August 2022

Bungie has disabled the new Destiny 2 Exotic weapon, Quicksilver Storm, in high-level content ahead of Friday's race to complete the game's newest raid, the revamped King's Fall from Destiny 1. Quicksilver Storm is the latest casualty on the list of weapons and Exotic armor pieces that Bungie has disabled thanks to bug and glitches that came with the release of its latest content release, Season of Plunder.

Quicksilver Storm is an Exotic auto rifle that has some special properties--under the right circumstances, it can fire missiles like a rocket launcher and grenades like a grenade launcher. That latter capability is the source of the problem. Bungie rebalanced Heavy ammo-firing grenade launchers with its Season of Plunder patch, intending to make them do more damage and thus be more viable in high-level content. However, grenade launchers have been doing tremendous amounts of damage since the patch on Tuesday, August 23, dishing out something like 150% more damage than before the patch. That has made high-level content, like the recently released Duality dungeon, pretty easy for players to complete.

Digital Extremes has shared more on Warframe's Veilbreaker update, confirming it'll be launching for all platforms some time in September, and that players will be able to get instant free access to Styanax - the sci-fi shooter's 50th Warframe - for two weeks after its arrival.

Styanax - who gets a proper introduction in the animated Ascension Day trailer below - is described as a "mighty and herculean" Warframe whose designed is inspired by the ancient Greek warrior Astyanax. His abilities include the Axios Javelin - which can push back enemies on impact, causing damage if they hit a wall - and the Tharros Strike shield, capable of repelling enemies and reducing their shields and armour as it's swung around, regenerating Styanax's health with each successfully landed blow.

Styanax can also call on Rally Point to draw enemies to his position and regenerate the energy and shields of nearby allies (regeneration increases as the number of enemies near him grows), or deploy Final Stand - causing him to rise into the air and unleash a barrage of javelins that'll damage nearby enemies upon hitting the ground. Additional damage occurs on a direct hit.

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Drinkbox Studios’ Nobody Saves The World is getting a shot in the arm via a new expansion arriving next month. Dubbed Frozen Heath, this update adds new forms, challenges, and a fresh region to explore.

Frozen Hearth takes place in an underground region that hosts The Tempering, a series of trials consisting of combat challenges and puzzles. Overcoming this contest rewards two new forms: the Killer Bee and the Mechanic, which can be used in the main game. 

On September 13 you can buy the Frozen Hearth expansion separately for $4.99 or pick up it alongside the main game in a bundle for $27.99.  

Nobody Saved the World launched in January and became one of our early favorites of 2022. Former editor John Carson scored the game an 8.25 out of 10, writing in his review that, 

“Despite its minor shortcomings, Nobody Saves the World kept me enthralled from start to finish as I leveled my way through form ranks for the next body or ability to work with. It's most fun when unleashing devious yet approachable combat scenarios, keeping me on my toes to find the best solution to survive. Thankfully, it gave me plenty of those unrelenting loops throughout, justifying the time to save this funny little world.”

Key has released a demo version of Stella of the End on its website. The demo lets players read the early parts of the kinetic novel's storyline.

The minimum requirements needed to boot the kinetic novel will be a graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0, a Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, and 512MB of VRAM. For the best performances, Key recommends an Intel Core i5 processor with the RAM and VRAM upgraded to 4GB and 1GB, respectively.

While Key's famous works like Air and Clannad tell stories about the daily lives of modern youth, Stella of the End takes place in the future and has a more serious tone. It will tell the story of Jude Grey, a transporter moving between human settlements on an Earth where hive-minded machines have dominated the world and forced humankind to survive in the corners. Jude will receive a special task to escort Filia, a girl-like android who is not affected by other machines. The two will have deep interactions with each other, with a rumor circulating about a space elevator that can turn androids into humans.

House of the Dragon is making waves on HBO, pooling 20 million viewers tuning in to watch the first episode. So, it’s obvious people want more of the world George R. R. Martin works tirelessly to give us. His work spans far beyond the War of the Five Kings, even as far back as thousands of years. That means there’s plenty of content to create new and unique series. These all Game of Thrones spin-off shows in development.

All Game of Thrones Spin-Off Shows in Development

Snow

Jon Snow was among the cast of characters that got the raw end of the deal. He rode off into the snowy wastelands beyond The Wall, and that was that. However, it seems his story may live on in Snow (working title), a sequel series that Kit Harington is reportedly reprising his role for.

