June 2022

Blizzard Acquires Spellbreak Developer Proletariat To Work On World Of Warcraft

1 year 9 months ago

Spellbreak Battle Royale Shutdown Blizzard Acquisition

Yesterday, Spellbreak developer Proletariat released a blog post detailing the future of its spell-based battle royale that launched years ago. In it, the studio revealed that the servers for Spellbreak will shut down in early 2023, effectively ending the run of this battle royale. 

This shutdown likely had to do with the game’s low player count. Still, there might be more to it than that: Blizzard Entertainment, the studio behind franchises like Overwatch and Warcraft, is acquiring Proletariat and using its force of roughly 100 employees to staff up its World of Warcraft team, according to a new report from GamesBeat

“We are putting players at the forefront of everything we do, and we are working hard to both meet and exceed their expectations,” Blizzard president Mike Ybarra told the publication in a statement. “A big part of caring for our teams is making sure we have the resources to produce experiences our communities will love while giving our teams space to explore even more creative opportunities within their projects. Proletariat is a perfect fit for supporting Blizzard’s mission in bringing high-quality content to our players more often.” 

Author
Wesley LeBlanc

Exclusive First Look At Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration

1 year 9 months ago

With Atari's 50th anniversary happening this week, the company has revealed Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. This classic compilation of games stretches beyond the standard game-collection bundles we've seen in the past, with aspirations of serving as a virtual, interactive museum to paint a picture of just how influential and important Atari was, particularly through the nascent years of the video game industry. I went hands-on with Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration to see how well it accomplishes that lofty goal.

At its core, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration delivers more than 90 playable games in one $40 package. Players can expect classic and retro titles from six hardware platforms (Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, ST, Jaguar, and Lynx), all with emulation created by renowned retro revivalists Digital Eclipse; this is the first time Jaguar and Lynx games will be playable on modern consoles. The team at Digital Eclipse, best known recently for its work on Mega Man Legacy Collection, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, The Disney Afternoon Collection, and the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, has plenty of experience bringing forward the classics of yesteryear.

Author
Brian Shea

Creators Behind Star Wars: Galaxy Of Heroes Announce New Combat RPG, Legions & Legends

1 year 9 months ago

You’ve probably heard of or played Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, the character-collecting adventure set in a galaxy far, far away. The mobile game launched in 2015 and, in the years that followed, amassed a substantial fanbase that continues to get support from sizeable roster updates. The creators behind Galaxy of Heroes recently formed Azra Games. And the studios’ debut title will appropriately be a collectible and combat RPG called Legions & Legends. 

Azra Games CEO and co-founder Mark Otero excitedly spoke about the announcement of the new game:

“This will be my ninth collectible and combat RPG, one that builds upon and perfects the genre I’ve spent my entire career developing. I truly believe that we’ve cracked the code for a captivating gameplay experience built around the joys of collecting toys and taking them to battle against each other, just as we used to do when we were kids. At Azra, we’re looking to bring back that excitement of the toy box and playing with friends – remastered for a new generation of players.”

Azra Games is a blockchain games company. Legions & Legends launches this summer (an exact date wasn’t specified) with the release of the “Genesis Collection” NFTs which generate in-game resources through Ethereum. But what exactly is Legions & Legends? A press release/blog post penned by Otero gives us a brief look into the Legions & Legends’ “uncharted galaxy where magic and technology collide.”

Author
Jason Guisao

Devs behind Steam wishlist hit The Day Before defend use of unpaid volunteers

1 year 9 months ago

Fntastic, the studio developing Steam’s most wishlisted game The Day Before, have issued a statement to RPS explaining their policy of using paid and unpaid volunteers to make up their dev team. Metaphorical alarm bells began ringing earlier this week when it emerged that Fntastic are composed entirely of “volunteers” – although full-time volunteers, kindly dubbed "employees" in the statement, do receive salaries.

