Here's a new monthly rundown of digestible takeaways regarding the state of game discoverability on Steam's crowded marketplace. ...
Maybe it's something to do with being wary about the optics of a man in his late thirties sitting on his own amidst a screenful of screaming six-year-olds, but this past weekend I couldn't quite bring myself to see my beautiful blue boy's debut on the big screen and instead watched another video game adaptation that's just hit Netflix. And I think I chose wisely, because it's an absolute treat.
Not much noise has been made about Dragon Quest: Your Story. Maybe it's something to do with how not much noise is made over here about Dragon Quest, a series whose spectacular success in Japan has never been replicated in the west, even if fans have been better served in recent years thanks to the sterling localisations of Echoes of an Elusive Age. Still, the addition of Your Story to Netflix in the west after its cinematic release in Japan last August barely registered.
Which is a shame, as while it's far from a great film it's faithful to so many of the things that makes Dragon Quest so beloved. It's not entirely faithful - this is a strictly CG affair, and as such it deviates from the iconic art of Akira Toriyama, even if the spirit of them - that wide-eyed wonder and those heart-lifting splashes of yellow and blue - remains intact. Despite that deviation this is a frequently beautiful film, though - this is from the same school of CG that brought us last year's equally lavish Lupin III: The First, and indeed in Takashi Yamazaki it even boasts the same director.
Winter might be wrapping up, but it’s never too late for an out-of-season blizzard. SnowRunner, arctic follow-up to ponderous mud-crawler Spintires: Mudrunner is bringing the chill back to PC on April 28th. With bigger landscapes, wetter roads and colder bottoms, SnowRunner dares you to turn off the in-car air conditioning and wrap up warm for some slow and steady ice road truckin’.
Square Enix remasters Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue are now both available to purchase on Xbox One via the Microsoft store, thus completing the original run of franchise titles on the Xbox platform.
Both ports were initially announced for "2020," with no specific release date. Things looked a little more hopeful for Xbox fans after a store listing briefly appeared for Final Chapter Prologue, but now it seems both games are good to go, finally letting Xbox fans take a deep dive into the leviathan of Kingdom Hearts lore. It should be noted that this journey comes at a hefty cost, however, as picking up both titles will run you around $110.
The full contents of these two releases are as follows:
We’re just a couple of days away from Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 starting, and Epic Games has kickstarted its hype-building efforts with Twitter teases and even a real-life alternate reality game (ARG).
The teases first started dropping yesterday on Twitter around 10:00 AM ET. Simply showing off the golden hand with the words ‘Transmission Intercepted,’ it was pretty vague.
A couple of hours later, another tease dropped. This time, we got a few floating bits of gold, what look like contour lines, and some more detail in the background.
Bandai Namco Entertainment released a new trailer of the upcoming battle action game My Hero One’s Justice 2 alongside plenty of screenshots.
We get to see plenty among the playable characters who will appear in the game, including Gang Orca, Seiji Shishikura, Kemy Utsushimi, Kendo Rappa, and many more.
The trailer also showcases the Story Mode from both the hero and the villain side.
You can check them all out in the trailer below.
And now, the massive gallery of screenshots showing plenty of heroes and villains who will appear in My Hero One’s Justice 2.
UPDATE 19/02/20: It's disappointing news for console players, as while cross-save between Switch and PC is now official, CD Projekt Red has said the feature will not be brought to PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. In the near future, at least.
The reason for this is because the option was "designed for the Switch version specifically, together with Saber Interactive - the team which was closely cooperating with us on the Switch port," CD Projekt told USgamer. "There are no plans regarding similar functionality in the other versions of The Witcher 3."
Aard luck.
Digital games retailers Fanatical has just kicked off its new Bundle Blast promotion where you can, as you might've guessed, get loads of different game bundles for cheap.
New bundles will launch at regular intervals every day this week, with over a dozen already available featuring the likes of Tomb Raider, Sherlock Holmes, Shadow of Mordor and a whole host of visual novels.