However, it’s worth noting that the show hasn’t been greenlit yet, and it is still in the writing stage. According to George R. R. Martin, in an interview with BBC:

Kingdom Hearts Dark Road has finally concluded over two years after initially starting, as the mobile app has now released the final main update, allowing for the game to be played offline. So, for those of you who have been patiently waiting for this update to come out, what exactly can you expect to see? Well, lucky for you, we have the answer, as this is all of the changes that have come to the Kingdom Hearts Union X Dark Road app with its final update.

Every Change That’s Included in Kingdom Hearts Union X Dark Road’s Final Update

Here is the list of all the changes that were made:

If you were online at all last week and following the Fortnite/Dragon Ball crossover event, the odds are pretty good you may have come across someone losing it at an apparent zoomer mispronouncing Goku’s iconic attack. “So we all know the Kameyamama is overpowered,” creator Dagwummy said in his August 18 video. It…

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A few of us at Kotaku have been obsessed recently with Cult of the Lamb, the buzzy new Devolver-published roguelike about a cult led by a lamb. Last week, Kotaku’s Sisi Jiang asked me a simple question about the game in Slack: “Are we the baddies?”

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YouTube’s Trending page is typically full of easy-going content like music videos, comedy sketches, and game trailers, along with popular creators like Mr. Beast and SSSniperWolf. However, on August 24, the number-one trending video was a callout against the platform itself, with accusations of racism or favoritism…

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I think it's fair to say Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game was one of the more... leftfield reveals from this week's Gamescom Opening Night Live bonanza. In case you missed it, it's a 3v7 asymmetrical multiplayer adaptation of the cult 1988 horror film of the same name, but details on how its creepy clowning around would actually work were few and far between, to say the least. Thankfully, I sat in on a developer presentation earlier this week to find out exactly how it stacks up to other asymmetrical horror film games out there at the moment, as well as how it hopes to evolve and redefine the hide-and-seek genre as a whole.

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Guacamelee developer Drinkbox Studios has announced Frozen Hearth, a new chunk of paid DLC heading to its action-RPG Nobody Saves the World on 13th September.

Frozen Hearth takes players to a forgotten new region, deep underground, "where the strongest warriors compete for glory in The Tempering". Here, hardy adventurers can tackle a series of puzzles and challenges intended to test their transformation skills and creativity, unlocking the new Killer Bee and Mechanic forms that can be used in the DLC and main game.

"When we shipped the original game, there were so many ideas we had to leave on the cutting room floor, and this DLC gave us a chance to bring some of them to life," Nobody Saves the World lead designer Ian Campbell explained in a statement accompanying today's announcement. "We had a blast creating even more forms, as well as puzzles and challenges that make the most of the game’s mix-and-match customisation".

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This week of All Things Nintendo, Brian chats with Game Informer's Marcus Stewart about some major anniversaries in the world of Nintendo and the various news items coming out of Gamescom 2022. Brian delivers his final verdict on Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince before giving his hands-on impressions of Splatoon 3. The two also chat about the new Harvestella story and gameplay details coming out of the Nintendo Treehouse live stream. 

If you'd like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter, hit the following links: Brian Shea (@brianpshea), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7)

The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we can celebrate, discuss, and break down all the latest games, news, and announcements from the industry's most recognizable name. Each week, Brian is joined by different guests to talk about what's happening in the world of Nintendo. Along the way, they'll share personal stories, uncover hidden gems in the eShop, and even look back on the classics we all grew up with. A new episode hits every Friday!

Circus has updated the Da Capo 5 website by publishing details about its main characters. The protagonist—who does not have a design because the player will embody him—will be able to interact with five heroines in this visual novel.

The player will assume the role of Souma Kujo, a male high schooler who is studying at the Kagami Academy. He will be already acquainted with four of the heroines at the beginning of the story.

The blonde-haired Menoa Yasaka is Souma's childhood friend who is also engaged to him, as both families have arranged their marriage. The character next to Menoa is her younger sister Kako. The black-haired Yukina Tokisaka is the current student council president, and redhead Akari Shirakawa is one of Souma's classmates.

The main story will begin when Souma encounters the key heroine, Mizuha Sakuragi. After descending from a blooming sakura tree, Mizuha will claim that she lost her memories but feel like she has met Souma before. She will eventually join Souma's class while also interacting with other characters.

