March 2022

I appreciate a good single-serving game idea, and The One Who Pulls Out The Sword Will Be Crowned King is one. Its challenge is simple: pull a sword out of a stone by left-click grabbing it and pulling your mouse upwards. Its catch is devious: with each new player crowned king, the sword gets longer and heavier. Do you have the perseverence to be royal? It's free to find out.

Read more

I've got at least two jobs - three if you count parenting, four if you count eating as many salted cameral brownies as I can - but I still love games about jobs. That's what the latest Steam sale is about. The SimFest: Hobby Edition sale features "games that attempt to simulate a hobby or job", whether that's running a zoo, driving a truck, or making magic potions.

Read more

Hi, yes, it’s me again, one of the 14 people on Earth who enjoy playing Battlefield 2042. As I enter my sixth month of playing the game, and as I approach the game’s level cap, I’ve found my attention of late turning towards the finer details of the game’s maps, and which ones I prefer playing.

Read more...

War Thunder is a multiplayer combat game on PC and consoles that lets players take control of tanks, ships and aircraft from various time periods and just go at it. And like many other games of this type—World of Tanks and Warships in particular—the in-game chat experience can sometimes be dreadful.

Read more...

UPDATE 31/3/22: Following the actually quite exciting discovery of raytracing support in the latest Minecraft Preview build on Xbox, Microsoft has admitted the feature was "inadvertently included" and that players shouldn't expect to see it on consoles in the "near future".

"The previous Minecraft Preview build available to Xbox Insiders inadvertently included prototype code for raytracing support on Xbox consoles," Microsoft said in a message posted to the official Minecraft Twitter account.

Read more

Today Bandai Namco Entertainment announced a new update for its popular JRPG Scarlet Nexus.

The update, which is numbered 1.08, brings crossover accessories and items from Tales of Arise and a “very easy” difficulty for beginners and those who simply want to enjoy the story.

We also learn that a new “story demo” is coming.

You can check the trailer out below.

Scarlet Nexus is available for PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. You can read our review  and, if you’re unfamiliar with the game, here’s how Bandai Namco describes it officially.

“In the far distant future, a psionic hormone has been discovered in the human brain, granting people extra-sensory powers and changing the world as we know it.

As humanity enters this new era, deranged mutants known as Others begin to descend from the sky with a hunger for human brains. Impervious to conventional weapons, those with acute extra-sensory abilities, known as psychics, are our only chance to fight the onslaught from above and preserve humanity.

The past few years have seen some startling revelations come out of big gaming companies, centered around toxic workplace culture and other major issues that have no place in the office. The likes of Riot Games and Activision Blizzard are prominent examples, and there has been a settlement reached in regards to the latter and the sexual harassment lawsuit that was brought against the company.

As reported by Kotaku, U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer has approved an $18 million relief settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). However, this conclusion is not exactly what those suing are looking for, especially as it might not result in meaningful change in the culture of Activision Blizzard.

While gamers can get their One Piece with the upcoming launch of One Piece Odyssey later in the year, those who prefer to watch the action unfold on-screen have other options. The anime is still ongoing, the Episode of Alabasta movie is out on Netflix, and there is also the upcoming live-action series from the same streaming platform. It is the latter that has more news, as the Netflix live-action One Piece series has cast its Fullbody, with actor Jean Henry taking up the role.

This latest development comes via a now-deleted Instagram post from the young actor, which was captured on Twitter by the One Piece Live Action News account.

Louis Laurent is an artist at Framestore, a studio that has worked on movies like No Time To Die, the upcoming Dr Strange sequel and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Read more...

When Sonic the Hedgehog 2 launched on Sega Genesis in 1992, it took the foundation laid with the Blue Blur's debut entry and expanded it in myriad ways. In the 16-bit sequel, Sonic had new moves and a two-tailed fox friend to aid him, but with those upgrades came more significant threats from the evil Dr. Robotnik. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on Genesis was immediately regarded as a definite upgrade over the already strong first entry in the series. Similarly, Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie expands the universe established by its predecessor and delivers a better overall film thanks to bigger action setpieces, laugh-out-loud gags, and some terrific fanservice moments.