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Author
CJ Wheeler

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak review: A delightfully difficult expansion that doesn't disappoint

1 year 9 months ago

I loved Monster Hunter: Rise when I first played it on Switch last year, but I’ll admit that I sort of sleep-walked through its entirety, dreamily kicking the tails off a couple of raptors before making them into a fashionable pair of hot pants. This wasn’t a bad thing, mind. Far from it. I found Rise to be a substantially better-paced MonHunt entry compared to its predecessors, the series’ steep barrier to entry readjusted to a gentle incline that was more palatable for newcomers like me. Monster Hunter’s particular flavour of RPG design has always felt like trying to find a fork in a friend’s kitchen while they’re in another room. Nothing is where you expect it to be and there are a lot of things here you just don’t understand. Admittedly Rise wasn’t much better, stuffed as it was with endless text-based tutorials, but at the very least it pointed out the right drawer this time around.

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Author
Liam Richardson

Pride Week: Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers and exploring the joy in my bisexuality

1 year 9 months ago

Hello! Once again Eurogamer is marking Pride Month with a week of features celebrating the intersection of queer culture and gaming. This afternoon, Alex Meehan shares her experiences playing visual novel Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers and how it helped her explore the joy in her bisexuality.

I didn't know I was bisexual until my early twenties, but I did always know that there was something different about me. I remember being called a lesbian by another student at secondary school because she caught me sketching cute women in my notebooks during class - a memory that remains crystal clear in my mind to this day. It was a traumatic moment for me because - at that point in my life, when I was already being horrendously bullied - being labelled queer simply felt like I was getting yet another target painted on my back.

I only realised I might not be straight when I learned about bisexuality. I knew I was attracted to men, but I'd never toyed with the notion I could be also attracted to women until I began meeting queer people who were out. Being around queer people gave me the courage and the clarification I needed to put all the puzzle pieces together and accept I was bisexual.

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Author
Alex Meehan

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Fallout TV adaptation adds three new cast members, including Twin Peaks' Kyle MacLachlan

1 year 9 months ago

A new trio of actors has been announced for Amazon's upcoming Fallout TV adaptation - Kyle MacLachlan, Xelia Mendes-Jones and Aaron Moten.

However, at the time of writing, no further details have been given about what role any of the actors will play on the show's release (via Variety).

MacLachlan is probably best known for his role of Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks, as well as Trey MacDougal in Sex and the City and Orson Hodge in Desperate Housewives. For the fellow parents among us, he is also the voice of Riley's father in the very good (and more than just a little bit emotional) Inside Out.

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Author
Victoria Kennedy

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Star Ocean: The Divine Force Release Date Revealed

1 year 9 months ago

Star Ocean: The Divine Force Release Date Revealed

As part of theJune 2022 Japanese special program, a Star Ocean: The Divine Force release date appeared. It will show up in the region on October 27, 2022. While Square Enix didn’t officially bring up a worldwide launch day, the PlayStation Store also shows that as the release date for the game. It suggests it will unlock at 12 a.m. ET/6 a.m. CET on October 27, 2022. The Japanese limited edition and a new trailer appeared too. Update: The official Twitter account confirmed this is a worldwide release date.

First, here’s the new Star Ocean: The Divine Force release date trailer. It shows off both story segments and gameplay.

Author
Jenni Lada

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Star Ocean: The Divine Force Gets Release Date & New Trailers Focusing on Characters, Combat, & Cutscenes

1 year 9 months ago

Today Square Enix announced the release date of the next chapter of the Star Ocean series, Star Ocean: The Divine Force.

The game will launch on October 27, 2022, worldwide for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.

Together with the announcement we also get two trailers, one focusing on cutscenes and the story, while the second is an overview of the main characters and the combat. You can watch both below.

Incidentally, we also added the version of the trailers in Japanese, in case you prefer the original voice-overs.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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5 Reasons Obi-Wan Kenobi Is the Greatest Jedi of All Time

1 year 9 months ago

Obi-Wan Kenobi is often credited as one of the greatest Jedi, if not the greatest Jedi of all time. But what is it about him that makes this the case? What has Obi-Wan done to make him such a great Jedi?

Jedi can be explained as people who follow and practice the force and belong to the light side. They are guardians of peace for the galaxy, vowing to only use the force and their lightsabers to accomplish this goal of peace.

While there are many Jedi who fit this criteria, there are specific reasons why Obi-Wan, in particular, is the best of them all.

