March 2022

Fahmi was born January 29, 1990 and was a much-loved developer in the global indie game scene, as much for his beautifully made games as his warm personality. In addition to making his own games, Fahmi worked on programming and game design for various other games, as well as marketing and PR, giving talks at game events as a representative of the Indonesian game scene, and writing short stories on his website.

Members of the games community across the world have been paying tribute to Fahmi since the news broke:

Square Enix and U-Treasure have teamed up and will release a series of Kingdom Hearts necklaces inspired by Organization XIII. Pre-orders for the necklaces will remain open until April 18, 2022. The necklaces are modeled after the chairs Organization XIII are shown sitting in throughout the course of the series. Consumers will be able to select from a total of four different metals and 13 different engraving options for the jewelry. The Kingdom Hearts Organization XIII necklaces will ship by August 16, 2022. [Thanks, Gamer!]

Of the four different metals for the necklace, silver will cost 19,800 yen ($159), gold and rose gold will cost 110,000 yen ($886), and platinum will cost 121,000 yen ($974). When ordering a necklace, consumers can pick an engraving that will appear on the back of the charm. Each engraving is based on the unique weapons each member of Organization XIII has. These include Axel's chakrams and Roxas' dual keyblades.

You can take a look at the Organization XIII necklaces and the engraving options below.

[gallery link="file" ids="921875,921873,921872,921871,921870,921874"]

miHoYo has revealed two new Genshin Impact characters, which are Yelan and Kuki Shinobu. Yelan will appear as a Hydro character, and Kuki will appear as an Electro character. Yelan is described as a woman shrouded in mystery, who seems to appear at the center of events. She claims to work for the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Kuki Shinobu is the Deputy Leader of the Arataki Gang. Additionally, each character has received a piece of promotional artwork, alongside miHoYo sharing a brief biography for Yelan and Kuki.

You can take a look at the Genshin Impact promotional artwork for Yelan below.

[embed]https://twitter.com/GenshinImpact/status/1508383394849337349[/embed]

You can take a look at the Genshin Impact promotional artwork of Kuki Shinobu below.

[embed]https://twitter.com/GenshinImpact/status/1508390694301356033[/embed]

While these two new characters have been revealed, miHoYo has yet to reveal when they could appear through a limited summon banner. More information regarding this will appear in the future.

Bandai Namco has released a new Gundam Evolution trailer, which gives viewers a glimpse into how Gundam Exia and the Mobile Suit Marasai will play. Both Exia and Marasai will be available to play during the scheduled closed network test for PC. The trailer also details what skills and weapons Gundam Exia and Marasai will have as part of their individual arsenals. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

The Mobile Suit Marasai will have access to the Fedayeen Rifle and will be able to use the Sea Snake (Shock) skill. The video demonstrates how players can use the Fedayeen Rifle to take out targets from a distance. Meanwhile, the Sea Snake (Shock) skill can be thrown across the area to paralyze enemies for a short period of time.

However, Gundam Exia is more melee-focused. The main weapon for Exia will be the GN Beam Dagger, and its special skill is the Trans-Am system. That said, Exia is still capable of throwing projectiles at enemies. Additionally, Exia can dash long distances to attack enemy players with the GN Beam Dagger. Activating the Trans-Am system increases Exia's melee potential and allows for it to move with increased agility.

You can watch the Gundam Evolution Exia and Marasai trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o6P4tCBupk

An Elden Ring player has created a practically unstoppable build in the game. It's basically a mech suit.

Adam Barker, who's made plenty of YouTube videos on the Souls games, shared a video of his build in action.

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I'm going to jerk back the curtain a little bit here, and I hope the devs will forgive me - it'll turn out okay, I promise! You see, since the pandemic happened everyone has discovered you can do hands-on game previews using remote streaming, provided all parties have a decent enough internet connection. It usually works very well, with the added benefit that I don't have to get on a plane anywhere. I had one of these for Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong last week, an upcoming thrillery-puzzley-investigation-RPG set in The World Of Darkness universe (aka all them vampy games), by Big Bad Wolf, who did The Council. For various reasons, however, my preview went terribly. But if it had gone well, I probably wouldn't be as excited for Swansong as I now am.

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The One Piece News: News COO Online stream appeared on March 28, 2022 and went over announcements for the manga, anime, One Piece Film: Red, and the live-action Netflix show. We learned when the next manga volume will appear in Japan. More anime episodes were confirmed for Netflix, as well as Shanks’ live-action actor. As for the movie, a piece of color promotional art showing the new woman debuting in the film appeared.

