I'm really excited about Magic: The Gathering and I never thought I would be, never ever. When a friend once snootily told me HearthStone was a simplified version of Magic and eww how could I play it, I thought it was all I ever needed to know about it. Did I want to play a complicated game with snooty people? No I did not. But now I'm hooked. I play Magic pretty much every day, even when I'm supposed to be working, and it's all because of Arena.

Arena is the quite-new free-to-play online game which came out properly in 2019. OK so what? But what's special about this online card game is the role it plays alongside an existing physical card game. One isn't out to cannibalise another because obviously that would be stupid. Instead, they serve each other.

Arena plays a crucial role for someone like me still learning the game (and it has played a crucial role for everyone stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic unable to get out and play Magic face-to-face). It plays the role of an expert sitting with me telling me what I can and can't do, someone who highlights my options while also keeping track of all the dizzying numbers and buffs and abilities in play. It means I never have to refer to the manual, as it were. All I have to think about is strategy.

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You may know Private Division as the publisher behind games like The Outer Worlds and Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey. Today, the company announced it is partnering with three additional studios for new projects – and each team has previously worked on games that you probably recognize.

First is Moon Studios, which is making a new action/RPG. The company is known for creating the Ori games, Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. 

Second is Roll7, whose best-known works include OlliOlli and Laser League. According to Private Division's press release, the team is working on "the next jump forward in their mission to create awesome, flow state games."

In this post I point out narratological limitations within games and suggest possible solutions, based on my research and my experimental project Fabula Persona. ...

Moss developer Polyarc has secured $9 million in Series B funding to create augmented reality experiences.  ...

The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Hardcover | $16 | Amazon

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Let's take a trip down Lucky's Tale lane, as the history of this franchise is a bit confusing at this point.

Back in 2016, Playful partnered with Oculus Studios to release the inaugural Lucky game on the Oculus Rift; a VR platformer featuring the titular fox. From there Playful pivoted out of VR and into the "regular" gaming sphere with Super Lucky's Tale, a sequel released in late 2017 on PC and Xbox One.

Following that Microsoft partnership Playful pivoted once again to Nintendo with the Switch exclusive New Super Lucky's Tale (described as an "expanded version" of the game), which ended up becoming not-so-exclusive. Yep, Playful is bringing New Super Lucky's Tale to PS4 and Xbox One on August 21.

Having played them all, I can say that although you shouldn't rush out to get them day one, they deserve to be part of the overall platforming conversation. It's wonderful to see mascot platformers still alive and well today, and if Lucky made his mark on an older platform like the Nintendo 64 or the PlayStation, he'd probably still be around.

Playful [Twitter]

On the Edge, the third and final expansion for survival city-building game Frostpunk, will be released 20th August on Steam, GOG and the Humble Store.

On the Edge takes place after the main game ends. The mega-storm you survived exposed another outpost you will be able to take over and control, and where you will be able to build brand new structures as well as impose - sorry, implement - brand new laws. A core theme seems to be whether you will divide your people or unite them, presumably with regards to your two settlements working together, and there will be new mechanics for achieving this. There promises to be a "gripping" story revolving around all of this.

I reviewed Frostpunk when it came out a couple of years ago and highly recommend it. It's a gorgeously crafted city-builder set against a thrilling survival backdrop where you lead the last human settlement on a frozen Earth, and the temperatures just keep dropping lower and lower. You will be constantly stretched as you try to keep your community heated, fed, housed and healed, and sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures, which is where the Book of Laws comes in. You can put children to work, you can try to sneakily cook corpses. You can do a lot of things. The question is, will you?

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Stay cool with the latest Neon Genesis Evangelion collaboration item.

The post Stay Cool With the Neon Genesis Evangelion ATFIELD Air Conditioning Vest appeared first on Siliconera.

There are lots of great SSD deals to be had this week, particularly if you’re after an SSD made by WD, as there are lots of big discounts across their Blue and Black drives right now in both the UK and the US. To help you get the best price on your new SSD, we’ve rounded up all the cheapest deals on our [cms-block] recommendations from around the web, covering a range of form factors and different size capacities from budget 2.5in SSDs right up to ultra fast NVMe drives. Whether you’re looking for the cheapest SATA SSD deals or the biggest savings on today’s NVMe SSDs and external SSDs, here are the cheapest SSD deals of the week.