Author
Joel Tapia

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10 Games to Play if You Love Westworld or Questioning Your Humanity

1 year 9 months ago

Across its now four seasons, HBO’s Westworld has consistently discussed themes of artificial intelligence, what it means to be alive, and the nature of humanity through a critical, philosophical lens.

Concepts like these have been explored by numerous works of science fiction, and video games are certainly no exception. If you’re looking for games to play that feel like Westworld, read on.

SOMA

Games To Play if You Love Westworld

SOMA
Image Credit: Frictional Games

From the word go, Frictional Game’s SOMA sees the player working their way through a derelict, subaquatic research station packed to the brim with artificial intelligence that refuse to acknowledge the fact that they aren’t human. As the plot unfolds, the game deepens its themes in kind and frequently turns established plot developments on their heads, opening the door for the player to ask their own questions.

Author
Justin Mercer

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When Does Fall Guys Season 1 Free-to-Play End & When Does Season 2 Start? Answered

1 year 9 months ago

With the TV game show-style battle royale game finally going free-to-play on PlayStation, PC, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, many players are wondering when the first free-to-play Fall Guys season end, so they know how long they’ve got to grind out those levels on their Season Pass. Equally, you might also just be looking forward to some fresh minigames and cosmetics, and so a Fall Guys Season 2 start date may be on your mind.

Fall Guys Season 1 End Date

Fall Guys Season 1 will end on August 29, 2022.

This gives you a couple of months to try and level up your Season Pass as much as you can so you can add as many cosmetics from it as possible. After this date, you’ll no longer be able to unlock any cosmetics you didn’t reach, so if you’re desperate to get that Mecha Godzilla costume, you better start grinding out those levels and reach Tier 100 before it’s too late.

When Does Fall Guys Free-to-Play Season 2 Start?

Fall Guys Season 2 will start on August 30, 2022, the day after Season 1 ends. There will likely be a short amount of server downtime on this day, too, while the developers roll out the new content and make any balance changes or adjustments to usher in the new season.

What to Expect in Fall Guys Season 2

Fall Guys Season 2 will introduce a brand-new Season Pass, complete with a fresh set of cosmetics. There’s also the possibility that we’ll get some new ’rounds’ or minigames to help sift out the best from the rest.

Author
Chris Jecks

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Fall Guys Sum Fruit: How to Play Count the Fruit Round

1 year 7 months ago

Wondering how to play Count the Fruit in Fall Guys? Also known as ‘Sum Fruit,’ this round has been throwing a ton of players off because of how vague the in-game description is, and how difficult it can be to actually see what fruit you’re supposed to be hopping on. In this Fall Guys Sum Fruit guide, we’re going to explain absolutely everything you need to know about the minigame, so it never gets in your way of securing a Crown again.

Fall Guys Sum Fruit Explained

The in-game description of Sum Fruit reads: “Count the fruit. When the screens show the quantity, stand on the tile of a fruit matching that number.”

The easiest way to explain how this works is to break the round down into its different segments, and that all starts with counting the fruit.

1. Count the Fruit that Drops Into the Arena

At the very beginning of each round of Sum Fruit, a bunch of different types of fruit will land in the arena that you and your fellow Bean players are standing in. There will be about three or four different types of fruit, and a random number of pieces of each type.

Author
Chris Jecks

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Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Review – Everything Old Is New Again

1 year 9 months ago

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak on PC

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak achieves what should be the intention of any expansion: it expands upon the foundations laid down by the base of Monster Hunter Rise, by adding new areas, story content, and most importantly, adding epic new monsters to hunt. But that is only the baseline expectation; where Sunbreak rises up above is in its recontextualization of that original title.

The new areas and monsters are fantastic, but what really blew me away was the mix-ups. Seeing the insane new monsters invade the locations I knew so well from the base game, in configurations that pushed my skills to the limit, never stopped surprising me.

It’s worth noting up-front that accessing Sunbreak is no easy feat if you are starting fresh from the beginning. For the purpose of this review, I played the Steam version of the game and expected to blast through the game on PC in order to get to Sunbreak. I had played Rise on Switch when it launched, and so knew exactly what I needed to do, but it still took me around 30 hours to depart Kamura for Elgado, and begin Sunbreak proper. It helps that Monster Hunter Rise is a phenomenal video game in its own right, but this is a pretty big ask for players not familiar with the series.

