July 2023

Aniplex announced that it will produce a TV series based on Fate/strange Fake. The OVA of the game premiered at Anime Expo and will be available to stream on Crunchyroll as well. It’s likely that the TV series will retread events from the OVA, but will tell a more complete story.

The trailer for the Fate/strange Fake anime series mostly uses clips from the show, but it shows Saber at the very end. As the name of the show and novel implies, there are a lot of deceptions involved in all aspects of this Holy Grail War. It’s not a complete or normal one, but is one that people copied incorrectly from Fuyuki, which lent to it being different and wrong.

We can see the Fate/strange Fake TV series announcement here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeDXVO0dLHc

It will likely re-use the same cast from the OVA. Yuki Ono will still voice Saber and Kana Hanzawa will voice his Master, Ayaka. Ono previously voiced Kagami in Kuroko’s Basketball and Josuke in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Hanazawa was Sengoku in the Bakemonogatari series and Sophie in Tales of Graces. These two appear to be hitch-hiking in a promotional image for the Fate/strange Fake anime.

A Fate/strange Fake anime is in development and the OVA, Fate/strange Fake -Whispers of Dawn- is available on Crunchyroll.

Source code for the original Far Cry, released back in 2004, has popped up online.

Entitled "Far Cry 1.34 Complete", the game's code was uploaded to the internet archive site Archive.org at the end of June, as highlighted by well-known modder Vinícius Medeiros (thanks, MXDWN).

It's unclear if the code includes any subsequent patches – although the .34 part of the 1.34 title certainly suggests so – and some commenters who've presumably downloaded and run the code believe the code is "not complete, but close".

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Publisher Top Hat Studios has banded with a team of indie developers to bring "underrepresented and grassroots indie" games to consoles and "reach wider audiences".

The first "indie pack" initiative is out now and hopes to "highlight a variety of genres and aesthetics". All games included will be coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox One/Series X.

Whilst called a "pack", the games aren't available as a bundle, but rather as part of an initiative to "semi-regularly spotlight small groups of indie developers' titles for the first time ever on console", and "bring more attention to these developers' titles as well as hope to create a meaningful community experience".

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Disney Speedstorm - the hero-based combat racing game inspired by Disney and Pixar worlds - will complete its early access testing period and release in full on 28th September.

The racer will be coming to PC and consoles as a free-to-play title to "allow for more players to share in a fully robust competitive and co-op racing experience".

"Since the launch of Early Access, we've received invaluable feedback and support from our incredible community of players, who have been instrumental to the improvements made during Early Access," developer Gameloft said via a statement on the studio's social media channels.

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At Anime Expo 2023, Good Smile Company announced a Borderlands 2 Tiny Tina Nendoroid and showed Overwatch 2 Kiriko and Sojourn Nendoroids. They are all at various stages of development. Tiny Tina only just ended up announced, so only concept art of her figure appeared. Sojourn only showed up as an unpainted prototype. Meanwhile, Kiriko seems fairly far along in the design process, as she appeared as a painted prototype.

First, here's the Tiny Tina Borderlands Nendoroid reveal. While it only mentions the general series name, it seems to be pulling from her Borderlands 2 appearance. It does suggest that one of her stuffed rabbits will be included as an accessory.

#AX2023 Figure Update!

Good Smile Company
Borderlands
Nendoroid Tiny Tina

Stay tuned for more information coming soon!#GSCxAX2023 #nendoroid #TinyTinasWonderlands #goodsmile pic.twitter.com/OvHtYP3MJ0

— GoodSmile_US (@GoodSmile_US) July 1, 2023

At 7pm JST on July 3, 2023, Calliope Mori will perform the One Piece manga volume 106 theme song “Future Island.” It will take place at the Yunika Vision in Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan. That means those outside Japan should be able to see it and learn more at about 3am PT/6am ET on July 3, 2023.

First, here is Calliope Mori’s teaser for the One Piece theme song performance. It features a Jolly Roger design from the series, only with her own hair, crown, and scythe portraited above the date of the performance.

pic.twitter.com/RHc9PJqJbw

— Mori CalliopeholoEN (@moricalliope) July 1, 2023

Next, here is the official One Piece Twitter account’s announcement. It offered more specific details, noting that the performance will be about five minutes long.

