July 2021

Madden 22 is right around the corner, and EA Sports is steadily providing more and more details on the game in new trailers and teasers ahead of the game’s release on Aug. 20. The reveal of which players are joining the 99 Club in Madden 22 is a big deal, and today, it’s Jalen Ramsey’s turn to join.

The Los Angeles Rams cornerback hasn’t ever been a part of the 99 Club before, so EA surprised him with a special delivery to his home to let him know that he made it in.

So far, the players in the Madden 22 99 Club include Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Devante Adams, and of course, Jalen Ramsey.

You can check out the video for yourself right here:

If you’re looking to see more of what’s coming in Madden 22, you can also check out the deep dive video that EA Sports released just last month. It details a number of the game’s important features that players can expect to see when the newest Madden installment launches next month.

Set in late 19th century Japan and Britain, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is so far removed from the main series in terms of time period that you’d be forgiven for excluding it from the series’ canon entirely. Along with introducing players to a whole new cast of characters, setting the games in a different time period also gives Capcom the creative leeway to experiment with new ideas and mechanics. And this is where Sherlock Holmes comes in. I mean, Herlock Sholmes.

While he is just a supporting character as Ryunosuke and Susato take the main stage, Herlock Sholmes plays an important part in all of your investigations throughout the course of Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. We often see him portrayed as a master of deduction in various other games and media, and that’s no different here. Except, while he may appear as an infallible galaxy brain-style thinker in other mediums, he’s been knocked down a peg or two in the Ace Attorney universe.

Whenever Herlock and Ryunosuke encounter a witness who’s clearly hiding something, the former immediately launches into a segment he calls the Logic and Reasoning Spectacular. During this comical segment, he flips his cap and snaps his fingers while presenting his theories and observations about said character, and draws conclusions from there.

Today Bandai Namco showcased a lot of gameplay and new screenshots of the upcoming cross-generation JRPG Tales of Arise, presented by brand producer Yusuke Tomizawa himself.

We start by taking a look at the intermission skits that happen during camping, followed by a look at how costumes and accessories will actually appear within skits this time around since they’re rendered in 3D.

Next, we get a good look at fishing and cooking, on top of more battle gameplay featuring Kisara.

Bandai Namco then showcased the Looking for an Owl feature that prompts you to search Hootle’s friends in the world and receive rewards. The last look at gameplay showcases artifacts.

We also get a good look at the costume packs that come with the special editions in new screenshots,

We hear from Tomizawa-san that DLC are also planned (there is also a plan to sell the bonus costumes showcased below separately). The size of the game is comparable with Tales of Berseria. Bandai Namco is also considering whether to provide a demo to the public. More information about that may be revealed at a late date.

You can see all the footage and images below, with the video set at the correct timings. We also get an interview with composer Motoi Sakuraba focusing on the music.

Atlus has released one more video within its series of daily trailers focusing on the over 200+ demons of its upcoming JRPG Shin Megami Tensei V.

The Ascent on PC

December 2020 brought with it one of the biggest disappointments in recent video game history. CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 promised us a futuristic, cyberpunk universe, teeming with things to see and do. Performance problems aside, it somewhat delivered on this vision, but it still left many with a bitter taste in their mouths. Seven months later and the dust has settled, and now it’s the turn of Neon Giant’s The Ascent to try its hand at satiating our cyberpunk cravings.

I’ll note now that, for the vast majority of my time with The Ascent, I played in single-player. The game does allow for co-op multiplayer both with friends and strangers online, but due to low player numbers during the review period, playing online multiplayer proved to be incredibly difficult. As such, the opinions and criticisms shared in this review are largely based on my time exploring Veles solo.

Taking place in the cyberpunk world of Veles, you’re an ‘indentured’ citizen. Essentially a slave to a corporation with little to no rights, you live your life down on the lower levels of this towering, layered world. The more affluent and ‘free’ people live at the top, and both your affluency and social standing are lower the further down you are. Corporations battle it out for control of technological assets across Veles, and it just so happens ‘The Ascent Group’ has recently shutdown for unknown reasons, putting the survival of your district at risk. With your (and many others’) life on the line, you embark on a new mission to find out what caused this sudden downfall.