Author
Khayl Adam

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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Who Havi Is in Norse Mythology

1 year 10 months ago

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla not only takes players to the shores of England, Norway, and North America, but also to an entirely different universe. Just as was the case in Origins and Odyssey before it, Ubisoft’s latest RPG features a mythological questline, too. This time, players travel to Asgard and Jotunheim, two iconic locations in Norse mythology. But when they arrive they aren’t playing as Eivor. So, if you’re playing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and wondering who Havi is in Norse mythology, here’s what you need to know.

Who Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Havi Is in Norse Mythology

According to a quick web search and referring to my trusty The Penguin Book of Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings (Kevin Crossley-Holland, 1982), Havi is an alternative name for Odin. It roughly means “High One.”

This may not actually come as a huge surprise if you’ve played through even a short amount of the Asgard quest arc in Valhalla since many of the other gods refer to Eivor as Odin. But why the Havi name in the first place?

Well, it seems to be somewhat similar to calling a Roman Emporer “Ceaser” or an English King “Lord.”

As it happens, Odin actually has many names in Norse mythology, including Bróðr Vilis / Bróðr Vilja – “Brother of Vili,” which should mean something to you if you have played through the Snotinghamscire questline.

Of course, the name Odin is far more recognizable. Although, one reference to Havi that you might be familiar with is within the word “Hávamál.” This fairly well-known collection of Old Norse poems reads almost like a philosophical code of conduct, and the stories are supposed to be based on the words of Odin himself. The word Hávamál literally means “words of The High One.”

Minor story spoilers follow.

Author
Alex Gibson

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Star Ocean: The Divine Force Launches in October

1 year 9 months ago

Square Enix and Tri-Ace have announced that Star Ocean: The Divine Force will launch on October 27 globally for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. We also got two new trailers for the game.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force follows two protagonists, Raymond Lawrence and Laeticia Aucerius Raymond’s merchant transport vessel, the Ydas, gets gunned down by a Federation battleship and he crashlands on an underdeveloped planet. Laeticia is the crown princess of the Kingdom of Aucerius on the planet.

Players will have the choice to pick between the two characters and gain unique perspectives from both. Raymond is on the search for his lost crew while Laeticia is trying to save her homeland from an unknown threat.

The battle system seems to have gone through an overhaul. Instead of the long-range and short-range attack assignments seen in the previous three Star Ocean games, characters now expend AP to perform special attacks. The transition from the field into a battle is seamless. Four characters can participate in battle at any time, which is actually a decrease from seven in the previous entry, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness.

The game now utilizes a Chain Combo system where players can assign different battle skills in any specific order to the controller’s face buttons. Certain actions during battle can temporarily increase max AP in order to execute more battle skills in a row.

Author
George Yang

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Star Ocean The Divine Force Story And Gameplay Trailers Reveal October Launch Date

1 year 9 months ago

Star Ocean The Divine Force

Tri-Ace and Square Enix have largely kept quiet about Star Ocean The Divine Force since its reveal last fall, but that changed in a big way today. In addition to dropping not one, not two, but three videos fleshing out the game's narrative, characters, and combat, we now know the JRPG launches in October. 

The Divine Force arrives on October 27, exactly one year after it was first announced. The first trailer showcases the plot with a montage of out-of-context story clips that sets the tone for what's to come in the sci-fi action RPG. 

The second video provides a more thorough walkthrough of Star Ocean's characters and combat. Players assume the role of one of two protagonists: Raymond Lawrence, a hot-headed merchant ship captain searching for his lost crew, and Laeticia Aucerius, a princess fighting to save her kingdom from destruction. The story unfolds differently depending on your chosen hero, and a ragtag party of allies accompanies each. The action-focused combat utilizes four party members players can swap between on the fly. You can battle in real-time or pause the action using Stop Mode to allow time to change tactics.  

Author
Marcus Stewart

Action RPG Fallen Angel Launches On Switch Next Month

1 year 9 months ago

Fallen Angel Switch Release Date

Matrioshka Games and V Publishing’s fast-paced action RPG, Fallen Angel, hits Switch next month after a successful launch on Steam in 2020. 

