.

Made from silicon that wasn't quite good enough to turn into the 5800X3D, these processors boost slightly lower but come with the same complement of extra L3 cache, making them still head and shoulders above models like the 5600X, 5800X, 5900X and even 5950X - not to mention older Ryzen 1000, 2000 and 3000 models.

Following its launch this month, the brand new Ryzen 7 5700X3D is now available from B&H Photo and Amazon in the US for $249 or Amazon UK for £233, a great price that undercuts the $308 5800X3D significantly. Here's some links:

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On January 31, a district court in Florida dismissed The Walt Disney Company’s lawsuit against state governor Ron DeSantis. The lawsuit was filed against DeStantis after he and the Florida government took control over a special district last year that contained Disney World.

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With February almost upon us, Sony has revealed the next batch of monthly games it's making available to subscribers of its PlayStation Plus Essential tier - and it's also announced a two-hour trial of developer Insomniac's acclaimed Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for Premium subscribers.

Starting with the games, February's first Essential offering is Foamstars, Square Enix's stylish, Splatoon-esque 4v4 live-service game in which players furiously hose each other into submission with a torrent of slippery soapsuds. It'll be available on both PlayStation 4 and PS5.

Next up is Rollerdrome, from OlliOlli developer Roll7. Set a world ruled by corporations, where the public is kept placated by a brutal blood sport known as Rollerdrome, it sees players donning rollerskates for some high-speed third-person shooting action, where performing tricks restores ammo and bullet-time-style slo-mo can be deployed against opponents.

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Palworld - you know, the open-world survival game with the definitely-not-Pokémon you might have heard about once or twice lately - has, less than two weeks after its early access release, officially surpassed 19m players on Xbox Series X/S and PC, with Microsoft now touting it as the biggest third-party launch in Game Pass' history.

We've known known developer Pocketpair has had a hit on its hands with Palworld for some time now, of course; its early access launch on 19th January got off a bumpy start as an initial influx of players brought the game's servers to their knees, and just 24 hours later Pocketpair revealed 2m players were already galavanting around the Palapagos Islands.

Shortly after, Palworld became one of only six games ever to hit 1m concurrent players on Steam, and then updated sales figures brought the news it had shifted over 5m copies in just three days. Six days after launch, Steam sales hit 8m, and now, 12 days in, Pocketpair has announced Palworld has surpassed 19m players.

Netflix has horror movies galore—and is currently on a sci-fi high thanks to Zach Snyder’s Rebel Moon duology. It’s got dystopias covered, too, with Squid Game’s second season coming later this year. But the streamer also has plenty to offer in the way of the fantasy genre, including a current Oscar hopeful.

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Atlus recently shared on social media some words from Megumi Toyoguchi, the Japanese voice actor for Yukari Takeba in Persona 3 Reload. Toyoguchi talked about her experience with the Persona series and revisiting the character for the remake.

When asked about her feelings regarding Yukari Takeba, and her experience recording for Persona 3 Reload, Toyoguchi said that the main difference in recording the lines for the remake was that she could clearly imagine the voices of the rest of the cast in her head. She also mentioned that she felt a bit embarrassed when voicing romance lines, and that she feels the most comfortable when recording lines interacting with Junpei.

Toyoguchi was also asked about her memories and impressions of P3 and the Persona series. While the original Persona 3 was released in 2006, Toyoguchi mentioned that at that point in time they didn’t have the opportunity to meet fans in person. The actor recalls her first time standing in front of an audience of Persona fans at the stage of an event for the release of the Persona 3 movies. Toyoguchi also said that it gave her goosebumps hearing the music live at the event.

What started off as a relatively obscure survival game known colloquially as “Pokémon With Guns” has officially become the biggest third-party Game Pass launch of all time, as Palworld has reached 19 million players in just under two weeks. That’s a lot of people catching legally distinct Not-Pokémon and forcing them…

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Before multiple friends of mine went out of their way to sing the praises of Granblue Fantasy: Relink to me, I had no interest in the RPG. But with such energetic recommendations, I couldn’t ignore the new title from developer Cygames, set to release on February 1 for PlayStation and PC. Thankfully, there’s a demo out…

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Sony confirmed the three PlayStation Plus February 2024 games. We already knew Square Enix’s Foamstars (PS4, PS5) would launch day-one on the service, and it will be joined by Rollerdome (PS4, PS5) and Steelrising (PS5). 

