March 2022

As a result of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine and Belarus’ contributions to that effort, CD Projekt Red announced it will no longer sell its own games or any games via its GOG platform in both countries. Its statement noted that it began efforts to halt sales. It also noted its support for Ukraine and its people. As a reminder, CD Projekt Red is a Polish company from Warsaw.

Here is CD Projekt Red’s full statement regarding its game sales for its own and GOG titles in Russia and Belarus.

In light of the Russian military invasion in our neighboring country of Ukraine, until further notice the CD Projekt Group has made the decision to halt all sales of our games to Russia and Belarus. Today, we begin working with our partners to suspend digital sales and cease physical stock deliveries of CD Projekt Group products, as well as all games distributed on the GOG platform, to the territories of Russia and Belarus.

The entire CD Projekt Group stands firm with the people of Ukraine. While we are not a political entity capable of directly influencing state matters, and don’t aspire to be one, we do believe that commercial entities, when united, have the power to inspire global change in the hearts and minds of ordinary people. We know that players in Russia and Belarus, individuals who have nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, will be impacted by this decision, but with this action we wish to further galvanize the global community to speak about what is going on in the heart of Europe.

Microsoft always faced an uphill battle with selling Xbox consoles in Japan. Now, we have more information on just how steep that hill is. According to data shared in the most recent issue of Famitsu, total Xbox sales across all console generations in Japan add up to 2,345,975 units as of February 6, 2022. Most of these sales were for the Xbox 360. [Thanks, VGC.]

Here are total lifetime Xbox console sales across all generations in Japan as of February 6, 2022:

• Xbox – 472,992
• Xbox 360 – 1,616,128
• Xbox One – 114,831
• Xbox Series X|S – 142,024

For reference, more than 5 million units of Nintendo Switch hardware were sold in Japan just in 2021. Even Sony sold more than a million PS5s in Japan since its launch in November 2020. Xbox leaves a significantly smaller cultural footprint by comparison.

Famitsu further revealed the top five highest-selling games on Xbox consoles. Four of them are role-playing games for Xbox 360, but the top spot is reserved for Dead or Alive 3 on the original Xbox. Dead or Alive 3 from Tomonobu Itagaki and Team Ninja sold 271,149 units. That means 57% of all Xbox owners in Japan owned this game.

According to a report from Famitsu, PS4 and PS5 sales of Elden Ring in Japan have topped 278,507 units. It secured both first and second place for most sales for the week of February 12-27, 2022. [Thanks, Famitsu and Nibel!]

However, FromSoftware has yet to release a statement sharing total sales for the game worldwide. Additionally, this report only accounts for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 copies. It does not include sales of Elden Ring on other platforms.

While highly anticipated, Elden Ring did not arrive without its fair share of bugs
Bandai Namco rolled out several patches, which resolved some issues for users. Patch 1.02.2 included a change to save progression on the PlayStation 5. This has made it so Elden Ring will keep someone's progress even when the game is not properly terminated. This move was made to potentially resolve an issue in which users would lose data to crashes that would happen mid-game. Crashes would include the PlayStation 5 console turning itself off.

Patch 1.0.2 was rolled out ahead of the official release of the game. This patch was meant to solve issues regarding frame drops and certain NPC events.

The Ziggurat is an imposing presence in the lakeside hub town of Babylon’s Fall, its broad, horizon-spanning arches giving away nothing about the kind of fantastical beasts and secrets you’ll find inside. Based on the Tower Of Babel, the mythological birthplace of all the world’s languages, it’s perhaps ironic that Square Enix and PlatinumGames’ latest hack and slash started life with its own kind of miscommunication. When it was first unveiled at E3 2018, it looked like PlatinumGames were doubling down on all the good stuff they’d delivered just a year earlier with Nier: Automata, giving us another high-octane, single player action game with a dizzying array of weapons and over the top soundtrack, all wrapped up in an enticing layer of gothic high fantasy as players fight their way skyward.

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Today Idea Factory released a new trailer of the upcoming Nintendo Switch version of Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars.

This time around, the trailer is all about gameplay, so we take a look at the popular heroines from the two franchise and their flashy ninjutsu in action.

On top of the trailer, we also learn that the PC version now has a release date. It’ll launch on May 11.

You can enjoy it below.

The Switch port of Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars will release on April 19 in North America and on April 22 in Europe. If you do not want to wait, a PS4 version is already available.

Below you can read its official description.

