October 2020

It never occurred to me that the herbs might be real. Why would it? I was used to picking things like Ghost Mushrooms and Dreamfoil, and I'm pretty sure they're not real. And so to me, walking around the wilderness of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion - what a lovely game that was, and what a lot of walking I did, like some kind of possessed rambler in plate mail - there was nothing particularly notable about ripping handfuls of St. Jahn's Wort and Bergamot out of the ground while I explored. Just another made-up herb, I thought. And who came up with the name St. Jahn's Wort anyway? It sounds disgusting. What is it, shavings?

Chokeberry, Cairn Bolete, Elf Cup, Lady's Smock, Monkshood: they all sounded made-up to me. I mean Elf's Cup for Christ's sake! (It'd be a good cup to toast with, though, wouldn't it? "Here's to your good elf!" and that.) They're all straight from the pages of fantasy, surely?

Then one day everything changed. I was in a health store, don't hold that against me, when something caught my eye: a packet on a shelf claiming to be able to heighten my mood. St. John's Wort. I practically fainted into the Rescue Remedies. It's real?!

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The Borderlands series is aesthetically and tonally consistent. Borderlands 2 has the same exact mood as its predecessor, and its sequel, and whatever you’d call Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel in that scheme of reference. It’s one of those series where even though there’s only four main installments (admittedly with near-infinite DLC), it becomes very difficult to remember which particular bits or characters appeared in which games, without spending time thinking about it.

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Back when I used to ride the train to work every day, having a good set of small headphones could make or break my commute. They were the difference between enjoying my ride or having to listen to whatever music the dance tropes would blast between Embarcadero and West Oakland. Unfortunately, most of the earbuds I owned didn't have enough bass to let me fully enjoy the full depth of the sound from my Switch or mobile phone. Clearly, they could have benefited from a second driver, like those found in the Astro A03 In-Ear Monitors.

Designed with mobile and portable gaming in mind, the Astro A03s come equipped with two drivers in each earbud. One is for the bass, and the other covers the mids and highs. The earbuds are compatible with all major consoles and any phone or tablet with a headphone jack, as well as the Astro MixAmp Pro TR.

Figures for Rean Schwarzer and Altina Orion from Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel will be produced by Kotobukiya.

The post The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel Rean and Altina Figures Are On the Way appeared first on Siliconera.

The MP5 has been one of the strongest and most popular weapons in Modern Warfare and Warzone from the start, with its blisteringly high damage and rate of fire allowing players to shred their enemies at close range. Below we’ll walk you through the detailed stats of this masterful SMG, along with the very best MP5 loadout we’ve found for Warzone Season 6.

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In the classic opening move for the type of review some of you might typify as “the classic 7/10”, I’ll say this: I liked The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos far more than I expected to. It’s XCOM by way of Order Of The Stick, but with the battles connected by wandering about in the ‘gather your party and venture forth’ tradition of Baldur’s Gate.

The FiNN was Season 6’s mid-season addition to Call Of Duty: Warzone’s weapons arsenal, and it’s absolutely phenomenal. Some might say it was – and still is – a game-changer. And our in-depth FiNN Warzone loadout guide will not only walk you through the very best loadout for this incredibly customisable gun, but also break down the inner workings and stats of this S-tier lead-spitter so you can see what all the fuss is about.

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Housemarque has offered up more details on its unnerving sci-fi adventure Returnal, which made its debut back in June as part of the PS5 Future of Gaming presentation.

The Resogun developer has stated that Returnal is a third-person roguelike adventure, with recurring gameplay specifically designed for "extreme replayability." This gameplay loop is borne out through Returnal's narrative, which will see intergalactic explorer Selene crash land on a strange, physics-defying planet, where every death only finds her reliving her hazardous and intriguing adventure over and over again.

Next-gen video games cost £70 - this is something that has become apparent in the last month.

Sony, with the in-demand PlayStation 5 near launch, has decided Demon's Souls, Destruction AllStars, and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition all cost £69.99 each. On ShopTo, Gran Turismo 7 costs £69.85 - 14 pence cheaper than RRP. So does PS5 game Returnal. Clearly, if you want to get into PS5 gaming, the true cost of next-gen is £70 games.

But Sony is not alone in selling £70 next-gen games. I've had a look around, and I can't help but feel we're being shafted. PS5 launch title Godfall, published by Borderlands developer Gearbox, costs £70 on Sony's console. The PC version, exclusive to the Epic Games Store for now, costs £50. I know PC games, which are downloads not discs, tend to be cheaper than their console counterparts. But why is Godfall £20 more expensive on PS5 than it is on PC? That doesn't seem right. I asked Gearbox for an explanation for the cost of Godfall, but it has yet to comment.

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Apple TV is coming to Xbox, according to reports.

Windows Central last night picked up on the Apple TV app now being in testing, and available to certain Xbox Insiders.

A subsequent report by 9to5Mac stated Apple TV was also headed to PlayStation consoles in future.

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Earlier this week, the developer of Yakuza: Like A Dragon confirmed PlayStation 4 save files can't be transferred over to the PS5 version.

