July 2021

Last year I experienced a moment of personal generational crisis when I witnessed Tyler "Ninja" Blevins streaming a game of Fortnite while wearing his own skin. Today I was struck much closer to home, as it was reported by Bloomberg, and then confirmed by Ubisoft, that the Assassin's Creed action-adventure-RPG series is going to become a kind of online service - an evolving platform codenamed Assassin's Creed Infinity. I understand this decision, but I don't like it. Because, in a similar way to Ninja's recursive blue hair, it has made me feel old.

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There's no shortage of unlawful mischief to commit in cowboys online, from hogtying strangers to unprompted shootouts, but Red Dead Online is adding Crimes with a capital "C" this month. A new type of mission will send you off to commit holdups, train robberies, kidnappings, and more. Better yet, you won't have to fork over premium currency to take part in these jobs, Rockstar Games have announced. Red Dead Online's Blood Money update arrives on July 13th for your life of crime to finally begin properly.

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My greatest achievement in life is knowing every single word that's spoken in Robocop. In the correct order, too. My mum doesn’t appreciate that talent, but then she also let me watch it when I was eight, so she has no-one to blame but herself. That means I’ve loved Robocop for 34 years. Any game announcement is going to grab me like Robo grabbed Clarence Boddiger at 1:07:04 in the director’s cut. And there was one last night during Nacon's Connect stream!

Robocop: Rogue City was announced by Nacon, from the developers of Terminator: Resistance, a game I did not enjoy.

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Having spent a sizable chunk of my life with turn-based RPG Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings Of Ruin, all that plays in my head when I think of it is an imaginary scene involving Len Goodman in Strictly Come Dancing. A Rathalos has just performed the rumba with its rider Anton Du Beke, and we await the judges' scores. There he is: Goodman. Forever the people's champion. We know what's coming and the crowd swells with anticipation. His paddle breaches the table; say that iconic phrase with him now!

"Seveaaunn!"

I know we don't give out numbered scores here at RPS, but Monster Hunter Stories 2 is aggressively seven-y. An above average game that grew on me the more time I spent with it, but couldn't quite nudge itself into "great" territory. Instead of the Bestest Bests stamp, I give it an imaginary stamp of Len Goodman's face.

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The next Assassin’s Creed game might be more like Fortnite and GTA Online than a traditional release. Currently codenamed Assassin’s Creed Infinity, this is a project within Ubisoft to turn their stabby franchise into a live service game, somehow crafting a connected game service from their time period and region specific game series.

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I cannot pull myself away. This paragraph started about 40 minutes ago, when I reopened Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic "to check something". I'll do this again several times. You probably know that this is a Soviet-themed city builder. You might know it's complex and big on how your cities are organised. If you've played it, you know that it's a hefty logistical sim (note: W&R includes options to dramatically dial down this side of things if that's your preference).

What you might not know is how brilliant it is when you reject building a large-scale industrial behemoth, and play it as a backwards rural village dependent entirely on horses.

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The next SMT V demon digest video focuses on Girimehkala, a one-eyed elephant that is associated with Mara.

The post Girimehkala Will Keep Its Eye on You in SMT V appeared first on Siliconera.

Monster Hunter Stories 2 is a game in which there's always something to do, and odds are you'll have an amazing time accomplishing tasks.

The post Review: Monster Hunter Stories 2 is an Absolute Delight appeared first on Siliconera.

A new FFXI interview explains how Hironobu Sakaguchi and Hiromichi Tanaka fought for its name to not be Final Fantasy Online.

The post New FFXI Interview Explains Why Its Name Isn’t Final Fantasy Online appeared first on Siliconera.

The organizer will try to curb the pandemic by limiting attendance through online ticket sales.

The post Wonder Festival 2021 Autumn Will Be Held in Person in September appeared first on Siliconera.

The animation is better, but the continued storyline is a shaky balancing act

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Break kneecaps, make money, cause problems

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Akshan has arrived

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A new trailer teases elaborate plastic miniatures

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Thorfinn returns

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For the past month or so, Fallout 76 players have been scratching their heads over “romancandlecelebration,” an icon-free emote in the Atomic Shop that one might think would shoot some sort of celebratory fireworks into the sky but does not. Today’s Steel Reign update ended any lingering confusion by removing the…

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Ever played the floor is lava as a child? Well, SCHiM takes that same concept but applies it to shadows. In this interesting-looking upcoming indie game, players control a frog-like shadow character, guiding them throughout the environment through the shadows.