To start, volume 102 of the One Piece manga has a release date. It will arrive in Japan on April 4, 2022. The cover for it appeared too.

[ONE PIECE NEWS Part 1]
ZORO and SANJI make a big splash in Volume 102!!!
*For the localized manga, please look for an announcement from your local publisher.

Details belowhttps://t.co/lCSQUqsmIz#ONEPIECE #ONEPIECENEWS pic.twitter.com/FSrOiLQGmt

— ONE PIECE スタッフ【公式】/ Official (@Eiichiro_Staff) March 28, 2022

During the One Piece News: News COO Update on March 28, 2022, launch windows and deck details for the One Piece Card Game came up. First, it will show up in Japan in July 2022. After that, it will appear worldwide.

First, there will initially be four starter decks. These are the Straw Hat Crew, Worst Generation, The Seven Warlords of the Sea, and Animal Kingdom Pirates. Each one will feature characters from certain areas and arcs. That is also when the Romance Dawn Booster Packs will appear. Each pack will give people 12 cards. Those will all be in Japan at launch. They’ll appear worldwide in Fall or Winter 2022.

A fifth One Piece Card Game deck also appeared during the presentation. There will be one for One Piece Film: Red. As one might expect, this will include versions of the pirates as they looked in the movie, as well as original characters from it. That has a Winter 2022 release date.

This also meant people could get a closer look at some One Piece Card Game card art. All of them have newly drawn art specific for the game. The three featured new takes on Sabo, Trafalgar D. Water Law, and Roronoa Zoro.

[ONE PIECE NEWS Part 5]

Here're the illustrations of the exciting new ONE PIECE Card Game!

The illustrations in this TCG feature art from the manga, anime, and also other illustrators!

During the March 28, 2022 livestream, a new trailer appeared for the One Piece Odyssey RPG. This is a new game from ILCA and Bandai Namco. It will release on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2022.

The game’s trailer began with the Thousand Sunny sinking. We then see Luffy and his crew on an island. We watch the group explore the island and fight monsters. Smoker also showed up, as well as a new character named Adio. He appears to aid the Straw Hat Pirates in the initial trailer.

Here are a few screenshots from the game.

[ONE PIECE NEWS Part 6]

A brand-new console RPG is coming!!
ONE PIECE ODYSSEY has been announced!

It’s time to dive in the middle of the memories!

The official website will be opened soon so stay tuned for further updates!#ONEPIECE#ONEPIECENEWS pic.twitter.com/26epeAKKNP

— ONE PIECE スタッフ【公式】/ Official (@Eiichiro_Staff) March 28, 2022

Many an "isekai" story features the protagonist going to another world, but relatively few deal with what happens when someone returns from another world. Uncle From Another World (a.k.a. Isekai Ojisan) aims to do just that. Originally a manga created by pseudonymous creator Hotondoshindeiru, Uncle From Another World is getting an anime adaptation, scheduled for a July premiere date in Japan.

The announcement comes courtesy of AnimeJapan 2022, and the official website for the show included a trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZGuf4jqltQ

The trailer doesn't show much besides a conversation between Takafumi and his Uncle (simply called "Uncle"). Seventeen years ago, Uncle fell into a coma after being run over by a truck, but miraculously woke up one morning. Takafumi is assigned to stay with Uncle and help him get back on his feet. Complications arise when Takafumi learns that Uncle was actually transported to a fantastic alternate world during his coma, where he became a powerful hero with magical abilities. The pair decide to use Uncle's magical abilities to help cover their living expenses, while reintroducing him to the life he's missed, like the internet, smartphones, and the outcome of the late '90s console wars.

Bandai Namco has revealed a new NFT service platform titled World of Den-On-Bu. It worked with the blockchain-based content creator company Gaudiy to launch the music-themed NFT platform.

The press release noted that people could retweet specific posts on the @denonbu_world Twitter account for a chance to win serial codes containing the NFTs. People who have obtained the tokens will be able to listen to the Music Crystals on the platform. Bandai Namco will update the NFT platform regularly in the near future. It will add more items with specific values, such as community content and exclusive live performance events.

Bandai Namco's sound entertainment division Asobinotes set up the Den-On-Bu musical character project in 2020. Mika Pikazo designed the characters, and the songs came from many Japanese electronic music composers, such as IOSYS, kz (livetune), and Taku Inoue. Three VTubers from the Nijisanji group voiced characters from Teion International High School in the series' universe. Bandai Namco has also released manga and novel adaptations of the project, in addition to music releases and live performances.

Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Irrational Games
Release: August 29, 2013
Rating: Mature

BioShock Infinite just had its nine-year anniversary on Saturday, having first released on March 26, 2013, and now, fans are noticing something odd about the PC version of the game: it has quietly received 13 updates this month. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: Nacon
Developer: Big Bad Wolf
Release: May 19, 2022

Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong is an upcoming narrative RPG set within the cult tabletop universe and looks to be one of the more promising game releases in 2022. In this episode of New Gameplay Today, join Alex Van Aken alongside Kimberly Wallace and Wesley LeBlanc as they react to some of the wildest vampire mind control they've seen.

Platform: PC
Publisher: Endnight Games
Developer: Endnight Games

Endnight Games has announced that its upcoming survival game, Sons Of The Forest, has been delayed from its original May release window to October. 

This news comes by way of Endnight Games’ own Twitter, where the studio announced that its vision of the game is too ambitious for it to hit its May 2022 release date. The team needs more time to bring its vision to life, and it’s taking an additional five months to do just that. 

Usually, the weekly Digital Foundry blog that top and fails the publication of DF Direct Weekly aims to offer a little more insight on some of the key discussion points - but this week I can only refer you to the piece I've already written concerning CD Projekt RED's transition from its own proprietary engine to Unreal Engine 5 for the next Witcher title. Still, it's a meaty topic that we cover in depth this week, along with Sony's tentative steps in finally embracing new features in the HDMI 2.1 specification - including variable refresh rate (VRR).

VRR is important in that it puts the GPU in your console in control of when the screen refreshes. So, rather than having the game slavishly adhere to, say, a screen's 60Hz refresh in delivering a new frame, the game can decide instead, opening the door to smooth deliver of arbitrary frame-rates - with no screen-tearing. If a game doesn't lock to 60fps, but instead varies between 50-60fps, the chances are you'll barely notice the difference. Even wider frame-rate windows (eg 45-60fps) can also appear buttery smooth, depending on your perception of timing changes. VRR is also key in making 120Hz gaming work well in a world where titles often operate in an 80-120fps window instead. While PS5 performance has generally been very good, recent titles are starting to demand VRR tech: Elden Ring and last week's Ghostwire: Tokyo to name but two.

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Black streamers on Twitch have joined forces with Color Of Change on a campaign demanding #TwitchDoBetter.

Last year marginalised creators on the platform were rocked by a surge of malicious hate raids and the hashtag #TwitchDoBetter was used to criticise Twitch's response. This was followed by the #ADayOffTwitch campaign.

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Elden Ring speedrunner Distortion2 is back on top with the world's first sub-20 minute run.

Distortion2 was responsible for a run under 50 minutes, which he then beat with a run under half an hour. Then last week Hazeblade set a record under 25 minutes.

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New files have been unearthed in Elden Ring which allude to the game once having a bestiary.

The files in questions were found by Twitter user JesterPatches, who wrote: "Looking through [Elden Ring's] files I came across a few icons making me believe that a bestiary was planned at some point."

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If you're in the market for a gaming laptop, there's plenty of choices right now. And if you're looking to upgrade an old device or thinking of taking a leap for the first time, this Acer Nitro 5 bundle is a great deal.

It packs some great specs and even comes with a gaming headset, mouse and mouse mat, all for just £679.99 from Amazon. Its CPU is an 11th gen Intel Core i5, capable of speeding through intense tasks or juggling multiple apps at the same time. It'll also keep up with any high-speed games you're playing, like online shooters, thanks to the fast 144Hz HD display.

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ThinkingStars’ RPG Anno Mutationem has been out for a few days, but the developer is already working on new content.

This was announced with a brief teaser trailer without much in terms of details and a simple “coming soon.”

You can check it out below, while we wait to learn more.

ANNO: Mutationem is available for PS5, PS4, and PC. If you’d like to read more, you can check out our review and a recent trailer.

Here’s some official information about the game in case you’re not familiar with it.

“ANNO: Mutationem is a 2D meets 3D action/adventure game with RPG elements that combines 3D atmospheric cyberpunk cities and underground lairs filled with pixelated 2D characters. Players accompany our main character Ann Flores and her hyper hacker buddy Ayane in search of her brother.