Prices for bundles start as low as just £1, so there are definitely some bargains to be found. And while not all of the games included are quite as high profile as those listed above, you'll find a few cult favourite indies that are well worth trying such as The Hex, Devil Daggers and The Last Door.
UPDATE 2pm: Nintendo of America has confirmed the coral Nintendo Switch Lite for release across the pond on 4th March. We're still waiting to hear on a European release.
ORIGINAL STORY 10am: Nintendo has shown off a new colour for the Nintendo Switch Lite, to be released in Japan on 20th March.
It's a coral shade of pink and it looks like this:
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 introduces a new Treasure Log mode that offers plenty of extra gameplay for both solo and online multiplayer.
The post One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 Offers More Solo and Online Multiplayer Gameplay With Treasure Log Mode appeared first on Siliconera.
Dragon Ball FighterZ's latest info for Kefla's moves, a couple of new battle system features, and a new training mode featuring popular characters.
The post Dragon Ball FighterZ Details Kefla, New Battle System Features, and New Training Mode appeared first on Siliconera.
Konami announced in the latest issue of Famitsu magazine that Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution will release its PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions in Spring 2020.
The post Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution Coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC in Spring 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.
A new coral pink model is joining the Nintendo Switch Lite family in Japan.
The post Nintendo Adds Pink Coral Switch Lite to the Nintendo Switch Family appeared first on Siliconera.
Last night brought more clues to Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 - and fans now reckon they've worked out several of its new locations.
A teaser posted to Twitter last night appeared to show the inside of a mysterious base, which can be glimpsed in the golden shards of the image below.
The top right of the teaser also includes a blueprint-style look at the existing ***Redacted*** map location, a Cheyenne Mountain Range-style military door which has so far remained tightly shut.
Fancy a trip to the park? Massively multiplayer catch ’em up TemTem certainly hopes so, dropping update 0.5.12 this week. The headline attraction is the Saipark, a natural reserve located near the Prasine coast in Deniz. Opening its doors to experienced trainers, the Saipark offers a rotating collection of extra-special pocket monsters each week, for a modest price
Just last week, Fire Emblem: Three Houses got its biggest update yet. The new patch introduced a few quality of life changes for the base game, and also came packed with the brand new Cindered Shadows DLC for Expansion Pass holders. You might already know this, but it’s a good ass DLC.
Introducing a new, secret fourth House called the Ashen Wolves, Cindered Shadows gives players access to four new characters and classes, and they all mostly add new freshness and depth to what was already a very dense RPG.
The new story scenario itself is also a hefty affair, taking me about eight hours to complete on Normal Classic difficulty. The side story is completely separate from the main campaign, giving players a set party of characters including all three House leaders, and a student rep from each House as well. In addition to that, you get the Ashen Wolves themselves, and they sure are a special bunch.
Cindered Shadows kicks off with the most cliched of openings: Byleth and the three leaders spot a shady figure disappearing through a hole in the wall that leads to the basement of the church, and they decide to pursue. Once inside, they meet the four Ashen Wolves who automatically assume that you’re there to kill them, and so you fight.
Somehow, through the heat of battle, they learn that your intentions are actually pure, so you stop fighting and become friends. This is when Byleth learns of the Abyss, an underground society dedicated to those shunned by the surface and that need help. The story then sends you on a journey to find a long lost Chalice that can resurrect the dead, and uncover the mysteries surrounding this artifact.
It’s a very basic setup, and the plot itself is a bit predictable. But as we all know, it’s the characters and the way they interact with each other that make up the backbone of a Fire Emblem game.
NIS America has announced that it will be publishing Game Freak’s RPG, Little Town Hero, for the PS4 with some added features.
The Big Idea Edition on PS4 will include an art book, poster, lapel pin set, and official soundtrack CD with music composed by Toby Fox.
There will also be an easy mode added to the game that lowers the attack and defense of enemy Dazzits and special effects from enemies will show up less often. A big complaint of the original game on Switch was that the boss battles were extremely long and difficult so this update should remedy those issues.