Today Koei Tecmo officially revealed the western localization of the upcoming Blue Reflection sequel Blue Reflection Tie, titled Blue Reflection: Second Light in English.

We get to take a look at the first English trailer and a large batch of screenshots and artwork. On top of that, Koei Tecmo also announced the release date, which will be on November 9. 2021 for both North America and Europe, just over a couple of weeks after the Japanese one on October 21.

The platforms will be the same, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

You can enjoy the assets below.

“I can’t wait to be an a**hole!” I gleefully thought to myself when Mass Effect Legendary Edition was announced. Bioware’s sci-fi series ranks as arguably my favorite video game trilogy ever; however, I’ve only played through the saga once. I rarely replay games, especially those as beefy as Mass Effect. The larger reason for that, though, is that I consider my single playthrough sacred and the canonical version of the Mass Effect story.

I’m a generally good human being, so I role-played Shepard as if I was in his shoes. I cured the genophage. All of my crewmates survived the suicide run (which I’m still surprised by). I romanced good-girl Tali over that harpy Miranda. If there was an option to talk the Reapers into surrendering peacefully and joining us for a picnic instead, I probably would have chosen it. 

Still, I acknowledge that there’s a wealth of renegade content I’ve never seen, so determining how to approach a return trip was easy. Everything I did before, I’d simply do the hard opposite. Reporters would be punched, friends would perish without a second thought, and somehow, I’d still be the savior of the galaxy despite literally being the worst person. “Excellent,” I said in my best Mr. Burns impersonation. 

The Pokémon Company has just announced a free update for New Pokémon Snap, giving players even more areas to explore and pocket monsters to discover. For those anxious to dive back behind the camera's lens, the new update is slated to arrive on August 3. Here's what you need to know! 

First things first: new stomping grounds. The coming update will add three new areas for Pokémon to explore, all with the continued Night and Day cycles. The first area is called the Secret Side Path, where players will actually shrink inside the NEO-ONE to explore this adventurous location. Since you and the NEO-ONE are smaller, all of the Pokémon in this area will look massive. So massive that you'll be able to hear their footsteps and their breathing for a more immersive exploratory experience. 

The second new location is the Mightywide River, a water source that provides Belusylva Island with the necessary sustenance to thrive, allowing for a new location for Pokémon to trudge through and giving players more snapshot opportunities. 

Who are the 'creators who aren†™t full-time game devs' making popular games and mods for game creation platforms? We explore game discovery by talking to them. ...

SNK Corporation has named former Sega and Zynga Japan president Kenji Matsubara as its new CEO. ...

Ahead of the Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker Nagato (Reanimated) DLC's debut, Bandai Namco shared a trailer showing him off in-game.

The post Here’s How Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker’s Nagato Fights appeared first on Siliconera.

Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster still dares to be different and stands out with its unique mechanics, and now it looks a bit crisper.

The post Review: Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster Still Feels Unique appeared first on Siliconera.

Good Smile Company offered peeks at the Hololive Sakura Miko Nendoroid and Pop Up Parade figure ahead of their Sakura Miko Elite Café debut.

The post See How the Hololive Sakura Miko Nendoroid and Figure Look appeared first on Siliconera.

A free New Pokemon Snap update is on the way in August 2021 that will add new locations and new Pokemon like Psyduck and Rockruff.

The post Free New Pokemon Snap Update Adds New Pokemon and Areas appeared first on Siliconera.

The president of a Yokohama-based wholesaler was arrested for allegedly violating Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act by selling millions of dollars worth of knockoff Demon Slayer merchandise.

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Halo Infinite has been marketed by Microsoft and creators 343 Industries as a return to classic Halo. But that doesn’t mean everything is the same as before. For example, 343 has added a drop weapon button to the game, a series first that will help anyone who needs to give their buddy a power weapon, among other…

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It’s been three months since New Pokémon Snap came along to brighten up our Switches, meaning there’s a fair chance you’ve explored far and wide, and perhaps even snapped ‘em all. So good news: a free update is arriving August 3, adding in three new areas, and 20 new Pokémon.