More specifically, Fallen Angel will hit Switch on July 19, meaning there’s already less than a month left until you can take the archangel experience with you on the go. If you aren’t familiar with Fallen Angel, you can get a look at what awaits you in it in the special Switch announcement trailer below: 

As you can see in the trailer above, there are a lot of hellacious things going on, which makes sense considering you control Lucifer as he attempts to ascend from hell to get revenge on those who banished him from heaven. 

“With no god in place, heaven is up for grabs, and it’s up to Lucifer to reclaim his birthright and battle fearsome archangels,” a press release reads. “The pearly gates aren’t what they seem, as Lucifer must venture through a variety of 2D locations from cyberpunk nightclubs to crumbling ruins. Utilize a vast arsenal of weapons in fast-paced combat from chain claws, blades, and guns.” 

Author
Wesley LeBlanc

Dead By Daylight devs are plotting to end the game’s grind, permanently

1 year 9 months ago

Survival horror slash ‘em up Dead By Daylight’s progression and perks systems are being overhauled to dramatically reduce the amount of grind, developers Behaviour Interactive have announced. The changes to Dead By Daylight’s progression and perks were first touted during the grindhouse game’s sixth anniversary broadcast back in May, but are finally arriving in the mid-chapter update for the current ‘Roots Of Dread’ storyline in July.

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Author
CJ Wheeler

Hell Is Us wants to make its action-adventuring even more "old school" than Elden Ring

1 year 9 months ago

When action-adventure game Hell Is Us was first announced a couple of months ago, we thought it had Annihilation vibes and appreciated the team's attempts to invoke Annihilation... and its vibes. Developers Rogue Factor didn't provide many other details, besides a few buzz words: "semi-open world", "true adventure", "third person".

So, I sat down with the game's creative director Jonathan Jacques-Belletête in the hopes he could shed some light on the aforementioned vibes, perhaps even turning them from ethereal gusts of Annihilation-ness to concrete info on just how the game aims to be a "true adventure". Lo and behold, I think it worked!

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Author
Ed Thorn

Half-Life 2 and Portal 2 beta files found in Portal Companion Collection

1 year 9 months ago

In the time it has taken for Earth to complete a single spin on its axis, the gaming community has been out in full force and picked apart the newly launched Portal: Companion Collection for the Nintendo Switch.

The first discovery came from self-proclaimed "Switch tinkerer" OatmealDome. In this case, the modder managed to unearth some Half-Life 2 content tucked away in the Portal: Companion Collection's files.

"The entirety of Half-Life 2 (minus maps and music) is present in the ROM," they wrote via Twitter. "Likely based on the NVIDIA Shield port, with a little Xbox 360 sprinkled in."

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Author
Victoria Kennedy

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Zelda: Breath of the Wild streamer beats every shrine without using runes

1 year 9 months ago

I have said it before, and I will more than likely say it again, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild really is the gift that keeps on giving.

Despite being out for several years, the Zelda community is still finding countless weird and wonderful ways to approach the game - the most recent of which being a completion of every shrine within the game without using any of the runes on the Sheikah Slate.

Content creator Limcube took on this challenge as part of an incredible 28-hour stream and used a variety of techniques to get to their final goal of 120/120 shrines completed.

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Author
Victoria Kennedy

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Watch Iggy in the New JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R Trailer

1 year 9 months ago

Watch Iggy in the New JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R Trailer

As usual, Bandai Namco has another new JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R trailer for folks. This time, it's looking at a character who showed up in the original game. People can see what JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders’ Iggy looks like in-game.

Though Iggy is a dog, a Boston Terrier to be exact, he's also one of Jotaro Kujo's allies in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. He's also a Stand user. His is called The Fool, and it is able to shapeshift. This is due to it using sand to show up, which is visible in the footage.

Bandai Namco is regularly releasing JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R trailers. Each one shows how new or familiar faces look in this version of the game. Here’s the list of ones that appeared so far.

Author
Jenni Lada

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Genshin Impact July 2022 Calendar Features Barbara

1 year 9 months ago

Genshin Impact July 2022 Calendar Features Barbara Birthday

As usual, HoYoVerse is preparing for the start of a new month with a new free Genshin Impact calendar. Each month, it prepares an image folks can use on mobile devices. The July 2022 Genshin Impact calendar features the four-star Hydro catalyst user Barbara. This is because each one features a picture of the first Genshin Impact character with a birthday appearing that month.

