January 2021

The saga comes to a close.

The post Attack On Titan Manga to Finally End After 11-Year Run appeared first on Siliconera.

It’s almost time to say goodbye to Minecraft Earth, because Mojang Studios are shutting it down for good on June 30th. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. If you’ve spent money in the Pokémon Go-like sandbox app, you’ll be able to grab some parting gifts before it heads to the big mobile phone in the sky. That is: some free money for the Minecraft Marketplace, and a free copy of Minecraft Bedrock edition.

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Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan will finally get its grand opening on 4th February, many months later than planned, and it's safe to say I won't be there.

Maybe someday? Until then, I'll just be zooming round the Super Nintendo World website, which offers something of a virtual tour of the site, and our first official look at the attraction in motion.

Scroll down through the website to fly around the site, the entrance to its Bowser's Castle ride, a look at its Yoshi's Adventure train, its Kinopio's Cafe (Toad's Cafe) restaurant, 1UP Factory gift shop and more.

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Capcom has updated its content creation policy, with new rules outlined for the new year.

The post Capcom Updates Content Creation and Streaming Rules appeared first on Siliconera.

Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed will add a new Badge Collection feature in addition to the major graphical remaster.

The post Akiba’s Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed Will Add Tin Badge Collection appeared first on Siliconera.

The suspect sold an unauthorized DVD containing modified materials from the Dead or Alive series.

The post Koei Tecmo Sues Seller of Unauthorized Dead or Alive DVD appeared first on Siliconera.

Endo also talked about Gladiux in the Famitsu interview, which covered all kinds of future projects from Acquire.

The post Acquire Teases Tenchu Reboot With Stealth Assassin Trademark appeared first on Siliconera.

The fiends behind puzzle games including Opus Magnum and Shenzhen I/O have released a free competitive multiplayer solitaire game, named Nerts! Online. They’d played this version of the card game in their office, then after the pandemic hit they made a digital version, which they’re now sharing with everyone for free on Steam.

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It won’t be long until the DMR’s reign of terror comes to a close in Call Of Duty: Warzone. Raven Software announced on Twitter that the next weapon balance update is “coming soon” with the overpowered rifle getting hit by the nerf hammer, alongside three other guns that are dishing out a bit too much pain as of late: the Type 63 rifle, Mac-10 SMG, and dual Diamatti pistols.

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Call of Duty: Mobile’s long-awaited debut in China finally kicked off on Christmas day just gone, and the game has since enjoyed a very lucrative opening week. Analysis from Sensor Tower today estimates it has already earned over $14 million, ranking fourth only behind the market’s biggest titles.

Call of Duty: Mobile’s global earnings now number $644 million from around 300 million downloads according to Sensor Tower estimates. The United States is still the game’s biggest market, but you wouldn’t write off a changing of the guard given the success of other shooters in China such as PUBG Mobile.

Get a first look at Super Nintendo World attractions firsthand through this virtual tour.

The post Super Nintendo World Virtual Tour Provides a Firsthand Look at Attractions appeared first on Siliconera.

Back when the PlayStation stealth-action boom kicked off, one of the quieter, but still tightly held franchises on the market was Acquire's Tenchu: Stealth Assassins series. These titles saw players in the role of shadowy ninjas plying their trade throughout ancient Japan, taking down marks with an array of close-quarters skills, ranged weaponry, and even a dose of the old shinobi magic.

Despite an array of releases and a passionate fanbase, the Tenchu series has long returned to the shadows, with 2009's poorly received Tenchu: Shadow Assassins being the franchise's latest release. In a new interview, however, Acquire president Takuma Endo has suggested that the blood-splattered adventures of Rikimaru and crew are not being left to rot, and that there is a definite possibility that Tenchu could make a long-awaited return.

Speaking with Famitsu, Endo noted that Acquire had refreshed the trademark on the subtitle "Stealth Assassins" and, while this move should be viewed purely as a legal technicality, the studio is very much open to relighting Tenchu's fire on a modern platform such as the PlayStation 5. Given the recent success of titles such as Ghost of Tsushima and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, (which ironically was originally designed as a Tenchu sequel), now would be as good a time as any to return to the franchise, allowing fans to once again run the rooftops of feudal-era Japan, killing without remorse and vanishing without trace.

