May 2023

Though the global stream for Honkai: Star Rail version 1.1 will air on May 27, 2023 after technical difficulties caused a delay, the Chinese version of it aired on schedule. Ahead of the English announcement, we know what is awaiting Trailblazers in the game’s first major update. Aside from the playable debuts of Silver Wolf and Luocha, we’ll also get new mechanics and quests.

Here is a quick run-down of what players can expect to see in Honkai: Star Rail version 1.1:

Max Factory will re-release a figure of Dark Magician Girl from Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters via Good Smile Company. Pre-orders are open until July 6, 2023. Customers in Japan will have to pay 20,000 JPY for it, and it will ship out in October 2023. Those in North America can expect to pay $143.99 for the figure and get it in Q4 2023.

The Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters Dark Magician Girl figure is a 1/7 scale one, and it stands at around 210 millimeters in height. This is a re-release from May 2016, so those who initially missed the window can try again now. The Dark Magician Girl figure poses her on top of a magical circle, with a clear pole to help her maintain her balance. She’s holding her staff in one hand, while her other is at her armor-like witch hat.

[gallery ids="965162,965161,965160" link="file"]

Right as the Honkai: Star Rail Special Program 1.1 was supposed to air at 4:30am PT/7:30am ET on May 26, 2023, it didn't. The official YouTube link for it, which previously showed a preliminary page, suddenly read, "Video unavailable: This video has been removed by the uploader." This was followed by an announcement saying to check social media later. HoYoVerse then updated to say it is delayed on Twitter. Update at 9:45am ET on May 26, 2023: HoYoVerse announced the Special Program will now air at 4:30am PT/7:30am ET on May 27, 2023. It also noted that there will be 100 Stellar Jade distributed tomorrow as an apology for the delay.

Here is HoYoVerse's full initial statement.

Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.1 "Galactic Roaming" Special Program Delay Announcement

Due to technical issues, the special program is now delayed. Kindly wait for the full announcement later. We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience caused.

— Honkai: Star Rail (@honkaistarrail) May 26, 2023

And here's the follow-up one with a new date and time.

Version 1.1 Galactic Roaming Special Program Delay Announcement

As usual from a WonHobbyG event, Good Smile Company announced a number of anime figures. On May 26, 2023 at WonHobbyG Spring, it showed off an array of Nendoroids from various anime series that are all in various stages of development. While some only showed up as concept art, like the My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 one, others are much farther along in the process. For example, the new Spy x Family Anya Forger figure is a painted prototype, which means the Nendoroid's orders could open soon.

Akito Yamada from My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 will become a Nendoroid. However, it’s so early in development that only concept art appeared.

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!

ORANGE ROUGE
My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999
Nendoroid Akito Yamada

WonHobbyG Info: https://t.co/NqVnmnWevk

*Photo gallery opens May 27 at 9:30JST#yamada999 #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/U9h35BOHl8

Good Smile Company's WonHobbyG 2023 Spring announcements included three Hatsune Miku figures and one Nendoroid. They are all in various stages of development. For example, the Hatsune Miku Symphony: 2022 Ver one is furthest along, as it is a painted prototype. The other three all are unpainted figures, including the one of a more stylized Hatsune Miku appearing alongside the Sanrio character Cinnamoroll.

First, here's the Hatsune Miku Symphony: 2022 Ver one. It is a scale figure, though the announcement didn't note what scale she is. This means it's uncertain what size she'll be.

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!

Good Smile Company
Character Vocal Series 01: Hatsune Miku
Scale Figure Hatsune Miku Symphony: 2022 Ver.

WonHobbyG Info: https://t.co/h0vg2mAbMG

*Photo gallery opens May 27 at 9:30JST#HatsuneMiku #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/WMGy6Q6ZS5

— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 26, 2023

The Pokemon Trading Card Game’s Paldea Evolved set, out in June 2023, is an interesting one to analyze. After all, the first set of a new era tends to be preoccupied with the obligations of representing starters and reprinting staples needed for basic deck construction. The second set, though? There’s a bit more freedom. A bit more intent. And a slightly clearer peek into the design team’s priorities.

