August 2020

It's going to be a good month for Game Pass, especially if you don't own a PS4.

Why's that? Well, you probably haven't played the Final Fantasy VII Remake yet, so you might be up for some Final Fantasy VII action. That's coming to both Xbox One and PC via Game Pass this month on August 13 in Final Fantasy VII HD form. Not a bad little addition to have, especially since Game Pass is going hog wild with JRPGs like other Final Fantasy titles and Kingdom Hearts.

Game Pass is getting some newer stuff, too. On August 6 it'll add Darksiders Genesis, It Lurks Below, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan, Trailmakers, UnderMine and Xeno Crisis. Darksiders Genesis is the perfect co-op game to play right now while you're locked in with a family member: same with Man of Medan, which has a "movie night" kind of feel to it.

Overall it might not be a blowout month, but I'm a fan. You can find the full list of August Xbox Game Pass editions below.

Swab the decks, mizzen the masts, and... erm... keel... haul... something. Nintendo's Fire Emblem Heroes is preparing a brand new update, which will bring pirate-themed content to the mobile battle title.

The latest event, which launches on Friday, will add four Special Heroes to the expansive FeH roster. Joining the crew are Brigid (from Genealogy the Holy War), Tibarn (from Path of Radiance), Geese (from The Binding Blade), and finally the Fire Emblem Heroes antagonist herself, Veronica. Our new heroes are all sporting seafaring attire and are ready and willing to loot and plunder... uhh... me hearties.

It's hard to believe that Horizon Zero Dawn is over three years old at this point, but Sony has so many great new IPs this generation, it's hard to keep track of them all.

Bringing Horizon Zero Dawn back into the limelight makes a whole lot of sense given that we're getting a next-generation sequel, but it's the way that Sony is doing it that is so noteworthy. Horizon Zero Dawn is a first-party title released by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Yet, it's coming to PC via Steam.

We've seen this sort of ubiquitous platform-proliferation from the likes of Microsoft and Nintendo, but for Sony, it's much rarer: especially for a AAA release. I hope they do it more often.

The August 2020 Xbox Game Pass games have been revealed, and FFVII is joining the Xbox One and PC versions of the service.

The post FFVII Xbox Game Pass Debut Set for August 13, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

The 3DS Dragon Quest Monsters 2 remake is headed to smartphones in Japan with brand-new features.

The post Dragon Quest Monsters 2 is Headed to Smartphones in Japan With New Features on August 6, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

Take care when linking your accounts, as it is possible to mess the process up.

The post How to Link Your Phantasy Star Online 2 Account to Your Steam Account appeared first on Siliconera.

Pikii will deploy the physical release of Ikaruga for PS4 and Switch in Japan on September 24, 2020.

The post Ikaruga Physical Release for PS4 and Switch Will Deploy in Japan on September 24, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

The Japanese theatrical release for Pokemon the Movie: Coco has been scheduled for December 25, 2020.

The post Japanese Theatrical Release of Pokemon the Movie: Coco Scheduled for December appeared first on Siliconera.

The somewhat bizarre yet unique Mario Lego launched just a few days ago - and Oli has found them to be a fun and fascinating hybrid after mucking about with them for a bit. If his appraisal has intrigued you enough to pick it up, here's a chance to save 10% off a number of the Lego Super Mario sets.

It's all thanks to the summer sale over at Hamleys, where you can enter the code 'SUMMER10' in the promotional code section of the basket to get 10 per cent off your order.

If you're looking for a place to begin, then the Lego Super Mario Starter Course for £45 is where you'll want to go. It's usually priced at £50.

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I'm always a bit embarrassed when people start talking about their favourite bands because they passionately start wheeling out names like The Smiths and how they love that rare b-side they found in a charity shop while dressed in their favourite cardigan, and I'm like, yeah I liked that song by Puff Daddy when I was 14, and they look at me like I've just thrown up. I'm just not that musically cool. When people start talking indie, I shut up, which is why I thought a game celebrating the 80s British indie scene would be lost on me. But I was surprised.

Family

I do very much like logic puzzles, you see, the ones where you fill in the blanks using a mind-squeezing process of elimination alongside the few clues you have. And that's what you do here, in Family: you fill out the names of band members on a rock family tree using a variety of clues.

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Assassin's Creed scribe Derby McDevitt has responded to a claim the upcoming Assassin's Creed Valhalla was originally intended to feature a woman as its sole choice of main character for the first time.

The claim, posted on Twitter by Assassin's Creed fan Seiiki Dell'Aria, originates from discussions between the now-disgraced former Valhalla creative director Ashraf Ismail and an alleged victim of his (Ismail stepped down from the project in June after allegations concerning his private life and alleged contact with women who were fans).

"I was approached by one of Ash's victims who showed me bits of conversations and confirmed something that isn't quite out, but that won't surprise anyone," Dell'Aria wrote. "Just like for Syndicate, Origins and Odyssey, it was the devs wish that Valhalla featured a female protagonist. Exclusively.