News regarding this unique title came by way of a post to the Gaming subreddit, as user Ewould2001 revealed SCHiM with a gif that you can see below.

In the clip, you can see the frog not only maneuvering from shadow to shadow but also taking advantage of mechanics that are tied to each object’s silhouette. For example, jumping in the shade of an umbrella stand allows the character to get a little bounce, launching them over to another shadow across the way.

While there isn’t too much known about SCHiM outside of this short clip, the official Steam page did provide a little more insight.

The Blood Money update for Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Online will add more mission types, a series of passes, and better support for specific PC graphics cards on July 13.

The first new mission type is inexplicably called Crimes, where players literally commit crimes such as holding up coaches, multi-stage robberies, kidnapping, debt collections, and more. The new missions can be done solo or as part of a Posse, or group.

There is also a new currency called Capitale, which can be found in Crimes missions by finding hidden chests or robbed from NPCs both alive and dead. Players can earn the new currency in Free Roam as well by robbing unlocked Homesteads and Camps.

Once enough Capitale has been earned, it unlocks another mission type called Opportunities. The mission is given by underworld boss Guido Martelli, who tasks players with different approaches to take down a politician. The first mission will be available on July 13, and the other two will be revealed in the future.

Rockstar is also offering a series of four passes, the Quick Draw Club, over the coming months with rewards and bonuses. Each pass costs 25 Gold Bars, can be earned by completing each pass, and purchasing all four will give the upcoming Halloween Pass 2 for free.

Red Dead Online and Red Dead Redemption 2 player with eligible NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics cards will also receive NVIDIA DLSS support on July 13 and promises increased frame rates and sharper images.

While all eyes are firmly set on Polyphony Digital’s anticipated next iteration of the Gran Turismo series on PS5, the developer hasn’t yet ceased its support of Gran Turismo Sport. Today, a free new update has added the Toyota GR 86 to the game’s enormous and ever-expanding garage of vehicles.

Naturally, there’s a trailer offering a first glimpse of the new car, which also offers the following description of the update’s contents:

The 1.66 update for Gran Turismo Sport will be released on July 8, 2021. This update adds the “Toyota GR 86 ‘21” to the lineup. The new GR 86 is the latest evolution of the Toyota 86 which debuted in 2012 and is loved by car enthusiasts the world over, now redesigned as a razor-sharp sports car bearing the “GR” title! Enjoy its superb performance first in Gran Turismo Sport!

Here’s the trailer:

Patch 1.57 follows dozens of content updates since GT Sports original launch, a build of the game that Twinfinite gave a glowing review of back in 2017.

Even the most casual movie-goer likely knows that the Fast & Furious saga is one of the biggest movie franchises currently around, as its over-the-top action sequences have thrilled fans for over two decades now. And with F9 (also known as Fast 9) recently releasing in theaters, the series seems to be all anyone can talk about at the moment.

Arguably the biggest talking point isn’t even the crazy stunts that are being pulled off in the movie, but the memes that are coming from it. More specifically, its the “nothing is stronger than family” memes that have taken over, as it pokes fun at how often Vin Diesel’s character Dom Toretto talks about how the group is a family and nothing can beat them.

Below, you can see the very best Fast & Furious family memes we were able to find, spanning across video games, movies, and television shows. So sit back, relax, and enjoy all of the hilarious memes we found this week.

Be sure to let us know which ones were your favorites in the comments below. Also, don’t hesitate to leave any other great memes that we may have missed down there to help make us all laugh.

If you’re like many other One Piece fans, you’ve probably asked yourself the question: Which Straw Hat am I most like?

It’s a solid enough question to ask. After all, each member of the series’ central crew is unique enough to stand out even among the ever-growing group of eccentrics. Each has their own defining traits, goals they’re working toward, and dreams they’d give nearly anything to achieve so long as it doesn’t put their friends at risk.

However, it can be tricky to choose just one that you resonate with most. After all, each and every one of them is lovable and relatable, making it that much harder to choose the one you’d ride or die with.

That’s why we’ve created this quiz. Through the following questions, we’ll help you narrow down the traits you have which relate most to a given character. By the end, you’ll know with certainty that the Straw Hat we suggest is the One Piece protagonist who is most like you at this time.