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.​

Today TLM Partners announced that it has acquired the next-gen (or perhaps we should say “current-gen” by now) fighting game Coreupt, alongside its development team.

The publisher will support the game’s creator Jesse Wright in materializing his vision on PC and consoles, also bringing to the table its cross-play technology.

On top of this, we also learn that TLM is also developing internally a new game with the working title HyperNova, by Bungie and Rockstar veteran Drew Smith.

The press release included a comment by Coreupt creator Jesse Wright.

“Working alongside TLM Partners ensures that Coreupt will be able to live up to the full vision I’ve been working towards since 2010. Jake and everyone at TLM not only have a ton of experience with all aspects of game development, but they are also awesome collaborators. Coreupt is going to be a much stronger experience with their support.”

We also hear from Jake Hawley, TLM Partners CEO and founder:

“Jesse has laid the groundwork for something truly fantastic with Coreupt. There is a reason fighting fans have responded so strongly to the content the team has shared so far. We couldn’t be more thrilled to work with him and are excited to have Coreupt under the constantly evolving and growing TLM publishing banner.”

Kyiv-based STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl Developer GSC Game World released a poignant video following the invasion of Ukraine.

The video describes the situation within the country and mentions that the game’s development has been understandably set aside as the developer focuses on keeping its staff safe.

That being said, the folks at GSC also promise that development will continue after the war.

You can check it out below and see the full message for yourself.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl was supposed to launch in December 2022 for PC and Xbox. Below you can read an official description.

“S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl is a next-gen sequel to the award-winning PC game franchise developed by GSC Game World, set to deliver a unique action experience of survival in the post-apocalyptic Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Preorder is available on Steam, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store, and Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.”

A new trailer has just been released for this updated and improved version of Death Stranding, and it shows off a number of the new features that are exclusive to the director’s cut of the game. The Death Stranding Director’s Cut is coming to PC on Mar. 30, so this video will help fill PC players in on what they can expect to see. PC owners of the original version of the game can get the Director’s Cut at a discounted price as well.

The trailer goes in-depth on the new ‘facilities’ found in the Director’s Cut. These include a firing range, the Maser Gun, being able to revisit boss battles, new tracks, and an online ranking system to create some worldwide competition.

The firing range allows players to test out weapons and compete for high scores. That includes testing the new Maser Gun that inflicts sustained stun damage to enemies. Also, boss battles can be relayed by visiting your Private Room.

You can check out the three-minute Death Stranding Director’s Cut trailer for yourself below to see how those aforementioned new features look before they come to PC.

There are times when I feel completely directionless playing Elden Ring. I know that I’m supposed to find the next Legacy Dungeon and beat another demi-god boss –wherever they might be–, but on either side of these focused areas, I spend hours waylaid on some tangent out in the open-world. 

This might be after having met a rambling NPC tempting me to pursue something that sounds shiny and interesting; other times, it’s because I find one of those decrepit statues pointing out a nearby dungeon. Often I’ll just settle into grinding a newly discovered area for experience… then I’ll have completely forgotten what I was told by that rambling NPC earlier.

I should be taking notes while playing Elden Ring. I saw people on Twitter suggesting that was a good idea, but I’m lazy and haven’t gotten around to doing it yet. 

So, I find myself eternally half-lost. Out of habit, I go to press the menu button for objectives and quest journals before reminding myself that I’ve played Souls games before, and no such help exists. This is a hardcore, full-fat gaming experience! 

The difference this time, though, is that where Souls games are more or less linear, save for backtracking and shortcuts that cleverly intertwine different areas, Elden Ring is most certainly not. In Bloodborne and Dark Souls III, I was never truly really lost. You just go forward.

There’s not really a forward direction in Elden Ring, and I’m acutely aware that as I’m totally absorbed exploring The Lands Between (read lost), I’m leaving unfinished errands and half-completed quest arcs behind me. It’s bothersome in some respects, as I know I’m missing things along the way, and I’m making mistakes as I go. 

While FromSoftware’s Elden Ring has already been released, Bandai Namco isn’t done promoting it. Today they released a trailer mixing gameplay and live-action.

The trailer stars Ming-Na Wen, whom you may know for her roles as Fennec Shand in recent Star Wars Shows like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, going all the way back to her role as the voice of Mulan in the original cartoon by Disney.

You can check it out below and if you need more specific help, you can also consult our extensive guide wiki.

If you want to know more about the game, you can enjoy our review, alongside the launch trailer.

If you’re unfamiliar with Elden Ring here’s how Bandai Namco describes it.