Our reviews editor, Zhiqing Wan, wasn’t a huge fan of Game Freak’s new RPG, scoring the game a 2.5/5 which is a “poor” on Twinfinite’s rating scale. Here’s what she had to say about it:
Little Town Hero’s soundtrack is easily its saving grace, because it’s stellar, which is to be expected from the composer of Undertale and Deltarune, Toby Fox. Even then, it’s certainly not the strongest collection of music we’ve seen from him, with more than a handful of tracks that are often just mind-numbingly grating and repetitive.
Epic Games is continuing to roll out the teasers for the upcoming Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2, and this time it’s hinting at the return of the previously-vaulted Dynamite.
The teaser comes to us via the same way that the other ones have. It was posted on the official Fortnite Twitter account not long after the previous ones, that you can check out here.
As you can see from the image above, it doesn’t really tell us a whole lot else other than that Dynamite is making its return. The words surrounding it are all translations of the word ‘danger.’ These various translations may be a nod to the ARG that Fortnite has currently got going on, too.
Players have noticed phone numbers in random advertising popping up around the world. Phoning these numbers from a local landline results in a voice clip being played, often talking about ‘Agents.’
The second episode of the limited animated Pokemon series, Twilight Wings, is now live and ready to be watched on the official Pokemon YouTube channel.
Pokemon: Twilight Wings is a short seven-episode series that is set in the vibrant Galar region, the same setting from Pokemon Sword and Shield with each episode focusing on a different character and plot.
This newest episode centers on the fighting-type Gym Leader, Bea, as she sets off to train with her Pokemon after losing a Pokemon battle to Galar’s Champion, Leon.
You can watch the newest episode of Twilight Wings down below or you can go to YouTube:
Also, if you missed out on the initial premiere of the new animated series, you can watch the first episode right here.
For more on the Galar region and Pokemon in general, check out these new Pokemon-themed skateboards that are now on sale or these awesome Pokmon Funko figures.
In February 2020, Kingdom Hearts III, Ninja Gaiden II, and Yakuza 0 are heading to Xbox Game Pass.
The post Yakuza 0, Ninja Gaiden II, and Kingdom Hearts III Xbox Game Pass Debuts Announced appeared first on Siliconera.
Nintendo is going to release the Coral Pink Switch Lite model in other regions. It'll head to North America in April 2020.
The post Coral Pink Switch Lite Heads to North America in April 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT's next major update will be the last one. Also, Square Enix "currently has no plans for Dissidia Final Fantasy 2."
The post Dissidia Final Fantasy NT’s Next Big Update to Be its Last; Currently No Plans for Dissidia Final Fantasy 2 appeared first on Siliconera.
Today Nintendo is ramping up Switch Lite production with yet another color scheme: Coral.
This is the fourth color for the Switch Lite, following the inaugural turquoise, yellow and gray designs. Nintendo re-confirms that the Switch Lite is still $199.99, and that this new design doesn't necessarily confirm any sort of special edition Lite. The coral edition will be out on April 3.
As you might recall, I picked up a Switch Lite back in September and really liked it. How am I getting along with it now? Quite well, actually. I still use it as my side Switch, installing indies on it while I play big releases and high capacity games on the main unit.
I love the lighter feel of it and for that reason and more, it's become my go-to for purely portable situations. It's a tough sell as a lone Switch though, as you'll probably want to experience some games (like Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild) on a TV at some point.
Nintendo of America [Twitter]
[Update: The update is now live worldwide. Check out the full patch notes below!]
The Witcher 3's Switch port is basically a miracle.
Sure there are some rough parts (most notably crashes in big hub areas and long load times), but the fact that the powers that be were able to fit it onto one cart without forcing a gigantic download is fantastic. Shoutout to the Switch for still allowing folks to play physical media without installing the entire game.
For some time now though there's been a patch in the works to make The Witcher 3 on Switch even better, and it's been rolling out in some regions in Europe and in Asia this morning. Patch 3.6 adds in display options, improves visuals, adds touch controls (including for Gwent) and extends the ability to share cloud saves across GOG and Steam.
Yep! That last bit is pretty crucial, and it joins some good "PC-to-Switch-save-transfer" company.
