September 2023

Oft' am I struck by the fact that video game homes belonging to characters in the depths of despair are nicer that all of the homes I've lived in myself. Granted, I'm a thirty-something in a country with a years-long housing crisis, so even the Baker House in Resident Evil 7 is of "I think I could just about afford that one day" status. But it comes to something when a 70s depresso-capsule at the bottom of the sea has more square footage and storage space than I do.

Under The Waves (which got patched today, and not before time because I've had one fatal error crash per play session since it came out last week so far) is about a deep sea diver called Stan, who is living and working at the bottom of a big wet metaphor for grief. You will know this because a) its Steam page says this up front, and b) it's not super subtle (this game is published by Quantic Dream). But, as newsman Edwin pointed out to me today, when was the last time the sea wasn't a metaphor for grief? It's never a metaphor for enjoying a nice raspberry ripple ice cream. And despite Stan making reference to "what [he's] been through" half an hour in, I think it does a great job with its chthonic sadness. You float about in your tiny little sub in a great misty darkness, listen to the extremely melancholy music, and you start thinking about sad stuff in your own life. But you get into Stan's capsule living area and you think "this guy has a carpet and a book nook, what the hell?"

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I like to think that I'm above the lure of Cool Violent Thing in Videogame these days, but when I see a lanky robot parry a nuclear shockwave with a katana as though swatting a wasp, I find myself Enthused.

The videogame in question is Pyrolith's V.A. Proxy, which I've had my eye on for a while, on account of it being inspired by Nier: Automata and Devil May Cry, with a landscape of megastructures and bruised and rusty art direction that calls to mind The Signal from Tölva. In this moody open world action game, you play one of three robots who awaken to find their memories gone, and promptly set out in search of their creator. It'd be an eye-catcher even without the atomic parry, which you can witness for yourself in the embedded clip below.

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Are Starfield's planets continuous spaces? Are they just collections of sealed-off maps that fake the presence of landmarks such as named cities beyond their invisible boundaries? I just don't even know any more, but Starfield mod creators are looking into it. One intrepid soul, Draspian, has tinkered with the code to disable said invisible boundaries, and in the process, revealed that planetary maps do, in fact, join together, though as you might be expecting, Starfield doesn't take kindly to being treated this way.

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Warner Bros. Games announced that actress Megan Fox will be the voice of Nitara in Mortal Kombat 1. As well as the voice, Megan Fox will be lending her likeness to NetherRealm Studios for Nitara's design.

Nitara is the latest main fighter to be revealed for the upcoming fighting game, and the latest trailer gives fans their first look at her story and gameplay. She is a vampire that comes from the realm of Vaeternus, and she is fighting to save her fellow vampires from death. In Mortal Kombat 1, Nitara's main skill set in utilizes speedy claw attacks, fang bites, and aerial abilities.

Megan Fox is best known for her role as Mikaela in the Transformers film franchise, Jennifer in Jennifer's Body, and April O'Neil in the live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.

You can see Megan Fox as Mortal Kombat 1's Nitara in the trailer below:

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah8VyRhiWiE[/embed]

UPDATE 11/9/23: Konami has issued a statement on the potential return of Mason Greenwood to its eFootball game, and refused to rule out the possibility of the disgraced striker's return.

"We will take an appropriate action in consultation with licensors," a Konami spokesperson told Eurogamer, when asked whether Greenwood would be added back.

Last week, Football Manager developer Sports Interactive said it would return Greenwood to its game after the player's move to Spanish side Getafe. Eurogamer has separately contacted EA for word on Greenwood's status in this year's EA Sports FC24.

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I stumbled upon the cabaret club by chance. I was given limited time to play Like A Dragon Gaiden and told to explore thoroughly. But I didn't expect to stumble upon this.

I emerge into a city on a boat, complete with replica Osaka Castle. It's a hedonistic theme park, a Japanese Las Vegas, filled with gambling parlours, women in bunny ears, and a giant clown. Everything is luminous.

I potter around for a bit, eager to find out what awaits me in each building. The Like A Dragon (or Yakuza) series is known for its mini-games: mini car racing, karaoke, club management. Many of these return for Gaiden, including the cabaret club.