“The Golden Order has been broken. Rise, Tarnished, and be guided by grace to brandish the power of the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord in the Lands Between.

Platform: PC
Publisher: GSC Game World
Developer: GSC Game World
Release: December 8, 2022
Rating: Mature

GSC Game World, which voiced its support for its home country of Ukraine last week, has put the development of its upcoming shooter, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, on the “sidelines” amidst the ongoing conflict happening in Ukraine. 

After weeks of mounting tensions, Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Ukrainian civilians. GSC Game World, 11 Bit Studios, Bungie, and many other studios have voiced their support for Ukraine. GSC Game World, based in Ukraine, revealed in a new video that Stalker 2 was sidelined to focus on employee safety and support. 

Elden Ring earned the biggest non-FIFA or Call of Duty video game launch in the UK since Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018.

For a more recent comparison, its launch sales figures were 2.5 times greater than those of Horizon Forbidden West's, according to data from GSD (via Gamesindustry.biz).

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There were a lot of exciting games that came out last month. Some of the highlights were three long-awaited titles: Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring, and Total War: Warhammer III. All of these games, however, can have a file size of between 45 and 120GB, so you're going to need plenty of room to add them to your library.

Rather than delete a game from your PC or PS5 to make room, you could use the opportunity to upgrade the amount of storage space your computer or console has. The best way to do this is with an M.2 SSD that you can slot right into your console or computer which will give you more storage and help your games load faster.

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The Game and Watch handhelds were first manufactured by Nintendo between 1980 and 1991 and were really cool, portable pieces of tech back then. 40 years on from the initial release, Nintendo launched a limited run of Game and Watch: Super Mario Bros. that contained full NES versions of Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.

The new Game and Watch is pure nostalgia and a great collectible to sit on any Nintendo fans' shelves or a display in your games room. While Nintendo has stopped making the Mario version, you can still find it on offer at some retailers for a reduced price.

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A free Couples Update adds same-sex partners to Furi developer's RPG Haven.

The game's narrative focuses on the relationship between Yu and Kay as they explore a vibrant, alien world.

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People can now change the sort of relationship they’ll see in game Haven, as a new Couples update is available. This offers the option to switch to same-sex relationships in-game. It is a free update for every platform.

This Haven update means new character designs, some script changes, and additional voice actors appear in the game. When people start playing, they can go with the original Yu and Kay or one of two same-sex couple options that features Yu and a female version of Kay or Kay and a male version of Yu. Lexie Ann Kendrick voices the female version of Kay. Ryan Highley is the male version of Yu.

The Game Bakers Creative Director Emeric Thoa talked about the update on the PlayStation Blog. In it, Thoa noted, “…For technical reasons, we had to keep the same body size, hairstyle, and body shape.” However, the new concept art for both of the characters was shared.

More Kingdom Hearts plush dolls of Sora and Riku are on the way, and the next ones are based on their Kingdom Hearts 2 appearances. Both dolls are dressed in their normal attire. They cost $44.99 each. Pre-orders are open at the official storefront immediately, ahead of their November 2022 debut.

Each of these two dolls will be just over seven inches tall. They aren’t posable and only are available in a seated position. You also can't change their clothing.

Here’s a closer look at the Sora plush doll.
[gallery ids="918711,918712,918713" link="file"]

And this is how the Kingdom Hearts 2 Sora plush doll will look from different angles.
[gallery ids="918714,918715,918716" link="file"]

This is a whole line of stuffed toys from Square Enix. There are various incarnations of the characters already available or on the way. For example, in 2020 the Kingdom Hearts 3 versions of Sora and Kairi showed up. Halloween Town and Christmas Town versions of Sora appeared. All told, these mark the fourth version of Sora and second ones of Riku. Not to mention that you can find ones of Axel, Roxas, Xion, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus as well.

Netflix announced a Netflix Japan Anime event will be held online on March 26-27, 2022. The idea will be to offer people a chance to learn more about ongoing and new series. In each case, people involved with the series appear. For example, voice actors for major characters will show up to talk about their roles. Among the Netflix titles that will appear during this latest series of streams will be JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Tiger & Bunny 2, Spriggan, and Ultraman.

Here’s the full schedule of what will appear and when during the Netflix Japan anime event.

a very special Netflix Japan Anime event is streaming very soon! check out all the info below #ネトフリアニメの宴がはじまる #AnimeJapan
¡Pronto celebraremos un evento anime de Netflix Japan muy especial! Más info abajo pic.twitter.com/jwm9RguSyl

— Netflix Anime (@NetflixAnime) March 3, 2022

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is heading to the Nintendo Switch later in March 2022, but a demo is already available. It gives people a chance to try the open-world Kirby game ahead of launch. To go along with that, there's also a new trailer. The video is a more lengthy look at things people can do and see in the adventure.

