June 2023

Jedi: Survivor's Bode was based on Bodhi from Point Break, big betrayal and all. "Bode is born out of our narrative director Aaron Contreras," Asmussen said. "He had this idea, of all movies, [from] Point Break."

He continued: "That was the genesis for it and we wanted to have this character that they have this friendship, this bond, but then just take the player on the ride and learn this guy's a traitor at the same time that Cal learns it.

"He's a great fight at the end. That really was most of the emotion in the game, he was born out of that. We're really happy with how it turned out."

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse did the impossible. And no, I don’t mean being a sequel film that far exceeds the emotional heights of its predecessor (don’t @ me). Across The Spider-Verse, you’ll note, is the only animated film to grace us with the outspoken brilliance of Spider-Punk, AKA Hobie Brown. I’m talking…

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The gates of Hell have opened. Diablo IV, Blizzard’s latest entry in the storied dungeon-looting RPG, is finally out on most platforms. There’s a lot to do and a lot to see in Sanctuary, including a haunting side quest that’s both creepy and sexy all at once. But seeing as Hell is hot and demons are mean, trekking…

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On June 5, after months of rumors and leaks, Apple officially unveiled its new virtual reality / augmented reality headset. It’s called the Vision Pro and it features some really nifty features powered by advanced tech. It’s out “early next year” and will cost over $3,000. Oof! I wonder what you could buy for that…

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The market for Xbox Series X/S storage expansion cards just got a little more competitive. Electronics maker Western Digital just announced a new line of memory cards starting at 500GB that are $10 less than the existing options from Seagate, just in time for the onslaught of big 2023 releases and upcoming Game Pass…

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Diablo IV—which has been experiencing login issues since its official launch on June 5—immediately set a record for the fastest-selling Blizzard game of all time, a press release from the developer says. It marks the World of Warcraft creator’s “highest pre-launch unit sales ever on both console and PC” based on units…

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As another school year winds down, a new class of graduates is set to move to the next phase, and both congrats and gifts are in order. If you’re looking for something special for the grad in your life, read ahead to explore a curated collection of toys, tech, tabletop games, and more – from modest to extravagant – sure to please any enthusiast and celebrate their accomplishments. Read the full story...

An English language version of the YOASOBI song "Idol" reached 9th place on the Billboard Global 200 music chart. The song, originally performed in Japanese, appears as the opening theme song for the anime Oshi no Ko. "Idol" is the first song originally in Japanese to reach the top of the Global (excluding US) Billboard chart.

You can see the official YOASOBI Twitter account's celebratory tweet below. In it, the group also plugged their first U.S. performance at the Head in the Clouds 2023 festival in Los Angeles.
[embed]https://twitter.com/YOASOBI_staff/status/1665824452175884288?s=20[/embed]
You can also see Billboard's full chart of 200 songs here.

When the 1.1 update for Honkai: Star Rail arrives, Companion Missions for Bailu, Luocha, Silver Wolf, and Yanqing will appear. HoYoVerse also went over all of them, explaining the rewards that come with them and various unlock requirements when applicable. In the case of all of them, however, they’ll appear immediately after the June 7, 2023 patch goes out.

Of the four, the Silver Wolf “Punklorde Mentality” Honkai: Star Rail Companion Mission is the least demanding. It only requires someone to hit Trailblaze level 21. The Bailu, Luocha, and Yanqing ones all require you to finish the The Xianzhou Luofu: Humming Antlers, Entwined Horns Trailblaze Mission. Once you get through that story quest, you’ll get text messages from characters to kick off their storylines.

The rewards also tend to be fairly similar across Companion Missions. Each of them involves Trailblaze EXP, Stellar Jades, Traveler’s Guides, Refined Aethers, and Credits. However, the Bailu, Luocha, and Yanqing ones also award new Phonograph records so you have more songs to play on the Astral Express.