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Megan Fox is lending her voice and likeness to vampire Nitara in Mortal Kombat 1.

Last night, NetherRealm announced Nitara will return to the series as a playable character for the first time in almost 20 years. In a new video showcasing the blood-thirsty fighter, Fox said the character resonated with her, perhaps acknowledging her own penchant for a few drops of the red stuff.

Nitara is "evil but also good," Fox explained in the video, adding that she is "trying to save her people". Fox said she had a lot of fun bringing her talents to Mortal Kombat 1, calling the series a "staple" on the gaming landscape. "We did all grow up playing the game... it is one of the greatest video games of all time".

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FLCL, otherwise known as Fooly Cooly, is uniquely a product of the early 2000s, something that comes through in its provocative art direction, its hectic action sequences, and its unforgettable alternative rock soundtrack. It’s also a cult classic, known for its disorienting fever-dream-esque story which fans like me…

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Rabbit and Bear Studios confirmed that Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will include English and Japanese dual audio options. Players will be able to change between the English or Japanese dub at any time from the Settings menu. The developers also revealed new Japanese voice actors that will appear in the game.

The confirmation of dual audio in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was shared through a Kickstarter update. In it, the developers also confirmed that they have included more than 30 playable characters into the game. However, players can expect over 100 total characters to be available in the final release of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.

Additionally, new Japanese voice actors were revealed for various characters. These are the new people confirmed to appear in the game:

• Dux Aldric: Jouji Nakata
• Chapell Winlart: Kiyosato Takaya
• Perrielle Grum: Maaya Uchida
• Melridge: Yohei Azakami

The original release date for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was aiming for a general 2023 window. However, on late July 2023 the developers gave a more specific release window, and confirmed that the game would be delayed to Q2 2024.

Kodansha announced that it will showcase 14 games at the upcoming TGS 2023 presentation. As a reminder, TGS 2023 will be from September 21-24, 2023. All 14 games are available to play as demos, and they’re all from indie creators. Kodansha will also be a platinum sponsor for Selected Indie 80, which is a free indie game exhibition. [Thanks, PR Times!]

The games that will be available to play are:

Platform: Switch
Publisher: Nintendo, The Pokémon Company
Developer: Creatures Inc.
Release: October 6, 2023

Detective Pikachu exists in an exceptionally rare space in the video game industry. A subseries to the wildly popular Pokémon franchise that started as a video game in 2018' 3DS title, the name Detective Pikachu is more synonymous with its 2019 live-action theatrical film starring Justice Smith and Ryan Reynolds. But just before the release of that film, The Pokémon Company announced a follow-up to the 3DS game, and with the impending release finally upon us four years later, I got my hands on the long-awaited sequel.

Mortal Kombat publisher Warner Bros. Games has announced that vampire warrior Nitara, who debuted in 2002’s Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and was rarely seen again, will return to the series in forthcoming reboot Mortal Kombat 1. If you’ve tragically lost Nitara in the 21 years of cobwebs that crowd your gaming…

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The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which controls E3, and ReedPop, which organizes events like PAX, announced they’re no longer working together after failing to put on the biggest gaming showcase of the year back in June. The once-annual, once-dominant trade event hasn’t been held in person since 2019, and…

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A successor to Nintendo’s massively popular Switch gaming console has been rumored for years, but actual Switch 2 hardware now appears to be out in the wild. Eurogamer reports that Nintendo used a special version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to demo the new console for developers at Gamescom 2023 last…

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Megahouse revealed more information about the new Persona 4 Golden figure of Izanagi. The figure costs ¥28,380 yen (or about $192), and it is expected to release on March 2024 in Japan. Pre-orders for the new Izanagi figure will open on September 8, 2023 at 1pm JST, and it will be available from the Premium Bandai online store.

The new Izanagi statue belongs to the Game Characters Collection DX line of figures. This is version 2 of the original character figure, which appeared originally on January 2012. This new version was revealed as an unpainted prototype back in late May 2023.