◤　　　　　　　　　　　◥
#ONEPIECE 106巻
公式テーマソング誕生
｢未来島 ~Future Island~｣⁰◣　　　　　　　　　　 　◢

歌唱はVTuberのMori Calliope

At Anime Expo 2023, Aniplex announced season 2 of Mashle: Magic and Muscles. There's no exact air date for it yet, and we don't know which streaming services it will appear on once it launches. However, it will appear in January 2024. There's also a teaser PV hinting at elements of the Divine Visionary Selection Exam Arc that will be covered.

Here's the new teaser trailer for Mashle: Magic and Muscles season 2. It sets things up by explaining Innocent Zero helped six dangerous Hecatrice prisoners escaped. From there, we see characters like Mash Burnedead, Dot Barrett, Finn Ames, and Lance Crown dealing with various opponents. In particular, Galuf plays a large part in the trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZcva77qzb4&ab_channel=AniplexUSA

This isn’t the only recent Mashle presentation and announcement to come up. Aniplex also recently shared a video that showed the English and Japanese voice actors for Mash meeting. It started with Aleks Le setting things up, and then he ends up meeting Chiaki Kobayashi. The two then talk about the role, series, and recording.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJMC3Qljaho&ab_channel=AniplexUSA

It’s no secret among anime fans that Wit Studio’s herculean efforts on earlier seasons of the mega-popular Attack on Titan and sleeper hit Vinland Saga helped make each series a household name in the anime industry. While both shows have since been passed on to Mappa, and fans have growing concerns over whether…

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During Anime Expo 2023, Kotobukiya revealed its next Bishoujo Transformers figure will be of the Decepticon Starscream. Only concept art of the character appeared. It will join Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee. This also marks the second Decepticon character to join this collection.

Here’s the official announcement from Kotobukiya:

「TRANSFORMERS美少女 スタースクリーム」製品化決定！
山下しゅんや氏によるイラストを公開します！#トランスフォーマー #山下しゅんや #BISHOUJO pic.twitter.com/O3gH7mK622

— コトブキヤ宣伝 (@kotobukiyas) July 2, 2023

Also, in case Twitter’s issues involving tweet viewing limitations persists past July 1-2, 2023, here’s the full Shunya Yamashita concept art.
[gallery size="full" columns="1" ids="971246" link="file"]

At Anime Expo 2023, Mappa and Crunchyroll revealed the Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 4 trailer, billing it as The Final Chapters Special 2. A new piece of key art also appeared, as did a confirmation of the Japanese cast of voice actors. This installment will complete the storyline.

Here's Crunchyroll’s upload of the trailer. It is narrated by Armin, though Mikasa speaks some meaningful lines at the end. If you haven’t been keeping up with the series. some spoilers appear during it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pEg8NrdL_Y&ab_channel=CrunchyrollCollection

Here is the full list of Japanese voice actors returning for the conclusion to the series.

• Annie Leonhart: Yu Shimamura
• Armin Arlelt: Marina Inoue
• Conny Springer: Hiro Shimono
• Eren Jaeger: Yuki Kaji
• Falco Grace: Natsuki Hanae
• Gabi Braun: Ayane Sakura
• Historia Reiss: Shiori Mikami
• Jean Kirschtein: Kisho Taniyama
• Levi Ackermann: Hiroshi Kamiya
• Mikasa Ackermann: Yui Ishikawa
• Pieck Finger: Manai Numakura
• Reiner Braun: Yoshimasa Hosoya
• Zeke Jaeger: Takehito Koyasu

Finally, here is the full key art for the final part of Attack on Titan.
[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="971243" link="file"]

Now that Chainsaw Man is such a success, other works from Tatsuki Fujimoto are being released and appreciated worldwide. Among them is Viz Media's Goodbye Eri, a one-shot, original manga that just ended up in-print. While it does contain a hint of the fantastical in its own way, it’s also a look at what it’s like to deal with the harder elements of life, connecting with other people, and what happens when we tell others’ stories.

When Yuta Ito finally gets a phone, it’s a bittersweet gift. His mother gives it to him for his birthday, but also directs him to use it to film her. She’s suffering from an illness that could kill her. So for the first portion of the manga, it really isn’t Yuta’s story. It’s more of his family’s and mother’s as he chronicles everyday moments in case she dies. Which she does. He pulls together a movie from the 100 hours of footage he’s collected, which he screens for his classmates. Due to the ending, he’s ridiculed and chastised. However, when he’s about to commit suicide on the roof of a hospital because of it all, he meets his classmate Eri.

