It's not the first time, and it likely won't be the last, but Eugen Systems' intimidating strategy game Wargame: Red Dragon is free to keep on PC. Slide into the Epic Games Store by March 11 and it's yours.

If you've got Red Dragon – the other Red Dragon – on your mind, think less "deranged man gobbles up a work of art" and more "deranged man convincingly fakes his death in a big-brained house-fire ploy."

Case in point, I searched for a guide to get a better feel for Wargame: Red Dragon, and the first thing that popped up – seemingly the only thing that even needs to pop up – was this "200-page guide" on Steam with a five-star rating from a couple thousand people who had some time to dig in and soak.

It is absolutely nothing like StarCraft or C&C. If you play it like you play other RTS games, you will get your ass kicked. If you are new to Wargame, it is best to approach it like a new experience, and not to rely on the lessons learned in other games. Eugen takes the "Wargame" moniker quite seriously, and this game more closely resembles a fast-paced tabletop wargame than most video game RTSes. The name Red Dragon comes from one faction of the game (collectively referred to as "REDFOR") and Dragon because...dragons are...neat, I guess?

You're doing good work, SandyGunfox. This game is certifiably hobby-grade.

So hideous, we can’t even embed the trailer

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Whenever I browse the Genshin Impact subreddit or just play the game myself in general, I can’t help but think of another game: Overwatch. Now I know these two games couldn’t be any more different, but bear with me here.

In the lead-up to Overwatch’s launch, Blizzard spared no expense when it came to marketing. Even after the game was out, players were still drip-fed new shorts about their favorite characters and more tidbits about the world itself. It’s no surprise that Overwatch has quickly achieved global popularity, and why the prospect of Overwatch 2 featuring more story elements is so exciting, even after the multiplayer scene has gotten a bit stale.

Genshin Impact’s strength lies in that same vein. While it’s much more narrative-focused than Overwatch, it still manages to draw players in with its enticing character designs. But even then, pretty characters can only take you so far; MiHoYo goes above and beyond when it comes to marketing these characters, shaping them with unique personalities and traits that endear them to players.

Before a character’s release, MiHoYo releases a few trailers and videos to showcase their backstory and gameplay elements. These help to give players a better sense of their personalities, or from a more technical viewpoint, to better judge if these new characters would suit their gameplay style.

It also helps that the cast of characters, which has expanded greatly since the game’s release late last year, is incredibly diverse and full of different, vibrant personalities.

These six games managed to solve complex problems with some excellent (and rather stylish) UI design. ...

Head to the EDZ for some Exotics

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A kid TikToker influenced me to buy these fidget toys 

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While Microsoft Flight Simulator isn’t designed specifically for military aviation, third-party developers certainly don’t seem deterred.

Today FlyingIron Simulations released its Spitfire L.F Mk IXc. It’s currently available in the developer’s own store for about $27.

You can check out a quick trailer below.

Next is the upcoming F-14 Tomcat by DC Designs, which got new screenshots showing work done with Microsoft Flight Simulator’s advanced decals system.

We also get a development update.

Ecovacs Deebot T8 | $450 | Amazon | Clip coupon + use code ECOVACST8

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Square Enix has warned Marvel's Avengers players to start leveling up fast, because the publisher is about to double down on The Grind ahead of the title's next-gen update. ...

Tekken 7 Director Katsuhiro Harada revealed the offline and online usage ranks for King, Kunimitsu, and Lili.

The post Katsuhiro Harada Revealed January 2021 Tekken 7 King, Kunimitsu, and Lili Usage appeared first on Siliconera.

This narrated gameplay video for Hoa, a chill-out-in-nature platformer adventure, is soothing beyond words. It's the brain-massaging tranquility I needed to cap off the week. It's seven minutes well-spent. You know that feeling you get when you think about HOAs as, like, a concept? Think the exact opposite.

You might recognize Hoa from the Nintendo Indie World presentation late last year, but if not, no worries – art director and Skrollcat Studio co-founder Son Tra is here to calmly bring us up to speed.

Not that much actually happens on-screen in this early portion of the game – it's a lot of bopping around from leaf to leaf – but the lush forest backgrounds, the big-eyed insect companions, and the sweeping soundtrack sure paint a charming picture. Things don't always have to be complex when coziness will more than suffice. I can see this clicking with families and younger players, especially.

In a word, it's cute! Hoa is coming to Steam and Nintendo Switch in April 2021.

Lieutenant Trouble is all grown up

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It’s Friday, so that means the end of another long week of work. That also means it is once again time to revel in some more spicy anime meme goodness.

To celebrate, we’ve combed the internet, finding you hilarious content, including everything from Isekai tropes to Attack on Titan’s attack on shonen cliches.

Be sure to check out everything below and leave a comment on which one made you laugh the most. If you have any good anime memes of your own to share, don’t hesitate to post those in the comments either!

The wild ride that is Epic Games vs. Apple began back in August 2020 when Fortnite was pulled from the iOS store as a result of an ongoing battle between Epic Games and Apple. Epic Games tried to cheat the rules that Apple has in place for third-party apps by circumventing the required payout for all third-party businesses, so the tech company removed the game. Epic Games fired back saying that Apple adopts a favoritism model regarding business support, which prompted the Orwellian 1984-styled #FreeFortnite campaign. Even Valve was pulled into the mix, something that the PC giant is also fighting. Now, the UK government is looking a bit more closely at Apple over "anti-competitive behavior" concerns. 

