August 2021

It doesn’t take much to convince me to check out a new JRPG. I love the genre, even if I can be picky about what I play at times. But show me a JRPG with a light watercolor palette and pretty hand-drawn art, and I’m sold. Bonus points if you tell me that it’s being worked on by members of the teams that made Final Fantasy, NieR: Automata, and Bravely Default. That’s exactly what Astria Ascending is, but during my time with the preview build, I couldn’t help but feel like the game was buckling under its own weight.

Right off the bat, Astria Ascending makes a hell of an impression. I was immediately drawn into its very aesthetically pleasing world, thanks to the gorgeous line art and detailed environments. It looks way too similar to VanillaWare’s own distinct art style to be considered truly unique, but hey, having your game look like a VanillaWare game isn’t a bad thing at all.

The voice acting does leave a bit to be desired, but the character designs are simply beautiful, and the story setup is intriguing, too. Your party is made up of eight Demigods who have been chosen to protect and save the world before inevitably marching off to their deaths once their three months are up. It’s a grim setup, but one that’s immediately interesting as it sparks up all sorts of discussion about how much these characters value their lives against the safety of the world.

It’s a great premise and the game looks pretty, but unfortunately that’s about all the praise I can give to Astria Ascending. Past that strong first impression, I quickly found myself getting a little overwhelmed with everything the game started throwing at me.

Metroid Dread is just around the corner with a release set for October, and to celebrate its impending launch, Nintendo just dropped a brand new trailer to enjoy. The latest video dives a little deeper into the various enemies that Samus Aran will face, those that aim to come out of the shadows of the planet of ZDR to cause some serious chaos. 

The latest trailer, seen below, shows off more of Samus' moves while taking down familiar enemies and new foes alike while also showing off her "ability amnesia." According to Nintendo's recollection, Samus has been defeated by "a mysterious opponent," and because of that, she has lost all of her abilities that we've become familiar with through the years. Luckily, she managed to escape death, but Metroid Dread will explore exactly how that happened and why she was left behind.

The large figure she faces off against in the above video is a Chozo, a race known for its intelligence and technological advancement. With a goal towards achieving galactic peace, the Chozo eventually splintered off, scattering into the galaxy, becoming a rare species to be seen. While largely a peaceful people, this culture still has its own "Chozo warriors," and from the moves seen above? They are not to be messed with.

While we do have some more time to wait before getting our hands on Bethesda's upcoming space RPG, the studio did reveal three new Starfield videos for fans to enjoy. The three latest developer updates share more details about new locations that players will be able to explore.

The latest inside looks at Starfield are pretty short in nature, but it is interesting to see some of the vision that the team has for space exploration. While not gameplay, the concept art shared is intriguing and has us interested in seeing where this game will take us for a new adventure. 

First, we have New Atlantis, seen in the video below: 

Then we have a location called Neon: 

And finally, Akila: 

We had a chance to look at around fifteen minutes of new Elden Ring footage yesterday and also, to ask a few brief questions to From Software’s Yasuhiro Kitao. Of course, one of the questions absolutely had to be – is the Moonlight Greatsword in the game? The glowy, laser-tinged greatsword has been a staple in From Software’s titles since King’s Field, sort of like a mascot weapon, and was noticeably absent in Sekiro.

No More Heroes fans got some bittersweet news today.

With the release of No More Heroes 3 today, which got a Eurogamer Recommended badge and an overwhelmingly positive review, its creator, Goichi Suda, announced the game will be the last in the series.

"As hinted at with the 'Final' thing, Travis Touchdown will finally be coming to the end of his final battle, and will be embarking on a much-deserved, long journey. Join him as he goes absolutely buck wild in the Garden - no, Cosmos of Madness!" Suda shared in a statement.

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Saints Row was one of the biggest reveals in this week's Gamescom Opening Night Live stream, though its CGI introduction did not land perfectly for some fans of the franchise.

Quickly, then, developer Volition has revealed a longer, more in-depth look at the game's Santo Ileso setting via our first proper peek at in-game footage.

Santo Ileso's south-western US setting is a departure for the series - though Volition developers here make the case that it will still be "strange". Next, its cast of four main characters who become friends - the Boss (that's you), Eli the investor, Nina the gearhead and Kevin, a shirtless wannabe TV chef.

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It’s in the basement and I bet some of you would never see it As I was talking about my...

