June 2022

Ahead of the June 28, 2022 Nintendo Direct Mini, Atlus confirmed Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal Switch versions are on the way. As with the other console and PC ports, Persona 5 Royal will arrive first. That will show up on October 21, 2022. The other entries will follow. The official website for the games updated before the showcase went live. [Thanks, Nibel!]

Three iconic Persona titles are ready to steal your heart on modern consoles!

Persona 5 Royal, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 3 Portable are coming to Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam, and Nintendo Switch! #P25th pic.twitter.com/w7opPDAryu

— Official ATLUS West (@Atlus_West) June 28, 2022

Square Enix has pulled back the curtains on Dragon Quest Treasures, a new spin-off entry in the legendary Dragon Quest franchise that was first teased in May 2021. This game focuses on the childhoods of Mia and Erik, two siblings from Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. As these two characters, players embark on hunts for treasure in Draconia before the events of Dragon Quest XI.

As Mia and Erik travel through Draconia, they can recruit monsters to locate loot, explore the world, and fight enemies. Your recruited monsters are more helpful than just battling, it turns out: Using Slimes, you can bounce up to higher ledges, while grabbing onto a Dracky while you're exploring can allow you to glide like Breath of the Wild's paraglider. Once you complete your treasure hunt and obtain your prize, you can bring it back to your base to see how much it's worth. Using the funds you obtain from your hunts, you can improve your base and increase your treasure hunting level. 

Dragon Quest Treasures launches on December 9 for Switch. 

Live A Live is just over three weeks from release, but Nintendo and Square Enix are ready to rev the hype engine. During today's Nintendo Direct Mini, we received an update on the exciting, beautiful HD2D title that remakes the 1994 Super Famicom RPG that never came to Western markets. However, the big news from the presentation is that if you want to see what the buzz is all about, you can get a taste starting today.

The game puts you in the roles of multiple stories and multiple protagonists across different eras. The demo that hits the eShop today allows you to play three chapters from three different eras to get an idea of what to expect. Not only that but the save data transfers to the full game if you decide to buy it; it's always nice to know your time in a demo is productive when it comes to the final release.

Live A Live comes to Switch on July 22.

When Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle arrived on Switch in 2017, it was an unlikely success that blended the worlds of Nintendo's Super Mario franchise with Ubisoft's zany Rabbids. The result was a turn-based tactical title starring the Mushroom Kingdom's finest and the most unpredictable characters in Ubisoft's stable. Announced during Nintendo's E3 2021 Direct, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope promises to carry forward the legacy of that fan-favorite title, but it's been a while since we've heard anything about that game. That changed today during the Nintendo Direct Mini, which shined the spotlight on the company's third-party partners.

Otherworldly enemies have suddenly appeared, trying to take the energy possessed by Sparks, who appear to be Rabbid versions of the Lumas from Super Mario Galaxy; this would make sense seeing as how Rosalina appears to play a big role in this sequel. To combat this, Mario and his friends once again join forces with the Rabbids.

Bandai Namco has announced a new remake of Pac-Man World called Pac-Man World: Re-Pac. This throwback to the 1999 PlayStation 1 title features revamped graphics and more, and is scheduled to release this August.

Pac-Man World puts you in the shoes of Pac-Man as he platforms through six worlds on Ghost Island to rescue his friends. Each world consists of five levels, with each world's final level featuring a boss battle. In the game, Pac-Man can use a variety of skills, including the ability to Rev Roll, Butt Bounce, and turn into Giant Pac-Man. When the original title was first released on PS1, Game Informer liked the title, scoring it an 8 out of 10 in 1999.

This is the second remake the original 1999 title has received, the first of which was in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. The game also appeared on PlayStation Network beginning in 2013 under the PSOne Classics branding. However, the original PS1 version is not among the classic titles currently included in the PlayStation Plus Premium tier's classic catalog.

Pac-Man World: Re-Pac launches on August 26 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. 

When the first Mega Man Legacy Collection launched in 2015, players hoped there was more to follow. Sure enough, there was, as Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, Mega Man X Legacy Collection, Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2, and Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection followed in subsequent years. However, one pain point among the fan base is the lack of a modern way to enjoy the myriad Mega Man Battle Network titles.