Da Capo 5 will also feature branches of magic-using families. The Kujo and Yasaka families are derived from the Tokisaka clan, so most of the main characters are actually distant relatives. As Mizuha also appears to use some magic, she will be placed under the Tokisaka clan's protection and live in Souma's house.

After its first season, Netflix has decided to put an end to the horror of their Resident Evil series. Netflix revealed that Resident Evil’s first season did not perform well enough in Netflix’s top 10 popular shows for the necessary amount of time. On top of that, when the cost of the series is weighed against the amount of viewership, it’s not lucrative enough for the streaming company.

In its first two weeks, Resident Evil debuted in the top ten Netflix shows at No. 2 and then No.3. But after that, it disappeared from the list entirely. From the critics’s standpoint, Resident Evil holds a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Reviews from audiences have not fared well either, and the existence of any positive buzz is lacking. With all of these factors at play, the Resident Evil series was officially announced as being cancelled on Aug. 26, after only being released on July 14.

The Agnihotra Sutra World Quest in Genshin Impact is a new storyline within the latest Version 3.0 update. In this guide, we’ll help you along your journey and provide you with images to make the experience much easier.

Today Capcom revealed two videos about its upcoming fighting game Street Fighter 6.

As with similar videos, we don’t see any gameplay, but we can get a good listen at Juri’s music theme, “ÅrachniD**” and Kimberly’s theme “Ninjastar Pop.”

This is the sixth music reveal made for the game, as a few weeks ago Capcom published the official music video for the main theme, titled Not on the Sidelines, followed by the themes for Chun-Li and new-ish character Luke, the theme for Ryu, the music created for Jamie, and the theme made for Guile.

You can check the tracks out in the videos below.

Believe it or not, you aren’t the only one who hasn’t watched a single episode of Game of Thrones. Maybe you weren’t too interested or stuck on another show. Perhaps one too many seasons were released and you didn’t want to play catch up. But things have changed. Do you start at Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon? Does House of the Dragon spoil Game of Thrones?

Does House of the Dragon Spoil Game of Thrones?

Simply put, no, House of the Dragon does not spoil Game of Thrones. If you haven’t watched a single episode of Game of Thrones, you can still safely watch House of the Dragon. This is because House of the Dragon is a prequel series, which takes place before the events of Game of Thrones.

House of the Dragon does make a few references to the events of the future. For example, the opening text after Viserys is named heir to the Iron Throne fades, leaving behind “172 years before Daenerys Targaryen.” It’s a neat meta-reference that establishes a link between the two series.

Another example is King Viserys opening up to his daughter about a dream he had, one of a coming disaster in the north, calling it “A Song of Ice and Fire,” which is actually a nod to the title that George R.R. Martin’s gave to the book series the original show is based on. Game of Thrones establishes what that threat is in its very first episode.

Adapting George R. R. Martin’s incredibly dense and world-spanning A Game of Thrones series had to have been a nightmare. So many characters are at play, both small and large, that of the story was altered for the sake of simplification, like combining two characters. That means the HBO series diverged drastically in some areas from the book. But what of House of the Dragon? Does House of the Dragon follow the books?

Does House of the Dragon Follow the Books?

For the most part, yes, House of the Dragon follows the books but not the ones you might think. It’s honestly a little more nuanced than a yes or no answer.

Unlike the HBO series Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon doesn’t pull its story from a novel but rather from a history book called Fire & Blood. This book was also created by George R. R. Martin, but instead of a straightforward plot, it serves the purpose of worldbuilding, while also doubling as a living document in Westeros.

Fire & Blood chronicles House Targaryen, such as the days of Aegon the Conqueror and the Dance of the Dragons. The events that transpired throughout Targaryen history are written using sources from a myriad of fictional characters, though the legitimacy of some are called into question. For example, the court jester Mushroom. Even the opinions and testimonies of Archmaesters can be inconsistent.

It’s through that lens that House of the Dragon may differ from the books. Even House of the Dragon co-creator Ryan Condal echoes this sentiment during an interview with IGN:

After almost six years and many rumors, King’s Fall has returned to Destiny 2. Retooled and reworked to match the state of Destiny after such an extended absence, Guardians will travel into the Ascendant Realm to defeat the Taken King Oryx once and for all. As with any raid, new, or returning favorite, teams worldwide race to see who can complete the activity first, although with a particular modifier attached. Contest Mode is the standard modifier attached to any raid on day one, and in case you’ve never heard of it, here’s what you have to know on what exactly Contest Mode is.