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Everyone loves a good SSD deal, and Newegg have some pretty good savings on a bunch of WD Blue and Black drives at the moment, beating the prices you’ll find over at Amazon. Top of the list is the excellent WD Blue 3D NAND SSD, whose 500GB model is down to $60 at the moment thanks to a handy promo code, and the 5TB WD Black P10, which can currently be had for a new low of $115 thanks to another promo code. That’s not all that’s on offer, though, so read on for even more WD storage deals.

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Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has destroyed its crowdfunding target, amassing over $2M USD - from an initial goal of $500K - in a little over 48 hours. Development will now go ahead on the retro-styled RPG, with an estimated release date of October 2022.

As we reported earlier this week, Eiyuden Chronicle is 2.5D JRPG that is designed to be an authentic throwback to the dormant-but-beloved Suikoden series, similar in concept to what Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is to the Castlevania. Set in the fantasy realm of Allran, players will become entwined in a bitter war between neighbouring nations, as the burgeoning Galdean Empire seeks to increase its power and command of Allran.

Eiyuden Chronicle will feature real-time exploration and turn-based battles, as players recruit friends and allies from a huge list of 100 original characters. When not out exploring the land, players must also renovate and galvanise their town, providing homes, improving local businesses and the economy, while protecting its people against those who would do them harm. Heading up the project are several key members of the original Suikoden team, including artist Junko Kawano and original creator Yoshitaka Murayama.

It all sounds very cool, and thanks to this hugely successful crowdfunding campaign, it looks set to get cooler still. As the fund grows and stretch goals are smashed, several new modes and mini-games have already been confirmed for the final release. It's worth keeping an eye on this one, adventure fans, it could be something very special indeed.

So what you will about the depth of Smash Ultimate's weekly spirit events, but man the team has come up with some really fun themes: not to mention the fact that they've kept them alive for this long! Smash Ultimate turns two in roughly four months!

Take this new event for instance: Cool summer, blue spirits. Whoever designed this promotional image needs a raise! As usual it'll be held over three days, starting on Friday. The official Smash Bros. Twitter account explains that the spirit board will host "a lot of blue spirits," and you'll "net more gold than usual" playing through them.

Can I just say how wild it is that Sonic Adventure's Chaos is technically in the same game as Capcom's Hard Man? Or Enguarde the Swordfish from Donkey Kong Country is crossing paths with Wonder Blue from Wonderful 101? Smash Bros.' openness to these types of partnerships and Nintendo's seemingly endless address book are truly is amazing.

Smash Bros JP [Twitter]

The Game Collection's eBay store has opted-in for yet another voucher deal, giving you the chance to save 10 per cent off a range of games including The Last of Us Part 2 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

It's all a part of the eBay 'staycation' promotion. So, if your staycation plans extend to sitting at home playing video games then you're sorted. All you need to do is add the code 'PACKUP10' at the checkout to get the discount.

Let's start with the Final Fantasy 7 Remake on PS4 for £35.95. I don't think this has been cheaper anywhere else yet. Definitely worth it at this price, I reckon. It's an impressive and (mostly) faithful retread of the PS1 classic - and about the best action-RPG combat Square Enix has given us so far.

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I think it's fair to say the recent gameplay demo for Halo Infinite, shown during the July 2020 Xbox Games Showcase, was somewhat divisive for Halo fans. While some loved the nostalgic feel of the demo, others took issue with the slightly blocky art style, prompting a big internet debate about whether Halo Infinite actually looked good. At least everyone can agree that the new Craig the Brute memes are great.

Still, clearly the demo was enough to inspire someone to get creative, as an enterprising PlayStation user has been working on their own interpretation of Halo Infinite using Media Molecule's Dreams. Explaining they'd been inspired by the recent Xbox showcase, Reddit user Disarmed uploaded a short clip of their progress so far, and the world they've created is almost painterly in style. Although there's currently no action to speak of, the start screen and landscapes created by Disarmed are gorgeous, with lush green forests, sun beams, wispy clouds and a classic Halo ring in the distance. They've also created a UI and gun animation, and given Master Chief a deliberately slow walking pace.

Disarmed said it was not his intention to provoke further conversation around Halo Infinite's visuals, and that he just wanted to recreate the demo for entertainment purposes.

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Good news for fans of FromSoftware's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Activision has announced that the ninja-tastic adventure has raked in five million global sales since its launch in March 2019. Not only that, but Sekiro is to receive a free update in October, which will implement a selection of exciting new modes and features.

