If you’re anything like us, then opening up your Instagram app to find daily updates on your favorite Animal Crossing residents sounds like the good life. The world’s good-est girl, Isabelle, took to the Animal Crossing Twitter account earlier today to announce the arrival of a new, official Instagram dedicated to island residents and their daily lives.

Highlights of island residents and an inside look at what they’re up to on the daily? Count us in! With the community closely following the official Twitter for good humor and news, this Instagram account is sure to be a big hit.

If you missed the giant Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality on Itch last month, you’ve got yet another shot at good games for a good cause. The Visual Novel Romance Collection for Black Trans Lives is precisely what it says on the tin: fourteen romantic games (several of which the RPS crew have quite liked) in support of The Okra Project.

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In this GDC 2018 session Christy Dena details what players find appealing about narrative game franchises, and explores the value of building your game world outside of your game. ...

The Octopath Traveler 2nd anniversary art has been shared. This time, the image focuses on H'aanit, Therion, and characters who appear in their routes.

The post Octopath Traveler 2nd Anniversary Art Focuses on H’aanit and Therion appeared first on Siliconera.

In today's contest you can win a physical copy of The Wonderful 101: Remastered for Switch or PS4!

Depending on your perspective, games once exclusive to the ill-fated Wii U are now being remastered and re-released for modern consoles. As someone who didn't have Nintendo's baffling-but-cool system, it's a good thing that I get to play stuff I would have never caught in the first place!

The Wonderful 101 is one of those games that deserved a wider audience, and now that it's remastered for Switch and PS4, it'll get it! We've got physical copies of each to give away, so win away, kids.

Death Stranding, a very, very good PlayStation 4 game from Hideo Kojima and his game-making friends, launches on PC tomorrow. I cannot say the game runs well on every gaming PC, for there are too many gaming PCs and my home is small. I have tested it on two of the gaming PCs I have immediate access to, however, and…

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Star Wars has announced in new blog post today that Disney+ has ordered Star Wars: The Bad Batch, the next animated series from Lucasfilm for their ever-expanding universe.

The announcement comes after the dramatic ending to the critically acclaimed series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the new show reach the streaming service sometime in 2021.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch follows members of the titular elite squad of experimental clones also known as Clone Force 99, who made their debut in the last season of Clone Wars, as they navigate their way through the rapidly changing galaxy, as well as the universe, in the post-Clone War era.

Armed with unique skills that make them an exceptional crew, they’ll take on dangerous mercenary missions while struggling to stay afloat and finding a new purpose in the universe.

Anges Chu, senior vice president of content at Disney+, expressed joy for the legacy of The Clone Wars to be carried on by The Bad Batch following critical response of the final season by fans around the world.

“Giving new and existing fans the final chapter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been our honor at Disney+, and we are overjoyed by the global response to the landmark series. While The Clones Wars may have come to its conclusion, our partnership with the groundbreaking storytellers and artists at Lucafilm Animation is only beginning. We are thrilled to bring Dave Filoni’s vision to life through the next adventures of the Bad Batch.”

Everything from harsh reality to pure escapism

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Valve have been down in the Steam Labs workshop for a year now brewing up ways for folks to more efficiently spend money in their store. Some experiments have been bust, others have gotten the stamp of approval and been shipped off as fully-fledged features. The Community Recommendations whereby you can see user reviews by all sorts of folks you don’t know, is graduating today. Valve are far from done though, with more experiments planned for the next year of Labs.

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Curious about the newer Pokemon anime episodes? Pokemon Journeys episode 1 is now free on YouTube.

The post Sample Pokemon Journeys Episode 1 Without Netflix appeared first on Siliconera.

Titanfall 2 is a masterpiece, a sublime blend of speed, fury, and mech buddy feel-good vibes. Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this, because when the stompy shooter first came out, it flew uncharacteristically under the radar for something involving giant robots. Now it’s getting a second chance on Steam.

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In the recently released closing season of The Clone Wars, viewers were introduced to The Bad Batch, a group of clones whose traits and quirks made them quite different – and sometimes more effective – than the average clone trooper. The story will pick up in the aftermath of the Clone Wars, with the squad taking on mercenary work.

The project is being executive produced by several veterans of the franchise, including Dave Filoni, which should come as welcome news for fans, who know the central role he took on with both The Mandalorian and The Clone Wars.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch is scheduled to hit Disney+ in 2021.

And that’s the gospel truth

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Ready for the weekend? PlayStation exclusive Ghost of Tsushima lands this Friday on July 17th. Jin Sakai is ready to go full samurai - and full ninja - on the encroaching forces of the enemy.

While there have been a multitude of trailers, gameplay snippets, and other previews leading up to release, reviews are expected to start hitting tomorrow. As for right now? There's a new launch trailer highlighting some of the sights, sounds, and battles that are to come. You can check it out below!

My Hero One's Justice 2's villains are about to look even badder. Outlaw Suit Costume DLC is on the way.