Foamstars is an entirely new multiplayer game that is a third-person shooter not unlike Splatoon. However, players in the 4v4 title use foam as a way to get around and coat the map. It launches on February 6, 2024 on the service. It will be $29.99 when it leaves PlayStation Plus.

Rollerdome is another third-person shooter, but this one is a solo-only affair. It’s a futuristic game where players are on skates in the titular Rollerdome trying to survive while also investigating a corproration. It launched in August 2022 and normally costs $29.99.

Finally, Steelrising is an action-RPG set in an alternate version of the French Revolution. Players follow the bodyguard of Marie Antoinette, who is an automaton named Aegis, customizing their avatar’s attack style in the hopes of toppling King Louis XVI. It launched in September 2022 and normally is $49.99.

Updated, 01/31/24, 2:00 p.m. ET: After announcing her departure from Twitch, Imane “Pokimane” Anys posted on X/Twitter that her first-ever YouTube broadcast will occur on February 1 at 12 p.m. PT.

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Last time, you decided that different puzzles on different difficulty levels is better than or bullet grazing. While longtime pontificators will know that that the foundation of our scientific method is a tightly controlled series of like-for-like comparisons, what the hey, let's go wild for once. Having just watched that new Bloodlines 2 gameplay video, let's consider vampires and, oh, I don't know, what would be a wacky pairing, oh, werewolves? I know, I know, no connection between the two, but please, indulge this novel field trip.

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Microsoft has revealed that Palworld, the "Pokémon With Guns" survival game from indie developer Pocketpair, had the biggest third-party launch ever on Xbox Game Pass. Thanks to Game Pass, Palworld has been played by more than 7 million players on Xbox, which, when added to the 12 million that have played the game on Steam, puts the total player count at 19 million. That's a massive feat for any game, let alone an independently developed one.

🎉Total number of players exceeds 19 million🎉

It's been less than two weeks since #Palworld was released, thank you!

・Steam: 12 million~ copies
・Xbox: 7 million~ players

We will continue to prioritize fixing bugs!
Thank you for your continued support of #Pocketpair! pic.twitter.com/twgAeYVL07

February 2024 has arrived, and with it a fresh calendar of exciting new game releases. From anti-hero super heroes, to returns of classic titles, to one of the most anticipated RPGs of the year, February looks stacked.

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Square Enix announced the dates and details for the FFXIV Valentione’s Day event appearing for Valentine’s Day starting on February 7, 2024 and offered a peek at its new emote. This year, people can get a Love Heart.

To kick things off this year, you’ll need to go to Old Gridania and head to X:10.2, Y:9.4. You’ll find Astrid waiting there with the quest “The Symbol of Love.” As long as you are at level 15, you can take it and start working toward your new rewards.

As usual, there’s a new FFXIV emote and piece of furniture for Valentine’s Day. When used, the Love Heart emote causes the player character to make heart hands in front of themselves while six hearts also appear around them. As for the chair, it is brown and pink with a heart shaped design on the back.

Here’s how both of the new items look in-game.

Remember Apex Solo? It’s okay if you don't; it might've been before your time. The limited-time mode (LTM) dropped alongside Season 2's Iron Crown Collection Event. The rules are self-explanatory: drop into a Battle Royale match all by your lonesome, with 60 legends total competing for bragging rights as well as some cool character- or win-specific badges.

In some ways, playing alone was a great way to test one's might in duels without relying on teammate assistance. However, the experimental LTM was a double-edged sword, revealing that some ability kits were simply stronger than others in 1v1s. For instance, Lifeline's "D.O.C. Heal Drone" made her a near-unkillable force, but her "Combat Revive" passive was rendered useless since there were no allies to resurrect. You can already see some of the inconsistencies in the mode's mechanics, right? Then it should come as no surprise that the team doesn't plan to ever bring Apex Solo back.

Watch The Trailer That Revealed Solo Mode:

While listing the myriad philosophies of character creation, lead legend designer Devan McGuire explained that solo play went against Apex's DNA:

After months of conceptual chatter over on its blog, developer The Chinese Room has finally whipped back the shroud on its version of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, giving a first proper look at its in-game action courtesy of an 15-minute gameplay reveal.

Prior to today, The Chinese Room - which took over the troubled Bloodlines 2 back in 2021, although the studio's involvement wasn't announced until last year - has talked a little about the game's main character, vampire elder Phyre, its clans, and its "visceral immersive combat", and all of that comes together in today's extended gameplay debut.

