June 2022

The anime adaptation for Junji Ito’s critically acclaimed horror manga Uzumaki might be as cursed as its own fictional town of Kurouzu-cho because it’s been delayed for the third time.

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As we ready to catapult with full enthusiasm into summer, Microsoft has announced July's Xbox Games with Gold, this time giving subscribers on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S access to Torchlight, Thrillville: Off the Rails, Beast of Maravilla Island, and Relicta.

It's not exactly a blockbuster line-up then, but there's certainly some fun to be had. Developer Runic Games' Torchlight, for instance, is an enjoyable Diablo-esque dungeon-crawler from 2009. This isn't the first time it's appeared as part of Xbox Games with Gold though (it was last available in July 2019), so it's entirely possible this one is already hanging around your library.

Thrillville: Off the Rails, meanwhile, is the 2007 sequel to Frontier Developments' Thrillville, an attempt at creating a more accessible spin on the classic theme park sim genre. "It's not complex, it's not challenging, but it's not trying to be," said Eurogamer in its review. "It's an enjoyable family game which also has appeal for retro gaming fans and drunk people."

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Sonic the Hedgehog's original 16-bit adventures are considered some of the best games in Sonic history and - for my money - some of the best games ever made. Since their original appearance, they've been re-released many times over, most often as little more than emulators paired with original ROMs. Sonic Origins is different though: a fully rebuilt suite of the original 16-bit games using the Retro Engine, the same tech that powered the brilliant Sonic Mania. This release even includes Sonic 3 and Knuckles, a rarity whose inclusion makes this one of the most exciting Sonic releases in a long time. Sonic Origins has a lot to offer then but there's always the potential for issues too - and sadly Origins does have a few.

Sonic Origins reminds me of Sonic Jam for the Sega Saturn - the first complete collection porting each of the original Mega Drive games to a new platform, with a huge selection of bonus material including videos, music and illustrations. So this is effectively Sonic Jam 2 - all the 16-bit games, plus Sonic CD, surrounded by a wide range of bonus material and alternative gameplay modes designed to expand upon the formula.

To explore that material, you traverse six islands: four represent key games in the package while the others offer bonus features including a movie gallery, illustrations and a comprehensive jukebox. The entire front-end was created using Sonic Team's proprietary Hedgehog Engine, the very same engine powering many of its games including Sonic Forces and Sonic Generations. When you launch one of the games, the Retro Engine powered games are displayed as a surface within the game's user interface. It's an approach we've seen in numerous other retro collections but, in this case, there are drawbacks.

Bandai Namco released another character trailer of its upcoming fighting game JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R.

The video showcases one more of the new characters that have been added with the “R” version, Pet Shop.

He’s one of the most unique antagonists of the third arc of the series, and we see him in action alongside his stand Horus.

As a bonus, we also see him fighting against Iggy in a recreation of their fight in Dio Brando’s mansion.

Seeing as Fall Guys has just become free-to-play isn’t the only reason to celebrate. According to data miner @_FireMonkey on twitter, Fall Guys is set to have a collaboration event with Fortnite starting tomorrow and lasting until July 11. Participants will be able to earn Fortnite items as well as 3,500 Kudos in Fall Guys.

Here is the original tweet giving details for the event:

Xbox has announced the free games you will get to pick up with your Xbox Live or Game Pass Ultimate subscription in July 2022. Once again, there will be four games on offer at both halves of the month.

All of the below games will be available to play on your Xbox console of choice, whether that be an Xbox One or a Series X|S. If you want to boot up an Xbox 360, you will still be able to play the latter two titles.

• Beasts of Maravilla Island ($9.99 ERP): Available July 1 to 31
• Relicta ($19.99 ERP): Available July 16 to August 15
• Thrillville: Off the Rails ($9.99 ERP): Available July 1 to 15
• Torchlight ($14.99 ERP): Available July 16 to 31

If any of these titles aren’t games you are aware of, we have more information to share with you.

Beasts of Maravilla Island

Unlock the wonder by taking pictures of the elusive and beautiful creatures on a mysterious, dreamlike island. Explore a 3D jungle teeming with unusual and playful life. Climb, explore, and solve puzzles. Use your grandfather’s journals and his trusty old camera to snap pics of otter-crocodiles, birds disguised as bananas, and much more. It’s up to you and your photographer’s eye to help share Maravilla’s magic with the world.