Here’s the full list of new Honkai: Star Rail Companion Missions in 1.1:

Square Enix released a short trailer for Joshua Rosfield, the younger brother of protagonist Clive in FFXVI. He is the Dominant of the Eikon Phoenix and the second prince of Rosaria. Like Clive, he finds himself wrapped up in the tragedy of the Dark Eikon Ifrit, which will be the inciting incident of the game.

You can watch the FFXVI Joshua teaser here:

https://twitter.com/FF16_JP/status/1666067416236056576

Though Joshua is the younger son, he is the one who inherits Phoenix. He is a frail bookworm, unlike his brother, and this is a bit of a complex for him. He greatly admires his older brother, who is stronger and braver than he is. We can see this in the trailer as well, from the way he praises his brother and believes in him.

Natsumi Fujiwara voices Joshua in the Japanese version of FFXVI, and Logan Hannan voices him in English. Fujiwara previously appeared as Abigail in Great Pretender and Damian in Spy x Family. Hannan was Hugo in A Plague Tale, as well as several characters (such as Logan Brattleby and Lawrence Davies) in Hogwarts Legacy.

FFXVI will come out for the PS5 on June 22, 2023. There will be a six-month exclusivity period.

On May 30, 2023, the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan (or ACA) and the Cabinet Office released a document titled “About the relationship between AI and copyright.” In it, the agency defined its views on the use of preexisting copyrighted works of art in the learning process of AI, and the commercial use of AI-generated art. [Thanks, PC Watch!]

In the document, the ACA distinguishes between two distinct phases regarding the generation of AI images and artwork. The first one is the AI learning and research process, with the second one being the direct generation of images and artwork using AI.

The ACA claims that using copyrighted works without permission is possible during the learning and research process for AI, since these works would be used for non-commercial purposes. Meanwhile, utilizing AI to generate images, as well as selling AI-generated images and art will be treated the same as ordinary copyright infringement in Japan.

This means that if the newly AI-generated image is deemed derivative or dependent on existing copyrighted work, the copyright holder can claim damages on the basis of copyright infringement, and the person responsible for generating the image can be subject to criminal charges.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs also stated that there are plans at the organization to raise awareness through seminars and other channels, as well as participate with intellectual property experts and lawyers to circulate information, and educate the public about the subject of AI.

Following on from the lovely space highjinks of Citizen Sleeper, Katharine has unwisely allowed me to take the wheel on this month's RPS Game Club, and thus I am steering this baby right into fiendish puzzle town. Next stop: The Tartarus Key!

It's only recently come out, so we're fresh to death this time - literally, because in it you're trapped in a mansion full of SAW-esque murder-puzzles. I really enjoyed this game, with its low-poly PS1 style, and its vibe of being an early 00s thriller that would probably star e.g. Morgan Freeman hunting down a twisted serial killer played by e.g. Hugh Jackman. But in this metaphor, I am the twisted monster, and I have trapped both you and my colleagues and am forcing you all to play this game I like.

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343 Industries has shared more on Career Rank, Halo Infinite's previously teased new progression system, ahaed of its Season 4 arrival on 20th June.

Career Rank is described as a "larger progression system" that reflects players' time across the entirety of Halo Infinite's multiplayer modes, and is said to be similar to the progression systems found in Halo: Reach and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

According to 343, Career Rank is tied to a player's Personal Score, meaning that while all multiplayer matches will help players rank up, better match performance means faster progress through its various tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Onyx.

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When Overwatch 2 pivoted from the series’ 6v6 format in favor of a faster, single-tank 5v5 one, it also shifted away from a popular gameplay tactic: Crowd control, or abilities that can stop or slow an opponent in their tracks with a stun or freeze effect. Now, it sounds like Blizzard is feeling a bit of buyer’s…

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Netflix’s sketch comedy show I Think You Should Leave premiered its third season at the end of May, and while the series is highly successful in creating ear-worm quotables—”That’s a Chunky” and “Now I’m sick off of your mud pie” come to mind—the egg game from the second episode has captured the internet’s attention…

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Final Fantasy is one of the longest-running franchises in all of gaming. From its humble 1987 Final Fantasy I beginnings to this year’s upcoming tentpole release, Final Fantasy XVI, the series has, in some way, shape, or form, remained prominent for decades. Part of its success likely comes from how easy it is to get into any new mainline game, which is to say every new entry stands alone (save for the few direct sequels). Final Fantasy II isn’t a direct sequel to Final Fantasy I, just like Final Fantasy VII isn’t one to Final Fantasy VI. 