Now, without further ado, let’s get to the questions.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin on Switch

Capcom’s Monster Hunter series has always been known for being notoriously difficult to get into. From the lengthy tutorials bombarding you with overwhelming mechanics for each different weapon type to the clunky movement of your character (though that’s been alleviated slightly in recent entries), Monster Hunter isn’t exactly very newcomer-friendly. That’s probably why the Stories spin-off series was created –to invite interested passersby into the grand world of beasts and beautiful wildlife, giving them a taste of what it’s like to be a real hunter, while also significantly lowering the barrier to entry by changing the genre entirely.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is the second game in this little series off-shoot. Unlike the mainline games, Stories is more of a traditional turn-based JRPG. Instead of hacking and slashing away at monsters, you engage them in turn-based combat with a full party, and you take turns trying to hit each other’s weaknesses until the monster finally falls.

The basics of Monster Hunter are still in place here: you’ll take down monsters to get parts, which can then be used to craft better gear. Your village also comes with a quest board, which is where you can take on various side quests and deliveries to earn more money, resources, and experience points. This will all feel very familiar to series fans; the mechanics have just been streamlined a lot to make it feel more frictionless.

After the launch of a whole new Episode of content, it’s perhaps no surprise that Valorant’s latest patch 3.01 is a small one. As revealed today in the patch notes, 3.01 comprises only fairly minor bug fixes.

Here’s the full overview:

Agents

• Sage’s can no longer place Barrier Orb on some projectiles while they’re in the air
• Fixed bug where Skye was able to activate the flash of Guiding Light while suppressed
• Fixed the ability to heal KAY/O while downed in NULL/CMD
• Fixed Sova’s Recon Bolt projectile from looking deployed for enemies when flying through the air

Social

• Fixed a bug where you were able to abuse text chat colors to impersonate system messages
• Fixed a bug where the invite button UI overlapped with Defender Coach UI in Custom Games
• Fixed bug where names were appearing as question marks if you had the “Use Generic Names for Players Outside my Party” setting turned on

Progression

• Fixed alignment issues in Observer view
• Fixed Account Leveling issue where some of you got a lower level than intended
  • If impacted, you will receive your correct Account Level and will keep the AP gained while playing at the incorrect level.
• Fixed visual issues affecting Account Leveling at the End of Game screen

On a more exciting note, fans of Valorant’s impressive weapon skins can look forward to the launch of a brand new bundle. Called Ruination, the bundle is the first to feature a League of Legends theme, tying into the current in-game event that is taking place right now over on Riot’s hugely popular MOBA.

Today StudioInkyFox announced the release date of its adorable adventure game Omno.

The game will launch on July 29 on PS4, Xbox One, PC (via Steam, Windows 10 Store, and Epic Games Store) and Game Pass.

When I say “studio,” it’s actually a bit of a misnomer, as StudioInkyFox is actually a single person Jonas Manke.

The announcement came with a charming trailer showcasing Omno’s adorable world over about 40 seconds.

Here’s how the developer describes the game. If you want to see more, you can also take a look at a previous trailer.

“Omno whisks you away on a journey of discovery through an ancient world of wonders. It’s a single-player adventure full of puzzles, secrets, and obstacles to overcome.

The power of a lost civilization will carry you on an epic quest through lush forests, sun-blasted deserts, and frozen tundras – even to the clouds.

On your way, you’ll discover a vibrant world full of strange and wonderful lifeforms, from cute little critters to enigmatic giants, and everything in between.

Jonas Manke, solo developer and father of 3, began work on Omno as a hobby project 5 years ago after working as an animator in both games and movies.”

With the popularity of the Pokemon franchise not even close to weakening, Japanese cities are installing more of the popular “Poke-Lid” manholes.

Seven new Poke-Lid have been installed in multiple towns of the northern island of Hokkaido, that already had several. As a result, the island now has 26 of them, all featuring Vulpix in some form.

This time around, the adorable fox pokemon didn’t come on their own, and several other are portrayed together with Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix. Here’s a list.

• Togekiss & little Alolan Vulpix
• Alolan Vulpix
• Alolan Vulpix & Galarian Mr. Rime
• Bewear & Vulpix
• Vulpix & Ditto disguised as a Vulpix
• Alolan Vulpix & Bergmite
• Combusken & Vulpix

As usual, each Poke-Lid will mark locations for PokeStops compatible with Pokemon GO.

You can check them all out in the gallery below, also showing the presentation ceremony, directly from the press release.

Our colleagues at Omdia will be on hand at GDC 2021 for all your marketplace research needs. ...

Game journalist and streamer Imogen Mellor will be your host for the 35th annual Game Developers Conference. ...