Warning: While I try to remain as spoiler-free as possible, some aspects of the narrative and characters are mentioned throughout this article.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 carries the unenviable task of following up a movie that was, by most accounts, a surprise hit. The first film succeeds by being a fun, family-friendly video game adaptation that tells a heart-filled story while paying homage to the character of Sonic the Hedgehog. While Sonic the Hedgehog's unexpected positive reception could have put its sequel in a difficult spot since it comes in with higher expectations, the Jeff Fowler-directed Sonic the Hedgehog 2 clears the higher bar, delivering a better movie in nearly every way.

Today Atlus released another trailer of its upcoming JRPG Soul Hackers 2, revealing another demon that will appear in the game.

This time around it’s about Leanan Sidhe, which has been around pretty much forever since she debuted in Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, which is the predecessor of the original Soul Hackers.

As usual, we also get the daily horoscope, with Gemini at the top of the fortune ranking, while Sagittarius languishes at the bottom.

You can watch the trailer below.

Soul Hackers 2 releases for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (Steam and Windows Store) on August 26, just one day after the Japanese launch on August 25.

Over the past few years, Bandai Namco started supporting some of its games for a really long time, and apparently Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is no exception

Over a year and a half after the game’s release, a new DLC has been announced, bringing new story content.

First of all, we’re getting a new Episode New hero, this time focusing on Hirado Middle School, prompting the player to interact with well-known characters like Hiroshi Jito and Mitsuru Sano.

This episode will be free and it’ll be made available today with an update that will also bring a new gameplay mode.

On top of that, a paid DLC titled “Episode Rising Stars” will be released on March 31. It’ll include three characters letting you play through their story and form your dream team.

The three characters included are Taro Misaki, Hikaru Matsuyama, and Karl Heinz Schneider.

Even more exciting is the fact that more DLCs are planned, with 6 more protagonists incoming.

You can watch the trailers below, which appear to be leaked early by the Taiwanese arm of Bandai Namco.

It’s no secret that trying to buy a house or a plot of land in Final Fantasy XIV has always been a bit of a headache, and that’s a major understatement. With FFXIV finally getting a new housing district in Ishgard, you can expect there to be a mad rush for those new housing plots once the update goes live as well.

Square Enix is aiming to alleviate some of those issues with the new housing lottery system, however, which should give all players a much fairer chance of buying a plot instead of waking up at godforsaken hours to try to beat the queue and dash to a plot.

The company has since offered up more details regarding how the housing lottery system will actually work. The system operates around a nine-day cycle, where players will have five days to submit their lottery entries via a placard next to a plot, and the results of the lottery will be revealed over the next four days.

In order to enter the lottery, you’ll need to pay 3 million Gil upfront. You’ll also need to have a class at level 50 or above, and have the rank of Second Lieutenant or above in any of the Grand Companies. For Free Company reps, your FC must be rank 6 or above, have at least four members, and you must have been in the FC for at least 30 days.

If you don’t get in via the lottery, you’ll receive a full refund of your 3 million Gil, and you have 90 days to do so. You can read up on the finer details of FFXIV’s lottery system and sale of land in the blog post here.

Final Fantasy XIV is now available on PC and PS5.

Today Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse released version 2.6 of its popular online RPG Genshin Impact and released a new trailer to celebrate.

The trailer focuses on the new character Kamisato Ayato, and unlike the previous two trailers, this one focuses on his gameplay, showing his dignified moves.

You can check it out below.

“Kamisato Ayato’s swordsmanship is a study on the perception of reality. It is difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is perceived, and this often lulls his adversaries into a false sense of security. But this dream of theirs is only an illusion in a mirror of water, shattering at the lightest touch.”

Disney is known for putting out some seriously high quality animated movies, but there are only a select few that really take over the cultural zeitgeist from time to time. Frozen was one of them, but 2021’s Encanto has given it a run for its money.

Encanto isn’t exactly your typical Disney movie with a main antagonist to root against; it’s much more focused on family relationships and dynamics, which makes it feel more unique and distinct as a result. It also has a killer soundtrack, which definitely helps.

If you consider yourself a big fan of the movie, it’s time to put your knowledge to the test. We’ve prepared a short trivia quiz to see just how well you really know the ins and outs of the movie, and how much attention you’ve been paying to the little details.