First, here's the Genshin Impact July 2022 calendar people can use.

Here’s a list of all the Genshin Impact characters with a birthday in July 2022. If you log into the game on the person's special day, you'll get a "gift" that consists of food and materials.

Author
Jenni Lada

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Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Hero Fiona Revealed

1 year 9 months ago

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Hero Fiona Revealed

Nintendo's latest Xenoblade Chronicles 3 details look at the Hero character Fiona. Heroes are people who can join Noah, Mio, Eunie, Lanz, Sena, and Taion's party. In the case of Fiona, also known as Fifi, she fills a healer-type role when she aids the group. In the Japanese version, her name is Mashiro.

First, here's a closer look at her official art and reveal. It notes that Fiona's class is known as Signifier. Like Eunie and Taion, she'll offer back-up. She's also from Agnus, like Mio, Sena, and Taion. She's also described as a kind person.

Next, here’s a story scene featuring Fiona coming to aid some allies.

Author
Jenni Lada

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Star Ocean: The Divine Force Gorgeous Intro Video & Screenshots; Digital Deluxe Edition & More Announced

1 year 9 months ago

Following the announcement of the release date of the upcoming Star Ocean game Star Ocean: The Divine Force, the Square Enix released an additional video and plenty of images, on top of details.

First of all, we get to see the first 8 minutes of the game, featuring beautiful cutscenes and introducing some of the characters we’ll meet in the game. This is available with both English and Japanese voiceovers.

Secondly, we hear more of the story.

The Galactic Federation which originated from the Solar System has maintained peace and tranquillity for the people living in the galaxy and has expanded gradually over time, with many heroes who saved world after world in its name.

Yet in stardate 583, the Federation has grown so large that it has at times swallowed even planets that did not wish to join, tainting the hand wielding the concept of justice.

Captain Raymond Lawrence of the transport ship Ydas departs from the advanced planet Beguard, which is not part of the Galactic Federation, and while on a cargo mission on a familiar route, he is attacked by the battle cruiser Astoria, owned by the Kenny family, one of the most prominent families in the Galactic Federation.

Raymond and his crewmate Chloe are forced to evacuate to the remote and uncharted fourth planet of the Aster system.

Just before they land, however, their escape pod is downed by what appears to be an EMP from the surface. Raymond is separated from his friends on a foreign planet.

He manages to land but is immediately attacked by protozoa. In the nick of time, he is rescued by Laeticia Aucerius, the first princess of the Kingdom of Osidius.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Homer or Michael Scott? Test Your Simpsons and The Office Quote Knowledge in This Quiz

1 year 9 months ago

It’d be tough trying to find two more dunderheaded yet loveable characters in the entirety of popular culture than The Simpson’s Homer Simpson and The Office’s Michael Scott.

Yes, the donut-munching nuclear power plant operator and the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin are essentially two sides of the same coin. So, with that in mind, we thought that a quiz testing your quote knowledge on both of these iconic characters was in order.

All you have to do is identify who said what in Twinfinite’s latest trivia quiz, which may be a little harder than you first thought. Was it the hare-brained cartoon dad, Homer Simpson? Or was it the hare-brained paper salesman, Michael Scott? You’re the boss.

So, without further ado, grab that crate of Duff beer, avoid those George Foreman grills and come join us for Twinfinite’s latest trivia quiz. Can you identify who said what in all of these Homer Simpson and Michael Scott quotes? Good luck and don’t forget… that’s what she said!

Author
Dylan Chaundy

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Cyberpunk 2077: Best HDR Settings

1 year 10 months ago

Cyberpunk 2077 somehow manages to look beautiful in some aspects and then fuzzy and unclear in others. We’ve already covered the blurry issue that many players have noticed in a separate article, but here we’ll be going over the best Cyberpunk 2077 HDR settings.

Probably just like you, the very first time I switched the game’s HDR from off to on it seemed to suddenly have a rather washed-out look. It was only after a whole bunch of fiddling with both the HDR settings and my TV settings that it appeared more vibrant and along the lines of what one would expect HDR to do. It’s still not perfect, and quite honestly some will actually find the game to look better on SDR, but it’s at least a whole lot better than before.