Idea Factory International announced two Neptunia games at Anime Expo 2023, with one being Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution. That will appear on the Switch, PS4, and PS5. The other is a return of Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters, which is getting ported to both the Xbox One and Xbox Series X. Both titles will arrive in 2024.

Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution is an RPG with some management elements. Older Nep is attempting to create a game studio, which means taking a party into dungeons to find game elements and earn shares. You then need to get developers together to create titles based on what you acquired from dungeons. It will be available digitally and physically on all three consoles.

Neptunia: Sisters vs Sisters stars the Goddess Candidates Nepgear, Uni, Ram, and Rom. It’s an action-RPG spin-off that first appeared on the PS4, before also heading to the PS5, Switch, and PC. It features the four Goddess Candidates, representing handheld games, after they were put to sleep and need to fight to find a place for their systems after interest in the rPhone smartphone and its games took over. It will appear digitally on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X worldwide, and there will be a physical release in North America.

Idea Factory International announced two Switch otome games at Anime Expo 2023, Sympathy Kiss and My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! -Pirates of the Disturbance-. The former is an original visual novel. It will debut digitally and physically in 2024. However, the My Next Life as a Villainess one, which is inspired by the novel, light novel, manga, and anime of the same name, will appear in Winter 2023.

The My Next Life as a Villainess otome game is a spin-off story with both existing and original characters. It picks off during Catarina’s school life. While on a trip with the possible love interests from the game Fortune Lover, which she was reincarnated into, they are all abducted by pirates. However, as this was a plot of a fandisk, she has some idea of what to expect.

Here’s the Japanese trailer, which shows what to expect:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foxvNPak_7s&ab_channel=%E3%82%AA%E3%83%88%E3%83%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%88

Meanwhile, Sympathy Kiss involves possibly finding love with your coworkers at the Estario company’s Estarci news app while still keeping the app going. Your decisions can increase your Love or Work Points, and you can also choose one of five emotions to influence how you react. It also features a RiNG system for texting and calling love interests.

At Anime Expo 2023, Udon Entertainment announced three new manga series that it will localize. More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers, My Stepmom’s Daughter is My Ex, and Ottoman: Henshin Hero Husband are all on the way. It also picked up Falling in Love with a Traveling Cat. This is Mofusand’s illustrated book. All four titles will appear in 2024.

Here are the covers for all of the new manga and books Udon picked up.
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="971251,971252,971253,971254" link="file"]

Ahead of the convention, Udon Entertainment confirmed it would have exclusive shirts at its booth that it would only sell at the event. Many of them feature Spy x Family designs. There are also Guilty Gear Strive, Persona 5, and Robotech ones there. Those can be found at booth 4401 at the event.

During Anime Expo, I spoke with Masao Maruyama, producer of Netflix’s upcoming Astro Boy-inspired anime, Pluto. We spoke about the pressure his studio felt in adapting one of the most critically praised and best-selling manga of the 2000s, as well as his thoughts on how the kinds of machine-learning technologies…

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During an Anime Expo press junket for Netflix’s upcoming anime, Pokémon Concierge, actress Rena Nōnen, also known as Non, revealed what it was like working on the stop-motion anime series and how its warm animation style will make any fan wish Pokémon resorts were real.

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At its Anime Expo 2023 panel, Cygames announced details about the Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising betas and revealed Nier will be a playable character. Nier will be accompanied by Death in the game. As for the betas, there will be a pre-access beta and open beta for the PS4 and PS5 in July 2023.

The Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising beta will include 25 characters. PS4 and PS5 owners can register for the pre-access one starting on July 6, 2023. That will then take place on July 27, 2023 for those who can participate. We’ll see the open beta on July 29-30, 2023. There will also be an Evo open beta tournament. People can register for that until August 3, 2023, and the matches will take place August 4-5, 2023.

There’s an initial character teaser trailer showing how both Nier and Death will look in Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising. However, at the moment Arc System Works and Cygames only shared it via Twitter. It is brief and shows Nier being held by Death. She says, “You don’t understand me either? Then… goodbye.”

HoYoVerse announced the Honkai: Star Rail Special Program 1.2 will air on July 8, 2023. People will be able to tune in at 4:30am PT/7:30am ET/1:30pm CET. It will air on YouTube. The preliminary art also suggested the voice actors for Blade, Kafka, and Welt will act as hosts.