(Image credit: Disney)

UPDATE 31/3/22: Loop Hero publisher Devolver Digital has responded, confirming it supports Four Quarters encouraging pirating of its game by people affected by economic sanctions.

A statement to PC Gamer reads: "Devolver Digital fully supports Four Quarters as they navigate this incredibly difficult period. We've been communicating consistently with the team to help them wherever possible and were alerted of the statement ahead of time, which we back 100 percent."

Read more

Cursed to Golf is a pretty good game of golf. It's 2D and side-on, so aiming is simplified, and once you've selected your club from a limited range, it's one click for power and then another for the angle and you're off!

But that's not the entirety of it. Really it's just the start. Because in Cursed to Golf you're dead - is it a spoiler to say you die halfway through the tutorial? - and your mission is to play your way out of golfing purgatory.

Read more

miHoYo released a Genshin Impact Collected Miscellany video, which showcases the strengths and skills of Ayato Kamisato. The video breaks down how players can best utilize his skills to create powerful bursts of Hydro attacks. Additionally, it provides a bit of flavor to Ayato's character as it touches on his sub-par cooking skills. Whenever Ayato cooks a "Perfect" dish, there is also the opportunity to obtain a "Suspicious" dish of the same kind.

Through the use of his Elemental Skill, Kyouka, Ayato can shift into the Takimeguri Kanka state, which will allow for him to create a clone of himself made out of Hydro energy. The clone will explode upon close proximity to an enemy or once a certain period of time has passed. This explosion will deal AoE Hydro damage.

Additionally, while in this state Ayato can perform rapid Shunsuiken attacks. This converts all normal attack damage into AoE Hydro damage. Upon hitting an enemy with a Shunsuiken attack, Ayato will receive the Namisen effect, which increases the potency of Shunsuiken attacks based on his current max HP. Players can increase the amount of Namisen stacks by performing Shunsuiken attacks.

If you’ve been jonesing for a creepy horror title to keep you up at night, then Endflame and PM Studios’ first-person horror-adventure game, Ikai, may fit the bill nicely. Released just yesterday on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, the unsettling spook-’em-up has just received a brand new launch trailer.

Feel free to check out said launch footage down below:

As you can see above, Ikai appears to be a pretty horrifying experience inspired by the rich traditions and history of Japanese folklore. While elements of the gameplay will see you slinking in the shadows using stealth techniques, you’ll also be able to implement “mystical kanji” to help protect yourself from the evil nasties that await you.

Rounding out the stealth gameplay are some light puzzle mechanics, exploration, and a disturbing narrative that takes place in a feudal Shinto shrine brimming with supernatural spirits.

For more information, here’s a general overview via an official press release we received recently:

Indie game studio Funomena, best known for working on Wattam and Luna, could close by the end of this month if they don't find investment. This is the same studio that featured in People Make Games' recent investigation into abuses at Funomena, Mountains, and Fullbright.

Read more

In the late 19th century, Nintendo got its start making another type of game: playing cards. The company continues to make cards, and whether it’s the ones from past or today, the decks show off the beauty of Japan.

Read more...

Steam payments to Ukrainian developers have been suspended, though Valve has confirmed this is for technical reasons.

"Due to the current environment, we are unable to send bank payments to Belarus, Russia and Ukraine," reads an email sent by Valve to developers affected two weeks ago.

Read more

The lead writer on Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has claimed her work has been "erased" following a GDC talk by Insomniac lead designer Mark Stuart.

As reported yesterday, Stuart discussed the development of Rivet, including gameplay elements and the character's name.

Read more

miHoYo released a Genshin Impact chibi wallpaper featuring Venti, Paimon, and the Traveler. Similar to the Raiden Shogun chibi wallpaper, the versions of these characters are highly stylized. The Genshin Impact Venti, Paimon, and Traveler chibi wallpaper has the trio hanging out in Mondstadt. Venti and the Traveler are seen holding drinks, whereas Paimon is holding an apple. Behind them is one of the fountains players can find in Mondstadt. The wallpaper is available for mobile devices and desktops. It can be downloaded through the HoYoLAB Japanese website.

