September 2022

Mitsuhiro Yoshida, the Director of River City Ransom (a.k.a. Downtown Nekketsu), has died. His studio Miracle Kidz announced his death via the official Miracle Kidz Twitter account on September 3, 2022, although he "passed away suddenly" on August 30th. His cause of death was not given. In the Japanese-language announcement, Miracle Kidz staff stated that Yoshida was "at the head" of efforts to make every new title as good as it could possibly be." The funeral was held privately and for family only, but received messages were shared with the family and staff.

https://twitter.com/miracle_kidz/status/1565907621072470016

Mitsuhiro Yoshida is best known for his time at classic Japanese developer Technos Japan and his association with River City Ransom and the wider Kunio-kun series. However, he worked on many of the developer's most iconic projects, including Super Dodge Ball, Double Dragon, and Nintendo World Cup. 1989's Downtown Nekketsu was the first Kunio-kun title made specifically for consoles, and as River City Ransom became the most widely recognized title of the franchise. His influence was such that even WayForward's 2019 River City Girls spin-off had special thanks for him in the credits.

Crunch is bad. Boasting about crunch is bad. You’d imagine everyone knows that now, wouldn’t you? Yet, and I’m not a qualified reputation manager, I still think I have a beneficial suggestion that could greatly aid many within the games development industry: Stop saying you think crunch is great. If only Striking…

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Head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, has once more, so very appropriately, stuck his foot in his ass. This weekend at PAX, he proudly declared to a live audience how much he’d like to see QA work performed by AI.

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The first episode of Amazon Prime’s Tolkein spin-off starts more or less where the novels ended, with Elves seen traveling to their mysterious homeland. But what happens to the Elves going to Valinor in The Rings of Power? Here’s what you need to know.

What Happens to the Elves Going to Valinor in The Rings of Power?

To answer this question we first need to remind ourselves exactly what Valinor is — the Elven homeland, a peaceful, almost utopian-sounding continent where Elves live for eternity. It’s heaven for Elves, basically, where Elves go once they have completed everything they wanted to achieve in Middle Earth. Remember that Elves originally came from Valinor, traveled to Middle Earth, and then returned there once they had more or less earned their right of passage.

When we see Galadriel and her fellow Elves sailing toward the bright lights of Valinor, we’re essentially witnessing a mass death — sort of. The Elves on the boat are basically succumbing to their fates and returning to their homeland, never to be seen again. They are ascending, albeit not technically dying since they are immortal. In an interview with decider, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay explain:

“We also think there’s something intriguing about the theme of death and deathlessness in Tolkien generally, and in the elven world. You know, the elves are immortal, but they’re only kind of immortal. They sort of have a time limit on their immortality. And to achieve it, they have to go back home, which is also sort of dying and going to heaven, and the ambiguities and layers within that were something that we embraced.”

No matter how strong a year’s video game lineup is, there’s always going to be one or two disappointments thrown in. It’s inevitable; not every game is gonna be a paragon of perfection that lives up to the gaudy expectations placed on it.

2022 has been no different; this year came out of the gate sprinting with heavy releases before going a bit quiet. It’s still been a strong year, though it’s fair to say there have still been some disappointments. Here are ten things from the video game world in 2022 that failed to live up to expectations.

The Lord of the Rings' primary antagonist Sauron has come to Elden Ring thanks to a new armour mod.

The mod comes from MaxTheMiracle, and reskins the player with Sauron's black armour and humanoid figure seen in the likes of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film adaptations (but without that imposing height).

This mod is still in its early days, but has been released to coincide with Amazon's Rings of Power series. As such, the current weapon moveset used within this mod is borrowed from another mod, as work on it continues behind the scenes.

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Matt Booty, Head of Microsoft Studios, has assured fans that The Initiative's Perfect Dark game is in good shape despite working with Crystal Dynamics.

Speaking at PAX West last week, Booty discussed the increased prevalence of multiple developers working together on new games.

"How we make games is evolving," said Booty. "The idea of a single team under one roof really doesn't happen that often anymore."

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An upcoming Crash Bandicoot fan game will bring the dancefloor to Wumpa Island in a remake of one of the series' lesser-known mini-games.

Crash'N'Dance is being developed by indie dev Fierce the Bandit, who posted a short video of their current progress.

The fan-made project is a rhythm game where players must hit button prompts in time to the music. Fake Crash will pop up on the screen sporadically in an attempt to distract you, but if you're successful, Crash will perform his signature boogie and get a shiny crystal.