The post My Hero One’s Justice 2 Outlaw Suit Costumes Are on the Way appeared first on Siliconera.

A mint-condition sealed copy of the original Super Mario Bros. sold at auction for $114,000 on July 10, setting a new record for the sale of a single collectible video game. The previous record, a private sale for $100,150 in February 2019, was another sealed copy of Super Mario Bros.

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A little upset that it is referred to as a launch trailer, it kind of ruins the great pun that could have made that title really pop. Oh well. The main thing to know is that Rocket Arena, developed by Final Strike Games, will be launching (see? not as good now that that word is taken) tomorrow, July 14.

For those who maybe missed the news, Rocket Arena was announced in June’s EA Play livestream.

According to the steam listing:

Rockets rule everything in Rocket Arena, an explosive 3v3 shooter where you’re never out of the action. Master your hero’s unique rockets and abilities to rule the arena and become a champion! Adapt your strategy with an ever-growing roster of diverse heroes with distinctive powers. Unearth new strategies and tactics based on your squad, explore a wide variety of dynamic maps, and discover the true depth of rocket gameplay.

As for the trailer, it’s an adorable cinematic that shows a world where everything is rocket powered (probably not legitimate lore) alongside a splash of gameplay.

The game (despite looks) isn’t a battle royale, and is instead a 3v3 arena shooter.

For an idea of game modes:

There’s more than one way to play. Dive into Knockout for classic 3v3 competitive action, or warm up first against RocketBots and test out your favorite combos. Compete to score goals in Rocketball, control zones in Mega Rocket, and go for the gold in Treasure Hunt. When you’re ready to go rocket-to-rocket with the best, dive into Ranked Play and show ‘em what you’re made of.

You can see it for yourself here and below:

The newest My Nintendo Japan reward will be a Super Smash Bros stationary set. Invite friends to "settle it in Smash!"

The post My Nintendo Japan Adds Super Smash Bros Invitations as Rewards appeared first on Siliconera.

So, the Watch Dogs 2 giveaway didn't go to plan yesterday. Ubisoft's login system was overwhelmed by traffic during the Ubisoft Forward stream, so no one could claim their free copy of Watch Dogs 2. You know that can't be the end of the story.

As a makegood, Ubisoft is extending the promotion until July 15 at 11:59 Pacific. That's right -- you have more than two full days to nab Watch Dogs 2 for free through Uplay on PC. That's a lot more generous than the initial window of "Sign in during the Ubisoft Forward stream" which was only 45 minutes long.

The registration process is simple. Visit this page, click that registration link, and sign in. If you're having trouble remembering your login, there's a chance that your Uplay account is tied to your PlayStation Network ID or Xbox Live.

Anyway, Watch Dogs 2 got a lot of love back in 2016 as a sequel that vastly improved upon the original in a lot of ways. If you're in the mood for an open-world Ubisoft game right now -- and that's 100 percent the sort of thing that sounds either very desirable or very not-desirable depending on your tastes -- this might be the deal for you. If you're particularly enamored, maybe it'll get you all geared up to take back London this fall.

Ubisoft Forward Rewards [Ubisoft Support]

Breonna Taylor. Shelly Frey. Michelle Cusseaux. Tanisha Anderson. Korryn Gaines.

The action game is still shrouded in mystery

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Save on gaming PCs and components

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Creator Dave Filoni returns to continue the story of his first Star Wars series

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Coreupt creator Jesse Wright shared more gameplay and character artwork of the upcoming fighting game.

First of all, we get to see gameplay of one of the game’s fighters, Beretta. 

Secondly, more images showcase a first look at another character, Revolver. Yes, if you’re wondering the naming definitely seem to follow a pattern. 

You can check them all out in Wright’s tweets below.

Some wear and tear for your roads

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The leaked Lego NES set is real. The Lego Twitter account is even teasing the official announcement.

The post Lego NES Teased, Lets You Build a System and TV appeared first on Siliconera.

August 18 feels like a sooner-than-expected release date for Microsoft Flight Simulator given all the recent tests, but Asobo Studio is confident enough to lock it in and open pre-orders for the PC version.

Plenty of folks will stick to Xbox Game Pass – the standard edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator will be playable with the PC subscription service at no extra charge – but hardcore fans have more to consider.

Apart from the $60 base version, Asobo is also selling a $90 Deluxe Edition and $120 Premium Deluxe Edition. You better believe there's a big "here's what you get" image to go along with that sticker shock. In short, the more you spend, the more "handcrafted" airports and planes you'll get to experience.

• Standard: "20 highly detailed planes with unique flight models and 30 handcrafted airports."
• Deluxe: "five additional highly accurate planes with unique flight models and five additional handcrafted international airports."
• Premium Deluxe: 10 additional highly accurate planes with unique flight models and 10 additional handcrafted international airports."

To break things down, Microsoft Flight Simulator has "more than 37,000 airports" thanks to Bing Maps data, but some of them – the airports touted in these three editions – have an extra personal touch.

