September 2022

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 has been around for six years, but this won’t discourage Bandai Namco from releasing new DLC.

New content simply named “DLC Pack 1” is coming to the veteran anime game this fall, featuring Gamma 2 from the new movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.

Today Bandai Namco released a new trailer showing the Red Ribbon Army android in action.

You can check it out below.

If you think this is pretty crazy considering that the game was released in October 2016, I certainly won’t blame you, but Dragon Ball has been around for a long time, so I supposed that Bandai Namco is basing the apparently immortal support to Xenoverse 2 on the longevity of the anime.

It isn’t all that surprising that new DLCs are continuing to chug along, considering that it has sold over 8 million copies.

That being said, it’s definitely hilarious that the official Steam description of the game still recites “post launch support for one year.” That’s one really elastic year, Bandai Namco.

East Japan Railway Company will release a simulator game for the global public. The company behind a majority of real-life trains and railways in eastern Japan has opened a Steam page for JR East Train Simulator. It is working with Ongakukan to develop a public game based on the simulator that it has been using to train its actual crew members.

The Early Access version of JR East Train Simulator will launch with small portions of the Hachiko Line from Takasaki Station and the Keihin-Tohoku Line from Omiya Station. While both lines pass through Tokyo's stations in real life, the earliest public build will not have them.

JR East will release the full version within three months after launching the Early Access build. The full game will support external controllers and add the ability to change routes to the driver's liking. The company will also sell additional routes as DLC.

East Japan Railway Company is the largest among the Japan Railways Group companies that manage railways across Japan. It covers the eastern Honshu island, from Aomori at the northernmost tip to the Izu peninsula. The same company also manages railways in the Tokyo metropolitan area, including the most famous Yamanote Line loop.

Hypergryph and Yostar's tower defense gacha RPG Arknights is has a strong focus on contemporary music from freelance composers and artists for its soundtrack. So much so, that its fans often joke that Hypergryph is as much a music company as a game developer. In fact, Hypergryph even releases Arknights music commercially under the Monster Siren Records label, which is also the name of an in-game record label. In 2021, the company held Arknights Ambience Synesthesia, a special live concert in China featuring tracks from the game's various events and the artists that performed them. Unfortunately for global fans, the concert was exclusive to Chinese audiences. That's changing this year, as the 2022 edition of the event will be broadcast to global audiences simultaneously.

The announcement was made August 31, 2022 via the newly-opened Arknights Ambience Synesthesia Twitter account. The account promised that the concert would be broadcast globally, and also teased upcoming outfits that use the in-game fashion brand of the same name.

Here's the spotlight announcement trailer. It teases several groups of Operators from Arknights wearing Ambience Synesthesia outfits. The spotlighted Operators include Mr. Nothing, Dusk, Texas, Eyjafjalla, Amiya, Hoshiguma, Phantom, Mudrock, Tequila, and more. As in the previous concert, these groups will perform various compositions as distinct units. Some of the outfits they're wearing may be released to the in-game store later on, for use on their respective characters.

This week on All Things Nintendo, Brian invites former Game Informer editor and current GameSpot mobile gaming editor, Kyle Hilliard, to talk about the history and importance of the Mario Kart series. Before that, Game Informer associate editor Jason Guisao chats with Brian about the news of the week.

If you'd like to follow the people from this episode on Twitter, hit the following links: Brian Shea (@brianpshea), Jason Guisao (@Jason_Guisao), Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard)

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!

Be sure to subscribe to All Things Nintendo on your favorite podcast platform. The show is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

Earlier this week, a developer’s Twitter thread about shady Steam curators who potentially lie to get free game codes went viral. In the thread, using a bit of a sting-like operation to support his suspicions, the dev theorized that these shady curators take game keys and sell them instead of using them to actually…

Read more...

It’s a joke among weebs that you can always tell who’s the main character of an anime. You look for the teenager with the most vibrantly colored hair, or the impractical clothes. The young heiress Dunyarzad, a newly introduced NPC in Genshin Impact, hardly fits the bill, so I didn’t think much of her when I met her.…

Read more...