Here's an embed of the Honkai: Star Rail Special Program 1.2. It doesn't offer any details about how long it will be. Only only shows a placeholder image with Owlbert and the three playable characters. Blade and Kafka are the two five-stars expected to join in this update, which explains their presence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lggMIYF_xLE&ab_channel=Honkai%3AStarRail

These special programs tend to function in the same way ones for Genshin Impact and Honkai Impact 3rd do. We get to see the upcoming playable characters for the patch. New story chapters and events are teased. There are also typically codes for free in-game currency that are good for a single day. Sometimes other announcements related to merchandise like soundtracks or real-world events also come up.

Hello! Eurogamer is once again marking Pride with another week of features celebrating the intersection of queer culture and gaming in all its guises. Things get underway today as James Croft examines how a new generation of drag performers is combining its art and a deep love of video games to explore and reimagine what bolder, queerer gaming could be.

I was a gamer before I knew I was gay. I started gaming in 1989, at six years old, when my parents brought home an Amiga 500. A boxy, beige monstrosity with a chunky keyboard and a polygonal mouse, the Amiga, an early home computer, wasn't much of a looker. But, to me, it was a portal to other worlds. I spent hours as a child watching my father battle his way through the ThunderCats side-scrolling platformer – I can still hear the crunchy "swoosh" of Lion-O's sword and the rising chirp of his jump – and looking over my mother's shoulder as she stalked the corridors of Dungeon Master, hiding when I heard the shuffle of the mummies. And I spent hours trying to complete Barbarian, an early fighting game which saw two loin-clothed muscle-men roll and kick and hack each other to death.

I'd love to say Barbarian made me gay, that those tight thighs and pixel biceps sparked something queer in me – but my gay awakening came 20 years later. As a teen and young adult, I experienced gaming as a resolutely straight hobby: romance, if there was any, was always heteronormative; gender stereotypes were rigidly enforced; and there was no sex in games hardly ever. Gaming was not queer. Now, however, gaming has exploded from a niche hobby to a global obsession, and a new generation of fans is queering games in ways my younger self could never imagine, using drag as a medium to explore, examine, and expand gaming culture.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective remains one of my favourite Nintendo DS games and I consider it a must-play for Ace Attorney fans. Not because the two feel similar, mind. Shu Takumi's supernatural adventure swaps courtroom shenanigans for Rube Goldberg machines solved by point-and-click puzzles, retaining that sharp humour and charming cast. 13 years haven't dulled this classic. Though it's better suited for touchscreens, Capcom sets a high standard for future remasters.

Playing as Sissel, Ghost Trick begins with your abrupt death. Waking up inside a junkyard as an amnesiac spirit, Sissel's journey to discover the truth brings us to Lynne, a young detective about to be killed by an assassin. Spurred on by a wise and mysterious desk lamp, Sissel soon discovers he can manipulate inanimate objects and travel back to four minutes before someone's death. That doesn't sound like much, but even minor changes can have significant consequences that ultimately trigger a new chain of events.

What follows throughout the evening is a brilliant mystery intertwined with inventive gameplay. Time flows normally in the living world, but Sissel can switch to the Ghost World at any moment, moving across set objects highlighted by blue cores. If a character has recently or previously died, he can communicate with them by linking to a yellow core, which usually leads to several questions. Objects can't be manipulated when time's frozen, forcing your return to the living world.

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Word of a re-release for Rockstar's original Red Dead Redemption is doing the rounds, ahead of a potential reveal in the not-too-distant future.

A fresh rating for Red Dead Redemption via the leaky Korean Ratings Board popped up last week, setting tongues wagging that Rockstar had quietly submitted a fresh version of its cowboy classic to be approved for release.

Details of that listing pointed to a new console version of the game (thanks, Gematsu), rather than anything only for PC.

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New information on The Last of Us Part 3 reportedly leaked over the weekend, from two internet tipsters better known for their scoops on Marvel TV shows and movies.

While Naughty Dog itself is keeping its plans for the series close to its chest, leaker DanielRPK revealed that Part 3 will introduce five new characters - Lucas, Mason, Val, Ezra and Gracie.

These five are reportedly part of a group of "scavengers", who are said to be "surviving on the outskirts of a post apocalyptic city", and using a Victorian house as their base.