You can take a look at the wallpaper below.

[embed]https://twitter.com/Genshin_7/status/1509021347829235718[/embed]

Venti will appear in Genshin Impact once again through a rerun banner. This means that players will have another window of opportunity to obtain the Anemo bard. However, he won't be the only character to receive a rerun banner. Ayaka Kamisato will also appear through a rerun banner sometime in the future. Players can obtain her brother, Ayato Kamisato, through a limited-time banner. This banner appeared through the Genshin Impact Version 2.6 update.

Bandai Namco will soon release a Scarlet Nexus "Story Demo" that allows players to carry save data over into the full game. Players will have the opportunity to play as both protagonist characters in the demo. Additionally, a "Very Easy" difficulty is being added to the game through the version 1.08 update. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

While a previous demo was available for Scarlet Nexus, players could not carry over their progress into the full release of the game. This new story demo will allow for that. Players can play Kasane Randall and Yuito Sumeragi, the dual protagonists of Scarlet Nexus. The demo allows for access to the beginning of the game. This means players will have the opportunity to test out the combat system. They will get to meet a handful of the cast as well.

You can watch the Scarlet Nexus version 1.08 update trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlcAji1jlKs

As mentioned previously, a new difficulty will be added to the game. A "Very Easy" option will be available to select after players have updated their game. Other updates include various bug fixes and the Tales of Arise collaboration content previously reported upon.

The first Intel Arc GPUs are finally here, and they are… for laptops. That might not please anyone hoping for relief from ongoing stock woes in the desktop graphics card market, but the mobile Arc A-Series chips are built for gaming all the same – and the first Arc laptops are launching today. That’s all via the livestreamed launch event that finished mere minutes ago, and that you can find liveblogged below.

Read more

One month after announcing Street Fighter 6, Capcom have waved goodbye to Street Fighter V with a big patch they're caling the 'Definitive Update'. It sets what I guess is the final meta, overhauling balance by tweaking characters and even giving some whole new moves. It also spruces the place up a bit with new graphical filters and music.

Read more

Bill Clinton has been immortalised in Guilty Gear Strive, after remarks against the series made in 1999.

As reported by Gamespot, then President of the United States Bill Clinton gave a speech condemning violence in video games, specifically violent messaging in advertisements.

Read more

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was shared over the scream of a high-revving V10 engine. The summer before I headed into my GCSEs, my work experience took me to the British GP in 1996 where I was lucky enough to shadow the brilliant motorsport journalist David Tremayne who at the time was The Independent's F1 correspondent.

We were standing at the back of a garage watching Martin Brundle's car being fired up, the Jordan liveried in the same thin gold of the B&H cartons I'd started sneakily smoking on the walk back from school. The engine note - a shrill, banshee scream that got louder and louder as it bounced off the concrete walls - was what we games journalists might call visceral, an all-encompassing thing that visibly moved me.

Read more

The Sonic the Hedgehog film series won't follow the chronological order of the games.

Speaking to IGN, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 director Jeff Fowler stated the films will be a melting pot of ideas rather than directly paralleling the game series.

Read more

The Tales of Arise and Scarlet Nexus crossover items are available in each respective game in Japan. This means they should appear worldwide on March 30, 2022 as well. Alongside the addition of cosmetic items and weapons, players will also have access to battle music. For example, Scarlet Nexus players will now have access to the battle music from Tales of Arise, and vice versa. [Thanks, 4Gamer and Gamer!]

The items Scarlet Nexus players can obtain include Alphen's fragmented Iron Mask and the Flaming Sword. Conversely, Tales of Arise players will have access to Yuito’s Myoho Muramasa and a Baki Chan cosmetic item. However, Bandai Namco didn't mentioned the inclusion of battle music until the crossover items appeared.

You can watch the Scarlet Nexus Version 1.08 trailer below to get a look at the collaboration items.

[embed]https://youtu.be/IrGRDnYji1w[/embed]

SuperGroupies revealed "Part 2" of its Berserk model merchandise collection. These SuperGroupies items continue to focus on the characters Guts and Griffith. This time, the Berserk merchandise includes a Guts backpack, a Griffith messenger bag, and two pairs of boots styled after Guts and Griffith, respectively. The new items are available to pre-order through April 17, 2022.

