This ain’t Shulk’s first rodeo. Xenoblade Chronicles first came out for the Wii, and was then ported to the 3DS not long after. Now, on Friday, Monolith Soft’s beloved side-quest compilation lands on Switch as Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. It’s a prettier, fine-tuned version of one of the great…
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
The mystery has been somewhat solved, but it’s still up to chance
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne can be a grind sometimes, especially when you are farming for certain monsters to acquire specific materials. So to make two particular Event Quests a better investment for players, Capcom has rolled out a small update on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One that offers more rewards.
For the Event Quests "Talk About a Party Foul…" and "The Wrath of Thunder Descends," Capcom has increased the drop rates of the materials that are awarded upon completion.
"Talk About a Party Foul…" pits you against a Seething Bazelgeuse in an inescapable arena. Should you win the fight, you will get even more Heavy Armor Spheres than before the update. These spheres can be used to improve your armor and on-field performance.
Continue Reading at GameSpotThe World Ends With You Anime Expo key art was originally going to be on the event's program cover.
The post The World Ends With You Characters Appear in Anime Expo Lite Key Art appeared first on Siliconera.
There's no sugarcoating this one: Fast & Furious: Crossroads looks flat-out awful. It feels like a million years ago that The Game Awards capped off with a reveal of a bad-looking Fast & Furious game. Maybe it was all a dream. Nope, that happened and now we have further proof that this is probably going to be a lemon.
Developer Slightly Mad Studios (who's a part of the Codemasters family now) released a new Crossroads gameplay trailer today. It's an extremely linear car shooter, apparently. It kind of looks like Split/Second, but Split/Second was good and has the benefit of being 10 years old at this point. Fast & Furious: Crossroads doesn't strike me as something that'll be good or fun, and it also has the burden of being evaluated by 2020's standards.
But don't take my word for it! Watch the trailer and see for yourself. It looks like a last-gen game with mobile mechanics. It feels like the best-case scenario is that Fast & Furious: Crossroads is so bad that it's fun to play -- like in the same way that The Room is fun to watch.
Slightly Mad and publisher Bandai Namco decided this one needs a bit more time in the shop. Although Crossroads was supposed to launch in May 2020, this trailer is accompanied by the announcement that the game is delayed until August 7. It's releasing on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Your web browser is full of secrets. I typically spend my time poring over new features I can unlock via pages like chrome://flags and about:config, but it’s also nice to take a little break and play the hidden games that come packed into the most popular browsers.
EVC founder Ben Walker discusses the design decisions behind Wintermoor Tactics Club. ...
Image: Infinity Ward/Activision via PlayStation/Twitch
The new season begins in June
There’s a lot to do in Animal Crossing: New Horizons that can keep players coming back day after day but one of the most important things to keep track of are the bugs and fish that come and go every month in the game.
With that being said, we’ve compiled a list of every fish and bug that’s leaving Animal Crossing: New Horizons at the end of May. You’re going to want to make sure that these are caught before June begins, or else you might have to wait quite some time before you have another chance.
Let’s begin with the Oarfish, shall we?
Did you miss out on the PS4 back button the first time around? The U.S. will get a restock at the beginning of June!
The post A PlayStation 4 Back Button Restock Is Coming in June appeared first on Siliconera.
Here's a big ol' whoopsie from Hangar 13. When the developer released "definitive editions" of both Mafia II and Mafia III last week, it inadvertently stripped out Mafia III enhancements for the high-end consoles. Or, it forgot they existed in the first place. It's all very confounding.
Digital Foundry discovered that Mafia III: Definitive Edition doesn't have support for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X enhancements (as reported by its sister site Eurogamer). The base game has had upscaled 4K support and other features on PS4 Pro since December 2016 and on Xbox One X since November 2017. Now, there's a 10GB Definitive Edition patch -- it's a free upgrade on all platforms for owners of the base game, and it includes all the DLC at no extra cost -- but it accidentally removes PS4 Pro and Xbox One X features.
As a result, playing Mafia III on Xbox One X has the game running at 900p instead of 1728p. That's a significant downgrade. Players have opened support tickets with 2K Games complaining of blurry and muddy visuals.