Now, Codemasters has said the same is true of Dirt 5 - and Microsoft has noticed.

"Currently on Xbox, all progress can be carried over between generations," Codemasters wrote. "On PlayStation, your Playgrounds creations can be carried over, but other game progress (Career, currency, saved liveries) cannot. If that changes, we'll let you know!"

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The 22nd booster pack for Fire Emblem Cipher is the final pack for the TCG. It contains cards from every FE game up to Three Houses.

The post Fire Emblem Cipher Final Booster Pack Released in Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

Master Belch and the iconic Mr. Saturn will be receiving plushes this October.

The post Hobonichi Mother Project Will Release Mr Saturn and Master Belch Plushes October 14 appeared first on Siliconera.

[Editor’s Note: This review is just for Star Wars: Squadrons’ single-player campaign. We’ll have a review of the PvP multiplayer once we’ve had a chance to properly try it out after launch.]

Like the Force itself, the Star Wars: Squadrons single-player campaign is a balance. The balance between playing as both the New Republic and Empire, between arcade and simulation-style controls, and between fun and flashy action and blunt exposition dumps. It’s full of great references for fans and charming (if ill-used) new characters alike, all crammed into a series of cockpits that are accessible to jump in and pilot without dogfights feeling mindless.

Squadrons has found a sweet spot between the point-and-shoot simplicity of the classic Rogue Squadron series and the insanely detailed simulation of Elite: Dangerous. You can, for the most part, just pick up a controller and start chasing down enemy ships – but there’s also a nuance to adjusting your throttle for better turning, swapping power between engines, weapons, and shields in the style of the grand old X-Wing games, and countering missile locks. Things like that make flight more engaging and give good pilots a chance to shine without requiring you to literally learn how to fly a spaceship in order to play.

Alice is on holiday, which means it falls to me to lead Nate and Matthew in cheerful conversation. Unfortunately I’ve been playing a lot of Spelunky 2 over the past two weeks, which means all our cheery conversation in this week’s Electronic Wireless Show is about death. We talk about our favourite deaths in videogames, whether they be the systems-driven demise of a Crusader Kings king or a shooter protagonist permanently snuffed out by a scripted sequence.

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Rejoice, fans of big numbers and digital discussion, for we have received our 2,000,000th comment. Two million comments on RPS! At 3:57pm on Wednesday, we hit that milestone thanks to reader “EdgeObscurity” and their thoughts on Terra Invicta and X-Com. A small comment for them, a big number for us. And I cannot tell you how glad I am that we’re not gathered here today to celebrate a pun comment. Yeah come at me, punsters.

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Only a month ago I wrote about Family, a free investigation game about plotting the movements of musicians across a (fictionalised) ’80s London music scene. By placing the right people in the right bands at the right times, you’re drip fed more clues so you can then place more names, and so on.

Well, turns out that was just warming us up. Meet Rivals, broadly the same thing but longer, tougher, and about tracing 20 years in the careers of two school friends who formed a high school band and then almost immediately broke it up to do their own separate bands.

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What's the new Xbox store for Xbox One - which will also roll out for Xbox Series - like? (This is a big one for the future of how people buy games on Xbox consoles.) ...

Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku’s reader-run community: Backlog Files: Dying Light • TAY Retro: Famicom - Red Arremer (Gargoyle’s Quest II) [TV Commercia (JP)] • TAY Retro: Famicom - Rockman 5 (Mega Man 5) [TV Commercial (JP)]

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Welcome to Morning Music, Kotaku’s daily hangout for folks who love video games and the cool-ass sounds they make. Today, we’re heading into the office in Going Under, a roguelite dungeon crawler where work is hell.

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While, yes, Genshin Impact is more than a Breath of the Wild clone, the free-to-play RPG’s background music is reminiscent of another iconic game’s theme song, say some fans.

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Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia was revealed several months ago, much to the chagrin of folks who anticipated a big new WayForward IP (Nintendo was quick to walk back expectations there!). 

Alas, Bakugan is headed for the gaming plane once again, this time with the creators of Shantae at the helm, under the publishing guidance of WB Interactive. If you don't have a kid, you might be wondering what the hell Bakugan even is. Well, this video is here to the rescue.

In roughly five minutes, this extremely Saturday-morning-cartoon-narrated video gives you an overview of the universe, as well as how Bakugan work in general and the gist of the game. In short, the planet Vestroia was destroyed and the Bakugan species came to Earth, creating all sorts of conflicts: kind of like a more aggressive Pokemon. The battle system vaguely replicates the real-life experience (gathering BakuCores to power-up the Bakugan).

Champions of Vestroia is out on November 3 on Switch; which could serve as a respite for kids who aren't entering the "next generation" a week later.

A lawsuit filed by Nintendo against retailer Uberchips has reached its conclusion, with the Ohio-based Switch hack seller ordered to pay damages to the Switch manufacturer.