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From Software games like Elden Ring and the "Soulsborne" titles are best known for unforgiving difficulty and a haunted, melancholy mood. However, they're also run through with a low-key sense of humor. From slapstick antics in multiplayer to occasionally silly gimmicks and character design, the games are home to all manner of macabre comedy. The new official Elden Ring manga aims to make that humor a bit more explicit. Published by Kadokawa and serialized in twelve languages, the manga takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the travails of a novice Tarnished. The manga is written by Nikiichi Tobita, who also created the comedy fantasy series A Cursed Sword's Daily Life [Thanks, ANN!].

Formally titled Elden Ring The Road to the Erdtree, the Elden Ring manga is free to read on Kadokawa's Comic Walker platform.

Before reading, note that the manga involves in-jokes and humor based on the game, and as such may contain spoilers for new players.

Its English localization is provided by Yen Press. It's also going to be published in Traditional Chinese, Thai, Korean, French, German, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Italian, POlish, and Brazilian Portuguese by various companies. Two chapters are out as of this time.

Sabuko, the sword-wielding final boss of River City Girls, isn't one to take defeat lying down. She's back in River City Girls 2, and she's bringing the rest of the family with her. Wayforward uploaded a new "villains" trailer for the game on Friday. It teases some new story and character moments, as well as the series' trademark brawling action.

Check it out below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OrWkuUfHlk

Sabuko is the daughter of longtime Kunio-kun series heavy Sabu. Sabu's broken out of jail to take matters into his own hands after Sabuko's thrashing at the hands of protagonists Misako and Kyoko. Now with Ken, Sabu's son and Sabuko's brother, the trio will retake the streets if Misako, Kyoko, and their allies don't do something about it. These allies include two new playable characters.

As in the first game River City Girls 2 will see Misako and Kyoko's boyfriends Kunio and Riki (the original stars of the mainline Kunio-kun games) join the fray. Besides them, however, are Marian and Provie. Marian is the lead heroine of Double Dragon, girlfriend of that game's protagonist Billy Lee. She cameoed in the first game as a shopkeeper. This time around, though, she's taken up a pair of knuckle dusters, discarding her damsel-in-distress role to jump into the melee. Meanwhile Provie travels in from 2017's River City Ransom: Underground, bringing her breakdancing-inspired fighting style. The new characters can get a workout in another new feature for the sequel: 4-player co-op support.

You know how amateur magician and some-time Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford wears awful shirts? Well, the Borderlands boss has chanced upon this idea to auction off his old, used clothing to aid a charity. Which charity? No clue. Because this is the timeline we deserve. Update: We now know, see below.

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Amazon Prime’s new spin-off takes us back to Middle Earth, but this time thousands of prior to the events of the iconic books. As we pick up the action in the very first episode, there are signs around the continent that the terrifying presence of the Dark Lords might not be entirely over. Here’s what was wrong with the cow in The Rings of Power if this scene had you confused.

What Was Wrong With the Cow in The Rings of Power

The Rings of Power’s first episode follows a number of different characters across Middle Earth, including Avondir, the Elven soldier stationed in the Southern lands. There he keeps a watchful eye over the goings on in the area, staying vigilant for orcs and any remnants of Morgoth’s evil rule many years earlier. It’s a quiet watch, for the most part — so much so that locals are beginning to tire of his constant questioning and investigations, which they consider unnecessary.

And yet, evil is brewing, and it isn’t long into the episode before something unusual occurs. While speaking with his close friend, the healer Bronwyn, a local farmer arrives with a strange request — he wants Bronwyn to take a look at his cow, which has become ill after straying far away from its field. After close inspection, the cow appears to be leaking a strange thick, black fluid from its udders.

The sight suddenly puts Avondir on high alert; he immediately asks how far away the cow has likely strayed, and when he gets his answer he sets off to investigate. So, what gives? Why is Avondir on high alert after having seen a sick cow?

God of War Ragnarok is just a couple of months away, and Adult Swim released a very special trailer.

The trailer features popular cartoon heroes Rick & Morty as they advertise the upcoming adventure of Kratos and Atreus, and as usual, Morty is in trouble and Rick goes off on a tangent… with the Leviathan Axe.

It’s as hilarious as you expect and you can watch it below.

This is not the first time that we see Rick & Morty advertise consoles and games for PlayStation. You can check out the ad for the PS5 and one for Death Stranding.

God of War Ragnarok will release for PS4 and PS5 on November 9, 2022. It will continue the adventures of Kratos and Atreus following the previous God of War game released in 2018 for PS4 and earlier this year for PC.