At this rate, we’ll never see the last of The Last of Us. Ahead of a high-profile HBO adaptation, Naughty Dog released a top-to-bottom remake, called The Last of Us Part I, for PlayStation 5.

Read more...

Elden Ring is full of gear. From curved blades to great shields, along with entire armor sets that dress your Tarnished like a werewolf knight, there’s no shortage of equipment to get in the Lands Between. But while some stuff littered around FromSoftware’s beautifully desolate world is easy to find, maybe picked off…

Read more...

Update 09/06/2022 12:15 p.m. ET: Late in the evening of September 2, Wizards of the Coast released a statement apologizing and acknowledging the “inclusion of offensive material” in the Astral Adventurer’s Guide, saying that the company “failed you, our players, and our fans.”

Read more...

Developer 1047 Games has announced it will be "ending feature development" on its acclaimed free-to-play sci-fi shooter Splitgate in order to shift its focus to creating a new game set in the same universe.

Splitgate - which has been described as "Halo meets Portal" in some quarters - made quite the splash last year. Despite having been around on PC since May 2019, an open crossplay beta for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC proved so popular that 1047 Games elected to delay the game's multi-platform early access launch in order to better accommodate its surge in popularity.

1047 Games has continued to build on that success in the months since, most recently launching Splitgate's beta season two in July. However, the developer has now said it will be "ending feature development" on the game as a result of what it seemingly considers to be insurmountable legacy issues.

Read more

Today during the Gearbox panel from PAX West, Gearbox Publishing and Blackbird Interactive presented an extended gameplay trailer of Homeworld 3.

We get to see one of the missions from the game, including plenty of space combat and a look at the new features included in the game.

These are the ability to find cover and travel stealthily thanks to “terrain” features like massive space derelicts.

Having played the same mission at Gamescom, it definitely looks awesome, and you can expect my preview to be published soon.

In the meanwhile, you can watch the trailer below, which is a much longer version compared to the one showcased at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live.

Homeworld 3 is coming to PC in the first half of 2023. At the moment, a specific release date has not been announced just yet.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Homeworld series, it debuted all the way back in 1999, developed by Relic Entertainment.

Homeworld: Cataclysm followed in 2000, and then Homeworld 2 in 2003. Following the acquisition of the franchise by Gearbox, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak was released in 2016. Yet, it was very different from its predecessors. Homeworld 3 represents the return to the space roots of the franchise.

Bandai Namco has opened its Tokyo Game Show 2022 webpage, which details its title lineup and live stream schedule. The company has been known as one of the major publishers to have a large booth with many self-published games besides Square Enix. While it had an unusually small showcase in 2021, the return of a public physical venue in 2022 also enabled Bandai Namco to bring a large number of games to the event as it usually does.

The upcoming RPG One Piece Odyssey will be the main highlight from Bandai Namco in TGS 2022. Its stream will run on September 15, 2022, at 22:00 JST (9 AM ET). This also means it will take up Bandai Namco's slot on the Tokyo Game Show 2022 official channel. The company also has a mysterious stream scheduled at the end of the event on Sunday, September 18, 2022.

Here's the schedule for Bandai Namco's TGS 2022 streams known as of this writing. All times listed are in Japan Standard Time (UTC+9).

Fans of Splitgate, the sci-fi multiplayer shooter with portals, received some bittersweet news today. Developer 1047 Games has announced it’s finally bringing the game out of its lengthy beta and launching it in 1.0 next month. It also revealed plans to create another title within the Splitgate universe. But to facilitate work on this next project, it will cease feature development of Splitgate.

1047 explains in a press release that it’s developing a new shooter in Unreal Engine 5 set in the world of Splitgate, which means it will also feature portals. There aren't any more details beyond this, but it will be the team’s full-time project going forward. 

As such, 1047 is launching Splitgate out of beta on September 15, but it will move away from creating substantial content after that. However, the team assures fans that Splitgate will remain online. The game’s launch will kick off a new season, which includes a new, free battle pass featuring an infinite number of levels along with new characters, skins, and other goodies. Splitgate’s weekly featured playlists, and item drops will continue, and the team will still work on smaller fixes and updates. 