Relicta

It’s no secret that the Nintendo Switch is home to some absolutely bizarre games. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes came out of nowhere in the latest Nintendo Direct and brought an unsettling atmosphere. This game will be for those who like weirdly abstract puzzle games. Here’s when Lorelei and the Laser Eyes will be coming out.

When Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Will Come Out

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes will be coming to PC and Switch in 2023, that is all we know for a release date thus far. It makes sense that a mysterious game would have a mysterious release date.

For those who maybe don’t understand what the Lorelei and the Laser Eyes reveal trailer during the Nintendo Direct was trying to show you, we have more details. The Steam page still plays into the enigma, but at the very least it describes the game as “a non-linear adventure.” Though, going by the trailer, that doesn’t mean too much.

Harvestella is Square Enix’s new RPG meets farming sim announced during today’s Nintendo Direct Mini. 

The game takes place in a world where the four seasons are dictated by four giant crystals called Seaslight. But the cycle is interrupted due to an abnormal event that creates a “season of death” called the Quietus, which causes crops to wither and threatens all life.

Harvestella’s gameplay splits time between action-focused dungeon crawling and laid-back farm management. Players globetrot to areas representing the four seasons to battle monsters and explore dungeons. You can even hop in a submarine to traverse the oceans. Combat involves executing team maneuvers with party members, and each character can be outfitted with different jobs that grant unique characteristics, skills, and combat styles. 

When you’re not fighting for the world’s survival, you’ll return to your village to tend to your farm. Raising crops and livestock lets you harvest ingredients for crafting. When the work is done, socializing with townsfolk is another key diversion. Along the way, you’ll meet a cast of characters such as a time traveler from the future, and completing tasks for them grants rewards and improves your bonds with them. 

Harvestella looks intriguing and we can’t wait to see more of it. It’s also not terribly far away, launching November 4 for Switch and PC via Steam.

With Gotham Knights exploring what life is like in a post-Bruce Wayne world, his iconic sidekick is wondering what a Robin is without a Batman. Apparently, he's unleashing his full potential and hacking advanced superhero bases to level up his vigilanteism.

In a new character trailer, Robin shows off how he disposes of Gotham's thugs. His standard melee combat is centered around quick attacks and the use of his quarterstaff for leverage and mid-range beatdowns. Robin also has a stealthy element, enabling active camouflage to mask his presence and sneak up on unsuspecting suspects. The most surprising reveal in the trailer is that the Boy Wonder has tapped into the Justice League satellite to enable short-range teleportation to zip around Gotham to get the drop on enemies or make impossible leaps a reality. He's also using holograms to deploy decoys to deceive dummies in combat.

Over the last 31 years, the Sonic the Hedgehog fan base has dashed through several distinct eras. The Classic Era let fans platform through brilliantly designed 2D stages, while the Modern Era gave us the Adventure games and Boost games, and that's not even counting the Sonic Boom titles. Now, with the movies setting box office records and reinserting everyone's favorite blue hedgehog back into the mainstream consciousness, a new era for Sonic the Hedgehog games could very well be upon us. With Sonic Frontiers, Sega and Sonic Team could hope to welcome fans to the Open-Zone Era of the franchise.

Square Enix announced a NieR: Automata fan festival will be held in November 2022. The event will take place at the Tokyo Garden Theater in Japan. It will commemorate the five year anniversary of NieR: Automata. It will be held from November 25-26, 2022. Square Enix is selling tickets through a lottery system through its Square Enix e-Store digital storefront from June 28, 2022 to July 18, 2022. Winners will be contacted on July 26, 2022. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

A total of six seating options for the NieR: Automata fan festival are available. These include a series of standard tickets, which range in price from 12,000 yen (or $88) to 10,000 yen (or roughly $73), depending on their location. The S seat tickets will cost 12,000 yen (or $88), with the A seat tickets costing 11,000 yen (or approximately $80), and the B seat tickets costing 10,000 yen (again, about $73).

A second tier of tickets, which also range from S to B seats, will come with exclusive merchandise which is a black penlight that features Emil's head. S seat tickets, with the mentioned penlight, will cost 15,400 yen (or $113), the A seat tickets will cost 14,400 yen (which is roughly $105), and the B seat tickets will cost 13,400 yen (or approximately $98)

Good Smile Company opened up pre-orders for the Spy x Family Yor Forger Nendoroid. Even though those are starting about two weeks after the Anya and Loid pre-orders, all of the figures will appear at about the same time. First, Yor will show up in Japan in December 2022. After that, she’ll come to North America in February 2023. She will cost ¥6,100/$55.99.