The cover stars of the set are Scarlet and Violet’s dark post-game legendaries: Wo-Chien, Chi-Yu, Chien-Pao and Ting-Lu. Each can be found by collecting a bunch of stakes across the land. Was that a pain? For sure. Was it easier than the roaming legendaries of the past? Also yes.

We’re honestly surprised to see them featured so soon, as the game’s main campaign species feel like they have enough left to sustain a few more sets. But here we are! Legendaries inevitably have strong abilities, and there are definitely some usable moves in the mix with these four. And if you’re wondering what the Paldea Evolved set is all about, the mechanics on each are fairly representative.

Good Smile Company announced Minions Nendoroids at WonHobbyG 2023 Spring. These will be its first figures of characters tied to the Despicable Me franchise. Figures based on Bob, Kevin, and Stuart are planned. All three appeared in unpainted prototype form at the event.

Here's a closer look at all three. In order from left to right are Stuart, Kevin, and Bob. While Stuart and Kevin’s figures don’t feature any specific poses, Bob is accompanied by a teddy bear. So we at least know one accessory that will come with one of the Minions Nendoroids.

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!

Good Smile Company
Minions
Nendoroid Bob
Nendoroid Kevin
Nendoroid Stuart

WonHobbyG Info: https://t.co/dCmDbr7VyP

*Photo gallery opens May 27 at 9:30JST#Minions #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/PUfk7a0jjj

— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 26, 2023

During its Honkai: Star Rail special program overseas, HoYoVerse revealed characters for the two upcoming banners that will be in version 1.1. It had already teased them on social media, such as Bilibili. But the special program confirmed the four-stars that will be on rate-up, as well as the order of when to expect them.

The Phase 1 character banners for Honkai: Star Rail version 1.1 will feature Silver Wolf as the five-star, and Phase 2 will star Luocha. As a reminder, Silver Wolf is a Quantum Nihility character, and Luocha is an Imaginary Abundance unit. Both of them have already appeared in the story, with Silver Wolf being playable and Luocha and NPC. (Though you could experience his capabilities as a healer in the Xianzhou Luofu.)

As for the four-stars, Silver Wolf’s banner will feature Serval, Dan Heng, and Asta. Luocha’s banner will have Pela, Qingque, and Yukong. Of the four-stars appearing, Yukong will be a new playable character. She will be an Imaginary Harmony character. More information on their kits and what they can do will come out closer to their official release date.

Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on mobile devices and Windows PC. PS4 and PS5 versions are in development as well.

One of the new Good Smile Company WonHobbyG 2023 Spring announcements is a Danganronpa figure reveal. Specifically, a Nendoroid of Chiaki Nanami from Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is in development. As she's still in the process of being designed, only an unpainted prototype version of the character showed up at the event. While this is her first appearance in the line, she did show up as a Nendoroid Pin before.

Here's a better look at how progress on the Chiaki Danganronpa 2 Nendoroid is going. The prototype shown isn't holding any accessories, so there's no hint as to what she may come with when released.

◤商品化決定
　　＆原型初公開◢
￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣#ねんどろいど
七海千秋
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

With the season of announcements almost upon us, we're starting to get a much clearer idea of the whats, whos, and, equally importantly, whens, of when the whos will be showing their whats. And in that spirit, developer Turn 10 has now revealed its latest Forza Motorsport game, bound for Xbox Series X/S and PC, will be getting two showings in June.

Forza Motorsport's first appearance will occur almost exactly a year after its official unveiling, during Microsoft's big Xbox Games Showcase for 2023, which kicks off on 11th June at 6pm BST. Here, Turn 10 will, as detailed on Twitter, be giving onlookers an "up-close look at the cars" they'll be a-whizzing in when launch day finally arrives.

Then, with that presumably comparatively swift segment out the way, Turn 10 will be going it alone with its own Forza Monthly showcase on 13th June. Here, it'll be serving up a "full walkthrough of [Forza Motorsports's] single-player career gameplay".