You can read 1047's full statement below (click to enlarge):

We met up with Squanch Games for a candid rooftop interview at Gamescom to discuss the making of High On Life, working with Justin Roiland, how the reception to Rick And Morty ebbs and flows, and how the team has struggled with marketing their upcoming FPS game. 

Watch the interview below: 

Good news PlayStation Call of Duty players: Microsoft says you get to have “several more years” of playing the shoot-bang game on your Sony console.

Read more...

After three years, Nintendo is finally removing the contentious “gacha pipe” from its popular mobile racer, Mario Kart Tour. The pipes, which players had to purchase with in-game “rubies” to get a chance at unlockable prizes, will be replaced with a new in-game store.

Read more...

Read more...

In the run up to New Tales from the Borderlands' release on 21st October, developer Gearbox has shared 18 minutes of new gameplay footage, offering the best look yet at this long-awaited follow-up to Telltale Games' acclaimed original.

New Tales from the Borderlands follows the same choice-driven "interactive fiction" template as its predecessor - indeed, Gearbox has hired "key alumni" of the original Telltale Games narrative team for the project - but features three new protagonists in an all-new adventure.

This time around, all eyes are on Fran Miscowicz - out for revenge after a Maliwan laser hits her frogurt shop - altruistic scientist Anuradha Dahr, and her ambitious "streetwise" brother Octavio Wallace-Dahr, who's looking to make his own mark on the metropolis of Promethea.

Read more

As governmental scrutiny of Microsoft's proposed $69bn USD acquisition of publisher Activision Blizzard grows - particularly in relation to its impact on PlayStation - Microsoft has revealed a commitment to keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation platforms for "at least several more years" beyond Sony's existing marketing contract.

That's according to The Verge, which says the commitment was made in a letter from Xbox boss Phil Spencer to PlayStation head Jim Ryan earlier this year.

"In January," Spencer told the publication in a statement, "we provided a signed agreement to Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation, with feature and content parity, for at least several more years beyond the current Sony contract, an offer that goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements".

Read more

During the PAX West main stage Gearbox Software panel, a new trailer for the New Tales from the Borderlands was shown off. The New Tales from the Borderlands is developed by Gearbox Software Quebec and is the first game they have developed. While it is considered another entry in the Tales from the Borderlands franchise, this game is also entirely standalone.

This trailer covers the game’s brand-new characters and some more detail was given on stage. The New Tales from the Borderlands takes place just about a year after the events of Borderlands 3. The story takes place on the planet Promethea, a prominent Borderlands 3 location.

Tediore journeys to Prometheus believing the planet is hiding a vault, the alien remnants full of riches (and usually legendary weapons).

You can find the awesome new trailer below.

Publisher 2K teased back in April that it was bringing back Telltale’s Tales from the Borderlands series but that this time, it would be developed in-house by Gearbox Software. Then, during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live event, Gearbox officially revealed the sequel, which is less a direct continuation of Telltale’s story and more a spiritual successor to the series, which is evident in its official name: New Tales from the Borderlands. 

That new trailer gave us a look at the new protagonists – altruistic scientist Anu, her street-wise brother Octavio, and local business owner Fran – as well as a look at just how Tales from the Borderlands this new entry is this time around. Sure, it’s a new cast and an all-new story in the world of Borderlands, but it’s clear it will play and feel familiar. In speaking with the team, it’s clear that this is Tales from the Borderlands with some added Gearbox edge. 

Today third-party Microsoft Flight Simulator developers revealed new add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator, on top of showcasing new assets.

We start with DC Designs, which revealed new screenshots of the AV-8B Harrier II, alongside a development update.

“This week, I have been working to add all of the final animations, controls, switches, buttons and dials to the Harrier cockpit, while CodenameJack has been making final adjustments to the VTOL system and other coding requirements. The cockpit is now about 95% complete as we work to pin down the last tasks and make sure that the various warning lamps, switches and other controls do what they’re supposed to. Displays mostly follow those of the real aircraft, with some minor changes to make them more relevant to use within MSFS.