Before we continue, do note that settings like Film Grain, Motion Blur, and Chromatic Aberration should be turned off for maximum visual clarity. Make sure you’ve done this before messing with HDR.

Best HDR Settings in Cyberpunk 2077

There are only three HDR slider options available to you in Cyberpunk 2077: Maximum Brightness, Paper White, and Tone-Mapping Midpoint. Annoyingly, they only go up in increments of 10, too, so get ready for some button mashing to get them where they need to be.

By default, the standard settings seem to give the whole aesthetic a washed-out look as we mentioned above, but you can solve this by increasing and decreasing their values.

Author
Alex Gibson

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Chunks Of Half-Life 2 Are Hidden Inside Portal on Switch ⁠— And Hackers Are Getting Them Working

1 year 9 months ago

After yesterday’s Nintendo Direct Mini, Valve released Portal: Companion Collection, a bundle of Portal and Portal 2 for the Nintendo Switch. Within 24 hours, hackers have already found out that this bundle essentially contains a hidden game within its code, and it’s none other than Half-Life 2.

Yesterday, Twitter user @OatmealDome shared that they had found Half-Life 2 in its entirety (save for a few things like maps and music) within the game’s files.

@OatmealDome pointed out that Portal having bits and pieces of Half-Life 2 is expected because “Portal 1 is just a fancy mod of Half-Life 2.” However, they also found larger chunks like NPCs and voice clips that don’t have any correlation to Portal.

Author
Amelia Zollner

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Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope’s Score Combines the Powers of a Rockstar Trio of Composers

1 year 9 months ago

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle had a lot of aspects worth celebrating, including its soundtrack by Grant Kirkhope of Donkey Kong, Banjo-Kazooie, and Perfect Dark fame. We already knew he was returning for Sparks of Hope, but today we learned he’s being joined by two other incredibly talented game composers: Gareth Coker and Yoko Shimomura.

If you don’t recognize those names, you’ve definitely heard their work. Coker has won numerous awards for his work on Ori and the Blind Forest and later for its sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps. He also composed the music for Ark: Survival Evolved and Immortals Fenyx Rising, and a number of tracks in multiple Minecraft expansion packs, Dota 2, and Halo Infinite.

As for Shimomura, she’s best known for her work on all the Kingdom Hearts games, but has racked up numerous credits going back to the 1980s. She composed music for Street Fighter 2, Breath of Fire, Live a Live, Super Mario RPG, Legend of Mana, multiple Mario & Luigi games, Xenoblade Chronicles, Radiant Historia, and Final Fantasy 15, among many other games. With her joining Coker and Kirkhope, it’s truly a music power trio.

Author
Rebekah Valentine

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The 10 Best Legend of Zelda Games of All Time

11 months 1 week ago

For 37 years, Link has been traversing the fields and ruins of Hyrule in a seemingly never-ending quest to save Princess Zelda. His journey has spanned many consoles, redefining the franchise again and again.

Now The Legend of Zelda continues with Tears of the Kingdom. To celebrate the latest game in Nintendo’s long-running series, we took the time to look back and rank the best Zelda games of all time, reminiscing on our favorite adventures. While we hope to continue venturing to Hyrule time and time again, these are our picks for the best Zelda games of all time.

10. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006. Wii, Gamecube)

Twilight Princess gets an unfairly bad rap among Zelda fans. As the darker and edgier Zelda, it often receives unfavorable comparisons to Wind Waker, which has arguably held up better in comparison. But buried under all the cruft is a quality Zelda adventure, with a large world to explore, many enjoyable sidequests, and some great dungeons, the Snowpeak Ruins being a highlight. But the strongest element of Twilight Princess by far is Midna, a snarky imp who rides around on Wolf Link's back and basically trolls him for the duration of the game.

Author
Adam Bankhurst

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Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Preview – Unpacking The New Heroes, Revamped Battles, And More

1 year 9 months ago

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

Platform: Switch
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Milan, Ubisoft Paris
Release:

2017's Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle pleasantly surprised players by deftly combining two very different universes and utilizing the unexpected template of a turn-based tactics game. Five years later, a sequel, Sparks of Hope, launches on October 20 and builds upon the winning formula while also shaking up the foundation to make it more than a retread.