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"Lego 2K Drive" sounds like a charity event: a two-kilometre fun run perhaps, sponsored by, or with the goal of donating, Lego. It is, in fact, a video game - an open-world racer, richly encrusted with bricks - but its mission is no less in the spirit of giving. The aim of any Lego video game, surely, is to provide us with something to do with our completed creations. In real life, the joy (or at least the contended, driven quiet) is in the building. After you have plugged it all together, and you're left with your Death Star, your Batmobile, or whatever, they wind up trophied on the shelf, to be lightly trimmed with dust. Not so in Lego 2K Drive, where life is bright, pre-assembled, and anything but still. If only it were more than the sum of its parts.

What are those parts, exactly? For 2K Drive, developer Visual Concepts has looked to the likes of Forza Horizon, Mario Kart, and Crash Team Racing. This is a wise decision, kitbashing with the choicest of kits, but it invites harsh contrast. The weapons that you collect during races, for example, lack the wit of those in Mario Kart. Take the spiderweb, which fastens onto foes and causes them to come unstuck. It's a spin on the Blooper, the wide-eyed squid that squirts ink on your opponent's screen; but it lacks the slippery humour, the slight taunting pause before the Blooper gets down to his murky work, letting your enemy know that they have been suckered just before it happens. Instead, the web is spring-loaded and instant, cocooning them in bad handling until they hop it off.

UPDATE 5pm UK: Daedalic Entertainment has apologised for the poor state of release of its Lord of the Rings: Gollum game.

In a public statement, it acknowledged the game "did not meet the expectations we set for ourselves".

"We would like to sincerely apologise for the underwhelming experience many of you have had with The Lord of the Rings: Gollum upon its release," reads the statement.

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During our Final Fantasy XVI cover story trip, I played a few hours of the game much of the press experienced. But I was also given an exclusive tour of FFXVI’s endgame and other supplementary content by creative director Hiroshi Takai and combat director Ryota Suzuki. 

It’s safe to say there’s plenty to play, especially if you enjoy chasing numbers in combat. 

Zelda received its second post-release patch last night, and just like its first post-release update, the patch notes cover a lot of ground without diving into many specifics.

Here are the patch notes from Nintendo's website:

Ver. 1.1.2 (Released May 25, 2023)
Audio Bug Fixes
     • Fixed an issue where the sound would play at an extremely high volume in certain conditions.

Additional Fixes
     • Fixed an issue in the main quest, “Camera Work in the Depths”, where players could not progress beyond a certain point. Downloading the update will allow players to proceed past that point.
     • Several issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience.

Players have spent the last couple of weeks doing all kinds of wild stuff in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, from stacking weapons to amassing small fortunes off glitched items. And the whole time many wondered if Nintendo would take notice or let it slide. Now we know the answer: The company went berserk…

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As you explore Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you may have come across some lovely cherry blossoms. But these trees aren’t just gorgeous contributions to Hyrule’s lush environments; they can also reveal the locations of the many caves scattered across the map.

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Minecraft’s next big update is called Trails & Tales. We already knew about most of the new features coming with the 1.20 update, but now we’ve also learned the release date: June 7th. The additions to the perennial voxel favourite include a pretty cherry blossom biome, an archaeology feature, adorable rideable camels, and the fan-voted sniffer mob. Developer Mojang announced the date in their Minecraft Monthly video series.

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The Asus ROG Ally was, in hindsight, inevitable. After the Steam Deck proved that handheld gaming PCs could flourish outside of a microscopic niche, it was surely only a matter of time before one of the big PC hardware movers would have a crack at the concept. This time, with more powerful internals, and none of the SteamOS compatibility problems that led to Valve creating a whole new verification system.

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Most video games are too big. Their lands are too expansive, their histories over-explained, their playtimes too long. Most of everything is too long (songs, books, movies, everything) but it's especially felt in games, where the magical "What's next?" feeling of discovering a world often fades to leave the "What task must I complete now?" drudgery of playing a video game. So I hugely admire Cosmo D's Off-Peak series, which has built the feeling of a huge and fascinating city through only four tiny locations visited across four games with a combined playtime of under eight hours.

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It is entirely irrational that I can see a hundred largely identical online shooters and not blink, but see a single game cover similar ground to something unique can make me go, "Oh, it's a Grounded knock-off".