Update for The Witcher III on Nintendo Switch [Reddit]
Nintendo could face a global Switch shortage as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new report from Bloomberg. ...
Entries from both the Dishonored and Wolfenstein series are the latest games to arrive on GOG - and to celebrate they're all available for up to 70 per cent off.
Although GOG already has a decent number of Bethesda titles in its library, this is the first time you've been able to get games from fantastical stealth-em-up Dishonored and the Nazi-punching Wolfenstein series DRM-free. Recent sequel The New Colossus and co-op spin-off Youngblood are not yet included, however.
Still, to see what is there, you can view the full Bethesda publisher sale or check out some of the choice highlights below:
Xbox Game Pass continues to impress with yet another great line-up of additions due on Microsoft's subscription service soon. Most notable, perhaps, is Kingdom Hearts 3 on 25th February - which follows today's release of lots of Kingdom Hearts games on Xbox One via a couple of big compilations.
The acclaimed Yakuza 0 (26th February) and Ninja Gaiden 2 (20th February) are also on the way, along with Wasteland Remastered and enjoyable Theme Hospital spiritual successor Two Point Hospital (both on 25th February).
Rounding out the new console additions will be Jackbox Party Pack 3 (27th February), which includes mini-games such as the brilliant Quiplash 2 and T-shirt creation competition Tee K.O (which I have actually bought a T-shirt from).
If it's too good to be true, it probably is - and that's certainly the case with the Cyberpunk-themed graphics card teased earlier this week, which will not be sold to consumers. Better hope your luck's in.
Named the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 Edition, the card is a collaboration between Nvidia and CD Projekt Red, and has been designed with the upcoming game's art style in mind. It's bright yellow, for a start, and has some flashy neon blue bits on the side. Should go nicely with some RGB lighting.
Although it comes with a custom aluminium shroud and styling, this is basically the standard Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti with a repaint. Which, to be fair, is a very good card that will run Cyberpunk 2077 nicely when the time comes.
Stick the fedora back in the closet, gang. Empire of Sin, Romero Games’ prohibition-era mob operation won’t kick off its roaring spree for a few months yet. No, John and Brenda Romero haven’t been taken outta the picture by a rival studio. The long arm of the law hasn’t finally shuttered their backroom dealings. The devs just reckon they’ll need a little more time to put their perfectly respectable business together, delaying Empire of Sin until Autumn 2020.
Every time that Xbox Game Pass has a month like February 2020 I always wonder how this console generation would have been so different if the Xbox One had this from the start, or at least early on.
February 2020’s full list of Xbox Game Pass games, especially for console, is just bonkers; doubly if you’re a fan of great Japanese games.
Xbox Game Pass for console will receive the following games:
Xbox Game Pass for PC is similar but has a few changes considering Kingdom Hearts III isn’t available on PC at all. No dates are listed for these, just “Coming Soon.”:
Finally, we learned what games will be leaving Xbox Game Pass sometime this month. For PC it’s just the 3D platformer Snake Pass. As for console:
Most games bought via Xbox Game Pass are discounted by 20%, so if you’re currently playing any of these games and want to keep playing them, you can at least get a decent amount off for it.
If there’s one thing that’s been really noticeable as part of Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 1, it’s been the stripped-back arsenal of weapons we’ve had in comparison to past seasons.
Where in previous seasons there were about three or four different types of Assault Rifle, numerous shotguns, SMGs, launchers, and weird and wonderful weapons for players to use, Chapter 2 simplified everything. There’s no longer half as many weapons, but it has somewhat simplified the pros and cons of each weapon in different combat scenarios. Though we’re still not over the loss of the beloved Hunting Rifle. F… F.
Chapter 2 Season 1’s not been completely devoid of new additions to the roster of weapons. The Harpoon Gun made its debut, offering a faster way to fish, as well as deal damage to your opponents. Sidegrading also introduced the Heavy Assault Rifle, albeit in a limited fashion (you can only get it from sidegrading).
Image: Nintendo
Image: The Pokémon Company
Image: Square Enix/Disney