Here’s the newest Kirby and the Forgotten Land overview. It begins with a look at his abilities. There are also some peeks at a few bosses. After that, it explains what’s going on. It shows how Kirby ended up pulled into another world via a portal. Once there, he’ll fight enemies and rescue Waddle Dees.

This means that people can test out some of Kirby and the Forgotten Land's new features immediately. The new game announced new abilities for the hero. Among them is Mouthful Mode. When used, Kirby can inhale machines to take advantage of their skills. For example, sucking up a car allows him to drive around. Should he do so with a lightbulb, he'll be able to light up dark areas.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land will launch worldwide on March 25, 2022, and the demo is available in the Nintendo eShop.

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Full disclosure: this episode of the Electronic Wireless Show podcast was initialy going to be called the best menial jobs in games special, but half way through we decided we didn't like the term, and also that it was limiting the scope of the episode, so we changed it to regular jobs. Basically we're talking about when you do normal work in games that isn't hero-slaying-monster type stuff, you know?

A really bumper number of digressions this week, though. The train really gets derailed early as we start talking about Elden Ring, and thus, naturally, what bit of Matthew a king would steal for said king's own body? (The answer is Matthew's nice soft hair). We hear more about Nate's orc/goblin dolls house too, of course, and at certain points in the podcast do manage to drag things back round to talking about the actual topic of the podcast. Plus, Nate has a Cavern Of Lies this week which is themed about, er, Nate.

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Recently, John Cho sat down with The Hollywood reporter to talk about his upcoming book, Troublemaker, an autobiography regarding the trials and triblations of growing up in modern society. Alongside talking about the book, the actor also talked about more recent events, including the cancellation of Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop.

Cho starred as Spike Spiegel in the show, which was an adaptation of the highly beloved anime about a group of bounty hunters set in a mystical, sci-fi future. Unfortunetly, the love of the original show didn’t translate over to Netflix, as critics and fans panned the series, leading to its cancellation oafter just one season.

According to the interview, the cancellation shocked Cho. In the article, he talks about the preperations he took for filming and how bummed he was when he heard it was canceled

“I put a lot of my life into it. I’d gotten injured shooting that show and so I took a year off because of the surgery and devoted myself to rehab, came back and finished the show. It was this huge mountain for me to climb, healing from that injury. I felt good about myself as a result. We also shot the show in New Zealand, so my family moved there. It was just a huge event in my life and it was suddenly over.

It was very shocking and I was bummed. But I was very warmed by the response. I wish I could have contacted everybody and gotten hugs. You can’t do that now, but … I don’t know what this is. I’m mystified a little bit about how you can connect with people that you don’t know doing your work, but I won’t question it. I will value it and treasure it. I’m just really deeply appreciative that anyone would care. It’s stunning to me.”

FromSoftware’s critically acclaimed action-RPG Elden Ring has enjoyed a hugely positive market debut in the UK. According to data supplied to Gamesindustry.biz by GSD, the game is the biggest UK video game launch since Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Its sales are more than double that of Horizon: Forbidden West and is the biggest selling franchise at launch outside of Call of Duty and FIFA since Red Dead Redemption 2.

Gamesindustry.biz notes that GSD data highlights digital downloads accounted for over 68% of Elden Ring’s sales. Xbox and PC were the biggest digital platforms. Almost 85% of Elden Ring sales on Xbox were downloaded, and on PC it was 73%. For PS5 and PS4, the sales were just over 50% digital.

There’s plenty more information in the article which you can pick out here.

We’ve included the GSD UK Physical and Digital top 10 below.

1. Elden Ring
2. Horizon: Forbidden West
3. FIFA 22
4. Grand Theft Auto 5
5. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
6. Horizon: Zero Dawn
7. Call of Duty: Vanguard
8. Assassin’s Creed Valhall
9. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
10. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy: The Definitive Edition

Twinfinite reviewed Elden Ring and was as impressed as the rest of games media, scoring the game an exemplary 5/5 and concluding:

To celebrate the game’s official launch tomorrow, Gran Turismo 7 Polyphony Digital has released the game’s opening movie. The eight-minute-long video is all about the art and beauty of racing and cars, as it goes over the history of everything from the six-cylinder Rolls Royce to the evolution of the Michelin tire.