Nintendo filed suit against several retailers back in May for the re-selling of "jailbreak" devices such as the SX Core and SX Lite, which facilitate the playing of pirated games on Switch hardware. In the case of Uberchips, the retailer is to pay $2 million USD in damages and must guarantee the destruction of all remaining stock that infringes upon any Nintendo copyrights. Nintendo has also filed a permanent injunction to prevent Uberchips from selling similar products in the future.

Nintendo has also filed suit against eight other retailers in similar cases, but due to the general "underground" nature of hack-selling and video game piracy, the publisher is yet to identify the individuals behind each of these outlets.

Nintendo's lawsuit against hack seller to land it $2 million in damages [Gamasutra / TorrentFreak]

Motive delivers a satisfying single-player campaign combined with a rich multiplayer mode

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Star Wars Squadrons on PS4

Speeding through the vast emptiness of some distant galaxy far, far away, tracking a troublesome TIE Fighter as the New Republic defend a prized possession, I glance around my X-wing’s HUD. Different instruments are illuminating on my dashboard, casting green, blue and red hues across the cold metal structure of the ship. A crack in the windscreen obscures my view, but unfazed, I lock on to the TIE Fighter’s helpless wailing body, and let the missile go. It bursts into a ball of flames tumbling into a nearby asteroid field.

Star Wars Squadrons is the most immersive Star Wars space combat experience there is. It made moments like the one described above make a kill –what would normally be an insignificant notch on my belt– these overwhelmingly satisfying, epic examples of my aerial prowess. It’s a continuation of the great form EA struck with the Star Wars license since the The Last Jedi last year, and my chief complaint is I wish there was more of it.

While Squadrons has been predominantly seen as a multiplayer-centric experience, there is a campaign packed in to boot and it’s a far more polished experience than I expected, especially given the $40 price tag.

UK game developer Bossa has made Surgeon Simulator 2 free for NHS staff.

"At Bossa, we've always envisioned Surgeon Simulator 2 as a valuable training tool for NHS workers to hone their healthcare skills!" Bossa boss Henrique Olifiers said.

"The Surgeon Simulator 2 community is frankly rubbish at saving Bob, so we think our players need to be shown how it's really done."

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A selection of new Nintendo Switch bundle deals featuring Super Mario 3D All-Stars are now available at various retailers, offering savings of up to £20.

Both the standard Nintendo Switch and slimmed-down Switch Lite are both included, with the more minute console offering the bigger saving. Considering the Switch Lite would normally be £200 on its own, this adds the latest collection featuring Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy for just £30.

Not bad for a game that's - for some reason - only going to be made available until March 2021 and outsold Marvel's Avengers in the space of two weeks.

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Cyberpunk 2077 needs no introduction if you're plugged into the gaming world; you probably already know that it's the latest the open-world RPG from CD Projekt Red, the studio behind The Witcher 3. But what about people who don't follow upcoming releases closely? Who will ensure that they know more about this exciting game? The answer is simple: Keanu Reeves.

The Hollywood actor known for starring in Point Break (1991) and The Lake House has a featured role in Cyberpunk 2077 as the character Johnny Silverhand, and he steps into the spotlight to promote the game in the commercial above.

Minecraft characters are going to settle it in Smash! Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's next DLC character(s) will be Steve and Alex.

The post Minecraft’s Steve, Alex, Enderman, and Zombie Dig Into Super Smash Bros Ultimate appeared first on Siliconera.

The organizers at JAIA are now considering an online business meeting session to replace the canceled physical arcade game show.

The post Japan Amusement Expo 2021 Canceled Physically appeared first on Siliconera.

Obtain Barbara for free in Genshin Impact upon meeting specific requirements.

The post Genshin Impact Barbara Can Be Earned for Free appeared first on Siliconera.

You’ll soon be able to buy games off the Epic Games Store from inside the GOG Galaxy client, as part of GOG’s plans to expand their launcher’s built-in store. No, this does not mean Epic exclusives will be coming to GOG’s own store. Yes, you will still need an Epic account. Yes, it is a bit weird, but I suppose adding new stores fits with GOG Galaxy’s goal of being the launcher and library encompassing all other platforms and libraries.

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No Man’s Sky

promised the universe, and delivered a video game. At the time, on the game’s initial release in 2016, it looked like it might be a reputation from which Hello Games could never recover. Yet in the four years since they’ve worked and worked and worked, releasing update after update, building an expanding and iterating, even reinventing, without ever charging early adopters an extra penny. Goodness me they’re getting closer to actually delivering a universe.

With the most recent update, Origins, No Man’s Sky is so damned close to being the game I’ve always wished it could be. And perhaps far more importantly, it feels so damned close to being a bunch of other games all manner of other people wish it could be.

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The Grau has long since been the go-to Assault Rifle in Call Of Duty: Warzone, and it’s not hard to see why. Even after the Season 4 nerf, this veritable laser is possibly the most reliable and accurate rifle you can get your hands on. This guide will show you how to craft the best Grau loadout in Warzone for Season 6; and we’ll also explore some detailed stats of this top-tier Assault Rifle so that you can truly master its potential.

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