Destiny 2 Contest Mode

Contest Mode is the standard modifier any raid launches with in order to create an equal playing field on day one. As a new raid enters Destiny 2, teams around the world race against time to complete the activity.

Splatoon 3 is a fast-paced third-person shooter where players compete to claim the most turf with their color ink. The game has surprisingly deep controls that can feel a bit complicated as you are first playing the game, but there are adjustments players can make, so the controls better fit their playstyles. Here’s your guide on how to change motion control settings in Splatoon 3.

Transphobic gamers seem to be getting stunned by facts again as one appears to have impersonated an Arc System Works representative and sent out a fake email to players, insisting that popular, returning Guilty Gear Strive character Bridget isn’t transgender.

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Not since the cruelly overlooked Blast-off has a game so accurately pressed the faster! button in my brain.

Neodash is a type of racing game that pops up relatively often; a time trial crossed with an obstacle course and a little of what I suppose is the endless runner. Picture Trackmania but with the courses condensed into short bursts of high speed dodging and you're basically there. They're often very throwaway and don't really hold my interest for long. Neodash grabs hold immediately.

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Square Enix’s newest trailer for NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition on the Nintendo Switch features 2B. Aside from showing off the flashy moves you can pull off as 2B, the trailer also shows some of the new outfits and Pod skins that will be available in the game. For example, you can make her Pod look like Mama from NieR Reincarnation.

Aside from DLC content that was available on consoles such as the PS4 or Xbox One, there will be some cosmetics exclusive to the Switch version. The aforementioned Mama skin is likely only for the Switch. NieR Reincarnation went live in 2021, whereas NieR Automata’s original release date was 2017.

You can watch the 2B character trailer for the Nintendo Switch version of NieR Automata The End of YoRHa Edition here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqHMMLn00ts

NieR Automata is canonically part of the Drakengard and NieR universe. But one does not need to have prior knowledge of those series to play it. It follows the story of 2B and 9S, both androids from the YoRHa infantry. They and other YoRHa troops are involved in a war against machine lifeforms on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Its popularity helped to push Yoko Taro’s name into the mainstream. As of February 2021, Square Enix had sold over 5.5 million units of NieR: Automata worldwide.

Atlus has uploaded a new trailer for Soul Hackers 2 in commemoration of the game’s August 26, 2022 release date. The trailer, which is called ‘Beating Heart,’ is just over a minute long and shows both gameplay and cutscenes. Most of the trailer focuses on combat sequences and out of context clips.

You can watch the Soul Hackers 2 Beating Heart trailer here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1iyR6-yc3c

Beating Heart does touch a little bit on the main plot of the game. The sentient AI system Aion sends Ringo and Figue to the human world in order to stop the apocalypse, and Ringo uses her Soul Hack ability to revive party members Arrow, Milady, and Saizo. During the process, Figue obtains something called the Covenant, which is what the main antagonist is after. Once he collects all of the Covenants, he plans on ending the world.

The trailer also gives a quick look at some aspects of the battle system. You can see Ringo use a Sabbath, which is essentially an All-Out Attack that you can power up with Stacks. You gain a Stack every time you hit an enemy with the element they’re weak to. Throughout the trailer, you see the human characters fighting, which is another difference between Soul Hackers 2 and most other Devil Summoner games. Rather than collecting demons that act as party members, demons are like Persona you can equip to your four human characters.

Several missions in the Genshin Impact Version 3.0 update feature long and intricate adventures that players can embark on in the new Sumeru map. In this guide, we’ll help you with the Varuna Gatha World Quest, including solving complex puzzles, locating hidden objects, and helping Aranara creatures with the upcoming festival.

You read that right, a film sequel to the 2018 anime SSSS. Gridman has been announced called Gridman Universe. However, that’s only a piece of the new film. The film will also incorporate SSSS. Dynazenon and unite the original casts of both. The new film will once again be handled by Studio Trigger which created those two anime as well as Darling in the Franxx and Kill la Kill.

All we currently know as far as a release date goes is that the Gridman Universe film will be coming sometime in 2023. But this also gives plenty of time to stream the two shows to be fully caught up when the movie does arrive.