Today, Capcom finally gave that segment of the fan base what it's been clamoring for with the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection. Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection gathers 10 games from the series, along with over 1,000 illustrations and a music mode featuring more than 150 songs. The collection includes:

• Mega Man Battle Network
• Mega Man Battle Network 2
• Mega Man Battle Network 3 White
• Mega Man Battle Network 3 Blue
• Mega Man Battle Network 4 Red Sun
• Mega Man Battle Network 4 Blue Moon
• Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Protoman
• Mega Man Battle Network 5 Team Colonel
• Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Gregar
• Mega Man Battle Network 6 Cybeast Falzar

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is slated for PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC and launches in 2023. 

Konami announced Super Bomberman R 2, a successor to the Switch launch title Super Bomberman R. In addition to announcing the game, we also got our first look at a promising new way to play called Castle Mode and a release window.

In the asymmetric multiplayer Castle Mode, a team of 15 players must blast their way to treasure chests scattered across the battlefield. Meanwhile, a solo player tries their best to hold them off. On top of what sounds like a wild mess of action, players can create and share their own battle stages for the mode, adding a ton to the replayability potential of this new form of play.

When the first Super Bomberman R launched in 2017, I heavily criticized it for poor network performance, frustrating level design, and an overall lack of content. However, in the years since, the developers have improved the title through various updates and expanded the Switch-exclusive game to also appear on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Hopefully, the development team learned from its mistakes with Super Bomberman R 2 and delivers a stronger product at launch. The aforementioned Castle Mode looks like a good time, so I'm hopeful. Super Bomberman R 2 arrives in 2023. It will be available on PlayStation and Xbox consoles as well as Switch and PC. 

One of the most requested titles is finally coming to Switch later this year. Nier: Automata quickly found a large fan base when it launched in 2017, with many praising the storytelling, action, and soundtrack of the Platinum Games-developed title. Now, more than five years later, the heartfelt story of 2B and 9S comes to Nintendo Switch.

Nier: Automata The End of Yorha Edition includes previously released content and new costumes that will be available at launch. We don't know much else about what appears to be an "ultimate" or "game of the year" edition of the title, but the game's inclusion in the Switch library is noteworthy. When Nier: Automata launched in 2017, it received critical and fan acclaim, with the PlayStation 4 version garnering an 88 out of 100 score on reviews aggregate website Metacritic.

Nier: Automata The End of Yorha Edition arrives on Nintendo Switch on October 6. For one Game Informer's opinion on why you need to play Nier: Automata in some form, head here.

Nintendo kicked off its Direct Mini presentation today with a new trailer for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. The expansion, available this week, delivers a hearty amount of content by adding new biomes to explore and creatures to track down/battle. However, Capcom isn't stopping there, as the new trailer gave way to a roadmap of free title updates for players over the next several months.

The first title update hits in August, adding Seething Bazelgeuse, Lucent Nargacuga, and several other monsters. That update also adds rare species monsters, special species monsters, and a new locale in the Forlorn Arena. Later this fall, a second free title update adds more rare species monsters, subspecies monsters, and powered-up monsters. A third free title update is scheduled for this winter, promising several special species monsters and powered-up monsters. Finally, Capcom says a fourth free title update will arrive in 2023, but it isn't ready to say anything about what to expect with that one.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is available June 30 on Switch and PC. For more on the base game, check out our review from 2021 when it first hit Switch. For more on the Sunbreak expansion, get caught up on every monster confirmed right here.

Sonic Frontiers got a new trailer during today’s Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase. The trailer shows some gameplay featuring how Sonic can freely dash through open zones, taking advantage of his speedy skills, as well as the mysterious Cyberspace Zone.

We get a great look at how Sonic can lock onto enemies and attack them in combinations and deflect attacks with careful timing, which we saw in some previous trailers. There seem to be big, open areas for us to dash through and build up our skill sets.

The trailer also specifically shows off the Cyberspace Zone for the first time; in this special area, you can take on challenges while collecting keys to progress. It looks like there will be a combination of both skill and puzzles to get through each part of the Cyberspace Zone, which has a variety of types of areas for us to progress through.

Sonic Frontiers will be released this holiday. In addition to the Nintendo Switch, the game will launch on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

You can watch the trailer that was shown during the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase at the timestamp 15:51 below.