Rather than her casual look, the Yor Forger Nendoroid is based on her Thorn Princess alter ego. While she's an ordinary office worker by day, she's an assassin by night. As such, she'll include a set of blades she can wield. She also has three face plates. One is a serious expression. She's smiling gently in another. In the third, she's blushing and smiling.

Here's a closer look at the Nendoroid.

[gallery columns="4" link="file" ids="931221,931222,931223,931224"]

Neon White, a laser-quick first-person shooter thing, unfolds in a Heaven where angels threaten to detonate your face and experimental music outfit Machine Girl pierces your wrong moves with saturated breakbeats.

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Today, during the latest third-party-focused Mini Direct, Nintendo finally announced a release date for Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, its cartoonish take on a tactics game made in conjunction with Ubisoft. It’s set to come out on October 20, 2022, exclusively on Nintendo Switch.

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Switch-owning JRPG fans are feasting today. The biggest standouts from today’s Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase include Persona 5 Royal and Nier: Automata ports for the Nintendo Switch, but there were also neat-looking indie titles like the beautifully handcrafted RPG Time: The Legend of Wright and visually…

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Three beloved Atlus games, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal, are finally making the leap to the Nintendo Switch, as announced earlier today during Nintendo’s Mini Direct.

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Harvestella is Square Enix's spin on the life simulation RPG, in which you'll plant crops, befriend townspeople, and attempt to thrive across the seasons: winter, spring, summer, autumn, and Bloodborne. It was just announced today, but it's also launching this November.

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Today HBO Max and DC Comics revealed the release date for season 3 of their hit HBO Max series, Harley Quinn. The wildly inappropriate yet laugh-out-loud hilarious series will be premiering on July 28 on HBO Max.

Season 3 looks to pick up a few weeks after season 2, exploring Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, Harlivy as the couple is referred to, on their “Eat, Bang, Kill Tour.”

It’s important to note that there was a comic book adaptation of the Harley Quinn series that was recently released, called “Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour” which fills in the gaps between season 2 and season 3.

Harley Quinn Season 3 will also see the return of staple characters such as Clayface, King Shark, and Batman while bringing in new characters like Firefly, the Court of Owls, and James Gunn. Yes, director and writer James Gunn will be making an appearance this season.

The teaser showcases these characters, along with some of the bonkers things audiences can expect to see. For example, there looks to be a certain scene between Catwoman and Batman that references a popular meme of the two on Twitter.

Want to know how to preload Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak on your Nintendo Switch? We’ve got you covered in this guide, where we’ll explain the steps you need to take in order to start your epic journey. Moreover, we’ll also answer any preload questions for PC users of the game and provide information about exclusive content. So, here’s everything you need to know about this Expansion Pack.

How to Preload Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak on Nintendo Switch

The only way you can preload Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is by pre-ordering the game. If you go to the Nintendo Store, you should see a sentence right below the ‘Pre-Order’ button stating, “This lets you pre-load the game, so you’ll be able to play as soon as the game is released.” According to the latest information, the preload contains the DLC 13GB update data, which will be released on June 30.

Because this game requires a hefty amount of memory from your Nintendo Switch, it is recommended to clear out unwanted games from your device or use a microSD card. After the download is complete, you can expect to see new features of the Monster Hunter Rise universe, including unique monsters, weapons, locales, and characters.

Need to know how to get your Overwatch 2 Watchpoint Pack working? This can be an extremely frustrating issue for players, as having an item and all of the perks you just purchased not show up just straight up sucks. Don’t worry, though, as we’ve got everything you need to know about troubleshooting this issue.

How to Fix Watchpoint Pack Not Working in Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2’s official launch has been pretty rough, to say the least. Aside from server and queue issues, players are also reporting that their Watchpoint Pack purchases aren’t showing up in the game.

There’s no proper fix for this issue, except to just wait a while until Blizzard is able to sort things out. In our case, we’ve had our items show up a few hours after the servers went live when they weren’t there before, so it’s likely just a matter of being patient and waiting. If your items are not showing up, try rebooting the game and logging in and out to see if that fixes the issue.