Terms, mechanics, and sometimes even names might be familiar – there are mainstays like chocobos, magic, Cids, and more – but each new entry features its own cast of characters, world, story, and lore. It’s part of what makes Final Fantasy such a fascinating franchise to cover and be a fan of. It’s constantly changing, and as a result, so is our definition of a Final Fantasy. For me, it’s become a “you know it when you see it” franchise, and that remains true with FFXVI. Despite a new protagonist, a new world, a new combat system, and more, when I see familiar mainstays, I know it’s still Final Fantasy.

Netflix has pulled back the curtains on five upcoming games coming to its gaming platform. Those games are Oxenfree II: Lost Signals, The Queen's Gambit Chess, Cut the Rope Daily, Lego Legacy: Heroes Unboxed, and Paper Trail. 

There are already 60 games on Netflix available to all subscribers and these five games will join the lineup this summer. More specifically, Oxenfree II hits Netflix (mobile), Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, and Mac on July 12, while The Queen's Gambit Chess hits Netflix on July 25. Cut the Rope Daily hits the platform on August 1 and Lego Legacy: Heroes Unboxed and Paper Trail are currently listed as "coming soon". 

Check out all five of these games in action in the new Netflix Games trailer below: 

Alongside this new trailer, Netflix has released new information about each, which you can read below: 

Diablo IV launches for everyone today, which means a bevy of newcomers will be crafting their Wanderers and diving into Sanctuary for the first time. Starting can seem intimidating with so many different mechanics, items, and leveling systems, which is why I’m here to offer a few tips I wish I had known the first time around (and am now applying on my current second playthrough) that will make your early hours a smoother trek. 

Complete Priority Quests Immediately

Diablo IV has three types of color-coded quests: Story (yellow), Side (blue), and Priority (white). Priority quests are, as the name implies, important because they introduce new game mechanics, such as a new type of store opening up or unlocking a mount. Don’t let these gather dust in your quest log. Otherwise, you’ll be missing out on accessing a vital feature longer than you should be. On that note…

Good Smile Company announced it will rerelease one of its Cardcaptor Sakura Nendoroids. The one of Sakura in her Tomoeda Junior High uniform, which is the outfit she wore in the Clear Card series, will be coming back. It will return in Japan in November 2023. She has a Q1 2024 North American launch window. She costs ¥5,500/$37.99.

As before, this version of Sakura comes with the same accessories. There are smiling, blushing, and shocked face plates. She can hold the bear that Syaoran gave her. You could also pose her carrying her Dream Wand or holding her school bag.

Here's a closer look at the figure:
[gallery columns="5" size="full" ids="966818,966819,966820,966821,966822" link="file"]

There are also two bonus item promotions. If you buy through Good Smile Company, you get a bookmark featuring art inspired by the Nendoroid. It is also part of a general campaign where people who pre-order certain figures get one of our possible extra hand parts with signs.

[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="966823,966824" link="file"]

Four more games have been added to the Nintendo Switch Online library for June 2023. The four new titles are Harvest Moon (SNES), Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble (Game Boy), Blaster Master: Enemy Below (Game Boy) and Mystery Tower (NES).

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1665886852694302723

Harvest Moon is the classic SNES farming sim that kicked off the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons series. It had previously been released for the Japanese Nintendo Switch Online service in 2022.

Kirby Tilt ‘n Tumble is a unique Game Boy title that originally released on a cartridge with an accelerometer. This created a game where players had to tilt their Game Boy to steer Kirby and flick it upwards to cause him to jump. This is the first time the game has seen a re-release since its original release in 2000. It's the latest of many Kirby games to join the service since Kirby's Dream Land 2 in March.