If you’d like to see more about the game, you can check out the special editions and enjoy the latest cinematic trailer.

Roblox Starving Artists, the game within a game that challenges you to make art within Roblox and then try and convince other people that actually it’s worth something – it’s crazy how realistic games are these days – is now here. If you’re really into Roblox and art and want a glimpse into how Gen Z will launder their money in the future, then Roblox Starving Artists is probably the game for you. Jokes aside, if you’re here, you’re probably looking for some sweet Roblox Starving Artists codes to kick your experience off. Here’s what you need to know.

Sea of Stars developer Sabotage Studio released another of its usual clips of its upcoming pixel-art RPG.

The video is very brief as is tradition, but it showcases another of the areas that we’ll be able to explore in the game, the Cursed Woods.

They certainly look the part, with plenty of creepy roots and ghastly monsters.

You can watch the clip below.

The charming and highly-anticipated RPG inspired by JRPGs is coming to PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The game was supposed to be released this year during the Holiday season, but will instead launch in 2023 following a recent delay. At the moment, a firm release date has not been announced.

Today Square Enix and Atlus announced that a Persona 5 Royal collaboration event will come to the popular mobile game NieR Re[in]carnation.

The event has been announced only for Japan at the moment, which is normal since the Japanese version of the game is ahead compared to the western one. That being said, it should come in English at some point down the line.

It’ll start in Japan on September 9, 2022, and it’ll include its own quest and three playable characters from Persona 5 Royal, Joker, Queen, and Fox.

Update: Square Enix revealed that the event will actually happen at the same time on the global servers. It’ll launch on September 8 Pacific Time.

Below you can enjoy a trailer and a look at the first gameplay directly from the livestream that hosted the reveal.

The Torchlight series is returning - although this time as a free-to-play game for PC, iPhone and Android devices.

An early Steam version of the game is available to download now, as part of a closed beta test before a full launch next month, some time in October. (You can request access via its Steam page.)

There's a whiff of Diablo Immortal to Torchlight Infinite, which has numerous ways to spend money within the game. Monetisation will include a season pass, monthly pass, auction house and premium currency bundles. Spending and progress will be reset at the end of the current beta, though the amount you spend will then be granted back when the game fully arrives.

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This week's DF Direct is somewhat different than the usual show - a while back, Intel approached us, asking to be featured on a future episode to talk about its Arc graphics line. At the same time, Intel Fellow Tom Petersen, having seen our extensive image quality comparisons in our FSR 2.0 God of War video, was also keen to see the firm's own XeSS machine learning-based upscaling technology put through its paces in a similarly rigorous fashion. That work is still ongoing and due later this week, but today I'm pleased to share the DF Direct Intel special, filmed in Berlin last week - not least because it sees Petersen addressing all of the concerns we've had about Arc over the last few months.

I'd recommend watching the video through because we've got a lot of ground to cover, kicking off with the delay behind Arc. We spoke to Petersen back in August last year, expecting Arc to arrive in Q1 this year - the perfect time for a new force to enter the graphics market, adding much needed volume during the crypto era... but it never happened, leading some to pronounce the death of Arc in its entirety. That's not happening, the cards are coming soon, but not helping matters was a very strange initial release for the Arc A380 - the first Intel discrete GPU from the Alchemist line-up. Why release the weakest card first? Why release in China first to begin with? Why not sample the press with the product at all? What's the reason behind all of the delays? The answers are illuminating - and perhaps with the benefit of hindsight, things might have been different.

Sega's Mega Drive Mini 2 retro console is now available to pre-order in Europe, so get in quick if you don't want to miss out.

The console will release on 27th October and the included 60 titles from both the Mega Drive and Mega CD consoles have now been fully revealed, including two that were previously unreleased.

As reported last month, the console will have a tenth of the supply compared to the previous retro console in North America, so stocks are expected to be limited.

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There's a mod for Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered on PC that lets you play as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

It seems that the Turtle brothers aren't satisfied with their own success with Shredder's Revenge have made their way into Spider-Man's territory.

Created by SpaceDasher, the mod lets you choose between Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello or Michelangelo to swing around as. Or maybe that should be swim around as?

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The Last of Us Part 1 only released a few days ago for the PlayStation 5, but fans are already dissecting, and by extension discussing, every inch of its world.

One such discussion taking place focuses on a potential new IP from Naughty Dog, that many believe will have a fantasy theme. This all started after several posters with fantasy-like elements were spotted adorning the game's walls.

