April 2022

If you’ve never heard of My Famicase Exhibition, it means you likely haven’t visited this site in April before, because ever since the exhibit’s debut in 2005 we’ve been covering its annual showcase of incredible cartridge art.

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If you love Danganronpa, Phat made a brand new figure dedicated to Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony available for pre-order.

The figure portrays ultimate pianist Kaede Akamatsu alongside Monokuma. She also comes with a rather nice piano base.

You can reserve her on Good Smile Company’s Japanese and American stores, priced at 26,000 yen and $243.99 respectively.

The release windows are excruciatingly far away, October 2023 for Japan and December 2023 for the US.

The prototype was sculpted by Muta in 1/7 scale. As a result, she’s approximately 240 mm in height.

Below you can check out a gallery of pictures to see what she looks like, and an official description.

Today Koei Tecmo released a new girl in the English versions of the free-to-play PC game Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation.

The new girl is Nanami, who was released in the Japanese version over a year ago (apparently the English versions fell even further behind after the release of Tina). She’s now available both on Steam and Johren.

Nanami is Misaki’s former classmate and She’s voiced by Miyuri Shimabukuro, whom you may know for lending her voice to Lulua in Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland.

As usual, you should not expect to get her immediately (or even in the near future) unless you’re willing to pay. Her gacha will be exclusive to paid V-stones. Even if you are willing to open the wallet, the game’s terrible percentages won’t help you. The usual 1.1% SSR chance is diluted down to 0.78% by a bunch of useless old SSR outfits thrown in the mix to make things unnecessarily difficult.

If you’re interested in the Japanese version, the first part of a new event with sci-fi outfits has been launched, and it will continue next week with different girls.

There’s also a second (paid only) chance at Tina, which suffers from the same abysmal SSR percentages I described above.

You can check out the related trailers below.

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, special guest Joe Juba joins the podcast crew to compete in a video game fantasy draft comprised of the incredible games released in 2017. Heavy hitters like Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Persona 5, and Nier Automata are quickly scooped up, but surprises await as your hosts attempt to craft the best possible roster of game releases. Expect many shenanigans and some twists in this pre-recorded special episode! 

Follow us on Twitter: Alex Stadnik (@Studnik76), Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), John Carson (@John_Carson), Joe Juba (@JoeJuba)

Dorfromantik has been out in Early Access on Steam for a while now, and was excellent even then. But now it is out-out, and like the headline is saying, you should definitely play it.

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Today Atlus released another of its daily trailers for its upcoming JRPG Soul Hackers 2, showing one of its demons.

This time around we take a look at Andras, which has been part of the Shin Megami Tensei series basically since its origins. It also appeared in the latest game of the series, Shin Megami Tensei V.

As usual, the trailer also includes the daily horoscope with a ranking of signs from the luckiest to the unluckiest. Pisces is at the top, while Aquarius is at the bottom of the fortune ranking.

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.

Amazon Game Studios has just pushed out a new update for the New World PTR, allowing players to check out some of the big changes that are coming in May. This is an opportunity for players to see what’s on offer next month, as well as provide feedback to the development team.

The upcoming May update is pretty exciting too, as it finally sees the release of the PvP Arenas. Here’s a quick rundown of what the new Arenas mode will entail:

‘Step into the Arena and test yourself against other combatants! 3v3 Arenas are a new small-scale PvP game mode where teams of 3 can face off for fame, glory, and riches (plus a few unique housing items)!

Each Arena match is a “Best of 5” contest. Fight to be the first team to win 3 rounds and secure the match for your team. Rounds are 2 minutes long, but if the battle lingers, a deadly ring of fire will push players to the center of the arena, forcing combatants to engage or die!

Players level 20 and above can queue for 3v3 Arenas by opening the Modes menu, allowing on-demand PvP gameplay from anywhere in Aeternum. If players need a brief introduction to what the Arena is, they can speak to the fight promoter Maximus Marcellus in Everfall.’

In addition to that, a new PvP Rewards Track has also been introduced. Essentially, players will be able to rack up experience and Azoth Salt as they continue participating in PvP, and these currencies can eventually be turned in for rewards like new achievements and titles.