Blaster Master: Enemy Below is a Game Boy spin-off of the classic Blaster Master series. It was previously available for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.

Mystery Tower is a puzzle platformer from Namco. It originally released for the Famicom in 1986, under the name Tower of Babel. This Nintendo Switch Online release marks the first time the game has released outside Japan.

There are few games that left such a long-lasting impact on the games industry as System Shock. Even if you never played or heard about it, chances are you know about Deus Ex, Thief, Bioshock, Prey, and Deathloop, to name a few titles that were influenced by the 1994 classic. In the course of the 19 years since its release, System Shock continued to awe people with the structure and level of interactivity the world offers its players. Because of this, it’s fascinating to see how well the remake of a nearly 20-year-old game translates to a modern engine and sensibilities.

System Shock sees the player stepping into the cybernetic augments of a nameless Hacker. After crossing the TriOptimum Corporation in an attempt to steal some military-grade implants, the Hacker is apprehended and taken to Citadel Station. There, TriOp Vice President Edward Diego makes the Hacker an offer they can’t refuse: remove the ethic protocols of SHODAN, the AI managing Citadel Station, or never be seen again. Understandably, the Hacker accepts, and in his infinite benevolence Diego even gifts the Hacker with the military-grade implants they were trying to steal. (How kind.) Six months later, the Hacker awakens from their healing cryosleep only to discover that SHODAN took over Citadel Station and, believing herself a Goddess, either killed almost every remaining human or turned them into cyborgs .

Capcom included the Resident Evil 4 remake in its updated list of Platinum Titles. This is because the game sold more than a million copies and is considered to be a major hit. According to Capcom, the Resident Evil 4 remake is now the company's 24th best-selling game with 3.7 million units sold. However, while this is the figure quoted on the Platinum Titles list, Capcom previously announced that sales have surpassed 4 million. Currently, it sits behind the remaster of Resident Evil 0 and ahead of the original Resident Evil 3.

It’s not surprising that Resident Evil 4’s remake is among the Platinum Titles, as the top 10 contains six other games from the series. These include the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, alongside Resident Evil 5, 6, 7 and Village. However, the top seller overall is Monster Hunter: World with 18.8 million units sold. Monster Hunter: Rise is in second place with 12.7 million units.

The Resident Evil 4 remake was recently considered to be a major factor in Capcom’s recent successes. Capcom mentioned it by name in their most recent financial reports alongside Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak as a contributor to their record profits.

Good Smile Company revealed that pre-orders for a new Hololive EN Vtuber Kiara Takanashi Pop Up Parade figure are now open. The figure will cost 5,500 JPY or $37.99. It will appear on October 2023 in Japan and Q4 2023 in North America. Pre-orders are now available on the Good Smile Company online store. Additionally, Good Smile Company revealed that production for the previously announced Nendoroid figure has just started.

You can check out the new Kiara Takanashi Pop Up Parade figure in the gallery below.

[gallery link="file" ids="966745,966746,966747,966748,966749,966750"]

Meanwhile, the Nendoroid figure of Kiara Takanashi was previously announced on March 2023 as part of the hololive 4th fes announcements. The Nendoroid figured shown is an unpainted prototype. People can equip the figure with a sword and shield. While production for the figure was approved, there are no details on a release date.

You can take a better look at the Kiara Takanashi prototype Nendoroid here:

https://twitter.com/gsc_kahotan/status/1665918057179672579

The RX 6650 XT has emerged as one of the best value graphics cards for 1080p gaming, and today you can pick one up for a new low price. Newegg has discounted the AsRock Challenger D model to just $229.99 when you use the code VGAEXCAA735 at the checkout, knocking $20 off the usual price.