You can check out the opening video for yourself right down below.

Gran Turismo 7 is available on Mar. 4, 2022, for PS4 and PS5. For more information, you can check out our official review, in which we gave the game a 4/5, describing it as “one of the best PlayStation exclusives of this generation so far.”

Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the first 3D adventure in the main Kirby series, arrives later this month, and today Nintendo has released some trailers and a free playable demo to get us excited about the game.

In the 5-minute overview trailer, we see quite a bit of the story, gameplay, and mechanics we will experience throughout Kirby and the Forgotten Land. The game’s premise is that Kirby enters a portal in the sky, entering a new world where nature has overtaken civilization.

It’s Kirby’s job to explore new places such as ruins, a beach where summer never ends, and more in order to battle the Beast Pack and save all of the Waddle Dees that are in trouble.

The overview trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land shows off several of the copy abilities that Kirby can master. Old ones, such as sword and fire, make a return. New copy abilities, such as drill and ranger, are introduced, and we can see them in action.

The trailer also explains the concept of blueprints which can be used to evolve Kirby’s copy abilities. We can see how they are used to upgrade abilities like fire, which turns into dragon fire, and bomb, which turns into chain bomb.

Next, we get a closer look at “Mouthful Mode,” which is a new mechanic in which Kirby can swallow certain items to transform his body into them to solve puzzles around the world. This will also help uncover secrets.

We see a few more features that we can enjoy in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. For example, the Colosseum will allow us to fight with enemies, a co-op mode will allow us to team up with a friend to defeat the beast pack and play sub games, and Waddle Dee Town will allow us to relax to shop, fish, and play other games.

Today Bandai Namco released a new trailer of the upcoming Nintendo Switch port of the JRPG remaster .hack//G.U. Last Recode.

The trailer is extensive but peculiar, as it basically features a look at the opening sequence of the game, showcasing 16 minutes of cutscenes, this time around from the English version of the game (the Japanese version was released a while ago)

You can watch it below.

.hack//G.U. Last Recode releases on March 11 for Nintendo Switch in North America and Europe. Japan will get it a day earlier, on March 10.

Log back into the .hack//G.U. trilogy and return to “The World,” as Haseo tracks down Tri-Edge in .hack//G.U. Last Recode, now with enhanced graphics, improved gameplay, and brand new modes!
This collection includes all 3 original .hack//G.U. titles, Rebirth, Reminisce, and Redemption, all fully restored and remastered. As well as an all new exclusive 4th Volume: .hack//G.U. Reconnection.

Developer SoClap has issued new patch notes for its popular martial-arts action game Sifu. Update 1.07 adds some minor new content but is mostly focused on bug fixing and general performance improvements. You can find the full patch notes below.

Platform: PlayStation 5
Publisher: PlayStation Studios
Developer: Housemarque
Release: April 30, 2021
Rating: Teen

Ubisoft's troubled The Settlers reboot will no longer launch on 17th March as previously announced, with the publisher having made the decision to postpone its release - for the third time since its announcement in 2018 - following closed beta feedback from the community.

When Ubisoft first revealed it would be revisiting the Settlers' much-loved city-building and real-time strategy formula in a new series instalment, it told fans to expect the title in autumn the following year. As that window approached, however, it announced it was pushing the game into 2020 - but that delay was extended indefinitely as summer 2020 rolled around.

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We now know when the heroines from the Neptunia and Senran Kagura series will meet on a new platform. Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars will come to the PC via Steam on May 11, 2022. The product page is already live. This announcement follows a January and February 2022 closed beta test.

As a reminder, Neptunia x Senran Kagura is set in an entirely alternate reality. The console goddesses like Neptune, Noir, Blanc, and Vert are now Compa ninjas in Heartland. When the game begins, they are feuding with the Honeypa shinobi from Marveland. (That is where the Senran Kagura characters Asuka, Homura, Yumi, and Miyabi are from.) However, when the Steeme Legion invades, they come together to defeat them.

This wasn't the only Neptunia x Senran Kagura news to come up. There's also a new trailer out. It shows how the game runs on the Nintendo Switch. That version of the game will appear a month before the PC debut.

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Platinum Games
Release: March 3, 2022
Rating: Teen

After several years of waiting and a few demos and beta tests, Babylon’s Fall launches today. While pre-release reception has been mixed, we’re taking the game through its paces on Twitch this afternoon at 2 p.m. Central to see how the final product stacks up.