It's also extremely unfair on Smalland Colon Survive The Wilds, a lovely survival game about being a teeny tiny person in the wilderness, where bottlecaps serve as tabletops and beetles are a deadly threat. It is absolutely comparable to Obsidian's garden adventure, but a peer rather than a pretender. I even prefer it in some ways, but they have such a different vibe that there's plenty of room for both.

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On any given day, you can find me either thinking about, praying for, or playing cute pixelated games with some old-school charm. Luckily, we have a pretty promising one of those on the horizon with Cross Blitz, a deckbuilding RPG that follows some furry animal pirates across the high seas, digitally represented on a grid-based map this time around. Cross Blitz was announced two years ago, but the indie team at Tako Boy have secured a publisher and are now ready to launch into early access later this year.

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The first DLC pack for Koei Tecmo's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will be Battle of Zhongyuan. The DLC is set to release on June 29, 2023. It will add new stages, difficulties, enemies and a weapon type. The reveal included a key visual, however a price point has not yet been announced.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is a historical-fantasy action title by Koei Tecmo, set in the legendary Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. After releasing back in March this year, Koei Tecmo reported strong sales for the title in their April financial report.

[embed]https://twitter.com/WoLongOfficial/status/1662022751341912064?s=20[/embed]

The historical battle of Zhongyuan was fought between warlords Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, who both appear in the main campaign of Wo Long. The key visual shows Cao Cao, as well as two upcoming characters. The designs for the new characters could suggest that the characters are Dian Wei and Xu Chu, two famed bodyguards of Cao Cao.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is immediately available on PC via Xbox Game Pass and Steam, PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Series X/S. The Battle of Zhongyuan DLC is set to release on June 29th 2023. A price point has not been announced but you can follow the official twitter for more updates.

Back in March 2023, Forever Entertainment announced a June 2023 Front Mission 2: Remake release date, but the Nintendo Switch game is now delayed. It cited concerns about the quality and a desire to put more work into the title as the reason for the decision. It also noted while there is no new release date yet, the strategy game could still show up in Q3 2023.

Here is the full statement issued by Forever Entertainment regarding its decision to delay Front Mission 2: Remake:

As the premiere date for Front Mission 2: Remake approaches, we have made the decision to postpone the release of the game on Nintendo Switch. This decision was not taken lightly, but in collaboration with the development team, we want to ensure that we have sufficient time to add as many functionalities as possible while proceeding with proper implementation and tests, in order to meet your expectations for a modern-day remake.

We understand the anticipation surrounding Front Mission 2: Remake and the excitement you have shown throughout its development. Please rest assured that we are fully committed to delivering a polished and faithful remake of your beloved franchise.

While we are currently unable to provide a specific revised premiere date, we assure you that we are working tirelessly to complete the project as soon as possible, with the aim of releasing the game in the third quarter of this year.

There will be an Oshi no Ko crossover event in Caravan Stories that brings four characters from the series into the game. Starting on May 30, 2023, the event will begin. The four people appearing from the show are Aqua and Ruby Hoshino, Kana Arima, and Pieyon. There will also be character outfits based on their attire and an event story. There's an official event website with wallpapers too.

Of the three, only Pieyon can be earned for free. People who go through the Oshi no Ko event storyline in Caravan Stories will get the one-star character in the game. Aqua, Ruby, and Kana are all five-star units. There’s a six-star outfit for all three as well.

Here are some screenshots from the in-game Oshi no Ko event.
[gallery size="full" ids="965232,965233,965234" link="file"]

There are also brief teasers for all four playable characters. First, here's Aqua's:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbMgFSxqzuo&ab_channel=%E3%83%81%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%83%A9%E3%83%90%E3%83%B3%E3%83%81%E3%83%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%AB

Next up is Ruby's showcase:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD5fwsH0RMs&ab_channel=%E3%83%81%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%83%A9%E3%83%90%E3%83%B3%E3%83%81%E3%83%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%AB

Here's how Kana looks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL2VbgppCXY&ab_channel=%E3%83%81%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%83%A9%E3%83%90%E3%83%B3%E3%83%81%E3%83%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%AB

Daedalic Entertainment, the studio behind the recently released and critically lambasted The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, has reportedly received funding from the German government to develop a second Lord of the Rings title.