The latest word about Destiny 2 from Bungie has now arrived, with the new blog post going over some of the less extensive changes compared to the week before. The return of the Guardian Games should make for some fun times, while there will also be details about the Season 17 pool changes that are incoming.

The Guardian Games 2022 will kick off on May 3 and will be free for all players of Destiny 2. However, there are some tweaks to the formula this time around. Players will still earn medallions from completing certain activities and mini-quests called Contender Cards and Platinum Cards, with flexibility being a priority.

Higher-tier medallions will come from activities like raids, dungeons, competitive PvP, and more on the higher difficulties, whereas lower-tier medallions are available from content like Gambit, Vanguard Strikes, and other activities on the standard difficulty level. Gold medals can be earned by completing Contender Cards in easier activities, and Platinum medals drop when Platinum Cards are completed on tougher content.

The big change comes in the form of Strike Scoring, which factors in play time only for Guardian Games playlists. Additionally, there are Strike Medals which are designed to reward players for pulling off impressive moves. This will be available in the Training and Competitive playlists, with the former being active from Tuesday to Thursday each week, while the rest of the week is reserved for the latter.

April 2022 is coming to a close, and while it might not have been as jam-packed with AAA releases as the January through March has been this year, that doesn’t mean there weren’t some top-tier games to play through in your downtime. So, it’s time to bid April farewell and take a look at the best games the month brought us.

Back in March, we reported about Landing Hero Haneda x 787 by Japanese developer Sonic Powered. Now you can actually play it in English.

With a surprise move, the developer (which is well-known in Japan for the Airport Hero air traffic controller simulation series for 3DS) has published it with an English localization on both the North American and the European Nintendo eShops. The price is $29.99.

The game is basically a more limited flight simulator that focuses on the landing, and more specifically the challenge of landing a Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

While it may not be as massive and complex as Microsoft Flight Simulator, it certainly has the potential to fill your entertainment aviation needs on the go.

You can check out an English trailer below.

Here’s an official description of what you can expect from the game:

Mega Kangaskhan is Mega Evolution of Kangaskhan, the Gen 1 Pokémon that has proven rather elusive over the years in Pokémon Go.

This is due to its regional exclusive release - but thanks to the arrival of the Mega version in raids in April 2022, means it is now far more accessible across the world.

However, you will still need to beat it - which is where learning about the Mega Kangaskhan counters and Mega Kangaskhan weakness will come in handy.

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Hello! Welcome back to our regular feature where we write a little bit about some of the games we've found ourselves playing over the last few days. This time: hexes, inventories, and space bombardment.

If you fancy catching up on some of the older editions of What We've Been Playing, here's our archive.

I've loved Loot Rascals ever since I first saw it. The colour! The wonderfully gormless faces! The HEXES!

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The best part of my time with the Overwatch 2 beta, by far, was quickly hogging Sojourn on the hero select screen, and then proceeding to press E to win every game I got to play as her. Most of the games. Okay, only some of them. Like, 20% of them. But in all seriousness, Sojourn has quickly proven to be a fantastic, beginner-friendly addition to the DPS roster, and the big headline here is that Overwatch is fun again!

I’ll preface this by saying that I am by no means an Overwatch PvP expert. After falling off the game when the triple tank meta came around, I’ve kept up with its little changes here and there, but never dived back in properly until now. Overwatch 2’s big character changes are so substantial that it feels like the jolt back to life that the game has really needed for a very long time.

For starters, the decision to turn Doomfist into a tank is huge. He never had much of a place in the DPS roster, and was an incredibly niche pick in both the casual and competitive settings. I’m still not convinced he’s going to be a great tank as he doesn’t seem to have many defensive capabilities, but he benefits just enough from the new tank passives and boosted HP to be able to create space for his team much more effectively.

Whereas Orisa had previously felt like a worse version of Reinhardt, her kit has also changed significantly to make her much more offensive. Her shield is gone, which definitely took some getting used to, and in its place is a javelin that she can either spin in her opponents’ faces to push them back and destroy them, or throw at a distant foe.

Tales of Arise has now sold 2m copies globally.