The posters in question, which can be seen below, show images of a Pegasus-like horse, a dragon, and a female warrior:

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Kagami Yoshimizu will take up the pen again after eight years to continue working on the Lucky Star manga. It will appear in MITAINA!, which is a manga magazine focusing on Kantai Collection. To be more precise, the 4-koma gag manga will restart its serialization from MITAINA! Volume 3, which will come out on November 10, 2022. [Thanks, Crunchyroll!]

https://twitter.com/C2_STAFF/status/1565569016818589696

As for why Lucky Star will appear in a Kantai Collection magazine, it is due to the fact that Yoshimizu is a big fan of the franchise. Apparently, his favorite of the girls is Kawauchi. The news about the revival came from C2 Kikan, which is the official doujin circle creator for Kantai Collection.

Elden Ring fans who want to see more of the art behind The Lands Between are in for a treat later this year. According to Bandai Namco, a large two-volume Elden Ring art book will launch simultaneously on November 30, 2022 in Japan. Rather than two separate books, both volumes of the Elden Ring Official Art Book will release on the same day. The sheer number of pieces included in the collection necessitated splitting into two volumes [Thanks, Famitsu!].

The first volume of the Elden Ring Official Art Book includes art used to make the game's opening movie. It also features character art, armor and gear designs, as well as concept pieces for the various areas and dungeons in The Lands Between. The second volume features enemy designs ranging from bosses to minor threats. Weapon designs are also contained in this volume, as well as item illustrations. In total the two volumes contain over 800 pieces of official Elden Ring art.

Check out some sample pieces in the gallery, with more available at the Famitsu portal site.

[gallery columns="4" ids="934872,934873,934874,934875" link="file"]

Rick and Morty did a commercial for God of War: Ragnarok, aired on the television last night. Why? I don’t bloody know. Because everything, for the rest of time, is now to be composed entirely out of overlapping memes?

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The Sega Mega Drive Mini 2 console has been fully announced for an Oct. 27 release date for Europe and the UK with a new video. This new mini console will also include Mega CD titles as well. The Mega Drive Mini 2 will include 60 titles, and the video’s description also includes a mysterious “(+1)” to that number.

The Mega Drive Mini 2 will be available only through Amazon UK for £104.99.

Here’s that video below before we get to a breakdown of the 60 titles available. The additional “(+1)” is unknown.

Here is the full list given by Amazon UK of both Mega Drive and Mega CD titles:

Given that it’s set a century before Game of Thrones, HBO’s new spin-off show introduces plenty of new lore to the world of The Seven Kingdoms. That includes one curiosity highlighted in a recent episode; here’s what a White Hart is in House of the Dragon if the scene it featured had you confused.

What Is a White Hart in House of the Dragon? Answered

The white hart is a stag, a male deer which is a rare prize for a hunting party such as the one which had ridden out to the Kingswood for a grand hunt in celebration of Aegon’s second name day.

More importantly, according to Targaryen traditions, the white hart is regarded as a good omen and a sign of great things to come for Viserys’ reign and Aegon’s potential claim to the Iron Throne.

Interestingly enough, and as is so often the case with many worlds from popular fantasy novels, the white hart has its roots in human history. The white hart was the personal badge of Richard II of England, a 14th-century king, which has also gone on to become a popular name for British pubs even to this day. It is, in fact, the fifth most popular name for a pub or Inn.

Again, in the context of the show itself, and as we’ve explained in our detailed guide on the subject, the white hart’s appearance in Episode 3 symbolizes Rhaenyra’s own claim to the Iron Throne instead of Aegon.

Many years have passed since the launch of the latest Homeworld game set in space (Deserts of Kharak was more or less its own thing). Yet, the series still has many fans, who have been demanding a new title and patiently waiting to return to the stars.

At long last, Blackbird Interactive and Gearbox publishing are bringing the series back to its spacefaring RTS roots, and I have played a rather extensive demo including two full missions.

The first thing I can tell you is that this time around Blackbird did not reinvent the wheel. Everything feels familiar, from the visual style to the gameplay.

While the graphics have been considerably boosted and take advantage of modern tech like ray-tracing and more, the much higher resolution and visual quality let us enjoy our spaceships in massively improved detail.

This Saturday brings another edition of Ubisoft Forward, showcasing the publisher's roster of upcoming games, and in the run-up to its arrival Ubisoft has shared more on what viewers can expect to see when tuning in, including a look at the future of the Assassin's Creed franchise.

As previously announced, Ubisoft Forward gets underway on Twitch, YouTube, and Ubisoft's website this Saturday, 10th September, from 8pm in the UK.