Launching on October 29, the "Additional Features Update" will add boss rush modes Reflection of Strength and Gauntlet of Strength, allowing savvy shinobi the chance to replay any previously completed boss battle, or take on a run of bosses in a rock-solid single-life challenge.

Meanwhile, the new "Remnants" feature will let players record snippets of their greatest in-game moments, uploading them with brief messages for the whole community to see - whether an expertly performed takedown or the agile discovery of a secret hiding area. If a player watches and rates a remnant while the uploader is in-game, then the uploader will receive a small HP boost in real-time.

Finally, three new outfits will be made available in Wolf's wardrobe. Players will unlock two of the outfits via the new gauntlet modes, while the third is unlocked by beating the campaign. Make sure you're looking dapper while you're running rooftops and jumping treetops.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

Besides developing video games, Konami has long making arcade, pachinko, and other amusement hardware. Now, add gaming PCs to that list.

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It's been 21 years since the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and 20 years since its follow-up. I don't remember every level or skater from those games - but I do remember their soundtracks.

Those early entries are linked indelibly to that time - and to skater culture specifically - because of the jams they included. Happily, almost every track is back for the upcoming Pro Skater 1 & 2 remaster alongside dozens of other tracks from the era.

That means you can listen back to THPS classics like Goldfinger's Superman and Papa Roach's Blood Brothers while skanking to newer additions from Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake and Billy Talent.

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Smugdesk Mid-Back Office Chair | $44 | Amazon Gold Box

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Don’t you just hate it when you finally defeat the bad guy, and he makes the land turn to ruin anyway? Now here you are, living on a mountain top because some evil titan-dude has released a plague beneath it. You should probably do something about that – and you can, when Blightbound releases in early access today. It’s a multiplayer dungeon crawler in which you’ll need to descend down into a corrupting Blight and take out the monsters that reside in it.

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Last week's announcement of Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy was good news for fans of cute RPGs with crap-loads of crafting. Following its debut in the Japanese Nintendo Mini Direct, Koei Tecmo promised fans outside of Japan a special reveal of the game that took place this morning. Not only did we get a new trailer showing off some of the locations we'll be exploring, but we also got a confirmation of a winter release in the west and the introduction of the new character Fi.

I remember when Mike Laidlaw revealed he had joined Ubisoft Quebec a couple of years ago. What a match! The former lead designer for Dragon Age working with the studio that created the brilliant Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Surprisingly, Laidlaw announced his departure from Ubi just a year later, which a report revealed today was shortly after the game he was working on was cancelled. Even worse, we now know what that game could’ve been – an Arthurian fantasy RPG.

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After posing the question ‘who actually takes the evil path in games?’ I was surprised to see the answer is ‘most RPS readers, actually’. I’m not sure if this speaks more to my delightful innocence or your inherent gitishness. Either way, Colm and I (your RPS Vid Buds) continue to step out of our comfort zone as we pursue the nastiest outcomes in The Outer Worlds. We’ve built a grade-A space bastard – manipulative, but handy with a gun when words won’t do – and murdered a dentist. It is off to a good start. So join us live for part two.
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The time has finally come for Phantasy Star Online 2 to be free of the Windows launcher and arrive on Steam. When that day arrives (August 5, by the way!), it'll bear some gifts for Steam users.

According to the official PSO2 blog, Sega is rolling out rewards for folks who log in on Steam. All you have to do is log into the game near the release date to grab the Headcrab Emote from Half-Life, as well as a number of booster items. If you finish any quest once on normal or casual difficulty (or higher), you'll get the Pyro's gas mask from Team Fortress 2, as well as the Alyx hairstyle from Half-Life Alyx.

For finishing any quest on hard/hardcore difficulty, you'll get a Wheatley evolution device, as well as a Left 4 Dead frying pan, a Team Fortress 2 minigun and a Half-Life crowbar. Continuing on (haha, this list is actually pretty great), for completing any quest on very hard difficulty or higher, you'll get a Half-Life HEV suit, and completing any quest for times on super hard difficulty will net you an Alyx replica outfit from Half-Life Alyx. Phew!

As a reminder, the game is cross-play and will offer cross-progress with the Steam edition. So you really have nothing to lose if you want to go for broke and grab these items: just know that in typical PSO2 fashion, they'll be "distributed at a later date." Good luck!