That's between both physical and digital sales, just six months after the previous milestone announcement of 1.5 million.

"We are so grateful for your precious support. Thank you!" tweeted the official account.

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Razer make some of the most popular gaming accessories out there including great-sounding headsets, and mice and keyboards that feature some of the best RGB displays.

If you're looking to upgrade a specific gaming accessory, Razer will likely have something to match your theme and budget. Right now is a great time to go ahead and get yourself some Razer gear thanks to their Chroma Mania event, where you can grab a Razer Gift card worth up to £59/$50.

To get this free gift card you'll need to purchase from the selected assortment of Razer mice, keyboards or headsets. The promotion runs till 4th May 2022, so there's still a bit of time make use of this offer.

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Video games are wonderful things. They offer an escape from the mundane rigour of everyday life and give us the chance to experience whole new worlds of fantasy and adventure. However, while Marvel's Guardians of the galaxy certainly does this in spades with its eclectic cast and bustling locales, there is one area that is (for me at least) just like home.

Yes, I am talking about that damn fridge on the Milano that just will not stay shut. No matter how many times you get Star-Lord to close the door, it will always reopen again (and again and again and again).

But it turns out I am not alone in my quest to get that door closed (we need to save energy here people). In fact, that little seemingly benign door has been closed a grand total of 18.6m times. Much like the Guardians of Galaxy devs do as well, I admire the tenacity.

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Pokémon Go's upcoming set of official Pokémon Trading Cards has been shown off, with several dozen designs now available to browse.

Due to launch on 1st July via various box sets and booster packs, this "first wave" of products marks an unusual collaboration between the long-running Pokémon TCG and a Pokémon game not made by main series developer GameFreak.

Pleasingly, many of the designs feature nods to the game - such as stalwart Pokémon Go gym defender Blissey pictured sat atop a Valor gym.

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A new video showcases just how good a Spider-Man game for the next generation could look.

The video in question shows footage from a demo, and uses the Megacity environment from The Matrix Awakens (you can check out Aiofe and Ian giving the Matrix a whirl below).

But back to Spider-Man. A YouTube user with the nickname Menterial used Lewis Fiford's Spider-Man (thanks, DSOG) to add everyone's favourite neighbourhood superhero into the sprawling Matrix city.

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Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward has now confirmed what was widely expected: its new entry in Activision's long-running shooter series will be titled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Yes, that's exactly the same name as the same studio's 2009 classic - which, with apologies, is now 13 years old.

Infinfity Ward revealed the name last night via Twitter, alongside the game's logo. To me it looks more like MIIW rather than MWII. Others, meanwhile, have said it reminds them of Nine Inch Nails.

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Shareholders in Activision Blizzard approved overwhelmingly to accept Microsoft Corporation’s offer of $68.7 billion (£54.66 billion) to acquire the company at yesterday’s Special Meeting of Stockholders. More than 98% of the shares voted in favour of the buyout offer, Activision Blizzard confirmed in a statement released on their website. The largest payment for a technology company in recorded history, toppling Dell’s acquisition of EMC Data Storage from 2016, it’s now expected the deal will conclude during Microsoft’s fiscal year, which ends on June 30th 2023.

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I have something of a penchant for cartoons. Growing up in the 80s, those wonderful, badly-animated, cheesy 'toons had a big impact on me, sparking an interest in all things sci-fi and fantasy that blossomed into a love for history, mythology, technology and, you guessed it, computer and/or video games. Heck, I'm wearing a Ulysses 31 T-shirt as I write this! If it wasn't for Masters of the Universe and Thundercats, I wouldn't be here. I'd probably be rich, successful and very boring indeed.

In other words, I was always going to want to take a look at Mythforce, the first-person, co-op, roguelite stab 'em up from Beamdog. Knowing that this was too big a job for one woman, I sent out a message to a hand-picked team of specialists, triggering a humorous montage of their beeping communicator watches interrupting their everyday lives and them having to, I dunno, hand off their cats to random strangers before rushing away to answer the call to action. Alone, I may just be Caelyn Ellis, freelance game journalist, but when joined with my group of elite gaming legends, we become MYTHFARCE!