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Netflix's forthcoming stop-motion series Pokémon Concierge now has a release window.

First announced at the Pokémon Presents showcase in February this year, Pokémon Concierge will debut in December 2023.

Along with the announcement, there's a new teaser starring Psyduck and Lampent, as well as new character Haru working as - you guessed it - the concierge at a Pokémon resort.

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At what point do games enter the old, or retro, or classic camp? Or better yet, at what point does a game need a remake? Apparently 10 years is the answer, since a remake of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (aka the best one) is reportedly in the early stages of development at Ubisoft, at least a0ccording to a report from Kotaku. If true, this means it's joining The Last Of Us Part 1 as 2013’s other maybe-too-soon remake.

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Valve’s policy toward AI-generated content in games recently made headlines as a Reddit post from June claimed that the company were tightening up their review policy in regards to AI-infused games.

The post includes a message from Valve saying that developers "own the rights to all of the IP used in the data set that trained the AI to create assets." Valve have now cleared up their thought process on the subject, saying they don’t want to discourage developers from experimenting with AI tech, though they need to make sure developers have “sufficient rights” before publishing anything on Steam.

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I'm locked in here with you for the next RPS Game Club liveblog! From 4pm BST today, July 3rd, we'll be chatting about The Tartarus Key. Come prepared to talk about your favourite puzzles, the ones that stumped you, and the weird horror themes you liked best. I've thoroughly enjoyed making the team play a tough puzzle game, especially one that's intentionally retro and a bit spooky without being scary. So why not come and join in the discussion? Haha, that's a joke: you don't have a choice. As I said, you're locked in here unless you can find the Resident Evil-ass key I have hidden in here somewhere. See you at 4pm, when we'll be back to see how you're getting on.

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Type Moon will release an English localization of Tsukihime Remake sometime in 2024. It will come out for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch. While Tsukihime Remake, or Tsukihime  - A piece of blue glass moon -  is available on the aforementioned platforms now, it is only available in the Japan. [Thanks, KaroshiMyriad!]

This news came at the end of the Fate/Grand Order panel at Anime Expo. There's not a lot of information on it so far, such as when to expect it. It's also unclear if the localization will English audio available. When Witch on the Holy Night was released in English, it only had the Japanese audio available. So it's likely that the localization will merely feature the English translation and not any dubbing.

Tsukihime Remake, or Tsukihime - A piece of blue glass moon -, came out in 2021 and is a remake of Arcueid and Ciel’s routes. It does not feature the R18 elements of the original game. The sequel, The other side of red garden, is in development. There's no expected release window yet. It will remake the Akiha, Hisui, and Kohaku routes. It will also include the scrapped Satsuki route.

Tsukihime - A piece of blue glass moon - is available on the PS4 and Nintendo Switch in Japan, and an English version will launch worldwide.

Last week, a Steam developer suggested Valve was banning games featuring AI-generated content on its platform, after reporting that their game had been rejected for using "fairly obviously AI-generated" assets.

The developer was given a second chance to resubmit their game but said, via Reddit, that this was also rejected - due to them not owning the necessary rights.

Now, in a statement provided to Eurogamer, Valve has clarified a few points on this post, and provided further insight into how it will police AI-generated content on Steam in general.

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Overwatch 2’s long-awaited story missions start rolling out next month on August 10, but from the sound of it, the three levels that launch in the first wave will be the only ones that launch in 2023.

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Nintendo revealed that Delphox will be the next Pokemon available as the next 7-Star Tera Raid Battle event in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Delphox will have a fixed Fairy Tera Type. The new 7-star raid will run throughout July 7-10, 2023, and once again throughout July 14-17, 2023.

As with other previous 7-Star Pokemon, Delphox will come with the Mightiest Mark, and it will only be possible to capture once. However, it will be possible to battle Delphox as many times as possible within the time period of the event to obtain rare items and experience candies.

Delphox is a dual Fire/Psychic Type Pokemon originally introduced in Generation 6. It is the final evolution of Fennekin, the Fire-type starter from Pokemon X and Y. Delphox can use its psychic powers to generate extremely hot flames. The other two Pokemon X and Y starters, Greninja and Chesnaught, previously appeared as 7-Star Raid battles in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and now Delphox completes the Kalos starter trio.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are immediately available for the Nintendo Switch and the Delphox Tera Raid Battle event will run throughout July 7-10, 2023 and July 14-17, 2023. The Teal Mask DLC will appear on both games in Fall 2023, and the Indigo Mask DLC will appear in Winter 2023.