The Berserk Guts backpack uses brown synthetic leather to evoke the style of shoulder strap Guts wears. The backpack includes lots of little references to the character and the series, such as a metal plate that contains the quote, “If you see God, you tell him this… Leave me the hell alone!!!” Side pockets are embossed and studded to replicate Guts' shoulder pads, and an original lining design featuring the Beast of Darkness is hidden threateningly inside the bag. The Guts backpack is 18.11" in height and costs $148.

Meanwhile, the Berserk Griffith messenger bag uses an asymmetric flap and striking colors to evoke Griffith's grace as the Hawk of Light. A golden metal plate contains the quote, “Iʼll not... ...Betray my dream. That is all.” The lining design inside the bag contains the Hill of Swords, representing a tragic sacrifice that occurred. The Griffith messenger bag is 11.81" and makes space for things like a 500 mL bottle and long wallet. The bag costs $148.

Last week, I reported on a data mine suggesting that Fortnite’s ‘No Build’ modes were set to become a permanent feature. Or, at least, a semi-permanent feature in the form of a Limited-Time Mode (LTM). Today, Epic Games doubled down on the removal of the mechanic, officially announcing the no-build modes as Fortnite Zero Build.

Having been the only way to play Fortnite outside of its competitive modes since the beginning of the season on March 20th, it’s become a bit of a divisive topic. Some have thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay change, seeing the removal of the mechanic as the reason they needed to return to the fray, while others feel that it has essentially made Fortnite like any other Battle Royale experience.

To an extent, the latter is right, Fortnite’s big unique selling point (USP) from the offset was the fact players could build towers, ramps, and walkways high in the sky — a mechanic ported over from the ‘Save the World‘ PvE mode the game originally took the form of prior to PUBG’s meteoric rise to fame, which caused Epic to hop into the Battle Royale hype. In reality, though, Fortnite has already evolved way beyond the buildathon BR experience it started out life as.

It only takes a few button presses from the lobby screen to see the way Fortnite has diversified. The ‘Discover’ screen highlights all of the various game modes that are now housed inside it.

Hey, you, you like roguelikelike roleplaying 4X strategy doodads with card-based combat? You interested in a game we said was "An imperfect thing that I can't help but feel affectionate towards"? Of course you do, course you like knobbly weird games. So don't miss your chance to grab a copy of 2019's Thea 2: The Shattering free for keepsies as part of GOG's ongoing Spring Festival. You have two days to nab it.

Read more

Read more...

It feels like just yesterday FromSoftware fans were worried they were going to die before Elden Ring arrived, and now we’re an entire month removed from its launch. In that time, dedicated players have eagerly explored every inch of this massive game, resulting in a lot of great coverage here on Kotaku dot com.

Read more...

Sony exec Jim Ryan believes the future of gaming is in live service games and that subscription services won't reach the levels seen in other media.

Ryan discussed the June launch of Sony's revised PS Plus subscription with GamesIndustry.biz, but believes live service games are more likely to become the dominant model.

Read more

I was a little worried Norco wouldn't be very much fun. The first from independent studio Geography of Robots, it's a dark game, a story about a region's bleak, collapsing future. And on the surface a serious one, too, with all its staid point-and-click vistas and dense blocks of prose. Serious is fine, of course. The seriousness of Norco's first act is exactly the type of thing that wins you features in the New Yorker and inaugural awards at Tribeca. It's just this type of seriousness can occasionally slip into something a bit self-regarding, a bit dour. But beyond Norco's initial, slightly po-faced outer layer is something odd and adventurous. Peevish. Occasionally quite funny. A playful spirit bouncing off its sharply political straight-edge.

Still, it takes some time to draw that out. Norco begins with you telling your own backstory, or if not telling then unearthing it, sorting through dialogue options to fill in blanks, as you will for much of Norco's six-ish hours of narrative. A brief, clever little late-game reference to one of my off-hand choices in this opening had me wondering how much this impacts - I suspect not much, and hope not much either, if only because I'm unnaturally keen to have Hoovered up every little drop of Norco's story.

Read more