Mythforce had already piqued my interest before I was asked to check it out. Even without the wonderful 80s cartoon aesthetic, first person melee combat will always get my interest and I'm always down for a bit of co-op with my chums. If you've played Left 4 Dead or Warhammer: Vermintide before, you'll have a good idea of what Mythforce is all about. Grab some friends (or random strangers, or just go solo) choose a character and try to get to the end of the level without falling prey to the monster and traps that are in your way. The main difference is that, instead of having hand-crafted levels, Mythforce uses a series of procedurally generated arenas with fixed set pieces along the way.

After employees from Blizzard Versailles were made redundant in 2020, a move that preceded the studio's closure, those affected began a legal battle with the company. Now, staff that were made redundant have won their appeal.

As reported by French outlet Gamekult (via Gamesindustry.biz), an appeal court has invalidated the redundancies that led to the closure of the branch in 2020. As such, those looking to seek further legal actions will now potentially be entitled to "further compensations, equivalent to a minimum of six months of salary".

But while this is certainly still a victory in itself, it does not mean former Blizzard Versailles employees will find their positions reinstated in a different studio.

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Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida hopes the forthcoming game will "bring back anew the passion" players had in the series.

His comment is taken from the Final Fantasy 35th anniversary Uniqlo magazine, which accompanies a new line of t-shirts celebrating the series.

Final Fantasy fan and translator Aitai Kimochi shared a translation of Naoki's comments on Twitter, as he noted the game is now in the final stages of development.

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Bungie has suffered a setback in its bid to punish a group of cheaters who sold "hacks" for Destiny 2.

A court has dimissed much of Bungie's legal action against cheat site AimJunkies, in which it had alleged copyright and trademark infringement, as well as breach of contract, "tortious interference" and "unjust enrichment" (thanks, TorrentFreak).

AimJunkies had argued back and said its cheating software was its own work, not a copy of Bungie's code. The Destiny developer's other claims, it continued, should also be kept out of court per clauses in Bungie's own user license agreement. Now, a US judge has largely agreed.

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A Mega Moment is a special research quest released as part of Pokémon Go’s Mega Evolution rework in April 2022.

To access this quest, you need to be Trainer Level 5 or above. It’s also a branching quest, which means it will play out slightly differently depending on a certain choice you make.

Below you’ll find all of the A Mega Moment quest steps and rewards in Pokémon Go.

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A rooster calls, and the sun rises as I stock the shelves for another day in Winkeltje: The Little Shop, a business management game about running a little store in a fantasy town. I recently inherited Hefford’s Hovel and, after a manic start, have managed to become well-known for my loaves of bread. Each day customers charge into the store and raid the various displays, tussling over freshly-baked rolls before scrambling home to slap them on a plate. It’s mass hysteria, but what can I say? I make damn good bread.

Fresh meals are just one of six item categories you can sell in Winkeltje, but I don’t need to worry about the rest. Over a few in-game days, your store starts to specialise in the goods you stock, so customers will visit expecting to find those same items. When you enter the Hovel, you’re greeted with the toasty warmth of the oven as the scent of baking dough drifts through the air. You won’t see us preparing potions or crafting clothes, no sir. For that, you’ll have to go elsewhere.

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Take chess, reduce one side to only the king, fill him with a terrible wrath, hand him a shotgun, then watch him go. That's Shotgun King, a roguelikelike turn-based shooter where units (mostly) move like chess pieces, only our lone king has a shotgun. It might sound like a throwaway joke game but Shotgun King is an interesting and fun challenge, especially when your upgrades also bestow different buffs upon the opposing army. And it has a free early version so you can have a go yourself.

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The latest backstory video for Apex Legends has arrived, but it turns out Respawn and EA pulled a fast one on us when they supposedly confirmed the identity of rookie Legend Newcastle as Jackson Williams. So Newcastle isn’t the Newcastle that's been in the Apex Legends backstory for ages, yet he is Newcastle. How does that work? Well, Jackson Williams is Newcastle now. He just wasn’t always.

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Developer 11 Bit Studios has announced that its acclaimed war-torn survival sim, This War of Mine: Final Cut, will be launching on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S next month.