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Chinese developer 24 Entertainment has announced it will bring Nakara: Bladepoint to consoles "soon".

Exactly which consoles, 24 Entertainment has not said. But we do know Nakara: Bladepoint is coming to PlayStation 5 thanks to a gameplay preview video released by IGN.

Naraka: Bladepoint is a 60-player fantasy action battle royale with a focus on melee combat and grappling hook-powered movement.

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Revealed last year during one of the first Xbox Series console showcases, The Ascent is a stunning testament to the power of Unreal Engine in the hands of smaller studios - and a genuine showcase for what the new wave of consoles can offer. And yet, at the same time, it's also a cross-generation title - and one that works to varying degrees of success of older Xbox One hardware. It might sound strange to put it like this, but The Ascent is mostly decent on the last-gen consoles while at the same time demonstrating in spectacular style just how much of a leap the latest waves of games machines truly are.

The Ascent is a game built primarily by a team of 12 people along with assistance from support studios, but despite the small team, the quality of the experience is impressive, the futuristic cityscapes crammed with detail, backed up by an expert deployment of Unreal Engine 4's post-process pipeline. The game's gorgeous bokeh depth of field and physically-based materials work beautifully with the gorgeous lighting - and there's a pleasing surfeit of particle effects to catch the eye. The game world is made up of numerous extremely large maps populated with a range of NPCs and enemies alike.

The size and scope are remarkably impressive - yes, there are loading screens but they're few and far between. This world is presented primarily from an isometric angle with some occasional camera flourishes in specific sequences. As a result, it almost feels like a living diorama - it harkens back to the old days of pre-rendered isometric PC games, but everything is rendered completely in real-time.

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14 years on, it might say more about me than about games that I automatically want to reference Portal when I play a game like Claire De Lune. It's a bit unfair to compare everything in the first person physics puzzle subgenre to one of the best games ever made as a default.

You have a zappy non-violent gun necessary for navigating a series of platforming challenges. That's... actually where the similarities end. Instead of the increasingly sinister laboratory and wry humour, Claire De Lune crashes you into an alien planet and asks you to reunite with your daughter while periodically getting a flash of sad backstory.

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I grew up in the countryside and thus Cottagecore has always faintly amused me as a concept. My experience was more ThereIsAlwaysASpiderInTheBathcore. You may imagine that you spend your days picking letterbox-red strawberries from your garden, under the heady scent of roses, but in actual fact if you do not get to the strawberries within about 30 seconds of them ripening then they will be eaten by slugs. But I don't want to destroy anyone's dream, and if real-life cottage fantasy doesn't work out then there's always The Sims 4: Cottage Living.

This latest expansion to EA's (already monstrously expanded) life sim allows you to live out the ultimate Cottagecore fantasy. Compliant hens, a Llama to joke with, the ability to commune with wild foxes and birds, and loads of cute wooden furniture. It's probably my favourite expansion in recent memory, maybe because Maxis appear to have embarked on a tactic of taking note of the most popular community mods and then making them. They should have just done that years ago. We'd have had official bunkbeds for ages.

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I know these monthly lists often highlight the 10 games that you should keep an eye on over the next month, but I’ve bumped it up to 12 for August. Because, if you haven’t heard, video games are back, baby!... And they might disappear again at any moment, so please just let me celebrate the fact that there are more than 10 computer games coming out over the next four and a bit weeks.

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The original King's Bounty was a classic RPS game. A sort of janky but inventive tactical mash-up that took Alec Meer (RPS in peace) into a battle inside his own belt for the right to upgrade it. This small glimpse at the upcoming King's Bounty 2, along with Ed’s hands-on preview a few weeks ago, doesn’t really hint at the extreme options the 2008 offering had, but there are moments in there that suggest at alternative routes and game-altering decisions.

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This week The Electronic Wireless Show Podcast is all about the best robots in games, which is another one of those topics we might have done before. But we're doing it again because darn it, robots are cool. Obviously this means we have a short discussion on whether cyborgs count as robots (yes, probably, but not in all circumstances).