The post Don’t forget to visit the easily missed No More Heroes 3 upgrade station appeared first on Destructoid.

Gather love, level up A year ago today, I published a joint review between myself and Zoey Handley for Moon,...

The post Quirky anti-RPG Moon: Remix RPG Adventure is jumping to Steam soon appeared first on Destructoid.

What in the Chozo? So we already knew that the Chozo would tie in heavily with the events of Metroid Dread,...

The post The new Metroid Dread update has some pretty big lore implications appeared first on Destructoid.

Want to learn how to create the best build for Diona in Genshin Impact? Cryo Bow-wielding cat person Diona was one of the first new heroes added in Genshin Impact's regular content updates. Though she appears cute and fluffy, she's actually very standoffish, and her sweet aesthetic likely has something to do with her job as a bartender at the Cat's Tail in Mondstadt — which she hates, incidentally, as a committed teetotaller.

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Want to learn how to create the best build for Xinyan in Genshin Impact? Rock-and-roll musician and Pyro Claymore wielder Xinyan is at her happiest when she's performing to a huge audience. Appropriately enough, she does well in your Genshin Impact party as a DPS character, dealing area-of-effect damage to a crowd of enemies with every attack. She's also possessed of good shielding capabilities, meaning that she's versatile enough to play a support role as well... if she can handle stepping out of the limelight, that is. Read on for everything you need to know about putting together the best possible build for Xinyan.

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Oh right okay, just a tonne of Elden Ring hands-off previews arriving at once is it? Cool, just give me a moment to compose myself. Gah, that's not happening. Anyway, yes, while I continue to digest all this new information that's just come out, one thing that particularly stood out to me is that the game's summons won't actually make Elden Ring any easier, according to IGN, which is a marked departure from previous Souls games. Brilliant, that's me done for then.

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"SNIKS!"

That's not-

"SNIKS!"

No really, what are we going to-

"SNIKS! SNIKS! SNIKS! SNIKS!"

FINE I'LL DO SNIKS, BRAIN. God I hate you.

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It's been ages, TFI friends! I'm sorry. There's been a lot on. But today I am pleased because this week has seen some absolute banger games released into the wild. Aside from what I've gathered into a little ball here, I'm excited to try Mosaic Chronicles over the weekend, am stoked about the existence of Strange Horticulture.

But this column isn't about games that I haven't played! It's about those I have, and this week the ones I've got for you are proper fun. They're all chilled puzzle games, I suppose, although the form of their puzzles are very different. But they're also all about art (kinda; you'll need to trust me on the third one) and emotions, and are perfect for a bank holiday weekend.

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During Geoff's Gamescom MegaMix earlier this week, we got another extended peek at Death Stranding's upcoming Director's Cut, which adds loads of new features, modes, story missions and ways to transport your cargo to Kojima's esoteric postal hiking sim. Personally, I couldn't care less about the bum-warming jet pack or the mountain-scaling catapult. Instead, I'm ALL about Sam's Buddy Bot, and I 100% plan to use its strong, muscly robot calves to carry me all the way across America when I inevitably end up playing it all over again. Watch out, BB Boys. I think we might have a BBBB Boys road trip on our hands, too.

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Developers Beeswax Games clearly took inspiration from WarioWare's kooky micro-games and asked, "What if we made it spookier?" And thus, Spookware was born! Or rather died, depending on which way you look at it. Either way, it promises a horrifying roadtrip filled with tiny, off-the-wall micro-games and I'm absolutely shotgunning the front seat.

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Keeping your PC clean isn’t just for vanity’s sake; our rigs’ fans love to suck in dust that, with time, can clog up filters and coat components. Besides being a bit tragic to look at, this can interfere with airflow and thus make your PC run hotter and louder, rather defeating the point of fans in the first place.

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Looking to create a viable Holger-26 loadout to use in Warzone? The Holger-26 LMG is a particularly cool looking weapon to use in Warzone due to its modern profile and aggressive styling. It packs a 100 round magazine, a decent rate of fire, and nearly the lowest LMG ADS and reload times. Snap on the right attachments, and you'll have a weapon that deals great mid-range damage in addition to limited long-range capabilities.

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The CD will contain a full recording of the online concert held exclusively in Japan.

The post Trials of Mana 25th Anniversary Concert CD Will Appear in November appeared first on Siliconera.