UPDATE: Microsoft has clarified how the airports in the various editions of Microsoft Flight Simulator will work, after a request from Eurogamer.

Standard edition players will be able to fly from all the airports in the game, but there are "hand crafted" elements that will improve the experience from those airports included in the different editions. So, the premium edition Heathrow, for example, will be better than the Heathrow in the standard and deluxe editions. But that does mean standard edition users will indeed be able to fly from Heathrow, as well as all UK airports.

Here's the statement from a Microsoft spokesperson:

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Earlier in the RPS treehouse, I was explaining to Nate that the Yakuza games are wonderful and kindhearted, not just serious crime drama (though they are also serious crime drama). Then as if my love of gaming’s best dads is able to shape reality, mere hours later Sega have announced that Yakuza Kiwami 2 will come to Windows 10 and Xbox Game Pass on July 30th. So more people will soon be able to spend more time with my two wrestledads. I’m so happy for you.

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Ubisoft also added a new gun to celebrate the beta launch

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At GDC Summer next month you'll learn how Blackbird's processes brought such a unique game starship salvaging game to market, and how you can apply the team's learnings to your own work! ...

It’s taken time to build up a decent collection of Half-Life: Alyx mods, but not as long as I thought it would. People were building them before Valve released the proper SDK, and now it’s out there are hundreds of levels, weapons and experiments. I had a great time sneaking through forgotten areas of City 17, or taking time out from Combine harvesting to toss a few bowling balls (and bullets) down a ten pin alley.

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Ms. Marvel Reassembles the Avengers

KOF Chronicle is shutting down in Japan on October 15, 2020—just two days before its first anniversary.

The post KOF Chronicle is Shutting Down on October 15, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

After being rudderless for three years, this ship's changing course. Ubisoft, unhappy with the way Skull & Bones has been unable to forge its own unique identity, has significantly altered the naval warfare game.

According to a report from Video Games Chronicle, development on Skull & Bones has been rebooted so that Ubisoft Singapore can step back and try a new approach. Rather than pursue the $60 triple-A model, Ubisoft has instructed the developer to go after the "games as a service" angle.

This live service approach was inspired by Fortnite's social events and live storytelling. Ubisoft now wants to create a game with a persistent world where the narrative moves over time. It sounds as though the idea is to turn Skull & Bones into an MMO of sorts. VGC specifically mentions "game world, quests, characters, and story" as components of this revised Skull & Bones.

It's not surprising that Skull & Bones was unable to carve its own position among Ubisoft's games considering its one-line description is "Just the sailing stuff from the pirate Assassin's Creed." This new take seems more akin to a gritty Sea of Thieves or something along those lines. We probably won't find out in short order. Ubisoft hasn't been shy about delaying Skull & Bones in the past, so it's clearly not going to rush the game out before it's ready. All those other years of development? Call it a sunk cost.

Ubisoft has rebooted Skull & Bones [Video Games Chronicle]

The least important people in Starfleet get their due

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Civilization VI will soon receive a new DLC centered on Ethiopia, and today Firaxis and 2K Games released a new video showing its features.

Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the room: if you’re eager to see Ethiopia in action, you’ll have to wait. This video doesn’t show the new civilization or its leader.

We get to see the rest of the content coming with the pack which includes Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Rider’s persona, Catherine de Medici’s Magnificent persona, the Secret Societies mode (you can worship Cthulhu if you’re into that), and the Diplomatic Quarter district.

You can check the video out below.

If you want to learn more, you can take a look at the announcement of the New Frontier Pass which also includes Gran Colombia and the Maya. 

This new civilization will launch on this month, with four more packages coming in September, November, January 2021, and March 2021.

With many of this year’s biggest games edging closer towards release, you may be thinking it’s finally time to upgrade your GPU with one of today’s best graphics cards. Before we dive into the best graphics card you can buy right now, though, I should warn you that not only are Nvidia prepping for the launching of their next-gen [cms-block] RTX 3000 graphics cards at the moment, but we’re also expecting the second generation of [cms-block] graphics cards to launch before the end of the year as well. Most of these big graphics card launches will be centred around Nvidia and AMD’s new flagship graphics cards, but if you’re after the best 4K graphics card money can buy right now then I’d strongly recommend waiting until these new ones come out.

Thankfully, it’s a much safer time to buy a new graphics card for 1080p or 1440p gaming, as we’re not likely to see next-gen versions of Nvidia and AMD’s lower-end graphics cards until a good few months after their big 4K offerings. As such, it’s still a good time to buy my current best graphics card recommendation, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT. Having tested all of today’s graphics cards, the RX 5600 XT is the one that, in my eyes, represents the best value for money, and you can find out more about why we’ve chosen the RX 5600 XT below. All prices are correct at time of writing, but you can also check our regularly updated [cms-block] hub for all the best prices.

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Yakuza Kiwami 2 is coming to more platforms this month. It's Xbox One and Windows 10 versions are on the way.

The post Yakuza Kiwami 2 Xbox One and Windows 10 Copies Arrive July 30, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.