Players switch seamlessly between action and adventure, from 3D exploration to 2D jumpin’, fightin’, and blowing stuff to pieces, all the while upgrading their character and encountering all kinds of friends and bizarre foes.

Even if you haven’t played Elden Ring at this point, there is no doubt you’ve seen at least a few of the countless deaths that the masochists who are enjoying the latest FromSoftware game have been enduring. The craziest thing is that many of the deaths that pop up are one-shot, instant kills that happen to players when fighting some of the game’s crazier bosses.

It’s nuts to see just how many characters in the game can kill you with just one swing or combo, even when at full health. But what happens when the shoe is on the other foot? Despite being out for less than a week, a player has already managed to reach the game’s level cap, and has been one-shotting bosses left and right as result.

As you can see in the video above, well-known Youtuber AshesWolf showed off what boss battles look like when you reach the Max Level of 713, and boy is it ever cathartic. Once troublesome beasts like Grafted Scion and Tree Sentinel took less than two hits, with Margit and Godrick not lasting much longer themselves.

Following the tease from a few days ago, today Bandai Namco released a new trailer of its upcoming Gundam FPS Gundam Evolution.

The trailer focuses on introducing the gameplay of the newly announced mobile suits, GN-001 Gundam Exia from Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and RMS-108 Marasai from Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.

We also learn that they will be playable during the beta that is scheduled to take place on PC starting on April 7.

You can watch the trailer below.

In case you have missed the original reveal and the first gameplay,  Gundam Evolution is a free-to-play first-person shooter for PC (Windows 10 is required) that will let you choose a mecha from the franchise and wreak havoc in 6 vs . 6 battles.

There are three modes, point capture, domination, and destruction, and voice chat is supported.

Today Bandai Namco Entertainment announced “One Piece Odyssey,” a brand new JRPG based on the popular manga and anime franchise.

The game is coming in 2022 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

We get the first trailer and a video interview with producer Katsuaki Tsuzuki.

The concept of the project is an “epic adventure to experience the One Piece world.” Mangaka Eiichiro Oda himself designed the new characters and monsters that will appear in the game.

As a JRPG, it has dungeons, quests, and pretty much all the aspects that you can expect from this kind of game.

You can check out the trailer and the video interview for yourself below.

There comes a point in a Vampire Survivors run when I know my build is good enough to go the distance, because the violence is so intense and colourful that my framerate grinds down into single digits. I like that point. To me, that's the real win; any minutes remaining before the actual end are a victory lap. Alas, this will change. The devs have laid out revised early access plans and, alongside loads of extra wizards and things, they're moving to a new engine with potentially a tenfold increase in performance. Booo?

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Mike Frazzini, the head of Amazon Games, is leaving over a decade after helping found the megacorp's video games division. Hey, it's probably good to go out on a high, having finally found success with New World and Lost Ark after years of failures and cancellations. A prior report claimed he was part of why it took them so long to do anything, mind.

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A new update from FFXIV Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida offered more details about the Data Center Travel system. Namely, it went over how long people can expect it to take. In short, depending on demand, it could take under a minute or over 30 minutes. Yoshida also explained what players can do when visiting another logical data center.

Congestion will influence Data Center Travel speeds in FFXIV. Under ideal conditions, it should take under three minutes. In the best case scenario, it could take under a minute. However, in the Q&A section of Yoshida’s announcement, he did acknowledge it could take longer. He acknowledged that when the game is busy, it could take 30 minutes or longer. He specifically noted people could end up waiting longer after the feature debuts, whenever an update arrives, and when there are special events.

There’s also the official list of what people can do while visiting using the FFXIV Data Center Travel system.

With 6.1 bringing Ishgard Empyreum housing to FFXIV and a lottery system to get homes, Square Enix went over some things people can expect. In addition to going over the wards and looks of the new area, it also confirmed the price reduction system is being removed from the game and explained how people will buy homes going forward.

First, the FFXIV Ishgard Empyreum district will be designed to look like the region. So your homes will fit in with the location’s motif. This only applies to the outside of a home. Folks who completed the Litany of Peace scenario quest and Ascending to Empyreum side quest can head to the area. Once there, they will find 24 main and 24 subdivision wards. That means there will be 48 wards total.

Whenever a new Genshin Impact version arrives, it also means at least one new character wish will appear. When 2.6 shows up on March 30, 2022, both the Ayato Kamisato banner and Venti rerun banner will show up. To go along with that, miHoYo confirmed each banner will feature Yunjin, Xiangling, and Sucrose as their featured four-stars.