Crunchyroll gives the cast returning from SSSS. Gridman as:

Hikaru Midorikawa as Gridman 
Yuya Hirose as Yuta Hibiki
Yume Miyamoto as Rikka Takarada
Soma Saito as Sho Utsumi

With the case of SSSS. Dynazenon as:

Junya Enoki as Yomogi Asanaka 
Shion Wakayama as Yume Minami
Yuichiro Umehara as Koyomi Yamanaka
Chika Anzai as Chise Asukagawa

Crunchyroll explains the plot of SSSS. Gridman as:

Netflix's Resident Evil live-action adaptation is cancelled. The news broke early on August 26, 2022, when Deadline reported that the streaming giant opted not to renew the show. The series, which is loosely based on the Resident Evil games, debuted on July 14, 2022. According to Deadline's report, the show did not perform to expectations. As viewing metrics versus production costs are Netflix's main criteria when making renewal decisions, Resident Evil got the axe. It joins the live-action Cowboy Bebop and Jupiter's Legacy series as another relatively high-profile adaptation killed after a single season.

Before it was cancelled, the Netflix Resident Evil series played out over two timelines: The first in South Africa, where the Umbrella Corporation had set up its new headquarters, and the second in the future, years after zombies had overrun civilization. It starred Lance Reddick (Zavala in Destiny, Charon in John Wick) as Albert Wesker, and his daughters Jade and Billie Wesker (played by Ella Balinska and Adeline Rudolph). Jade was the focus of the future timeline, struggling to survive amidst the ruins and looking for clues as to her sister's whereabouts.

Hallo! Monday is a bank holiday for us here in the UK, so we'll leave you with Alice Bee until the rest of us return on Tuesday (well, aside from those of us taking more time). This is the last big holiday weekend of summer, a traditional time to get out in the countryside or down to the seaside. Could use a little heat and joy with the terrible, terrible winter to come. Anyway! What are you playing this weekend? Here's what we're clicking on!

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Life is full of little rituals, and little rituals are also a huge part of the appeal of games. Build orders, sending loot off on your pet, typing out a cheery GG. But the best rituals go beyond any individual games. They exist, as platform holders might say, at the hardware level.

Here's a favourite. I find a spot in the park. I check for the position of the sun. I arrange bag and book and Tesco Meal Deal, lie back and then fiddle with the screen of the tiny device I'm holding just so, until it catches the light and comes to life.

For a while this year, this was a ritual I performed while sitting in the park with a Playdate. But the ritual was slightly complicated, because it harkened back to the real deal, which for me was arranging the reflective screen of the Game Boy Advance when sat by the sash window in my old bedsit. A few weeks ago, I wanted to go past even that former ritual. I wanted to go to the source, to the land before the GBA. I dug out the silver Game Boy Pocket I bought on eBay a while back - boxed! - and then filed somewhere on a bookshelf. I found the 4 double-As I assumed I'd need and then found the two triple-As I actually needed, jammed in Tetris, and headed to the park.

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Today Koei Tecmo released new assets of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, currently in development at Team Ninja.

We get to see a lot of action inspired by Chinese martial arts, definitely fitting the Three Kingdoms era.

The game is similar in some aspects to the Niho series, but it’s not just a port of it to another setting. There is no stamina or stances, but you can jump.

The specific setting is a dark and gritty version of the Three Kingdoms where demons are all over the place, and the trailer also introduces a well-known character from the era, Zhao Yun.

We get to see several beautiful environments and enemies, on top of the return of the concept of guardian beasts, on top of magical abilities.

We also learn that the game will be playable at Tokyo Game Show where producers  Fumihiko Yasuda (known for the Nioh series) and Masaaki Yamagiwa (who worked in the same capacity on Bloodborne) will appear during a livestreamed live show on September 16.

Diablo 2: Resurrected has launched a public test realm for the upcoming 2.5 patch that boasts an all-new "experimental" feature: Terror Zones.

As well as a "variety of bug fixes to address feedback the community has provided" Blizzard, Terror Zones see you take up monsters at least two levels higher than you (or their original level) for extra XP and loot in the hope we'll stop "repeatedly farming" Baal, Diablo, or Nihlathak.

"The journey to level 99 is a celebrated experience for players and quite the milestone if achieved - a rite of passage, even," Blizzard explains in the patch notes. "We want to offer an alternative to repeatedly farming Baal, Diablo, or Nihlathak. We also want the journey to level 99 to be accessible to a larger population of players, full of variety, and most importantly, challenging - this is where Terror Zones come in. As we get into details, please note that players can choose to opt-out of Terror Zones if desired.

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