2K tells Eurogamer "The development team supporting Mafia III: Definitive Edition is aware of this issue and is working to restore support for Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro as soon as possible."
Mafia 3 Definitive Edition currently lacks PS4 Pro, Xbox One X enhancements [Eurogamer]
A few games every console generation stand out among all others as undeniably great. God of War is one of those titles that takes every individual piece of what makes a game great and fits it into a single package. The only problem is that PS Now needs this game as a permanent addition badly.
One of the most beloved classic fighting game series, Samurai Shodown, is only weeks away from getting its very own retro collection. Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection is $40 and launches on Steam on June 18 and for PS4 and Switch on July 28. However, it releases first on the Epic Games Store, and for a limited time, it'll be completely free. Starting June 11, Epic Games Store users can claim the collection for free. However, this offer is only valid until June 18 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET.
Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection's includes the first five Samurai Shodown games, Samurai Shodown V Special, and the never-before-released Samurai Shodown V Perfect. Samurai Shodown V Perfect contains the same gameplay as Special, while boasting a new story and ending. The collection will also feature a museum that's packed with bonuses like art, interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and pro match videos. The included music player also features a track list of over 200 songs.
The Epic Games Store gives away a free game every week, and Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection's timing makes it sound like it'll be that week's highlighted game. This week's free game is Civilization 6, and you have until tomorrow, May 28, to claim it.
Continue Reading at GameSpotThe latest Game Ready Driver for Nvidia graphics cards is out now, and it helps lay the foundation for the future of games aiming to utilize Microsoft's DirectX 12 Ultimate.
Support for DirectX 12 Ultimate was added in the latest Windows 10 May update by Microsoft, and Nvidia's latest driver now lets developers planning to work with the new API utilize their Nvidia GPUs.
DirectX 12 Ultimate aims to streamline many new next-gen rendering features across a broader spectrum of engines, including more performant ray-tracing, variable-rate shading, mesh shading, and more. Its benefits won't be seen in games just yet, but this update ensures Nvidia is as up-to-date with Microsoft's API updates as it was with the dawn of ray-tracing and DirectX 12 in 2018.
Continue Reading at GameSpotIn a video from Marvel’s Avengers developer Crystal Dynamics, the employees both reaffirm their commitment to the massive project and share a message of connection and solidarity. The game was originally due out on May 15 before a delay was announced in January.
The video, coming in at a little over a minute, shows off snippets of gameplay and cinematics, so anyone with a little time and an eagle eye can surely gleam some of the cool aspects of the mighty game.
The message the video spreads is a sweet one, with one member saying “we’re reminded every day how important it is to connect,” which is also the whole point of the Avengers themselves, so it’s nice to see a strong link between the developers themselves and the source material.
The video promotes a new hashtag, #Reassemble, which fits with the theme of the video and the reconnection that it supports.
The video ends with a promise of new trailers, a look at co-op gameplay, story missions, and a live stream dubbed The War Table on June 26.
The video sticks to the current release date of September 6 2020 and it doesn’t sound like there is a possible (second) delay in sight.
You can see the video itself here and below:
Over the past decade, the Xenoblade series has transformed from a little-known cult series into one of the biggest Japanese RPG series of the current day, known for their strategic real-time combat and sprawling worlds. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition has finally arrived to the delight of a much larger fanbase than it had back on its original Wii release in 2010, and the reviews are unabashedly positive.
In our Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition review, critic Jacob Dekker gave the game a 9/10, calling it one of the most memorable JRPGs of its era. "Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is just as vast and fantastical as it was in 2010," he wrote. "...Definitive Edition proves that Xenoblade Chronicles is still a fantastic JRPG with an immense amount of strategic depth that's still impressive in 2020. Its bevy of improvements and additions, as well as its fantastic epilogue, make this an adventure worth embarking on a decade later."
We've rounded up some more reviews below, with most of them finding few flaws with the game. In general, critics praise the improvements to the game's more dated-aspects, particularly in regards to the UI and quality-of-life improvements like map markers. However, some chide the game for a high level of perceived "grindiness," as well as faulting its sidequests for lacking much in the way of depth.
Continue Reading at GameSpotThe Avengers will assemble... in June 2020. That's when Square Enix will offer us another look at Marvel's Avengers gameplay.