The UK government has declared that the Competition and Markets Authority is looking into reports regarding Apple's practices, including the 30% pay cut on all payouts to third-party companies. This investigation is tied to the ongoing battle between Apple and Epic Games, because that feud is far from over. 

Another day, another streaming service. Yesterday marked the debut of Paramount+, the new name of the service formerly called CBS All Access. With it came a lot of new content to consume. io9 has some suggestions so you don’t have to endlessly scroll.

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Dive into the history of gamemaking tools at GDC Showcase with veteran tool designer David Lightbown. ...

IGN UK Podcast #582: Outriders Is an Electro-Freaking Good Time

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Idea Factory International has announced that its remake of a remake Neptunia ReVerse will be launching in the west this summer, with the PS5 JRPG hitting North America on June 8, with Europe following a few days later on June 11. The release date was announced as part of yesterday's New Game Expo Plus (NGPX) presentation.

Already available on the next-gen Sony platform in its native Japan, Neptunia ReVerse is the "definitive edition" of the 2018 PS Vita release Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1 Plus, which itself is a remake of the original Hyperdimension Neptunia, which launched on PS3 back in 2010. Confused?  Well, that's the Nep-Nep way, chum.

Beats Solo Pro and the AeroGarden Harvest lead Friday’s best deals.

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WandaVision is a milestone achievement for Marvel Studios. The final episode of their first TV series just went live on Disney+ mere hours ago. But how much do you remember? Go ahead and test your knowledge of WandaVision with this trivia quiz.

But let us warn you right away: do not take this quiz if you haven’t seen all of the episodes. You absolutely won’t ace the quiz and on top of that, you’ll spoil the ending of the show. If you’re okay with that, then go ahead, but you have been warned.

If you’ve only not seen the last episode, then the spoilers aren’t major story spoilers. You will almost assuredly still get the questions wrong. But if you’re not averse to non-story spoilers, then go ahead and swing for the fences in this WandaVision trivia quiz.

(All images via Marvel Studios/Disney+)

Remember to share your results in the comments below and on social media. And while you’re here, don’t forget to check out all of our other fantastic quizzes here at Twinfinite.

Kingdom Hearts Keyblade fork and spoon sets are on the way. There will be both standard and Dark Side variants of them.

The post Kingdom Hearts Fork and Spoon Keyblade Utensils Will Arrive in August appeared first on Siliconera.

Troy Leavitt says the departure is amicable, will share more in a video later

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Today FuRyu released another trailer of its upcoming JRPG Caligula 2, or The Caligula Effect 2 as it’s going to be called in the west.

The trailer focuses on Pandor, one of the “Obbligato Musicians” that guard the virtual world of Redo and that will oppose our drive to freedom.

She is voiced by Tomoyo Kurosawa, whom you may remember as Sothis in Fire Emblem Three Houses. Her music is composed by Ayase and we get a sample of that in the trailer, which you can watch below.

The Caligula Effect 2 has recently been revealed and it’ll be released in Japan on June 24 for PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

Western gamers will have to wait a bit longer, but we already know that it’s coming to North America and Europe in Fall 2021 for the same platforms, courtesy of NIS America.

Last week, we wrote a piece about the Destiny 2 12-player raid bug that completely changed the way the game felt and how much we ourselves were loving it. We waited until Bungie was aware of the bug before writing it to prolong that joy a little further, but turns out we don't have to. Guardians were shocked to see that a fix for the unintentionally hilarious and amazing glitch weren't included in this week's patch notes. That was intentional. Good news, friends! Bungie isn't quite ready to part with the Destiny 2 12-player raid bug either quite yet. 

In the latest "This Week At Bungie" blog post, Cozmo updated fans awaiting news about the double-the-Guardian-double-the-fun glitch. According to him, the team is loving watching everybody having so much fun, he even went so far to say that if you haven't cheesed a raid, dungeon, or Presage yet to go ahead and do so now. 

In this article, Keith Burgun lays out a few ways to add "longer arcs", particularly when thinking about tactics games. ...

Bloodstained's Miriam will crash another game, as she'll join the Mighty Fight Federation roster in a free update.

The post Bloodstained Mighty Fight Federation Crossover Will Add Miriam for Free appeared first on Siliconera.

The weekend is for screening attractive anime characters to determine which are friends and which are disguised aliens hell-bent on murdering all of humanity. That, and maybe some light gardening.

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The next era in the Pokemon franchise was announced last week. Pokemon Legends: Arceus looks like the promising next step in the series, but there’s a lot that we don’t know about it just yet.

Despite the lack of info, fans of the franchise hope and expect for this title to be an ambitious and innovative step forward. Here are some of the things that players want to see the most with Pokemon Legends: Arceus. 

Third-party developer SamScene3D recently released its “Macau Macao VMMC” add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator, including both city scenery for the former Portuguese colony on the Chinese coast and its international airport.

Macau has always been a relevant destination due to its very nature, connecting the western world with China. In more recent years, it has also been a gate between Taiwan and the rest of the continent.

This means that the city itself has a very unique charm, while the airport is a great base for both domestic and international flights.

The add-on can be found on SamScene3D’s own store for $16.95 including applicable VAT. It comes in a simple zip file with no serial or installer. Enabling it is as simple as dropping the content of the archive in your Community folder.

It’s now officially a trademark move for developer Niantic. Last month Pokémon Go players were accidentally let in for free to the ticketed Kanto Tour event. To make up for it, Niantic announced there would be a special bonus event for those who’d paid. That started today, and guess what: They let people in who hadn’t…

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