The VTOL system itself is now within a whisker of being perfect, with transitions throughout all phases of flight smooth ( or at least, as smooth as the pilot flying the airplane – I’m still practicing myself ) and matching the real aircraft very well. I’ve said it here before but I’ll say it again, hovering this Harrier really is a flying challenge. It can be very precise, but the effects of the environment such as wind and turbulence require some real stick and rudder skills to keep the Harrier under control. I once descended too fast while testing a VTOL landing and the subsequent bounce was enough to flip the Harrier onto its back on the runway, bringing the test flight to a rather embarrassing end. Rather like Concorde, the Harrier will only behave and do what you expect if you fly the aircraft correctly, which is just how we like it.

Krafton has collaborated with the British vehicle manufacturer McLaren Automotive to bring the McLaren GT to PUBG just in time for the 19.2 update. In addition to the new car skins, the 19.2 update will also bring new content to the game, including a new weather system in Deston, a new vehicle, and more.

PC players will have access to the McLaren GT vehicle skins from September 7 to November 2, while console players will be able to obtain the skin from September 15 to November 10. To celebrate the collaboration, players can get the McLaren GT Standard-Onyx Black, which features a vehicle skin, costume, gear, emote, and more from in-game McLaren Loot Caches. They will then be able to equip the McLaren Skins to vehicles via the new vehicle interaction feature.

Players will be able to make the following vehicle skins workshop when McLaren tokens are used:

• McLaren GT Standard - Silica White
• "McLaren GT Elite - Volcano Yellow

They will also have the opportunity to craft their own McLaren vehicles. Here are some of the customizations players can do in the workshop:

• Vehicle colors
• Brake calipers
• Wheels

Anyone who purchases any McLaren vehicle skins can open up special car containers that'll have a driveable McLaren in the pre-game lobby. The McLaren containers and vehicles will be removed from the match as soon as the game starts.

The Not-So-Friendly Neighborhood Food Truck will be a new drivable vehicle for players in Deston. The new car can fit up to four people and has a large, vertical window on one side of the van. There's also a new weather system coming to Deston, which will make both lighting and weather more realistic throughout the game.

Just about every week brings something new to Destiny 2, whether it's story beats, new activities, or interesting new combinations of elements that let players devastate each other in the Crucible. Iron Banter is our weekly look at what's going on in the world of Destiny and a rundown of what's drawing our attention across the solar system.

Season of Plunder isn't the first time Bungie has brought some swashbuckling into Destiny 2, and true to form, the pirate-themed season has its hull filled with pirate-themed puns. In the season's first mission, you recruit a pirate crew from the Forsaken expansion's crime lord quest-giver, the Spider, who you can call on in missions to help you face the Pirate Lords you're tasked with sending to Davy Jones's Interstellar Locker throughout the season.

Early in the season, though, there was something about these alien pirates I couldn't stop puzzling over, and it turned out to be more irritating than a peg leg covered in splinters. It was my crew's names, each clearly a riff on some privateer parlance. Each of the pirates you recruit is an Eliksni character, an alien race whose members tend to have names that end with sounds like "siks" or "raaks". Thus, the crew who joins you on your missions consists of the venerable space sailors Flotsiks, Jetsiks, Ransiks, and Halsiks.

Apex Legends Mobile Season 2.5: Hyperbeat launched alongside a large collection of cosmetics (via both the Hyperbeat battle pass and the Hyperbeat Store) and an equally large number of seasonal events. The most recent of these events, Rising Through The Ranks, is the very first of its kind, and tasks players with ascending the tiers in Ranked Mode while unlocking prizes along the way.

Previously, seasonal Ranked Mode rewards weren't revealed until the end of the season (or very shortly beforehand). But as of Season 2.5, players can now see the upcoming Ranked Mode rewards and the challenges they'll need to complete to obtain them. Keep reading for a closer look at the Rising Through The Ranks event, along with some tips to help you climb all the way to Masters and unlock that awesome mobile-exclusive Bangalore skin.