Both Sucrose and Xiangling showed up as Genshin Impact launch characters. Sucrose is an Anemo catalyst user, while Xiangling is a Pyro polearm wielder. Yunjin is a fairly recent addition to the cast. She's a Geo polearm user who showed up in December 2021.

As a refresher, Ayato is a new Genshin Impact five-star. He's a Hydro-type swordsman. Venti is a returning five-star archer who first debuted when the game launched on September 28, 2020.

We already know who will arrive after these two character banners disappear. On April 19, 2022, the Ayaka rerun banner will show up. She's a Cryo-type sword user who first appeared in July 2021. That's when the Genshin Impact 2.0 Inazuma update appeared.

Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile devices. A Nintendo Switch version is also in development. The Ayato banner and Venti rerun will arrive on March 30, 2022 and run until April 19, 2022.

When Bandai Namco’s One Piece JRPG was revealed, it was also confirmed series creator Eiichiro Oda would be involved. Now during a follow up interview with Producer Katsuaki Tsuzuki, more details came up. It turns out Oda created the One Piece Odyssey characters and monsters.

This came up in the initial trailer as well. Ahead of One Piece Odyssey’s reveal, a message from Oda came up in which he said he designed its characters “like three years ago.”

Here was Oda’s full statement.

I thought to myself — wasn’t it like 3 years ago when I designed the characters? Hahaha! But when I actualy saw the game… Wow! It felt like I was watching a movie! What incredible immersion!

Tsuzuki also elaborated on how the team wanted to be true to the source material. As such, Oda was consulted. Here is what he had to say about the project.

As I said before, this project’s concept is the “epic adventure to experience the One Piece world. It was necessary to expand the accessible places for players and we wanted to be as true as possible to the original work. So we asked Mr. Oda for his advice and he designed the characters and monsters to vitalize the in-game One Piece world.

Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: From Software
Release: February 25, 2022

Elden Ring is a massive game, both in terms of the actual world and the scale/scope of the action RPG. Having been out for just a month, players are still discovering all kinds of secrets, and something tells us that will continue to happen for months, if not years. 

Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC
Publisher: Nexon
Developer: Eighting, Arc System Works
Release: June 28, 2022

A new trailer for Arc System Works and Eighting's latest fighting game DNF Duel has dropped, once again highlighting the Ghost Blade's combat style, but this time with a new beta announcement attached at the end. 

PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 owners (sorry, PC players) will get to grind out rounds of DNF Duel starting on April 1 at 7 p.m. Pacific and lasting until April 4 at 7 a.m. Pacific. The testing period's roster isn't confirmed, but every character is present in the trailer, just like in the previous beta announcement, leading me to believe all 11 characters will be playable this weekend. 

Platform: Switch
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Release: March 25, 2022
Rating: Everyone 10+

Kirby and the Forgotten Land had a big launch in the U.K. and that’s usually a great sign for a game, as we wait for U.S. numbers (and others) to be released. 

The PS5's internal storage fills up quicker than you might expect. With just 667GB of usable space, those who regularly play their PS5--especially those who play live service games--might find themselves uninstalling games regularly. There's an easy solution to this pesky issue: installing your own internal SSD. Best Buy is currently hosting a clearance and open-box blowout event, and we found our favorite NVMe SSD for favorite NVMe SSD for PS5 on sale for a stellar price. Right now, you can grab the Samsung 980 Pro 1TB for just $115. It's worth noting that this is a certified refurbished model, but it's more than likely just a drive that someone opened before changing their mind.

Warframe is celebrating its ninth anniversary this year, and developer Digital Extremes is marking the milestone by offering up weekly rewards and other special bonuses. The game was initially released on PC in March 2013 before coming to consoles later.

Everyone who simply logs in to Warframe over the next week fives will get free gifts like Dex skins, weapon slots, armor, glyphs, and other content that normally costs money. What's more, Digital Extremes announced that the Warframe merch store is adding new gear like t-shirts and pins, as well as some merch that's exclusive to players who reach Mastery Rank in the game.

As for the free gifts, Digital Extremes is kicking things off by giving all players a free Wisp Dex skin that will show up their in-game inbox. Over the next five weeks, players will get even more content, including the following:

Week 1 Alert Delivered Monday, March 28

• Dex Sybaris + Weapon Slot
• Dex Nouchali Syandana
• Weekend Credit Booster

Week 2 Alert Delivered Monday, April 4