The figure depicts the Persona in a combat pose, surrounded by blue flames. These flames are a characteristic visual in the Persona games that occurs when a character summons their Persona.

You can take a better look at the new Persona 4 Golden Izanagi version 2 statue here:

[gallery size="medium" ids="982909,982910,982911,982912,982913,982914" link="file"]

Izanagi is the starting Persona of the Persona 4 protagonist, Yu Narukami, and as such is a very popular character. Other recent Megahouse Persona merchandise includes a figure of Loki from the Persona 5 series.

Nintendo may have been showing off the Switch 2 at Gamescom 2023, according to reports. Eurogamer said the company apparently was presenting the new hardware to tech partners in private demonstrations. [Thanks, Eurogamer!]

Due to the private nature of the Switch 2 demonstrations, the reports don't tell us much about what we can expect from the new Nintendo hardware. However, reports do state that the game being used to show off the hardware was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This suggests that either the game will be re-released on the new hardware or the new system will be backwards compatible with existing Switch games.

While there is no official confirmation of the existence of a Switch successor, rumors have been circulating about its existence for a while. VGC reported in July 2023 that dev kits for the Switch 2 may already be in the hands of some studios, although details on the system itself were scarce. If reports are true, the console may see a release in late 2024.

Square Enix shared new Zero key art and website updates for FFXIV patch 6.5. The art shows Zero with some of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. Meanwhile, the website also shows that art and lists some of the things coming in patch 6.5. However, the site only offers a general overview and doesn’t divide the additions up into 6.5 part 1 or part 2. One half will show up in October 2023, while the other debuts in January 2024.

First, here's the FFXIV key art that prominently shows Zero at the center of things. Square Enix introduced her in the Endwalker expansion. However, it was the 6.2 Buried Memory story quests that she came more to the forefront. The art features characters like the Warrior of Light, Y’shtola, Alisaie, Alphinaud, and Estinien.
[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="982956" link="file"]

Square Enix released FFVII Ever Crisis, and it also offered up free Blue Crystals and started guaranteed five-star weapon banners to celebrate its launch. The 2,000 free Blue Crystals are to celebrate the game being the number one game in app stores in different countries. The weapon banner is a general welcome one.

Here are all the countries where the game was number one at launch. 1,000 of the free FFVII Ever Crisis. Blue Crystals are for hitting number one in Japan, while the other 1,000 are for getting to that point in the other four countries. This is the game’s premium currency, as a reminder.

This week on the Eurogamer Newscast, we discuss today's report by Eurogamer that Nintendo is showing Switch 2 tech demos to developers, including at Gamescom last month. The new hardware from the Big N now feels closer than ever - but when exactly will it arrive?

More importantly, perhaps - for any Nintendo console - is what Nintendo game will it launch alongside? Will Switch 2's beefier specs be a smart time to finally launch Metroid Prime 4? Or does Nintendo go with the more mass market approach, and tap up its 3D Mario team?

Finally, since it's out and it's probably going to be the biggest game of the year, we discuss the opening moments of Starfield - beyond the hour we all spend in the character creator. Joining me this week to share their thoughts on all that are Ed Nightingale and Victoria Kennedy.

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Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has shed more light on Charles Martinet's new role as a Mario Ambassador.

Last month, Nintendo announced that Martinet, the exuberant voice of Mario, will no longer be the English voice actor behind Nintendo's most recognisable mascot, after almost 30 years in the job. Instead, new voice talent will take over this role, starting with the release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder later this year. Martinet, meanwhile, was announced to be starting a new position as a Mario Ambassador.

Now, in a new video message, both Miyamoto and Martinet have shared more on this new role.

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The owner of E3, the video game industry's most important annual showcase, has confirmed it currently has no organiser or location to hold the show in 2024.

Reedpop, the owner of events such as PAX, EGX and websites such as Eurogamer.net, has now said it will not work on future iterations of E3, after previously partnering with the ESA to relaunch the show this year.

The ESA has also informed the Los Angeles Convention Centre, E3's long-held home, it will not turn up there in 2024 - following an earlier report which stated the LA City Tourism Department did not expect the show to run there for the forseeable future.