For now, a new Tenchu title remains merely a pipe dream, but it's comforting to know that Acquire has not forgotten about one of the forefathers of the stealth assassination genre.

There’s already a bustling mod scene for the RPG

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2020 wasn’t a great year to get into board games — a fact I quickly learned as soon as countries all over the world started going into lockdown. Before I started cooping myself up at home, though, I’d finally experienced the joy of playing board games with friends. One in particular stood out to me: Photosynthesis was a game about planting trees on a board and attempting to get as much sunlight as possible. It was also one of the prettiest and most vibrant tabletop games I’d ever seen.

Normally we don't comment on rumors but this time we wanted to make an exception as this story is simply not true.https://t.co/JuOTY2qJbM

Lovecraftian RPG The Sinking City is available to buy again, after an ongoing legal dispute between developers Frogwares and publishers Nacon saw it removed from digital storefronts back in August. According to a statement from Nacon, the dispute is still pending in French courts. But, for now at least, The Sinking City is back for sale on Xbox One, and will be available on Steam and PS4 again soon.

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Here's one of the questions that I often get when it comes to ray-tracing in Unity: how do I get started? Let me help you out with that. ...

A number of notable industry figured shared the news online, and paid tribute to Flock's leadership abilities and commitment to giving new voices a chance to shine. ...

Ever wanted to have a little Genshin Impact Seelie float alongside you? It seems the Lost Riches Mini Seelie quest will give you the chance.

The post Genshin Impact Mini Seelie Event Will Let You Get Gadgets appeared first on Siliconera.

Ready to meet Dragon Ball FighterZ's version of Super Baby 2? Bandai Namco will hold a showcase for him this weekend.

The post See the Dragon Ball FighterZ Super Baby 2 Showcase This Weekend appeared first on Siliconera.

A set of Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 characters will join the cast in the "Shared Purpose" banner this week.

The post Fire Emblem Heroes Will Add Asbel, Ronan, Miranda, and Sara From Thracia 776 appeared first on Siliconera.

The prominent voice actress will compile what she has learned from Rei Ayanami and other characters voiced by herself.

The post Megumi Hayashibara Will Release a Book About Her Characters appeared first on Siliconera.

The official The Elder Scrolls Twitter account has tweeted something.

Is it a tease? Is it a clue? Is it a reference to another mobile game and/or Elder Scrolls Online expansion? Who can really say. Anybody who tells you they know for sure is probably lying, but that doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun going down the rabbit hole, does it?

And we certainly wouldn't be the only ones, because what a rabbit hole this one's turned out to be.

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Role-playing game developer InXile Entertainment is perhaps best known for Wasteland 2 and Wasteland 3, which helped to inject new life into the CRPG genre as other series focused more on action elements. However, the studio has another project cooking--a AAA-level first-person RPG--that could reach a wider audience.

Twitter user Klobrille pointed out that InXile is currently looking for an art director on a "next-generation role-playing game" that will use Unreal Engine. A separate listing for a gameplay designer explicitly mentions first-person perspective, rather than the isometric and zoomed-out views we've seen in many of the studio's other games.

Nintendo mascot Mario appeared in two major toy lines last year, but one enterprising tinkerer found a way to combine them. The AR racer Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit and the Lego Mario line of building toys weren't meant to work together, but a clever Redditor found a way.

Reddit user studioplayfool strapped the Lego Mario toy to the back of a Mario Kart Live kart. Since the Lego Mario toy functions by scanning barcodes on the other Lego toys, the mash-up used those same barcodes in order to track obstacles for the kart. The result is a Mario Kart Live track that works with the Lego Mario timer and awards coins for taking out goombas and question blocks along the way.

It's very impressive, but on top of the flashy video, studioplayfool provided a link to open-source files, including instructions and bar codes, for creating your own Mario Kart Live / Lego Mario mash-ups. It even includes a papercraft "saddle" for Lego Mario to ride around in.

The Xbox Series X|S uses a controller that is remarkably similar to the Xbox One controller, with it even being compatible with both console generations. However, it lacks the fancy features of the PS5's DualSense controller, and it appears Microsoft could be considering some sort of upgrade in the future--or it's at least asking players if they'd want that.