As well as what I feel is actually a very productive chat about robots this week, we also talk about Miles Jupp and his thousands of children, Thomas The Tank Engine, and Matthew does a truly stunning Cavern Of Lies themed around Ace Attorney.

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Between its awesome cinematic reveal and a very compelling gameplay trailer last year, South Korean developer Pearl Abyss’s Crimson Desert looks like one of the most promising upcoming MMORPGs in years. Unfortunately, though, we’re going to have to wait a little longer for its release. The studio has explained in a Tweet today that Crimson Desert has been delayed until further notice; no new launch date or window was specified.

The reason for its delay is simply explained as the team deciding it needs to “dedicate more time to adding new ideas for an even deeper, more enriching game.” It states that a new launch date will be disclosed at some point in the future. You can read the full message below.

An important message from the #CrimsonDesert team: pic.twitter.com/pKJPBNyW3P

— Crimson Desert (@CrimsonDesert_) July 29, 2021

While it isn’t likely to take much of the edge off today’s disappointing news, check out the beautiful screenshots of Crimson Desert that were revealed following its gameplay trailer back at The Game Awards last year if you haven’t already. There were also two videos released subsequently that include developer commentary and provide a decent overview of the game, which you can watch here.

If you’ve ever been impressed by the longevity of the visual effects in Star Wars and Jurassic Park, then you can thank renowned VFX artist Phil Tippett, whose work was instrumental in bringing George Lucas’ space opera and Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur drama to life. Now, after 30 years of work, he’s bringing his own dreams to life, revealing a debut trailer for his stop motion animation sci-fi horror feature film, Mad God.

As you can see in the trailer above, the upcoming film features some impressive and terrifying stop motion artwork, depicting plenty of horrific and beautiful scenes. According to an interview with Variety, Mad God was funded in large part by a Kickstarter campaign, has no describable plot, and almost drove Tippett insane.

Despite the lack of info concerning a plot, Tippett did unveil plenty of interesting information, including an explanation into the world of Mad God.

I write for Game Informer.

It’s a simple sentence, but I’m still wrapping my brain around it. Go back a few years and I would have laughed in your face if you had told me, sitting in my cubicle plastered with video game posters, this is where I would be today. Fittingly, it’s a video game that is helping me get used to my new position, the same way it was a video game that helped me start the journey towards it.

Death’s Door came out my first week as an associate editor. It had been on my radar, and everyone playing it in the office seemed so excited that I booted it up the night it came out. Late at night the day it came out. It was probably ill-advised for me, a new employee, to stay up playing video games, but I figured my bosses would understand. I was ready for a door, I was ready for death, but I wasn’t prepared to be confronted by an eerily accurate depiction of my first career.

It's no secret that I have a special place in my heart for the Destiny franchise and that of cosplay, so when those two worlds collided with an impressive Titan cosplay, I didn't need much convincing to share this find with the world. One Destiny 2 cosplayer shared her epic Titan cosplay in a women's group I'm in dedicated to the Bungie game, and the moment I saw it I knew Shaxx would be proud. 

The cosplayer in question is Lauren Moolman, but she goes by Loz_Coz. A self-proclaimed wine lover (my kind of girl!), she debuted her most recent cosplay take with one of my favorite weapons: Outbreak Perfected. From the iconic shield that Titans love to the heftiness of the armor itself, her Destiny cosplay is too incredible not to share: 

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A post shared by Lauren Moolman (@loz_cos)

We’ve been talking about Apex Legends Season 10 and its new character, Seer, since earlier this month. We’ve seen a bevy of trailers that delve into his backstory as a cursed child as well as gameplay footage that shows some of his mystical powers in action. But what can Seer actually do; what is his passive, tactical, and ultimate? Respawn’s latest character-focused trailer finally gave us the answers to these questions. Here is Seer’s kit explained:

Heartseeker (Passive)

Seer is joining a small selection of recon legends that include Bloodhound, Pathfinder, Crypto, and Valkyrie. What separates the newest character from his contemporaries is how effective he emerges as a tracker. While aiming, Seer can actively see and hear the heartbeats of his enemies within a 75m radius. Like Bloodhound’s scan, opponents can be seen through walls and other structures. So be sure to watch your corners as you traverse compounds; Seer could be waiting around the corner with a pre-aimed Mastiff shotgun.