Suda51 released a statement following the No More Heroes 3 launch sharing what its title almost was, thanking players, and saying "goodbye" to Travis.

The post Suda51 No More Heroes 3 Statement Says Goodbye to Travis appeared first on Siliconera.

Shoka's figure will also come with speech bubbles, just like Rindo and Minamimoto.

The post NEO TWEWY Shoka Bring Arts Figure Will Arrive in April 2022 appeared first on Siliconera.

The Elysia Miss Pink Elf Battlesuit is on the way to Honkai Impact 3rd, and a new video shows off gameplay and how it was designed.

The post Honkai Impact 3rd Miss Pink Elf Battlesuit Trailer Shared appeared first on Siliconera.

Compile Heart released a new trailer of Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars, known as “Senran Nin Nin Ninja Taisen Neptunia: Shojo-Tachi no Kyoen” in Japan.

This trailer focuses on showing what Compile Heart calls “ADV Scenes,” which basically are visual novel-style narration and dialogue.

You can watch it below.

Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars is a crossover between the Hyperdimension Neptunia series and Senran Kagura, finally bringing the latter back to consoles.

It’s coming for PS4, developed by Tamsoft and published by Compile Heart. The Japanese release is on Sept. 16, 2021, while the west will get it at some point this year, courtesy of Idea Factory international. Here’s how the publisher describes it.

Gamninjustri – a place where all manner of ninjas gather.​ As the struggle for control increased between the Daimyos of the nations, tensions rose between the two great nations, each of which was home to one of the major schools of martial arts.​

If you’re a Star Wars fan, then you’ve no doubt seen the shocking ending to season 2 of Mandalorian, which saw a de-aged version of Mark Hammil’s Luke Skywalker appearing. It was an amazing scene that no one saw coming, including the cast of the show.

During the most recent episode of the Disney+ docuseries Star Wars: The Mandalorian, executive producer Dave Filoni revealed that he inserted several digital and script decoys to throw the cast of the trail that the legendary Star Wars character would be appearing. Instead of Skywalker, the Jedi that everyone thought was appearing was actually the Kel Dor known as Plo Koon.

Koon has a rich history with the Star Wars franchise, playing a prominent role in the Star Wars: Clone Wars franchise, as well as having a minor part in the prequel trilogy. Filoni explains that he ended up picking this Jedi to trick the cast because he is actually his favorite Jedi.

You can check out what the digital replacements featuring Plo Koon looked like in the form of concept art down below.

PlayStation has just dropped a brand-new sizzle reel-type trailer to get fans excited for all of its upcoming games. The video shows off past and future titles that have made a huge impact on both PS4 and PS5.

Plenty of words appear on-screen as games flash by and they’re all describing emotions or feelings that players have likely had when sitting down to experience these games. Words like wonder, friendship, adrenaline, desire, and even sadness are used to describe PlayStation’s catalog here.

Already released games like Returnal, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Resident Evil Village all show up alongside upcoming releases like Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West, and Deathloop.

You can check out all of the PlayStation games in the fast-paced trailer for yourself below:

Our Game of the Year list of contenders for 2020 here at Twinfinite contained several PlayStation exclusives, so we know exactly what kinds of emotions that this sizzle reel is trying to convey. The Last of Us Part II ended up winning, but games like Ghost of Tsushima and Final Fantasy VII Remake came very close.

Today D3 Publisher hosted a livestream to reveal new gameplay of the upcoming Earth Defense Force 6.

We get to see two different situations, starting with a battle in the underground part of our base invaded by the aliens, following by one back on the surface, with an ominous crimson sky above us.

That is likely a sign of the aliens remodeling the Earth’s atmosphere to suit their needs, which is a rather dire situation.

You can check out all the gameplay below.

At the moment, no western release has been announced for Earth Defense Force 6, but D3 Publisher has been doing a good job at localizing its games, so there is certainly hope.

Today Square Enix is celebrating the 8th anniversary of the rebirth of Final Fantasy XIV with the release of A Realm Reborn.

To celebrate, the publisher released a video starring former Great British Bake Off star Kim-Joy and her majestic themed birthday cake.

You can watch it below.

Eight years ago, on August 27, 2013, Square Enix released A Realm Reborn, kickstarting the meteoric rise that resulted in Final Fantasy XIV becoming one of the most successful MMORPGs of all time.