Those with a little more time on their hands can start even earlier, with a pre-show scheduled to run from 7.35pm BST, promising news on the latest seasons, characters, and content from Anno 1800, Brawlhalla, For Honor, The Crew 2, and more.

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Kadokawa and Dengeki Bunko have revealed that Reki Kawahara, the novelist most famous for Sword Art Online, will release a new novel titled Demons' Crest. The new title will have its characters drawn by Yukiko Horiguchi of K-On! fame.

The story of Demons' Crest will take place in the near future with a full-dive VR technology where people can interact with the VR world with their entire bodies. In a similar vein to Reki Kawahara's prior works Sword Art Online and Accel World, an in-universe VR MMORPG will form the core of the storyline.

Demons' Crest will tell the tale of Yuma Ashihara, an 11 years-old sixth-grader who joins a test play for Actual Magic, the first MMORPG to employ the full-dive VR technology. Soon after defeating a dungeon boss with his classmates, a mysterious red light envelops Yuma's avatar and causes the player to faint. After a forced logout, Yuma will wake up to see a Mixed Reality where world elements from Actual Magic appear in real life.

In my mid-40s, my life is so latterly being taken over by Pokémon. After falling down the Pokémon GO hole in 2020, and then chronicling its slow takeover of my spare time, I have since found myself the primary Pokémon GO correspondent for Kotaku. And now, as if that weren’t enough, I’ve finally discovered the TCG. RIP…

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Today third-party Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft developers shared an update about an upcoming aircraft and announced another.

We start with Ouroboros Jeys, which released a development update and new screenshots of its EMB-500 Phenom 100.

“Gooday’ Ouroboros. Today we have an update for you on the Phenom 100. It’s a smaller update today but at the hopes of bringing you content on a more frequent basis. Last time we mentioned that we needed to integrate the Working Title items into the airplane to improve usablility. Now MSFS will integrate these changes natively and this eases the workload on our devs. We will continue to create a custom EICAS for this aircraft. Techno recently got the XML started on the G1000’s and some of the ported Ejet XML allows the airplane to already stand on it’s own in sim. Sorry for the update title pun, but Vitor has done it again and added wonderful decals with backlighting into the sim just like our Ejet. Taco went ahead and added some cargo bays to the front and back of the jet. More functionality for your preflight actions. Both Reecee and Vitor began to texture the first version of the model.”

EXTERIOR

• Forward Cargo Bay
• Aft Cargo Bay
• Radome Section Started

INTERIOR

• Decals Added to main panel and armrest columns
• Some items are animated now
• Cabin textures and testing underway

This aircraft is going to be freeware and open-source. To follow the developer’s progress, you can check out its Discord server.

Kinetic Games has released an updated development roadmap for its deliciously spooky ghost hunting sim Phasmophobia, with the game's custom difficulty feature now set to release this month with plenty more on the way.

As Kinetic explains in a new Steam post, the team has now revised its early access roadmap for 2022 and beyond to "more accurately represents what we achieved this year, and what we plan to do moving forwards" following a longer-than-expected development period for Phasmophobia's VR rework, which eventually arrived in April.

Kinetic has released some smaller updates since then to keep players appropriately terrified but it's all go in September with the advent of Phasmophobia's Custom Difficulty update, which the developers says is "a big one".

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House of the Dragon just released its third episode, in which a specific name that Game of Thrones fans should be well accustomed to is featured. Of course, the name in question is the House Lannister. So who exactly is the man with this familiar surname? Well, we have got the answer for you as this is who Jason Lannister is in House of the Dragon.

Who Is Jason Lannister in House of the Dragon?

A large part of episode three of House of the Dragon sees Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys Targaryen, trying to set her up with a husband. One person in particular that Viserys is eyeing for his daughter at the beginning of the episode is Jason Lannister, the current Lord of Casterly Rock. Given the political implications, he seems as though he would be the perfect fit. However, the Lord is seen as cocky and arrogant, quickly losing both Rhaenyra and Viserys’ approval.

Side note: If you recognize the title “Lord of Casterly Rock,” that’s because there were a few characters during Game of Thrones who held this title, notable Lannisters like Tywin, Cersei, and Tyrion.

Jason Lannister does also have a twin brother, Tyland Lannister, who deals with the politics of King’s Landing, as seen at the beginning of the episode. Given that Jason is the Lord of Casterly Rock though, it is likely that he is the one that has the lineage resulting in Game of Thrones leads, Tywin, Jaime, Cersei, and Tyrion, but this is unconfirmed right now.

Given the twins’ history in the books, this is likely not the last we will see of them, so they are certainly two characters to keep an eye on going forward.