As spotted by German website Wirtschaft (thanks Gamesradar), Daedalic has been awarded a €2m grant - approximately £1.7m - by the German Ministry of Economic Affairs to work on what appears to be a second game in J. R. R. Tolkein's beloved fantasy universe.

The project, which is currently listed under the codename "It's magic" on the Ministry of Economic Affairs' website, is described (via Google Translate) as a game that will transport players to a "lush world full of mythical creatures and magic" and tell a "story from a character's perspective that has never been told before."

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Minecraft's long-awaited Trails and Tales Update will launch for all platforms on Wednesday, 7th June.

This is the update which adds bamboo and cherry trees, the latter of which can be found in a new, rare Overworld biome: The Cherry Grove.

Two new mobs are also joining Minecraft in this update, including camels (large enough to seat two players at once) and Sniffers.

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On May 24, PlayStation held its first large-scale showcase since 2021. While it had some cool games, it was lacking the big and wild exclusives the company has historically put out. However, most would agree that the finale—a large gameplay preview of the upcoming, PS5-exclusive Spider-Man 2—was an impressive end for…

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Well folks, Marathon is coming back. What do you mean you don’t know what that is? It’s only Bungie’s seminal series of first-person shooters everyone was playing on their Power Macintoshes and Pippins in the 1990s. Where even were you? It’s why Steve Jobs was so elated to first announce Halo for the Mac…before that…

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When I saw the Super Mario Bros. Movie, the one moment I lost it in the theater was when Jack Black’s Bowser sang his piano-driven ballad “Peaches” midway through the movie. It was silly, pathetic, and hella catchy. This past week, a school audience got to relive that moment when a kid performed the song at a talent…

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Once again, Link starts his journey scarcely clothed in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. While there are a few clothing items near where Link starts out in the massive tutorial area, along with an OP shield, I was hoping for a specific item early on. I’m talking about the Champion’s Tunic, which you can use…

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Developer Daedalic Entertainment has released a statement on the state of its stealth action-adventure game, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Since release, the Gollum game has been met with much ridicule from the internet thanks to its appearance, among other things. So now, the developer is apologizing for the fact…

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Good Smile Company often makes figures based on real-life personalities, in addition to ones of anime and game characters. At WonHobbyG 2023 Spring, it showed off one of them. A Bruce Lee Nendoroid is in the works, and a painted prototype of the figure made its debut at the event. There's no release window for it yet. However, due to the photo and displays in a video, it seems far along in development.

Here's a closer look at the upcoming figure. In this photo, he's wielding a pair of nunchaku.

#WonHobbyG 2023 Spring Figure Update!

Good Smile Company
Bruce Lee
Nendoroid Bruce Lee

WonHobbyG Info: https://t.co/fLxvqcDOYN

*Photo gallery opens May 27 at 9:30JST#BruceLee #nendoroid #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/jFdlA1x0vv

— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) May 26, 2023

Bandai Namco finally confirmed the release date for Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2 PC version. It will be May 31, 2023. However, the release time means it will appear in the Pacific Time zone on May 30, 2023. Until now, the game was only available on the PS4 and PS5. However, this PC port will not support cross-play or cross-save with the home console versions.

Some of the features available for the PC version include keyboard and mouse control support. There will also be keybinding options. This version of the game will feature a 4K resolution and uncapped FPS as well. However, computers with minimum requirements will be able to play in 1080p/30FPS with graphics setting at low.

The minimum specifications to play Gundam Battle Operation 2 on PC are as follows:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i5-3470 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti / Radeon R9 280X
• DirectX: Version 11

In addition, a pre-release campaign is also currently ongoing on the Gundam Battle Operation 2 Twitter account ahead of its release date. New players will receive in-game currency depending on the number of retweets the announcement post gets. People can also pre-load the game right now through the Steam Page.

https://twitter.com/GBO2EN/status/1661960355847831554?s=20