Said rebirth happened after the original release of Final Fantasy XIV in September 2010 was met with widespread criticism, causing many to consider it an irredeemable failure.

Yet, the team led by Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida managed to turn the ship around against all odds and to relaunch the game successfully, resulting in one of the most uplifting stories of redemption in the gaming industry.

Starting today, players can celebrate that story with the traditional in-game seasonal event The Rising, which tends to have a special meaning for many veterans. I have a feeling I’m going to shed a tear or ten when I try it out tonight. I always do.

The reveal of a new Saints Row game during Opening Night Live has been one of Gamescom 2021’s biggest announcements so far, and today we get an even more detailed look at its all-new location, Santo Ileso.

Today’s trailer features supporting commentary from several of the game’s key developers as they explained the creative processes behind the decision to reboot the Saints Row franchise and create its new sandbox, Santo Ileso, which is described as the largest and most ambitious ever seen in the series. There’s also some additional context provided in regards to the game’s central characters, including both its protagonists, the Saints themselves, and the antagonists, such as the nefarious Marshall Corporation.

Most importantly, unlike the majority of the CGI trailer shown during Opening Night Live, there’s plenty of new gameplay footage here to give you a better flavor of how Saints Row is likely to play. From what we can see here, it looks like a cross between Saints Row the Third and Grand Theft Auto V, which definitely has us interested!

For more information on Saints Row and a rundown of its key features, head over to the game’s official website.

What happens when you combine the antics of the characters of Hyrule in Breath of the Wild with that of the court room drama of Ace Attorney? You get a hilarious collision of franchises that makes for an amazing animation.

Reddit user theDuckPancake has been drawing and animating Breath of the Wild every day for almost a year in anticipation for the sequel, with each comic featuring funny conversations between (intentionally) poorly drawn characters. You can see their wonderful creation below.

The first Dying Light is on its way to Switch by way of a new Platinum Edition. The shiny moniker signifies this as the definitive edition of the 2015 zombie open-world game. The best part about the move to Switch; you can now play those scary night missions outside in broad daylight.

Techland announced the port during their Gamescom developer video blog for Dying Light 2. The team describes Platinum Edition as “the most content-packed edition we have ever released”, featuring over 100 hours of gameplay to enjoy alone or in co-op. Though not explicitly stated, one would assume that the title contains every content update and expansion, such as The Following and Hellraid. If so, that’s a whole lot of game on one cartridge. Techland promises to go into details about the port in the near future, so it hopefully won’t be too long before know for sure. 

For fans of owning physical carts, Techland sweetens the deal with a package full of goodies. The boxed version of Platinum Edition includes the base game as well as a survival guide filled with tips and tricks, a two-sided map of Harran, and stickers. Who doesn’t want stickers? 

Exposition is the latest Phasmophobia update, bringing with it a substantial amount of new content for players to enjoy and for me to be terrified by. Not only is the gear in-game getting some much-needed upgrades, but there are new ghosts to scare the pants off of us, as well. 

What's new in Phasmophobia? 

Let's get started with one aspect that has never failed to frustrate me: sprinting. By that, I mean in the beginning, you couldn't do it. Technically, you "could," but realistically? There was no change in pace. Then that slowly got a little better, but now players can sprint for three seconds with an increased speed at a five-second recharge rate. Walking speed has also changed, now at the same pace as the "old sprinting."

Two new ghosts have also been added with the Myling and the Goryo, which means new equipment is needed to ensure you survive the hunt. With the DOTS Projector, it will be a little bit easier to discover evidence when trying to narrow down which type of nasty is hunting you, though be careful. The new update also makes it to where if you have electronic equipment on hand, the ghostie will know exacly where you are. 

American Truck Simulator is finally ready roll out to a brand-new destination, with its long-awaited Wyoming expansion now confirmed for release on 7th September.

Wyoming is the eighth state to be added to American Truck Simulator since its launch in 2016 - following developer SCS' increasingly lavish recreations of Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, and Colorado - and opens up myriad new routes for long-distance haulers and landscape fetishists to enjoy.

Wyoming will link up American Truck Simulator's previous Colorado, Idaho, and Utah expansions for more convenient cross-country trucking, just leaving a Montana-shaped gap at the very top of the game's map. That may time some time to fill, however; SCS' next destination is to the east, with the developer having previously confirmed it's already hard at work capturing the vast sprawl of Texas for its next expansion as it slowly ticks off all 50 states.

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