During today’s Nintendo Direct, it was revealed that the Portal series will be coming to the Nintendo Switch. Dubbed the Portal: Companion Collection, both games will be arriving on the system. More than, both games will be arriving later today, yes, you read that right.

If you’ve never played through the Portal games, this is an excellent opportunity to experience the gaming classic and even take it on the go. Enjoy all the mind-bending puzzles and learn why Portal 1 is beloved by speedrunners.

This is the first next-gen upgrade Portal 2 has gotten since it first released in the era of the Xbox 360.

You can see the reveal trailer for yourself below. However, if you haven’t played either of the Portal games, the trailer does kind of spoil at least the first one. Watch at your own risk.

Today, during the Nintendo Direct Mini broadcasted by the house of Mario and Zelda, Atlus announced that Persona 5 Royal, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 3 Portable are also coming for the Switch.

This completes this strangely staggered announcement chain that saw the Xbox, Windows, and Game Pass versions announced at Microsoft’s non-E3 conference, followed by the PS5 and Steam versions a revealed couple of days afterward. Today fans who want to play on a portable console finally get their due.

You can check out the announcement trailer below, featuring all three games.

To recap, Persona 5 Royal will release on Nintendo Switch PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Windows, and Steam on October 21.

Persona 4 Golden will release “soon” on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Windows, and PS4 (it’s already available on Steam).

Persona 3 Portable will release “soon” on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Windows, Steam, and PS4.

As we already know, all three games are coming on Game Pass as well.

During Nintendo’s online showcase today, Square Enix confirmed that its upcoming spin-off action-RPG, Dragon Quest Treasures, will be coming to Nintendo Switch on Dec. 9, 2022.

In the footage released today, the narrator described the game as so:

Two siblings dream of collecting grand treasures from around the world. Venture to the realm of Draconia to become legendary treasure hunters. In this Dragon Quest series spin off, you’ll recruit a variety of well-mannered monsters to join you on a marvellous adventure. With their help and with your trusty fortune finder, locating loot will be a breeze.

Monsters are perfect travel buddies for exploring this vast world. Bounce on a Slime to reach high ledges or dangle from a Draky to glide over gaping chasms. Support your monsters in battle as they fearlessly fend off foes. Bring back your hard-earned haul back to your base and see how much it’s worth. Collect more cities to expand your base and increase your treasure-hunting level.

The last title released in the beloved Dragon Quest series was 2017’s mainline entry, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, which launched on PS4, Nintendo 3DS, PC, Switch, and Xbox One. The Japanese company is currently still working on the official follow-up, Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate.

For more on Dragon Quest Treasures, here’s a trailer from earlier this year.

Wondering when Blanc comes out? You aren’t alone, as fans were taken aback during the Nintendo Direct Mini when Gearbox Publishing and Casus Ludi unveiled this breathtaking new hand-drawn experience. Here is everything you need to know about its release.

According to a press release, Blanc is an artistic cooperative adventure game that offers a breathtaking hand-drawn experience, developed by Casus Ludi. Players will be drawn into an endearing, artistic cooperative adventure that follows the journey of a stranded wolf cub and a fawn as they overcome the odds to find their families.

Blanc Release Date

At the moment, all we know for sure is that Blanc is coming to Nintendo Switch and PC in February 2023. We will be sure to update the article when an actual release date for the game is revealed.

Is Blanc on PlayStation and Xbox?

Currently, the answer is, no, Blanc is not available on these consoles. It is entirely possible that an Xbox and PlayStation release is coming down the line, but for now, you’ll only be able to get Blanc on Nintendo Switch and on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Atlus’ major JRPG series, Persona, has recently been given a new release. In Persona 5, players once again embark on an adventure with a cast of characters who, over the course of a school year, awaken to the power of their Personas. It’s a huge game and one that you’ll want to be playing constantly. As such, many players will be hoping that the title will be making its way to the Nintendo Switch.

Is Persona 5 Coming to Nintendo Switch?

Yes, Persona 5 is coming to the Nintendo Switch in the form of Persona 5 Royal. This was announced during the June 2022 Nintendo Direct Mini focused on third-party games coming to the Nintendo Switch.