According to The Chinese Room, this 15-minute first-look features a sequence from relatively early in the game, taking place after Phyre - who in this particular playthrough is part of the Brujah clan, imbuing her with supernatural speed and strength, as well as a rather short fuse - has established herself in Seattle and made inroads with the court. As she investigates the mysterious mark on her hand limiting her powers, she receives a tip-off leading her to a warehouse and a vampire known as Willem who might just have some answers.

On Tuesday, players noticed that Spec Ops: The Line was no longer available to purchase on Steam, leading many to fear that the acclaimed third-person shooter had been quietly delisted without warning. Sadly, 2K has since confirmed that is the case, and the publisher has also explained why it pulled the landmark…

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Publisher Paradox Interactive has revealed the first revamped look at Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 gameplay, and it looks great. While this isn't the first time we've seen footage of Bloodlines 2, this is the first look at the game as made by The Chinese Room, which took over the development of the game after Paradox removed Hardsuit Labs from the project. 

Paradox Interactive, which owns the Vampire: The Masquerade IP, has been trying to make Bloodlines 2 happen for years and years. Development seemed promising for a bit, but in 2021, Paradox removed original developer Hardsuit Labs from the project. We learned last year that Everybody's Gone To The Rapture studio The Chinese Room took over development (thanks, GamesIndustry.biz), and now, we've got our first look at their version of Bloodlines 2. 

Check it out for yourself in the official Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 trailer below: 

It seems like there is always some great sale or bundle on Steam filled with great games. The ubiquitous PC games storefront is best known for its seasonal sales that offer some of the biggest games at huge discounts.

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HoYoVerse always goes over new features in game updates ahead of patches, and the 2.0 Honkai: Star Rail one will feature major quality of life changes to the Relic and Support Character systems. There will be more options for each one.

The Relic system changes are the most extensive ones. You can now mark ones you know you’ll want to discard and turn into experience items or Relic Remains when you get them or go through your items. If it is a five-star item, when salvaging you can choose if you want it to become a Relic Remain. You can also set limits so when you add experience items, it will only go until the next node level that adds a stat, instead of indiscriminately adds as many experience items as possible to level it up as high as you can. Finally, new exclusion filtering and recommended combination options will make it easier to pick which items you select and equip.

Tonight's the night of Sony's latest State of Play gaming showcase, a recurring round-up of PlayStation videogame announcements, trailers, celebrity developer cameos, and assorted high jinks. It kicks off at 2pm PT, 5pm ET and 10pm GMT. The show will be focussed on console games, as you'd expect, but many of the PS5 and PSVR2 projects in question will also be coming to PC, and you can watch the whole event right here.

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The determination to run 1993’s seminal shooter Doom on absolutely everything is one of humanity’s finest features. From tractors to pregnancy tests, if the technology exists, someone’s trying to install Doom on it. And you know what else is technically technology? Living organisms. Yes, as prophesied in the Holy…

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Square Enix and Applibot decided that Yuffie and Tifa will be beating enemies with household utensils as weapons for Valentine’s Day in FFVII Ever Crisis. Yuffie gets a Diner Tray via the latest banner, while people can earn Tifa Oven Mitts during The Secret Sweetheart event storyline.

The Yuffie new weapon and outfit is on a Valentine’s Day banner until February 18, 2024. Her new Dinner Tray weapon has the C. Ability Twister. That hits one enemy and deals 850% wind damage to them. This could prove handy for bosses. There is also Sparkling Skater gear for her. That’s a pink waitress-style outfit. Its two R. Abilities are Boost PATK, to deal physical attack, and Windstrike Arcanum to increase the amount of damage she’ll deal with every wind attack.

Here’s how both look in-game.

While the Palworld mod that turns every critter in Pocketpair’s survival game into a Pokémon has been hit with Nintendo’s banhammer, that hasn’t stopped fans from modding the game to feature characters from other monster-taming series. Digimon mods are starting to pop up to replace Palworld’s much-debated Pokémon knock…

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Following a string of wee teasers for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, Paradox have released an "extended gameplay reveal" trailer. This is the most we've seen of Bloodlines 2 since Paradox took the RPG from original developers Hardsuit Labs and handed it to The Chinese Room, the studio behind Dear Esther and Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs. The trailer shows 14 minutes of our vamp creeping about a warehouse with a pretty Dishonored-y combination of stealth and magical violence, showing very much why the sequel is now described as an "action RPG" rather than just "RPG".