We’re deep into the 25th anniversary of Pokémon and have an entirely new adventure from Game Freak on the horizon with Pokémon Legends: Arceus coming in January of next year. But before that even releases, The Pokémon Company is releasing remakes to the popular DS games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

Today marks the day you can reserve a Playdate, the strange yet cute handheld by Firewatch and Untitled Goose Game publisher, Panic. If the device has garnered both your curiosity and your attention, make sure to have your wallet ready in a couple of hours.

Pre-orders are set to begin at 10:00 am PT on the Playdate’s website. The system costs $179 and includes the handheld, the first batch of 24 downloadable games (delivered weekly), and a USB-C to USB-A cable. You can also reserve the Playdate covering case for $29 or purchase a bundle with both the case and the handheld for $199.

If you can’t be there right when the gates open, don't worry. Panic has already assured customers that it will continue taking pre-orders after today. Those who reserve sooner will get their devices earlier is all. Panic has not yet revealed the Playdate launch date but it’s tentatively scheduled to begin shipping later this year. 

Sony is finally getting ready to let PlayStation 5 owners upgrade their SSD storage, although it seems the SSD requirements themselves will be rather specific. ...

The new SMT V demon digest video looks at Narcissus, one of the "newer" demons in the series, and how he'll look in the JRPG.

The post Narcissus Performs Sexy Dance in His SMT V Video appeared first on Siliconera.

The Gundam Battle Operation 2 3rd anniversary events are running until August 2021 and add Char's Counterattack units and free supply drops.

The post Gundam Battle Operation 2 3rd Anniversary Adds Char’s Counterattack Units appeared first on Siliconera.

Each of the nine members of μ's will receive a costume designed after a Persona.

The post Love Live! School Idol Festival Will Give Persona Costumes To μ’s appeared first on Siliconera.

There are two new Tales of Arise trailers out, and each one looks at what cooking, fishing, and skits will be like in this entry.

The post Tales of Arise Trailers Look at Cooking, Fishing, and Skits appeared first on Siliconera.

Today, in a new post on the PlayStation website, Sony detailed how to expand SSD storage space for the PlayStation 5. The process is, at least to those who don’t have existing experience with this kind of stuff, potentially a head-spinner.

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In a public statement addressed to employees earlier this week, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said the company was reviewing policies and procedures to help promote a more respectful and inclusive workplace. To help accomplish that, the company has retained the services of prestigious law firm WilmerHale, which…

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Developer Asobo Studio's wonderful, rat-infested medieval stealth adventure A Plague Tale: Innocence will be free on the Epic Games Store starting next Thursday, 5th August.

A Plague Tale unfolds in a bleak, but gorgeously wrought, version of 14th century France, and follows the harrowing journey of Amicia and her sickly 5-year-old brother Hugo, the children of a nobleman, after they're forced to flee their home in an attempt to escape the Inquisition.

What follows is a brilliantly engaging single-player adventure - primarily built around simple stealth and dual-character puzzling - that sees players evading ravenous rat hordes, English soldiers, and other perils as they traipse across the desolate, plague-ridden landscape.

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Square Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics' troubled superhero action romp Marvel's Avengers expands next month with the long-awaited arrival of new playable hero Black Panther, coming to PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Stadia on 16th August.

Black Panther is the third new playable hero to be added to the game since its launch last year, and follows the arrival of two distinct Hawkeye incarnations in the form of Kate Bishop and Clint Barton. Just like his predecessors, Black Panther is a free addition to Marvel's Avengers and will be accompanied by his own story campaign.

War for Wakanda, as the campaign is known, focusses on current Black Panther and ruler of Wakanda, King T'Challa. "Blindsided by a betrayal and the resulting tragedy," teases Square Enix, "T'Challa finds it difficult to entrust his duty to anyone else, even his sister Shuri... When arch-villain Klaw's forces threaten Wakanda's safety, T'Challa must take the fight right to them to defend everything and everyone he holds dear."

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