Getting started

Depending on how recently you've played Apex Legends Mobile, you may or may not be greeted by a splash screen advertising the event when you first log in. Select "Go!" to be taken directly to the event hub. If the splash screen does not appear, you can reach the event hub by selecting the purple "Season Event" banner on the right side of the main lobby screen. This will take you to the Hyperbeat seasonal hub.

The Walking Dead comic series is no stranger to adaptation. The franchise has successfully made the jump to TV shows, plenty of solid console, PC, and VR video games, and probably even a cereal. Walking Dead has already had a handful of mobile game adaptations, as well, but All-Stars is the zombie franchise's first step into the popular mobile genre of character collecting, and focuses on the larger legacy of the comic book.

We spoke with developer Funflow's CEO, KyungHyun Son, over e-mail about The Walking Dead: All-Stars, how it looks to the original comic book for inspiration, and how exactly it fits into the larger Walking Dead mythos.

Having had a chance to see a 30-minute gameplay presentation of New Tales from the Borderlands, I'm cautiously optimistic about the upcoming consequence-driven episodic adventure game. What I saw has left me intrigued--even if it didn't quite match the irreverent charm of the original game. I'm willing to give the game the benefit of the doubt but I am a little worried that this sequel may not live up to the narrative highs of its predecessor.

New Tales from the Borderlands is a clean break from the original game. It follows a new trio of characters--altruistic Anu, ambitious Octavio, and violence-first-questions-later Fran--as they work together to find a Vault Key, each for their own ends. You guide the story through dialogue choices and quicktime events, resulting in a number of short-term or long-term consequences that can color the story.

Gameplay-wise, it looks a whole lot like the original Tales from the Borderlands. But the humor in New Tales isn't working for me as well as what we got in the original Tales--I think it's because I really liked the protagonists of Tales (Rhys and Fiona) from the very first trailer, while I still haven't been able to quite connect with Anu, Octavio, and Fran, even from the snippet of the game I saw.

That said, I am excited about how the game plans to handle the evolving morality of the three characters. In terms of character alignment, all three seem rather chaotic, though Anu seems to primarily lean towards chaotic good, while Fran is more chaotic evil, and Octavio lands somewhere in the middle.

Head of Xbox Game studios Matt Booty sang high praises for Forza Motorsport, the upcoming eighth entry in the Forza Motorsport series, during an episode of Xbox's official podcast.

"We just did a really comprehensive review of Forza Motorsport," Booty said. "It's amazing. It's going to, again, reset the high bar for what simulation and competitive racing games can be." Those are quite the complimentary words for Turn 10's upcoming game.

Booty, who worked on racing games in the past, also offered insight into how making racing sims has changed, and how it hasn't. He pointed out that yes, there are now "science-fiction-like" technologies like ray-tracing available, but certain things haven't shifted as much. "A lot of the process about how a track is laid out, how teams work on different environments, the track surface, and the cars--a lot of that is still the same," Booty said.

Forza Mortorsport is set to release sometime in Spring 2023 and will be coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch for both PC and Xbox. So far, Turn 10 has emphaszied how punched-up Forza Motorsport's graphics and physics are. The studio has said it spent a lot of time improving tire collision models, leading to smoother, even more realistic drives.

Turn 10 will also include a redesigned pit experience in the upcoming Forza Motorsport, offering players more customization options. For more information, you can check out our Forza Motorsport Release Date, Cars, And Everything We Know article.

Last August, Bethesda announced that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim would be remastered for the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. But it appears that Skyrim may be coming to the Nintendo Switch too.

Thanks to VGC, we now know Skyrim was rated in Taiwan earlier this year and is now classified in Europe. The report claims that PEGI has also rated the game, which is currently listed to release on August 31, 2022. Although nothing has been officially confirmed, this suggests that the Anniversary Edition for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim may be could to the Nintendo Switch.