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With each passing day, the rumored Nintendo Switch 2 feels ever more real as developers see the machine in private meetings and tech manufacturers rush to produce more LCD screens. The Mario maker is cooking up something for holiday 2024, though the company has remained as tightlipped as ever about a successor to the…

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Capcom released more bath salts based on the herbs from Resident Evil. You’ll now be able to get Blue Herb and Yellow Herbs.

Previously in August 2021, Capcom released a series of bath salts based on two of the most iconic herbs that you can find in a Resident Evil game. You could get Red and Green Herb bath salts for around $5 each, with the in-game image of the plant appearing on the packaging. In most of the games, the Herbs appear in a powder format that your character then sprays all over themself. Since these are bath salts, spraying yourself with them will not grant you the same benefits as dissolving them in water and sitting in the liquid.

The Resident Evil Blue and Yellow Herb bath salts will appear in the online Capcom store from January 31, 2024 and in the physical ones from February 2, 2024. The webpage for the bath salts does not give any information on what scent or benefits they have. They cost 550 JPY each, which is around $3.70. As a note, Capcom would like to remind consumers that Umbrella, the “company” that made these bath salts, is fictional and does not represent any existing organization in real life.

The herb bath salts will appear in the Capcom stores from January 31, 2024.

Two weeks after Microsoft's turn, it's now Sony's time in the spotlight. Tonight's big PlayStation State of Play broadcast is the first we've heard from Sony this year - and this evening looks set to lay out a line-up of blockbusters coming to PS5 over 2024 - and into 2025.

Join us as we watch and cover everything live from 10pm UK time (GMT) - the show is set to last 40 minutes, and feature 15 games.

What do we expect? Quite a lot, actually. Sony itself has said to expect "guest appearances from some of the most talented minds in gaming" - and without an invitation ourselves we can only assume this means Hideo Kojima. It's high time we heard more about Death Stranding 2. But who else might also qualify? Our money's on BioShock creator Ken Levine, whose long-awaited Judas is now finally nearing release.

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In case you’ve been living under a rock, the monster-catching survival game Palworld is the hottest thing since sliced bread. As such, it’s only natural that players would want to take it anywhere they go; it’s currently only available on PC and Xbox Series X/S (via early access). However, mobile versions have recently been spotted, but you’ll want to think twice before downloading them.

An app posing as Palworld has appeared on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. In an X post, however, Palworld developer Pocketpair states that there is no official mobile version of Palworld. The app store version lists its developer as Oleksandra Kryvcun, which is the primary tip-off that something is amiss. Though not available, the app is available for pre-order and lists a February 11 launch date. 

[Warning]
There is no Palworld application for phones. Apps using names and product images such as "パルワールド" and "Palworld" are appearing on the AppStore and Google Play, but they are not affiliated with our company in any way.

We have reported this issue to Apple, which…

Xbox's latest special edition controller is a new take on its Stormcloud Vapor design from last year - Dream Vapor.

According to Xbox, Dream Vapor features a pink and purple coloured swirl pattern which will be unique to each controller. Feature-wise this is your bog standard Xbox wireless controller, with the addition of rubberised side grips.

However, you will also unlock an exclusive dynamic background of the same theme so you can match your console's Home screen to your hardware.

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In order to celebrate the Final Fantasy VII 27th Anniversary, Square Enix released a brand new clip from FFVII Rebirth showing off the piano mini-game by showing Cloud playing a rendition of "Happy Birthday." The clip shows off the free play function which allows players to perform any song they would like using the piano mini-game's inputs.

Final Fantasy VII originally released on January 31, 1997 in Japan on the PlayStation and has sold over 13.9 million copies worldwide since its release. The game spawned multiple spin-offs and sequels in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, including Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII G-Bike, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, and Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis.

FFVII Remake released in 2020 as the first part of the remake trilogy. Square Enix announced it sold more than 7 million copies worldwide.

Persona 3 Reload, the much anticipated remake of the 2006 Atlus classic, isn’t even out yet but rumors are already swirling about plans for DLC. According to notable leakers in the Atlus community, Persona 3 Reload will be getting a number of post-release expansions that might fix one of the biggest complaints about…

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