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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance was released. 21 years ago, in fact. But to look at the work the people at X-Wing Alliance Upgrade are doing to the classic space dogfighting game you wouldn’t think it was from the ’90s. They’ve added dynamic cockpits, modern lighting, upgraded all the ship models, and have even ported it to VR. Below is a comparison between the original game and the updated version that’ll get your midi-chlorians flowing.

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Knowing the very best guns in Warzone like the back of your hand is a key skill in Modern Warfare’s uber-popular Battle Royale mode – and we’re here to help you hone that skill. Below you’ll find our tier list of all guns in Modern Warfare, along with detailed explanations and tips on the very best guns in Season 5 of Warzone.

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The best LMGs in Warzone offer a very special collection of traits that few other weapons can match. High DPS and large magazines allow you to drop entire teams quickly, while the excellent damage dropoff values and low recoil of certain LMGs give you an extremely potent answer to long-range encounters.

Our Best LMG in Warzone guide will not only walk you through the stats of each LMG, but also discuss the place of each LMG in the current Warzone meta heading into Season 5.

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If you’re looking to start strong with Season 5 of the ever-popular Call Of Duty: Warzone, you’ve come to the right place. Below are 70 top Call Of Duty: Warzone tips for consistently surviving and dishing out death all across Verdansk. We’ve got tonnes of good stuff here, so let’s get stuck in!

The Gulag has always been one of the most fascinating selling points of Call Of Duty: Warzone. Learn how the Gulag works, and how you can use it to respawn and head back into the fight with our Call Of Duty: Warzone Gulag guide. Stick to the end and we’ll also offer up some top-tier tips on winning fights in the Gulag.

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Cars are finally in Fortnite with the 13.40 update, called “Joy Ride.” They might have arrived a bit later than players expected, but now that they’re here, they’re a lot of fun.

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Yesterday, Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura claimed that gargling with diluted povidone-iodine solution prevents patients with mild covid-19 symptoms from getting seriously ill. Experts do not agree.

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Looking to create a new Warzone loadout for your favourite gun? You’ve come to the right place. Our Warzone loadout guide features top-tier loadout choices for many of the most popular weapons in Modern Warfare’s Battle Royale, from Assault Rifles to Sniper Rifles and more. We’ll go through all the attachments you’ll need for each loadout, and why these particular combinations make these weapons some of the very best weapons Warzone has yet seen.

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Horizon Zero Dawn

stomps onto PC in just two days time, and I’ve been playing an early build of Guerrilla Games’ post-apocalyptic cyber dino-hunting adventure to see how it runs now that it’s left the confines of its console box origins. The results, I’m pleased to say, are excellent. Not only is this the best-looking version of Horizon Zero Dawn, what with its extra graphics settings and ultrawide monitor support, but it’s also the smoothest thanks to its uncapped frame rates.

I’ll be taking a closer look at what kind of speeds you can expect from a variety of today’s top graphics cards on Friday when the game comes out, but right now I thought I’d put Horizon Zero Dawn’s recommended GTX 1060 spec through its paces to see what it’s made of. Can it hold a candle to its engine-sharing stablemate Death Stranding? Let’s find out.

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Folks, the time has almost come. Yes, Horizon Zero Dawn‘s PC release is mere days away. Soon, Guerrilla Games’ former Sony exclusive will be unleashed on a new segment of the game playing public like a big robot dinosaur set free in a water park.

We here at RPS are looking at HZD from several angles, so while Nate is down in the wordmines right this second, and hardware editor Katharine puts together more excellent hardware and performance focused analysis, myself and Matthew are here to bring you a delicious video review. The adventures of future post-apocalypse warrior Aloy are a sight to behold on PC. In fact, I’d go so far as to say this is probably the best version of Horizon Zero Dawn you can get your paws on.

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Blizzard have confirmed that they’ll be hosting BlizzCon as an online event due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The annual celebration of their games and communities was cancelled this year, with a suggestion that they’ll be holding it virtually in 2021. During a recent earnings call, Blizzard’s president J. Allen Brack confirmed that it will be happening “early 2021”.

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Crystal Dynamics’ Avengers game is just under a month from launch and those who have pre-ordered will get access to the beta test this weekend. This past weekend though, Twinfinite were given the chance to test out the beta content early to see how the game is shaping up.

It begins with some single-player story missions (which aren’t in the final order and skip some vital cutscenes) before opening up a little and giving you access to the missions available via the multiplayer centric War Table.

While the War Zones and Drop Zones that you’ll be playing for months after Marvel’s Avengers launch are the focus of the War Table, the aim of the story mode introduction is to get you familiar with the basic gameplay mechanics before throwing you into the world of multiplayer, upgrades, and loot.

I’m not the biggest fan of Crystal Dynamics’ take on Marvel’s heroes when it comes to character design. To me, most characters are neither original enough to be distinctive or close enough to the iconic MCU design for them to feel familiar.