Persona 5 Royal will release on Nintendo Switch on October 21, 2022.

During the announcement, it was also revealed that Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden would also be coming to the Nintendo Switch. Both Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable don’t yet have release dates and are currently slated as just ‘Coming Soon.’ At least you’ll have Persona 5 Royal to keep you busy in the meantime.

What Is Persona 5 Royal?

The Royal version of the game includes the entire base game, but also throws in some additional content such as a new character and party member called Kasumi, an entirely new school semester with a new Palace which both expand the story, and a new ‘Thieves Den’ feature where you can visit a room filled with bonus content from the pause menu.

Today, during the Nintendo Direct Mini broadcasted by the house of Mario and Zelda, Square Enix announced that NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition is coming to the Switch.

The edition will come on October 6, 2022 and will include the DLC content (3C3C1D119440927) released for the game.

It will also include costumes exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, and you can watch the announcement below.

Yesterday saw a big tease from the official Gotham Knights Twitter account. We now know it was for the release of the Robin character trailer. We get to see the Boy Wonder in action as well as get a hint about the story, as there are lines in the beginning about Batman’s death.

Seeing as we are four months from the release date of Gotham Knights, there are still two more character trailers featuring Red Hood and Batgirl to go. While the trailer definitely has some Robin brutality, Red Hood has always been notably pro-killing in the comics, so that will certainly be something to see unfold.

You can see all of the Robin action below:

Gotham Knights is interesting because its gathering two former Robins as well as the universe’s current, Time Drake. Presumably this makes more sense than increasing the player count to five just to made Tim Drake be Red Robin and let Damian Wayne be just Robin. Though, getting to play as a grieving Damian Wayne over the death of his father does sound like a neat angle.

This trailer proves there will still be plenty to see in the coming months before Gotham Knights releases for everyone to get their hands on the game.

Preparing to watch the anime One Piece is akin to getting ready for a marathon. It is going to take a long time to get through the entire thing, and more people will look for a way to make it easier to do. For long anime series such as One Piece, that is generally by avoiding any “filler” episodes.

The excellent news about One Piece is that the series is broken up into pretty distinct arcs, sets of episodes that deal with specific happenings in the life of Monkey D. Luffy and his companions—as such, skipping the filler episodes is pretty easy to do.

All Filler Episodes in One Piece

• Episode 54 to 60 – The Warship Island Arc
• Episode 98 to 99
• Episode 102
• Episode 131 to 134 – The Post Alabasta Arc
• Episode 136 to 138 – The Goat Island Arc
• Episode 139 to 143 – The Ruluka Island Arc
• Episode 196 to 206
• Episode 220 to 224 – The Ocean’s Dream Arc
• Episode 225 and 226 – The Foxy’s Return Arc
• Episode 279 to 283
• Episode 291 to 292
• Episode 326 to 336 – The Ice Hunter Arc
• Episode 38 to 384 – The Spa Island Arc
• Episode 426 to 429 – The Little East Blue Arc
• Episode 457 to 458
• Episode 575 to 578 – The Z’s Ambition Arc
• Episode 626 to 627 – The Caesar’s Retrieval Arc
• Episode 747 to 750 – The Silver Mine Arc
• Episode 780 to 782
• Episode 895 to 896

What is a Filler Episode?

People will argue about exactly which episodes constitute as filler, but the definition of a filler episode is clearer, thankfully. Filler episodes are any episodes that do not move the main narrative forward or are not based on anything from the source material that inspired the anime.

During today’s Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase, a trailer was shown announcing that Return to Monkey Island is coming to the Switch.

Return to Monkey Island continues the story of the adventure games The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. This will be the first game in the franchise since 2009.

This title was revealed back in April, but the announcement was a teaser trailer and the consoles it would be coming to were not specified. Now, in this trailer, we get a longer look at the gameplay and story that is in store.

Here’s what we can expect from the new game:

It’s been many years since Guybrush Threepwood was last locked in a battle of wits with his nemesis, the zombie pirate LeChuck. His true love, Elaine Marley, has turned her focus away from governing and Guybrush himself is adrift and unfulfilled, having never found the Secret of Monkey Island. Hip, young pirate leaders led by Captain Madison have shuffled the old guard from power, Melee Island has taken a turn for the worse, and famed businessman Stan has been imprisoned for ‘marketing-related crimes’.