Speaking to the game's associate producer Christina Nava, Ubisoft was pleased as punch at Kingdom Battle's success and how it entertained turn-based strategy fans and non-fans alike. 

"We were particularly happy by the fact that we saw many players who were not too used to the tactical genre tackling the genre and enjoying it, even if at first they wouldn't have believed that," says Nava. 

Author
Marcus Stewart

What's better: boss battles as skill checks, or secrets behind waterfalls?

1 year 9 months ago

Last time, you decided that an AI-controlled friend just running about helping me fight is better than air control. We're blowing up entire genres of video game, but at least we won't be alone. This week, we continue to whittle down all of the things with a question of intrinsic or extrinsic rewards. What's better: boss battles as skill checks, or secrets behind waterfalls?

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Author
Alice O'Connor

Street Fighter 6's modern control scheme is an absolute game-changer

1 year 9 months ago

Aside from the many indies and Sonic Frontiers and this breakfast sandwich I got from Birdies, I must say that Street Fighter 6 was a major highlight of my time in LA for Summer Geoff Fest. Honestly, I went into my hands-on slot expecting to plaster a big "meh" on the game in my notepad. But the inclusion of a "modern" control scheme flipped this on its head. I'm telling you, it's an absolute game changer.

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Author
Ed Thorn

Blizzard acquire Spellbreak studio to focus on World Of Warcraft expansions

1 year 9 months ago

Blizzard is buying the development studio responsible for magical battle royale Spellbreak, Proletariat, and moving their staff over to work on World Of Warcraft. The purveyors of all things Azeroth confirmed the buyout in a statement to VentureBeat. News of the acquisition comes just a day after Spellbreak’s imminent demise was revealed by Proletariat on the game’s website.

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Author
CJ Wheeler

Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher English Version Will Appear

1 year 9 months ago

Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher English Version Will Appear

There will be an official English translation for Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher. After being announced during the Japanese Nintendo Direct Mini on June 28, 2022, Bandai Namco’s Southeast Asia branch released an additional trailer. It confirmed an Asia English version will appear. There’s no exact release date offered in that video, but it does mention a 2022 debut. [Thanks, HDKirin!]

As a reminder, Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher is a Monster Rancher game that involves characters from the tokusatsu series Ultraman. Both kaiju from the series and new characters will appear in the game. Folks will get to raise them and send them to fight other kaiju.

Here’s the English Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher trailer. It shows some of the translated menus, UI, and text. It also goes over a few of the notable kaiju people will be able to get, raise, battle, adventure with, and fuse over the course of the game.

Author
Jenni Lada

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New Legend of Mana Anime Trailer Shows Off Its Characters

1 year 9 months ago

New Legend of Mana Anime Video Shows Off Its Characters

There’s a new Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal anime trailer, and this video shows off its cast of characters and pins down a release window. While it previously had a tentative 2022 window, it is now confirmed to appear in October 2022. The new footage also shows off many familiar faces. Even though this story will follow the male version of the avatar, named Shiloh, and its Jumi arc, other people will appear too.

Author
Jenni Lada

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Fire Emblem Heroes Legendary Xander Arrives Tomorrow

1 year 9 months ago

Fire Emblem Heroes Legendary Xander Arrives Tomorrow

Another Xander alt is heading to Fire Emblem Heroes, and this time he’s Legendary. The June 30, 2022 banner will feature Xander: Gallant King. He’ll appear alongside some returning Legendary and Mythic-type heroes.

Xander: Gallant King is a cavalry unit that wields an axe. His Ebon Bolverk axe can let him use his special trigger quicker and, if allies are around, increase the number of hits an enemy needs to deal to use theirs. He also can inflict Null Follow-Up if allies are nearby due to it. His new passive is Chivalry. It enables Canto for him and also inflicts Atk/Spd/Def-5 on enemies whose health is over 50%. The standard version of Xander appeared as a Grand Hero Battle unit.

Xander isn’t the only focus unit for this banner. Here are the other characters who will appear.

Author
Jenni Lada

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