The post New Marvel’s Avengers Gameplay Will Be Shown on June 24, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.
Unlike some of its other recent freebies, Ubisoft isn't outright giving Far Cry 5 away (it's too big of a cash cow), but the full game is free to play for the weekend on PC. You can pre-load it now from Uplay and become one with nature from May 29 at 6:00 a.m. Pacific until May 31 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific.
That's probably not enough time to finish the story – it's about 20 hours, give or take – but I'm not the boss of you. Maybe you don't have anything else going on this weekend and you can go all-in on FC5.
Aside from annoyances with regularly scheduled forced boss encounters, which was about as universal a criticism as they come, I adored Far Cry 5. It might even be my favorite game in the series.
The Montana wilderness ended up being a surprisingly compelling setting (always a plus in a sprawling open-world Ubisoft game that's begging for 100 percent completion), and the soundtrack – especially the chill loading screen music – was heavenly bliss. I've since come around on the bold ending, too. Despite in-game nods and winks, it gave me whiplash initially, but it's since settled into place.
I don't know the last time I've considered replaying a modern Ubisoft game. The first playthrough is generally more than enough for one lifetime. But if I was going to start fresh – if I was going to undo my pain-staking map progress and enjoy the journey for what it is – I'd probably play Far Cry 5 again.
The real question is, who's the best companion? I never leave home without Peaches the mountain lion.
June’s not quite here but we’re already being treated to a few digital showcases in the style of E3 presentations. Wholesome Direct rounded up a whole 55 indie games with varying styles of kindness and cuteness to show off in a 35-minute show. A few big names like town sim Ooblets and boat manager Spiritfarer showed up to join arms with some smaller but equally swell looking games you may not have heard of. You can rewatch the entire show below.
Square Enix had a big day with a stream that showcased some big news for Dragon Quest fans. The beloved and mega-popular Japanese series is getting an anime based on an early '90s manga spin-off: Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai. Not only did we get our first look at it, but Square Enix also took the opportunity to announce an action/RPG, mobile title, and arcade game to support it.
The anime is set to debut this October in Japan, and you can watch the trailer below:
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe other big announcement was several games, including a mobile game (iOS, Android) hitting some time next year and an arcade card game coming this fall. But perhaps the biggest reveal was an action/RPG for consoles called Infinity Strash – Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, where players freely control characters using flashy moves to takedown iconic monsters from the series. Square Enix is publishing and Game Studio is developing it. The exact consoles have yet to be announced. You can watch the trailer below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaIf you’ve ever wanted to check out Ubisoft’s acclaimed open-world action game Far Cry 5, now is your chance if you have a gaming PC. A free weekend over on Uplay kicks off from 9AM EST May 29 to 12 PM May 21.
All players will have full access to the base game’s content for the duration of the free weekend and be able to play in co-op with any Far Cry 5 owner.
You can actually begin pre-loading from today to maximize your weekend with the game, and if you decide to purchase the game following the trial your progress will carry over.
Making the purchase even more tempting are discounts of up to 75% on all Far Cry games’ PC Standard and Gold Editions until 2nd June on the Ubisoft Store.
Those interested in the trial should head over to to the trial’s official website.
Unlike the exotic locations of previous Far Cry games, Far Cry 5 is set in Montana, USA, where a fanatical Doomsday cult is quickly overrunning the Hope County. Twinfinite reviewed the game back in 2018 and was impressed with what it considered another solid entry in the franchise, scoring the game 4/5 and concluding:
“Far Cry 5 is exactly that – more Far Cry. If you’ve never been a fan of the series, this doesn’t do anything to change your mind. If you loved liberating outposts and blowing shit up in the Himalayas, you’ll enjoy doing it in Hope County, too.”
The post Far Cry 5 is Free For This Weekend Over on Uplay appeared first on Twinfinite.
It’s not TV. It’s not HBO—nor is it HBO Go, or HBO Now. It’s HBO Max, the subscription service that’s streaming the conglomerated content libraries of Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, Turner, and all the other brands AT&T recently scooped up and reshaped into WarnerMedia. It’s why Friends left Netflix, how future…
Sega released a trailer of its recently-released game Sakura Wars, which was originally titled Shin Sakura Taisen in Japan, and this time around it’s another music video.