"When you find an object you have not seen for a long time, you start to figure out why you had that object. That moment felt very human to me." ...

A subgenre of strategy games, optimization/logistics games have attracted fans to a different kind of gameplay and thinking that I wanted to talk about today. ...

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen and its release date will be fully revealed next month, which is great considering Season of the Splicer is absolutely driving me insane with where the heck the story is going to go next. With Osiris being suspicious as all heck and Lakshmi being ... well, Lakshmi, things in the Last City are far from calm and with the blight taking over the Tower? It's far from over. We're getting ready to take the fight to Savathum it seems. But are we really? 

Bungie took to the Destiny 2 Twitter account to announce when fans can get their first look at the upcoming expansion, the follow up to the current storyline being told in Beyond Light. The showcase is set to go live on August 24, with our first look at expansion artwork below: 

pic.twitter.com/MJatd9B1Vk

Both Titanfall games have become a mainstay in the competitive shooter space. Fluid physics and tight gunplay have kept the servers active long after the incredibly popular Apex Legends catapulted to stardom. However, DDoS attacks constantly plague the Titanfall experience and a group of hackers took it upon themselves to make Respawn more aware of the issue. 

Nobody wants to hear devs complain when DDoS attacks are still a problem we haven't solved. But this article is right.

I was holding my newborn nephew when I found out about the Apex hack. Had to hand him back, go work, and miss out on a day with family.https://t.co/i3sZkrZ760

After months of pent-up expectation surrounding the 'Switch Pro' and hopes of a new, improved machine, Nintendo finally revealed its new OLED model yesterday and it is effectively a product refresh with a higher quality screen, more storage and a revised dock. No promises are being made about any actual enhancements to the performance of the machine because there are none. The same 16nm+ version of the Tegra X1 found in current Switches also beats at the heart of the OLED model, so the end result is a machine that improves the quality of the handheld experience but does not address what is arguably the Switch's biggest drawback - the quality of docked play.

All of which raises the question of how the Switch Pro hype train kicked off in the first place, since reputable outlets with good sources seemed to indicate that an upgraded model with a new Nvidia processor was a done deal. At Digital Foundry, we pegged the new unit as being a product refresh a few months back (see the very first DF Direct for commentary) especially as the Atmosphere custom firmware team had revealed the existence of a revised Switch with a new screen but the same core spec back in January. Apparently, the machine - internally codenamed 'Aula' - first appeared in the Switch firmware with update 10.0.0, which went public in April 2020. The only real explanation I can suggest is that development of the OLED and the actual next-gen Switch got confused at some point, birthing the Switch Pro rumour.

Rockstar has given Red Dead Online players a glimpse of what is to come in next week's Blood Money update.

In a new trailer, below, fans are introduced to Guido Martelli in Saint Denis, and can expect to receive new clothing, passes, and robberies when the Blood Money update launches on 13th July.

Blood Money offers a new type of work known as Crimes. This ranges from cloak and dagger coach holdups to multi-stage robberies including kidnapping and brutal debt collections. You can play Crimes either by yourself or with a full team alongside you.

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Summer is heating up in Appalachia, it sounds. There's the radiation, as usual, but today also brings Fallout 76's tense finale to the Brotherhood of Steel storyline that kicked off last year. The Steel Reign update brings new quests and locations to cap off the Brotherhood story, along with a new scoreboard season, legendary crafting, and legendary power armor. Here's what's new in Appalachia with today's update.

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MegaHouse is still working on its GALS Series Bleach Orihime Inoue figure, and it shared the painted prototype at its MegaHobby Plus site.

The post Here’s How the GALS Series Bleach Orihime Inoue Figure Looks appeared first on Siliconera.

There's another Tempest Trials+ challenge in Fire Emblem Heroes, and this one stars Book II's Fjorm and continues her story.

The post Fire Emblem Heroes Fjorm Returns in Ice & Flame 1 Tempest Trials+ appeared first on Siliconera.

Studio Trigger made another animated opening for a video game, and this time it's for the upcoming rogue-lite Metallic Child.

The post Watch the Studio Trigger Metallic Child Animated Opening appeared first on Siliconera.

A Nendoroid of the Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho will join the Demon Slayer lineup, with pre-orders for her opening this week.

The post Demon Slayer Shinobu Kocho Nendoroid Pre-orders Open This Week appeared first on Siliconera.

Brian Cox, Jessica Henwick, and Stephen Root are among the stars in the show’s English cast

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X-Men #1 brings the hated and feared mutant team back to world-defending basics

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