The fantasy action manga Mashle reached its end on July 3, 2023. The series ended with chapter 162, which released on issue 31 of the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan. The final issue features 24 center color pages. The manga series was created by author Hajime Komoto, and it started serialization on January 27, 2020. [Thanks, Oricon!]

Currently, 16 tankobon volumes of the manga Mashle released in Japan. Volume 17 will come out on July 4, 2023. Meanwhile, volume 18 will be the last one and it is expected to release in October 2023. Additionally, a fan book will release alongside the final volume of the manga.

Mashle follows the story of Mash Burnedead, a young man attending Easton Magic Academy that is uncapable of learning or using any magic. Instead, Mash manages to solve his problems with the use of brute force and raw strength, and is set on showing the world his worth.

As a reminder, Aniplex recently announced during Anime Expo 2023 that the anime adaptation of Mashle will receive a second season, and it will begin in January 2024 in Japan.

Square Enix announced a new necklace based on the logo of the Seventh Heaven bar from the FFVII Remake. The necklace is made out of sterling silver, and it has been oxidized to give it a darker finish. The necklace costs 21,780 JPY (or about $150), and it is scheduled to release in Japan on November 30, 2023. The new Seventh Heaven necklace is now available for pre-order from the Square Enix online eStore. The US storefront doesn't offer it yet, however we tend to see items appear in Japan first before showing up to order there.

You can check out the new necklace in more detail in the gallery below:

[gallery link="file" columns="4" size="medium" ids="971290,971291,971292,971293"]

In both Final Fantasy VII and its Remake, the Seventh Heaven bar is an important location that can be found in the Sector 7 slums of Midgar. It is a saloon-style tavern owned by Tifa Lockhart, and the basement of the bar is used by the eco-terrorist and anti-Shinra group Avalanche as a hideout. The Seventh Heaven bar is an important location in both games, as one of the few safe spots for the party in Midgar.

HoYoVerse released a Genshin Impact trailer titled “The Final Feast,” which introduces several key characters who will appear in the Fontaine Archon Quests. Arlecchino will be the Fatui Harbinger that the Traveler will need to deal with. We also now know the voice actors for a large number of characters who’ll debut in the Fontaine storyline.

You can watch the English version of the Genshin Impact “The Final Feast” trailer here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SbgmM3mSps

The Japanese one is also available via its official YouTube account here:

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

As for the cast, here are the English and Japanese voice actors for the characters who appeared in the “The Final Feast” Genshin Impact trailer:

This week's DF Direct Weekly kicks off with an extensive discussion surrounding AMD's exclusive partnership with Bethesda Game Studios for Starfield. On the face of it, it's the kind of arrangement that's no different to others arranged by its competitors. In this case, AMD is BGS's exclusive tech partner and FSR2 upscaling is being integrated into Starfield in both PC and console iterations. However, there are concerns that this integration might come with a catch: qualitatively superior upscaling solutions from Nvidia and Intel - DLSS and XeSS - may be blocked from appearing in the game as part of the deal.

It's an uncomfortable possibility. Is AMD paying to ensure that Nvidia and Intel GPU owners can't use rival technologies that can look better than Radeon features? Instead of developing their own more competitive technologies, the suggestion is that AMD is using an exclusive partnership to ensure that all GPU owners only get image quality as good as that provided by an AMD graphics card. Crucially, AMD itself is not denying that it's blocking Bethesda from integrating competing upscalers into Starfield.

Let's put all of this into context. It started with an article posted on June 20th by WCCFTech, which pointed out that a great many AMD-sponsored titles are shipping with FSR2 upscaling, while the DLSS and XeSS alternatives are absent. In the case of games like Dead Island 2, The Callisto Protocol and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, for example, the fact that they're based on Unreal Engine 4 means that DLSS and XeSS plug-ins are readily available as part of the underlying tech, but for some reason, those plug-ins are not being used.

If Ubisoft's summer showcase was any indication, it's going all-in on Assassin's Creed. But a recent report from Kotaku suggests that the company's commitment to the franchise might be going even deeper than we thought; Ubisoft has recently begun the process of remaking Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.