However, if the issue continues to persist, you’ll need to contact Blizzard’s customer support here to get your items back. Hopefully, these teething issues will get ironed out within the next few days, but for now, your best bet is to either wait it out or contact support.

That’s all you need to know about how to get your Watchpoint Pack working in Overwatch 2. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more tips and information on the game, including the best skins in Overwatch 2, how to get Weapon Charms, and how the Battle Pass works.

Today Good Smile Company made a new Spy x Family Nendoroid figure portraying heroine Yor Forger available for pre-order.

You can currently reserve her on God Smile’s own American and Japanese stores, priced at respectively $55.99 and ¥ 6,100.

The release window is December 2022 for Japan, while American customers will have to wait until February 2023.

She’s sculpted by Nendoroid superstar Shichibee of Matsuda Model and she’s the usual 100mm tall approximately.

The figure comes with optional daggers and three face plates with different expressions.

You can check out what she looks like in the gallery below. Incidentally, Nendoroids for both Loid and Anya have been revealed earlier this month and will release respectively in November and December in Japan.

They’re still available for pre-order, so you’re still in time to grab the whole trio.

Spellbreak, the free-to-play magic-based battle royale game, will be shutting down its servers in early 2023, developer Proletariat announced today.

“Our vision was to create a fresh, multiplayer action-spellcasting game with exceptional movement and class customization that would give players the chance to unleash their inner battlemage,” the studio said in a statement from the announcement. “We are grateful to everyone in the game’s community for exploring the magical worlds and experiences we created together. Spellbreak was an ambitious project that saw our team push new boundaries in design and development and we are excited to continue to innovate as we create new titles in the future.”

Spellbreak first launched into early access on PC in 2018, then officially released for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2020. The battle royale game differentiated from others as the genre became more popular at the time by replacing guns with magical abilities. Up to 42 players could equip and upgrade their spells every match until one person or team survived.

It did very well when it officially launched, racking up five million players in its first month, but its interest has seemingly waned as more battle royale type games have flooded the market since then.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a Musou game that asks a lot of “what ifs.” What if Byleth didn’t come to Garreg Mach as a teacher? What if someone else ended up aiding Claude, Dimitri, and Edelgard when the three encountered bandits? What if, instead of a traditional tactical game like Three Houses, Three Hopes was a more active one? The answers to all of them, perhaps not shockingly, are rather fascinating.

Shez is a mercenary. Who were they working for? It doesn’t really matter. What does is that they face the Ashen Demon Byleth and Jeralt’s mercenary company on a battlefield, and things go awry. Everyone Shez worked with is killed, and they nearly fall. However, a being named Arval’s fate ends up intertwined with theirs. This grants them extraordinary power. It also leaves the two with a mission. That is, get revenge on Byleth. However, as they go about finding Jeralt’s group again, they end up in the same position as Byleth did in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. That is, they wind up at Garreg Mach and tied to one of the three houses. However, in this case Shez is a student alongside the other characters, and their fate intertwines with Claude’s, Dimitri’s, or Edelgard’s.

LRG 3DS Physical copies of Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson are on the way. The company opened up pre-orders for it on June 28, 2022. It will cost $39.99. While there’s no exact figure regarding how many will be available, there will only be a limited number made. Once sold out, people will not be able to get a copy of the Double D Edition.

The Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson Double D Edition doesn’t just give folks a copy of the game. They also get an extra bonus. A two-disc soundtrack is included. It features songs taken directly from the beat'em up.

Here's a closer look at the 3DS game and CDs that will come with it.

This is essentially a reproduction of the original September 2015 release. At the time, XSEED Games offered a $49.99 special edition that also gave people a copy of the game and the soundtrack.

LRG is now accepting pre-orders for physical copies of Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson for the Nintendo 3DS. It is in pre-production, and there's no exact release date for it yet. Digital copies are immediately available.

At an all-hands meeting on Thursday, Xbox addressed the growing employee concerns about labor conditions at Bethesda Game Studios and its parent company, ZeniMax. Matt Booty, head of Xbox Game Studios, said he was “confident” that the studio was not crunching, and that it was “unfair” to attribute crunch culture to…

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The super-comfy HyperX Cloud 2 gaming headset, beloved by esports pros and casual gamers alike, is going cheap at HP's US store. Today, you can pick up this legendary headset in a stylish pink/white colourway for $60 after a $40 drop.