PSO2: Steam Launch Rewards [Sega]

Horizon Zero Dawn - Minimum Specs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bits
• Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K@3.3GHz or AMD FX 6300@3.5GHz
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 (3 GB) or AMD Radeon R9 290 (4GB)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 100 GB available space

Horizon Zero Dawn - Recommended Specs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bits
• Processor: Intel Core i7-4770K@3.5GHz or Ryzen 5 1500X@3.5GHz
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (8GB)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 100 GB available space

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain's nuclear disarmament cutscene has finally been unlocked - legitimately this time, it seems - after five years.

Half a decade on, fans seem to achieved a global tally of zero nukes on the game's PlayStation 3 version - which unlocks the hidden cutscene showing a celebration attended by Snake and his pals.

Of course, this cutscene has been seen before. It was found hidden in the game around the time of its release, and actually got unlocked by accident in February 2018 on PC, prompting an apology by publisher Konami and a pledge to investigate.

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Tomorrow, Nintendo's mobile battler Fire Emblem Heroes will get metal-as-fuck with the arrival of a brand new Legendary Hero. Hel: Death Sovereign will be added to the mix of heroes and villains, bringing with her a particularly morbid, end-of-days skill set.

Hel is the main antagonist of Fire Emblem Heroes Book III and her dark powers will now be in your hands. Ruler of The Land of The Dead, Hel is a terrifying apparition, equipped with a legion of departed souls, '80s metal corpse paint, and an unnervingly gleeful disposition. Her power now available in the hands of the players should make for an interesting departure from FeH's typical sword-and-sorcery combat.

Toshihiro Nagoshi, Sega’s executive director of the Yakuza games, has many good things to say about Ghost of Tsushima.

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[Update: Nintendo of America has confirmed that the promo will run in the west. The exact US times are July 29 through August 4 at 11:59PM PT.]

[Update #2: The promotion is live today! You can download Pokken Tournament DX here and play it until the above time.]

Once again, Japan gets to reap an extra benefit of regional Switch Online: free game sessions.

Not to be confused with "free-to-play," where a game is fully free and monetized as such, Pokken Tournament DX will be free to try out for Switch Online subscribers from July 27 through August 2. Translation? It's like Steam's "free weekend" promos.

Basically from those dates on, you'll be able to download the entire game and play it for free, so long as you meet those aforementioned regional and subscription requirements. It's a very cool perk of Switch Online that the west doesn't really get to partake in often: hint hint, Nintendo, start making Switch Online a little more enticing, please.

While local LAN parties aren't necessarily all the rage right now, this is a great opportunity to hang out with the family and let loose with a very chill and fun fighter. I even have the wonky controller for it ready to go sometimes!

It seems there’s just no stopping the Humble Bundle train at the moment, as yep, you guessed it, they’ve only gone and made another gosh darned game bundle. This time, it’s pillaged the back catalogue of publisher Raw Fury, the folks behind tiny Viking ’em up Bad North, monochrome taxi murder mystery Night Call and the side-scrolling strategy series Kingdom, all of which and more have been packaged up in the Raw Fury Humble Bundle for your gaming pleasure. Here’s how it works.

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I once worked in an archive that included a heap of medieval herbals. In some form or another, they were a huge part of our culture and inherited knowledge for thousands of years, and while Skyrim does have a few compendium and guide books, there’s nothing in them that really fits that bill.

But one talented player has recently taken to drawing and painting their own compendium of grumpy Nordland’s flora. Even in its earliest days, it’s got me excited and tempted to dive back into the alchemy game all over again.

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As a Chinese kid growing up in Singapore, visiting Haw Par Villa - a cultural theme park and national treasure - is a rite of passage, both anticipated and feared, because of its infamously graphic dioramas depicting Diyu, or the Chinese underworld. Built in 1937 by the founder of Tiger Balm, Aw Boon Haw, the park celebrates Chinese mythology in all its gory glory. Its crown attraction - The Ten Courts of Hell - lay out a dramatic timeline of judgment, penance, and redemption through its aging statuary.

Diyu is bloody. It's weird. It's got clear performance metrics, and a coveted outcome: positive reincarnation. If you mess up, you'll probably end up as a cockroach. In short, it lends itself perfectly to a video game.

Like most cultural representations of hell, Diyu is not a fun place. Depending on just how good or bad you've been in your lifetime, you undergo various "treatments" (spoiler: mostly torture) and perform different tasks before reincarnation even happens. Level design would be fun, too - the whole thing is an enormous maze made up of different circles or courts that escalate by crime and punishment.

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