The likes of Thor, Maria Hill, Nick Fury come across as imitations of the MCU cast, yet Bruce Banner is more original, presenting himself as more assured than Mark Ruffalo’s interpretation. That is more of a personal preference however, with how their role in the story and how they play being far more important in this game.

Focusing on Kamala Khan (aka Ms. Marvel) is a fantastic choice and the idea that the story is focused on you working to reestablish the Avengers as heroes after A-Day is an interesting one. For the most part, the world looks impressive, and the story does well to make the most of its characters with slower moments that are interwoven between the explosions you’d expect.

Fall Guys is fast proving itself one of the summer’s smash hits. Since launching yesterday the game has been played by 1.5 million players across PS4 and PC, developer Mediatonic announced today via Twitter.

When we say Fall Guys is experiencing a lot of traffic…

We had over 1.5 million new players in the first 24 hours!

😳

We’re working on our first patch for the game, listening to ALL of your feedback and ideas, and are super grateful to everyone who’s supported so far! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/OpD714xu26

— Fall Guys 👑 (@FallGuysGame) August 5, 2020

It’s important to note the game launched as a freebie for subscribers of Sony’s PS Plus online service, which is likely to have boosted its day-one user numbers substantially. Only those without PS Plus, as well as players who purchased the PC version of the game have actually purchased Fall Guys.

Still, we’ve seen games like Rocket League go on to become huge success stories after launching as a PS Plus game in the past. It will be interesting to see how Fall Guys fairs after its first month.

From what Twinfinite has played so far, Fall Guys’ superb gameplay should be enough to see it continue to build on this early momentum and attract new premium-spending players moving forward. In a preview of the game back in March, we concluded:

Developer Spiders and publisher Focus Home Interactive have today announced that last year’s action-RPG GreedFall has sailed past the one million units sold milestone.

Jehanne Rousseau, founder and CEO of Spiders said in a statement:

“Our team gave a lot of themselves in this creation. We are really delighted and proud to see that the universe, the characters and the experiences we have created have been able to please so many players around the world, and this success gives us even more desire to continue to make them dream and travel.”

GreedFall is set during the 17th century on the fictional uncharted island of Teer-Fradee as European powers clash with native peoples and the terrifying magical creatures that lurk in its wilderness. Gameplay is a third-person action-RPG affair similar to BioWare’s Dragon Age Inquisition.

Spiders has become somewhat of a AA action-RPG specialist over the past 10 years, with Bound by Flame and The Technomancer preceding GreedFall. The latest of those games by far and away represents its high-water mark in terms of critical reception.

Indeed, GreedFall earned pretty decent review scores when it launched last September. Twinfinite reviewed the game and was mostly impressed, scoring it 3.5/5 and concluding:

“In short, Greedfall is a decent but wildly inconsistent game. The quest design is some of the best and most complex in years, yet the combat is clunky and generic. The world can amaze out in the open but the towns are devoid of life.”

GreedFall is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

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Feature Overview

This deluxe version available in time for Halloween

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Devil May Cry 5 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance are leaving the program

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BR Duos are back

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Everything old is new again

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A ‘new creative team’ will lead the series created by John K, who was previously accused of sexual harassment

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The Ultimate Typing Championship is here — again

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After 10 hours in the Marvel’s Avengers beta, I’m officially excited for the Avengers to assemble

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Welp, here's another major surprise announcement from Nintendo out of the blue!

By way of a quick email with zero fanfare, we've learned that Pikmin 3 will be hitting the Switch in "Deluxe" form. It's actually out on October 30 priced at $59.99, and will launch on Switch with "new content, more options for co-op play and a range of settings that make it easier for newcomers to jump in."

The biggest thing is the ability to "play the whole story" in co-op mode with a friend, as well as the addition of new side story missions that are also co-op enabled. Oh, and all previous DLC will be included, too, as well as new mechanics like lock-on targeting, extra difficulty options and optional hints. Yes to everything.

No joke, my wife and I still play Pikmin 3's co-op bingo mode to this day. I'm beyond excited for this port.

This week sees the 20th anniversary of Koei Tecmo's epic war series Dynasty Warriors, celebrating two decades of countryside-clearing carnage. And if fans were concerned that the occasion was going to pass by without any new announcements, then they can allay those fears for the time being.

Speaking in an interview with Japanese gaming journal Weekly Famitsu, Dynasty Warriors series producer Akihiro Suzuki has hinted that there is exciting news on the horizon regarding the series. "I hope to be able to announce a 20th anniversary title in the near future," Suzuki said, before teasingly adding "By the way, there is not only one anniversary title."

Elsewhere in the interview, Suzuki noted that Dynasty Warriors 9 would not be receiving an Xtreme Legends spin-off, saying that the base game's system is not suited to the Xtreme Legends style. Suzuki also expressed disappointment at some of the feedback received from Dynasty Warriors 9, theorising that the studio perhaps took on too big a challenge in the sequel's design.

Dynasty Warriors 9 is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

Dynasty Warriors anniversary title announcement coming soon [Gematsu / Ryokutya2089]