Spotted by TechRadar, a survey being sent out to certain Xbox Series X|S users asks a number of questions about their thoughts on the console thus far, including if it feels faster than previous systems and feels like a complete next-gen upgrade. But it also mentions PlayStation by name, asking if players are aware of PlayStation controllers' features and whether they want them on the Xbox controller.

Those features include motion control, advanced haptic feedback, and, most notably, the adaptive triggers on the PS5's DualSense. These allow for variable response depending on the game and situation, adding increased tension or rumble. They can simulate the force necessary to pull back a bow or even the recoil from a gun, and are showcased heavily in the pre-installed game Astro's Playroom.

The Nintendo-focused theme park, Super Nintendo World, is opening soon at Universal Studios Japan. Ahead of that, Nintendo has released an interactive flythrough website for the park that lets you take a virtual trip through the attraction and get a glimpse at what's on offer.

Scroll through the interactive website and you'll find all manner of exciting attractions like real-life Mario Kart and what looks like a tea cups-style ride with Yoshi as the vehicle. Super Nintendo World also has various Mario-themed dining opportunities and merch stores, of course. Some of the food looks very delicious and unique, including a Mario burger and a tiramisu dessert made out of ? mark boxes from the Mario franchise. You can see some images in the gallery below.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance was originally released in early 2018, and took the RPG community by storm.

Although it was divisive for some players, the open-ended nature of the game and the medieval setting really put it on the map, so much so that it was talked about for months after launch: a far cry from the "weekly buzz" of many modern titles. But since then it's laid dormant on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One platforms. Folks had hope that the situation would change earlier this week, but it turns out, as expected, that is not the case.

As spotted by multiple sleuths, Kingdom Come: Deliverance was listed on the Nintendo eShop page for Switch, for a February 18 release via the "Royal Edition." It was fairly specific! But as is the case with several eShop listings (who is doing these?!), it was a mistake.

Speaking out on Twitter, Warhorse Studios PR lead Tobi Stolz-Zwilling told us emphatically that it was not happening: "As much as I would love a #kingdomcomedeliverance version on Switch - unfortunately there is none planned at the moment. We are investigating who was so ambitious to think differently but as for now... meh meh meeeeh..... Sorry guys."

With rumors swirling of a "Switch Pro" model for a while now, I can see Stolz-Zwilling being very cautious about the news that a Switch port is even in the works: if it exists. For now, it doesn't!

Raven Software is telling Call of Duty players to hold fast, as adjustments are soon incoming for the arsenal of Cold War weapons that are currently ripping through skulls and rib cages in free-to-play battle royale title Warzone.

Since the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, a selection of the new game's weaponry is been used to extremely deadly effect in sister-title Warzone – in particular the DMR 14 semi-automatic rifle, which has been chewing up even armored players with reckless abandon. Also causing headaches is the recently added MAC-10, which spits out 9mm ammunition like hellfire. These two firearms have become commonplace in Warzone loadouts, with players complaining that it is greatly upsetting the balance of the battlefield.

Developer Raven Software tweeted that the incoming balance changes will tweak the DMR 14 and Type 63 long-range rifles, along with the MAC-10 and the Chow Yun Fat-style Dual Wield options, no doubt making them all a little less destructive. Raven noted that these tweaks will be Warzone-exclusive, with all affected weapons retaining their punch in Black Ops Cold War, where the action flows freer and the firepower is more impactful.

Brrrp...

Call of Duty: Warzone's most annoying guns are finally getting nerfed [PC Gamer]

It's the beginning of the month! So it's time for all of the "free drop" services like Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, and Prime Gaming to deliver the news of what's to come.

For the latter, it's going to be another sorta low key month for free games, with a variety of different "drops" (read: loot/microtransactions) for various other games. Bridge Constructor Playground is likely the highlight here for a lot of people, but the free games of January list also includes When Ski Lifts Go Wrong, Void Bastards, Alt Frequencies, and Along the Edge.

As far as loot goes GTA Online is still kicking with monthly bonuses, which includes the Kosataka submarine's sonar station, as well as "one million in GTA cash every month." Prime Gaming says you just need to connect your account with Rockstar's Social Club.

You can find the full list of drops below. Apex Legends is getting another Wraith skin! I feel like this is the billionth one.