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The Crucial P3 Plus is an SSD that we recommend as one of the best for gaming, and today it's even cheaper than usual - with a price drop on Amazon UK bringing it to £43.79, nearly 60% off RRP and a solid £17 reduction from its price back in April. This makes it an incredible time to upgrade your system with super-fast PCIe 4.0 storage.

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Frontier Developments' park management sim Planet Zoo is jet-setting off to sunnier, sandier climes on 20th June, introducing the likes of dromedary camels and African crested porcupines as part of its newly announced Arid Animal Pack DLC.

Planet Zoo's Arid Animal Pack marks the game's 15th DLC expansion since its launch at the end of 2019, and - as with all Animal Packs - is predominantly focused on expanding the game's wildlife roster, this time with eight new creature additions.

Purchasers get access to the single-humped dromedary camel, the African crested porcupine, the black rhino, the addax (today I learned what an addax is!), the Somali wild ass, the sand cat, the dama gazelle, and the desert horned viper, which appears as an exhibit animal.

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Electronic Arts is preparing to move Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare’s long-running MMORPG, to outside studio Broadsword Online Games, according to a new report by IGN. The deal would see just over half of the game’s development team move with it while the rest look for new jobs as BioWare pivots to focusing…

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On June 6, popular streaming service Twitch rolled out a set of new advertisement rules that spell trouble for streamers large and small. The rules are directly related to branded content streamers add into their streams, which are a crucial source of revenue for creators, and the new set of rules could very well mean…

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It’s almost the end of the year of our lord 2023, and every time we’ve updated this compilation of the best games we played, we’ve reflected on just how many good games came out this year. This final update before we start our Game of the Year discussions at Kotaku has some real bangers, big and small. As great as…

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Whether you’re just jumping into Diablo IV now that it’s officially out or have been combing through Sanctuary since the loot-hunting RPG’s June 1 early access release, you’ll undoubtedly die at some point while fending off the evils of Hell. It’s inevitable; death is the great equalizer, after all. But if you record…

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Reviewed on: Switch
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: Metalhead Studio
Release: June 2, 2023
Rating: Everyone

As the genre has progressed through the generations, sports video games have become increasingly complicated as they add more wrinkles to their team management tools and more depth to their on-the-field action. Super Mega Baseball 4 harkens back to the sports games of the mid-90s, bringing streamlined gameplay and astounding levels of customization while introducing novel concepts. But though the throwback approach is sound in many ways, it does come with some concessions.

A new stream from Aniplex USA detailed the arrival of Lostbelt 6: Avalon le Fae for the Global version of Fate/Grand Order. This Lostbelt, which takes place in Britain, arrived on the Global servers on June 6, 2023. The update brings new servants, craft essences, and the first part of a new story chapter, with the second part due to launch on June 20, 2023.

The full title of Fate/Grand Order's Lostbelt 6 on the Global server is "Fae Round Table Domain, Avalon le Fae - The Moment a Planet is Born". Originally launching on the Japanese server back in 2021, Avalon le Fae will bring a new limited time servant in Morgan le Fae, and new non-limited servants Tam Lin Gawain and Tam Lin Tristan. All three will be available on a banner along with the new craft essences. The Global server previous held a countdown campaign for the new chapter.

Plushes of Link, Zelda, and Bokoblins as they appear in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will return in September 2023. You’ll also be able to get a plush version of the Hylian Shield. Sanei originally released these pushes in November 2018. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

The plushes all have a different price. The Zelda and Link plushes cost 3080 JPY ($22.05) and the Bokoblin costs 2860 JPY ($20.50). The Hylian Shield plush is the most expensive at 3850 JPY ($27.55). They’ll all come out in early September 2023. Since you can order them from Amazon JP, it’s likely that international shipping will be available.

[gallery columns="4" ids="966828,966829,966830,966831" link="file"]

Diablo 4 is Blizzard's "fast-selling game of all time", according to Blizzard themselves. They're not sharing how many copies it has sold exactly, but the figures are based on all platforms as of June 5th, the day before the action-RPG's full launch. Blizzard also say that the clickfest has been played for 93 million hours during its early access period.

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