The expanded version of the Polish developer’s strategy game will officially drop on May 10 and will bring with it a multitude of improvements. Specifically, This War of Mine: Final Cut will feature enhanced 4K visuals, new user interface adjustments, as well as additional locations from the game’s DLC. Additionally, it will also sport a new classic scenario, a new character, new quests and some new events, too.

For those on Xbox, we also have some good news for you. Yes, This War of Mine: Final Cut will drop day and date on GamePass, so if you’re a subscriber, you’ll be able to net the game for no additional cost.

The Final Cut update was originally released on PC back in 2019, though the base game launched way back in 2014.

For those unaware, This War of Mine is a harrowing survival experience that places you in the shoes of a handful of survivors thrust into the devastating day-to-day goings on of a fictional war. Instead of centering upon the soldiers’ frontline perspective, the game centers on the everyday lives of those caught in the middle of the conflict.

We reviewed This War of Mine: The Little Ones when it launched back in 2016 and we were impressed, ultimately awarding it a 4/5, concluding:

Final Fantasy XVI is nearing the end of development, according to producer Naoki Yoshida, but there’s still no word on a release date for the RPG. 

Oddly enough, Yoshida’s reveal about the development of FFXVI doesn’t come by way of any usual channels like Twitter, a press release, or a development update video. Instead, it comes by way of a new Yoshida interview in a free magazine currently being given away at Uniqlo stores in Japan, as discovered by Twitter user alverich_ff14 and translated by Video Games Chronicle.

FFトランプ欲しさに
素早くユニクロにTシャツ買いに来たけど
このフリーペーパーに吉田コメントあるから
吉田ファンは貰っておくといいよ🤗 pic.twitter.com/0OoLIFljA7

— Alberich＠ff14 FIN (@alberich_ff14) April 29, 2022

The free magazine is meant to tie in with a collaboration between Uniqlo and Square Enix, in which Uniqlo is selling 16 different t-shirts, each based on a one of the 16 mainline Final Fantasy games. 

Fans of FTL: Faster Than Light have another expedition to embark on, as Gameforge has announced the launch of roguelike sci-fi strategy game Trigon: Space Story on PC.

Trigon: Space Story will launch players into a procedurally generated universe with nothing but a starship. Not only can the ship be customized with over 70 different weapons and abilities, but players will also be tasked with managing the ship's systems, engines, and more as they travel through the uncharted galaxy and making contact with new races.

The procedurally-generated universe is made up of nine sectors, each with more than 10 individual planetary systems. Each of those systems will hold randomized anomalies, marauding space pirates, and a "complex web of intergalactic politics" to deal with as players explore and survive.

Trigon: Space Story is the latest from Gameforge, publishers of Swords of Legends Online, Aion, and more, and marks the first-ever single-player game from the publishing firm. It is available now on PC via Steam or Epic Games Store, both in regular and deluxe editions with additional content.

Xur returns to Destiny 2 this weekend with a new slate of Exotic weapons and armor for your perusal, and it's a great time to hit him up with the Guardian Games starting next week. You're going to want the best gear you can get for Destiny's annual competition between the classes, especially with a great-sounding new submachine gun available to claim along the way. Here's where you can find Xur this weekend and what he's selling.

Xur returns to the solar system with the daily reset Friday, so we'll update this article as soon as he arrives.

Xur is present every weekend in Destiny 2, starting with the daily reset at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET each Friday. His exact location is always a mystery when he first arrives, as he is not listed on the map, and for novice players, he can be easy to miss. However, there are a set number of locations where he takes up residence, including the Tower Hangar area, on Nessus in Watcher's Grave, and in the Winding Cove area of the EDZ.

Alongside changes in his location, Xur's inventory also rotates weekly. That means it's worth visiting him each time to check out his new weapons and rolls on Exotic and Legendary armor. You can visit him any time between his arrival Friday and the weekly reset at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET the following Tuesday when Xur departs the Solar System.

It's another weekend of the Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2, with a new chance to earn Adept weapons in the game's toughest multiplayer competition. As usual, the weapon you can win and the map you'll play on have changed--here's what you need to know about this weekend's Trials.