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Adata's Premium SSD for PS5 might be the most misleadingly titled storage device on the market. Okay, it is a high-spec SSD suitable for the PS5, but it's also a really good value PCIe 4.0 SSD for PCs too. Today, it's down to $185 at Adata's official Ebay store when you use the code FREEDOM15 - an unbelievable price for the level of performance on offer.

That's some $145 below MSRP and way cheaper than similarly-specced 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs like the Samsung 980 Pro ($260) or Crucial P5 Plus ($244).

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I think of Disney as a company that will protect their image by working on something until it's both good and finished, which is frankly stupid of me given I just finished watching Obi-Wan Kenobi. Still, I found myself surprised when I learned that Disney Dreamlight Valley will be an early access game when it launches on September 6th. Watch the latest trailer for the Disney-themed Animal Crossing 'em up below.

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It's been a good few years for relaxing, sandbox building games, and Islands & Trains looks to fit right in. Its name also does most of my job for me: this is a game about constructing islands, right? And then you build trains on them, yeah? It's "coming soon" and it looks delightful in GIFs the developer has been posting on Twitter.

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Simogo are perhaps best known now for power pop rhythm game Sayonara Wild Hearts, but their next game, Lorelei And The Laser Eyes, looks like something of a return to their roots. It's a mystery game, a puzzle game, set in a baroque manor and - as per everything they make - dripping with style. Check out the announcement trailer below.

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Today Sega had a few reveals to share about upcoming content for its MMORPG Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis.

First of all, we get the reveal of the “Waker” class which will be introduced in August.

It’s somehow similar to the Summoner of Phantasy Star Online 2, but it features relevant differences. For instance, a waker can fight with three different types of familiars that don’t need to be raised or fed, unlike pets.

They also use the Harmonizer in melee combat, which is very different from the summoner.

Want to know how to download Overwatch 2? After several stages of beta testing, Overwatch 2 has finally been released globally. The latest installment of the PvP game comes with three new heroes, a brand new battle pass, and a lot of new content out of the box. As announced earlier, the servers for Overwatch 1 were shut down on Monday, meaning players have to download Overwatch 2 in order to safeguard their progression.

How to Download Overwatch 2?

Disney Dreamlight Valley, a life-sim adventure game, was recently featured in the latest Nintendo Direct, after having been announced a few months back. At the Nintendo Direct, it was announced that early access for Disney Dreamlight Valley will be available on Sept. 6, 2022. This gives us a perfect opportunity to look at who are all the confirmed characters in Disney Dreamlight Valley so far.

In Disney Dreamlight Valley, players will have the opportunity to explore the mysterious new Dreamlight Valley, getting the chance to explore various locations and complete a variety of tasks. More importantly, though, players will get the opportunity to interact with many characters from both Disney and Pixar films. With many more to be announced and seen, these are the characters that have so far been seen inhabiting this intriguing new valley:

Aren’t sure about how to get all secret planets in Solar Smash? Then, we have you covered. Solar Smash is a planet destruction simulator, where players can destroy entire planets with the help of weapons like nuclear missiles, lasers, and more. 

Apart from all the regular planets, there are some secret planets in Solar Smash, and if you aren’t sure what they are, here’s a look at every secret planet along with how to unlock it in Solar Smash.

How to Get All Secret Planets in Solar Smash

There are a total of eight secret planets and here’s how to get all secret planets in Solar Smash.

The Mighty Thor, Jane Foster’s godly alter ego, swoops into Marvel’s Avengers today. Crystal Dynamics released a pair of videos showcasing her thunder-based abilities, giving fans a look at how she compares to her original male counterpart.

Jane arrives as a free character in all versions of Marvel’s Avengers. The narrative explains that Jane was torn from an alternate reality in which she is the one and only Thor. Odinson renounced Mjolnir following A-Day, and though Jane developed cancer, her transformation into the Goddess of Thunder halted the disease as she battled to protect Inhumans from persecution. One day, a Tachyon Strom caused by AIM opened a portal that dropped Jane into the game’s universe. She joins up with the Avengers to uncover the cause of the rifts and figure out how to return home. 

The Mighty Thor wields Mjolnir with more precision than Odinson and sports new abilities that highlight her increased finesse. You can watch the War Table video below for a complete breakdown of her skills or watch the video below for a non-commentary gameplay demonstration.