Players who purchase the anniversary edition will receive an upgraded version of the base game and the following downloadable content: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn. In addition to an upgraded version of the game, players will receive new content from the in-game Creation Club, including bosses, dungeons, quests, weapons, and spells.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was first released in 2011 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Since then, it's been rereleased several times and has spanned three console generations.

Ooblets has hit its 1.0 release after a period of early access. This farming/life simulation management game combines the experience of revitalizing a small town with the collection aspects of Pokemon. While Ooblets is a relaxed experience, the game isn't always clear about its mechanics and some important pieces of information are obscured. Here's everything you need to know to get started on your journey in Ooblets.

The vast majority of tasks aren't time sensitive

Ooblets has you move to a new town, without a job or any money. In exchange for an abandoned farm, you agree to help Mayor Tinstle fix up the town. Quickly, you will have a laundry list of tasks, which can feel overwhelming. It's important to note that none of those tasks are time sensitive.

There are, in fact, only two things that are time sensitive in Ooblets: Challenges and Ooblets. The available Challenges to improve the Wildlands will rotate every couple of days and the available Ooblets that can be found will change each day.

Occasionally when talking to random townsfolk, they will give you a task to bring them an item or find their missing Ooblets. These tasks can be completed whenever, although you won't be able to talk to the person again until you complete the task.

Mario Kart Tour's gacha elements are getting removed, according to a tweet by the game's official account. Starting in late September, all pipes that can be fired by rubies will receive the axe and will no longer be available.

Pipes are packages players can "fire" in order to receive karts, drivers, and other items. It's essentially like a "pull," and what comes out of each pipe fired is unknown. Players could earn rubies in-game or through spending real legal tender.

Now with the change, items like drivers, carts, and gliders will be located in a separate shop where players can exchange rubies towards a specific item they desire--instead of relying on luck and quantity as in the the previous gacha system

Two of Twitch's most popular streamers, Ninja and Pokimane, are scaling back their presence on the streaming platform.

Ninja, whose real name is Tyler Blevins, announced on Twitter that he is taking a break from Twitch. His return to Twitch is uncertain. "I just need a break... I don't know when I will be back, or where." He did not offer any further details surrounding the nature of his departure.

As for Pokimane, whose real name is Imane Anys, she in a video on YouTube that she plans to spend less time streaming on Twitch and will instead focus on publishing non-gaming content for different platforms.

"I hope it doesn't sound big-headed of me to say, but nowadays when I see things on Twitch, it kinda feels like, 'been there, done that,'" she said, as reported by PCGamer.

Pokimane went on to say streaming is a "hyper-competitive industry" and that she is feeling burnt out. "Ultimately, the reason I say this is because I'm just at a point in my life that it doesn't feel creatively fulfilling to feed into that anymore," she said.

Though they're certainly not as exciting as the potential offensive playbooks in Madden 23, defensive playbooks are equally as important. The old saying goes, "Defense wins championships," and that rings true in Madden as well. If you don't have a solid defense to stop an opponent, then it likely won't matter how many points you're able to put up with your offense. Of course, having the right playbook is only half of the battle, as you also need to understand the different defensive formations and how best to use/control them.

Even so, we're here to help you win that portion of the battle by offering up our picks for the best defensive playbooks in Madden 23. We will be going over six of the default playbooks in Madden 23, but they will not be in any particular order. It's also worth noting we're basing this off of the current state of the game, so if EA decides to patch a certain part of Madden 23, some of these playbooks might lose their viability.

Best Defensive Playbooks in Madden 23

We won't be categorizing these defenses in any manner, as most playbooks have the same base coverages. However, some stand out from the rest due to having a specific coverage or more plays from a single formation.

Kansas City Chiefs

As of right now, it seems as though the meta defensive playbook in Madden 23 lies with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs boast the terrific 33 defense from the Nickel package, which has been unstoppable in the early going of the game. However, the Chiefs also have Even 61 in the 43 package, which features some solid plays. There's also Dime Normal, Big Nickel, and other packages that players can utilize to their advantage. Dime Normal specifically has the DB Blitz 1, which has been wreaking havoc so far due to how fast defenders can get to the quarterback.