The Trials of Osiris kicks off with the daily reset on Friday, so we'll update this article as soon as it becomes available.

Starting this season, Trials weapons are slightly improved, carrying the new Alacrity Origin Trait. It gives you increased aim assist, reload speed, stability, and range on your Trials guns when you're the last living member of a fireteam or running solo. You can also choose to swap to the Crucible Origin Trail, One Quiet Moment, which greatly enhances your gun's reload speed when you reload while out of combat.

As always, Trials be available from Friday's daily reset at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET until the weekly reset at the same time the following Tuesday. During that time, you can also pay a visit to Xur to see what Exotics he's selling. Make sure to pay a visit to Saint-14 in the Tower to pick up a Trials card, which will dictate certain bonuses (such as whether you get bonus rewards at certain milestones or if a loss will be forgiven).

Trials of Osiris is a weekend PvP mode that runs from the daily reset on Friday until the weekly reset on Tuesday, giving you four days to take part. Your goal in the Trials is for you and the other two players in your fireteam to achieve a "Flawless" run, in which you win seven matches without losing any.

Hot Drop is GameSpot's weekly Apex Legends column, in which Jordan Ramée takes a closer look at Respawn's battle royale to provide additional insight into the game's evolution, as well as dive deeper into its episodic storytelling and characters.

The launch trailer for Apex Legends Season 13: Saviors hides quite a few references and Easter eggs. It also introduces us to the season's new playable character--it's Newcastle, Bangalore's brother. Below, we breakdown 13 hidden shoutouts secreted away in the Saviors launch trailer.

If you like what you read, I'd appreciate it if you checked out some of my other Apex Legends articles, like my theory about how Apex Legends is heading towards all-out war. I also think that Respawn tends to focus a bit too much on developing Apex Legends' storyline through the legends, and should change the narrative so that the battle royale no longer focuses on its heroes. There was also that giant Apex Legends leak from a while back--though I'm sure it's mostly accurate, I'm not convinced we can trust any of the nine leaked legends beyond Newcastle and Vantage.

Deep Rock Galactic is gearing up for Rival Escalation, the official name of its second season. As of April 28, PC players can already access the new content. Those playing on console can jump into the new content one week later on May 5. This new update adds more story content, new secondary weapons and enemies, another 100 tiers of the free Performance Pass, plus a new web of cosmetic unlocks to chase down. The update is a big one, but if you're new to the game, this feels like a welcoming jumping-on point. Here's everything you need to know about Deep Rock Galactic Season 2.

New weapons

For many players, the headlining detail is going to be the new weapons. In Season 2, the dwarven miners have added four new secondary weapons to their equipment lockers. The class-based dwarves can elect to customize loadouts using these new toys, with each class receiving one new item that suits their skillset. The lineup includes:

Amazon Prime Day will return to its normal July slot this summer, Amazon revealed during its Q1 earnings call. Prime Day 2022, one of the biggest sales events of the year, has been running annually since 2015, but this will be the first time since 2019 that the event will be held in July.

For the first five years of its existence, Prime Day always took place in mid-July. The COVID-19 pandemic upended worldwide distribution of products and caused Amazon to delay Prime Day 2020 to October. In 2021, Prime Day took place in June, shortly after E3 2021 (which may have been the last E3).

While Amazon only revealed the July window for Prime Day 2022, we can make some educated guesses on other important details. Since 2017, Prime Day has been a 48-hour event sales event, with new limited-time deals popping up around the clock. Prime Day tends to start on a Monday, so if we had to guess we'd say this year's event will take place July 11-12 or July 17-18. Amazon usually doesn't confirm definitive times for events like Prime Day until a few weeks prior to the sale, so we'll probably have to wait a couple months to get the official dates.

As its name suggests, Prime Day is an exclusive shopping event for Amazon Prime members. It always features deals across practically every category, including gaming, tech, entertainment, and much more. Leading up to Prime Day last year, Amazon offered a couple of different promotions that allowed members to get coupons for an additional $10 off products during Prime Day, so it's possible we could see cool perks like that again this year.