Banter with old friends and new faces on familiar islands now under dangerous new leadership. Then, take to the high seas and explore the new and unknown as you work your way out of tough predicaments. Clever puzzles, bizarre situations, and devastating ripostes are all that stand between Guybrush and glory.

Fall Guys has just celebrated its free-to-play launch on all platforms, bringing the TV game show-style battle royale to millions of players around the world. Combining an assortment of vibrantly colored obstacle courses, cute lil’ bean people, and generally fun and accessible gameplay, you’d think it was all unicorns and rainbows in the world of Fall Guys. But you’re forgetting about the types of players that love nothing more than watching the world burn. Doing absolutely anything in their power to unleash absolute chaos, and generally just raining on your parade. Bean ladies and bean gentleman, I present you with the four types of Fall Guys players that are without a doubt, the most infuriating.

You would never expect an action story to feature so many endearing moments, yet Spy x Family pulls it off with its adorable cast of characters. Whether you are watching the cuteness of Anya Forger or giggling over Loid and Yor’s “Will They or Won’t They?” relationship, you have undoubtedly loved each passing moment of the Forger family.

So, now that the anime has concluded its first installment, here are five reasons why Spy x Family is the most wholesome anime of the year.

Just when you thought you were finally safe from that guy making “the cake is a lie” jokes (before misquoting some Monty Python), Valve has surprise-launched the Switch port of both Portal and Portal 2 today. Announced during the very Mini Nintendo Direct, the 2007 smash hit puzzle game should be on your handheld’s…

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Nintendo announced today during its Mini Direct Partner Showcase that PlatinumGames’ moody action-RPG Nier: Automata is coming to the Switch on October 6. Dubbed The End of YoRHa Edition, this launch will include previously released add-ons such as the “3C3C1D119440927" DLC as well as new console-exclusive…

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Amid news of misconduct and hush money payouts at the WWE, Rita Chatterton, the first female referee for the then-World Wrestling Federation, revisited her rape accusation against WWE CEO and chairperson Vince McMahon in an interview with New York Magazine.

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Thanks to this morning’s peculiarly throwaway Nintendo Direct Mini, we have finally seen footage of Ron Gilbert’s Return To Monkey Island. While there has been a blitz of information and PR for the game since its announcement in April, this is the first time we’ve got a glimpse of how it will look when playing.

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Terrible Toybox have shared more of point’n’click adventure threequel reboot Return To Monkey Island today. It’s the first time we’ve got a good look at the third Monkey Island captained by Ron Gilbert in motion, but it had the weird honour of appearing during a Nintendo Direct. Have a watch of the trailer below.

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Mojang Studios announced Minecraft Legends during this month's Summer Geoff Fest, dubbing it an "action strategy" Minecraft spin-off that's being made in collaboration with Blackbird Interactive, the folks behind Homeworld 3 and Hardspace Shipbreaker. And that was the extent of our knowledge at the time. Well, thanks to Nintendo's latest Direct Mini, we got the briefest slice of new gameplay which expands our knowledge just a smidge further. Seems fun? I think?

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Overwatch 2 sees the start of its second closed beta test today, which runs until July 18th. You’ll need to wait for 7pm BST/11am PST to arrive before you can jump into the beta though. It’s also the first proper opportunity to play as the new tank Junker Queen, revealed at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase earlier this month.

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Fantasy CCG Hearthstone is asking players to solve a macabre mystery in its next expansion, Murder At Castle Nathria, due out on August 2nd. Prepare to venture once again into Warcraft’s home of the afterlife, the Shadowlands. Just remember to grab your rhyming dictionary and your fanciest deerstalker before you watch the trailer below.

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I thought Sonic Frontiers was less Breath Of The Wild and more Super Mario Odyssey after I'd given it whirl in LA at Summer Geoff Fest. Despite its rough edges, Frontier's open-ish world was a joy to blitz around as a hedgehog renowned for going particularly fast. But there was one thing I couldn't talk about – Cyberspace stages: Bite-sized levels à la classic Sonic. And here's why it might've been one of the best bits of the demo.

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