The trailer features the English-subtitled version of the character song of Clarissa “Claris” Snowflake, simply titled “Rondo.” It’s performed by the heroine’s voice actress, Saori Hayami.
You may know her for her roles as Minerva Victor in Valkyria Chronicles 4, Caeda in the Fire Emblem series, Eva Roux in Code Vein, and more.
Of course, the song is as dreamy and gentle as Claris herself (as long as you don’t piss her off).
Sakura Wars is now available exclusively for PS4 and you can read our review.
Microsoft’s Project xCloud Preview has five new games for players to enjoy, and all of them are distinguished titles in their own right.
The headliner for us is Ori and the Will of the Wisps, a Microsoft exclusive game that only released earlier this year and one we were particularly impressed by. Twinfinite’s review scored the game 4.5/5, calling its story “incredibly emotional and heartfelt.”
Elsewhere, there’s something for everyone in a diverse lineup of games that spans action, beat em’ up, role-playing, family genres. The full list is as follows:
All five games are available from today.
Currently in an early access phase of testing, Microsoft’s Project xCloud is the company’s upcoming streaming service set to launch properly later this year. Its functionality allows players to stream games from Microsoft’s global network of Azure servers to their Android phone or tablet.
The service was made available on iOS earlier this year but only features a single game: Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
Microsoft has been adding batches of new games to the service since it launched toward the end of last year. Project xCloud now features over 50 games.
If you haven’t yet signed up for access to the Project xCloud Preview, you can register here.
One of the songs from the Xenoblade Chronicles Future Connected soundtrack has been shared ahead of launch.
The post Listen to Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected’s New Battle Theme appeared first on Siliconera.
Demos for seven upcoming PC games are playable today on GOG just in time for the store's 2020 Summer Sale, and they're absolutely worth a look. You might not be into all of them – and you probably aren't even familiar with a couple – but I'm willing to bet at least one of the demos will speak to you.
The list includes Desperados III, System Shock, Destroy All Humans, Cris Tales, Vagrus - The Riven Realms: Prologue, Spiritfarer, and Carrion. I'm making a beeline for the two remakes, and then I'll try to loop back for Cris Tales – it's aiming to blend classic (Chrono Trigger) and modern (Persona 5) JRPG sensibilities.
Some of the demos are on the shorter side, but then there's Desperadoes III. It's over 90 minutes!
So far, I've only played the System Shock alpha demo, and I like what Nightdive is doing.
Chihiro in Spirited Away. | Image: Studio Ghibli
Ghibli’s longtime composer is key to the studio’s work, but Spirited Away is particularly unforgettable
The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu included plenty of new screenshots about the upcoming JRPG The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki.
First of all, we get to see plenty more characters who will appear in the game, including KeA Bannings, Alex Dudley, Mireille, Zhao Lee, Erika Russell, and Renne Bright. They will all prove familiar to fans of the series who have played the previous games.
We also see a new feature, the New Reverie Corridor, an extradimensional space that can be accessed at will from the early stages of the game.
Interestingly, this feature will be updated after launch with the addition of new episodes.
You can enjoy the screenshots below.
Someone needs to tell Sony to calm down. Not content with running their massive Days of Play sale, they've also just launched a 'Double Discount' promotion for PS Plus members on the PSN Store.
Sadly, put alongside the Days of Play deals - which have seen PS Plus fall to £30, Days Gone tumble to £16 and various PS Hits games go for £12 - it's a bit quantity over quality here. Nevertheless, there are a handful of bargains worth bringing to your attention.
Persona 5 for just £9.99 is clearly the highlight. The gigantic JRPG is an absolute steal at that price and well worth a punt if you've been on the fence about picking it up for a while. Just know, this is the original version of the game. It's not the expanded Persona 5 Royal edition that was released earlier this year, so you'll be missing that extra content.
Image: Studio Ghibli
Its vague, shifting images help communicate what fear feels like
Image: Ninja via Mixer
Image: WarnerMedia
Image: Warner Bros. Pictures
Image: Night Dive Studios
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Image: Warner Bros.