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Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the most highly acclaimed games of the year, marrying the best of video games with the complexity and nuance of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. It's unashamedly a PC-centric title, with a dense interface and controls best suited for a computer keyboard so it's not totally clear how well the game will fare on PS5. Adding to potential controller quirks, the PC build has rather problematic performance in a handful of areas later in the game, which threaten to disrupt the PS5 and its relatively meagre CPU. Happily, PlayStation 5 manages to deliver a creditable rendition of the game, but the now legendary Act Three continues to humble CPU performance - perhaps more than we anticipated going in.

Baldur's Gate 3 has been available on PC for about a month now and most of the findings from that version apply equally to the PS5 release. It's definitely a good-looking game, though not a boundary-pushing one - its visual best suited to the elevated camera angle. Up close, you see the limitations of Larian's proprietary engine tech, with lighting and model detail that doesn't always survive close scrutiny, but it looks perfectly fine most of the time, especially in naturally-grounded outdoor scenes.

In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew discusses how Baldur's Gate 3 outshines Starfield as a role-playing game and why it's completely okay if you disagree. Later in the show, Alex breaks down the changes introduced in Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 and shares why the battle royale's meta is in a great place. Afterward, Marcus talks about the many ways in which Armored Core VI makes him feel cool.

Starfield Vs. Baldur's Gate 3 And Why It's Okay To Disagree | GI Show:

Follow us on social media: Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Marcus Stewart (@MarcusStewart7), Charles Harte (@ChuckDuck365)

The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join host Alex Van Aken every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Vancouver
Release: October 27, 2023

The EA Sports UFC franchise made its debut in 2014, the first MMA game released by the company following its non-UFC-licensed title, 2010's EA Sports MMA. While the first licensed UFC title was somewhat disappointing due to the underwhelming feature set and the series trying to find its footing as an all-new franchise, it was a solid first attempt.

Hello folks. How was Baldur's Gate 3 August for you? Ready for Starfield September? I hope you are, because lemme tell you, it's coming all right. In truth, I was surprised (and somewhat saddened) by some of the comments we received around our Baldur's Gate 3 coverage. If you missed them, they were mostly in the vein of saying our increased volume of BG3-related posts felt like "spam", harking back to when we (and the internet at large) all went similarly bananas over Elden Ring last year. I know it can sometimes seem like writing about these games - particularly on RPS - feels like we're somehow neglecting everything else going on in PC gaming. But the truth is a little more complicated than that, so I wanted to take some time to talk a bit about this in this month's Letter From The Editor, because there are a number of reasons why this happens - and will probably continue to happen more generally as websites fight for survival.

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Sometimes, a game sits at such a cross section of my interests that it almost feels made specifically for me. In the case of Affogato, it’s three of my favourite types of games mashed together: it’s Coffee Talk by way of Persona by way of any card-based tower defence game – only here it’s sort of "reverse tower defence", as the game's Steam page is keen to point out. It's your own card units that are the ones moving along pre-defined tracks wreaking havoc on stationary enemies, not the other way around. Maybe tower assault would be a better term, but that's by the by. Served with a dollop of anime froth on the top, Affogato should be my exact cuppa joe. But despite its intriguing ingredients, I wouldn't say it's been wholly successful in slooshing them all together.

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There’s a new Star Ocean: The Second Story R character trailer, and this one stars Noel Chandler. He’s a later game recruit. He also isn’t limited to certain routes, like a few other characters. He’s known as being one of the symbology users and someone you can rely on for support.

Here’s his trailer. It begins with the Star Ocean: The Second Story R scene where everyone meets Noel for the first time. He’s living in a cabin in the Endangered Species Protection Zone. After that, he joins the group to investigate a disturbance. After that, we get to see him in battle. He first performs an earth-based spell that summons a rocky titan. After that, he uses Stone Rain.

Unleash the fury of the elements with Noel in #StarOcean The Second Story R!

As a skilled symbologist, he wields both healing and offensive powers to dominate the battlefield. #SO2R pic.twitter.com/g6URWvp6G6

— STAR OCEAN (@StarOcean) September 7, 2023

Here's a list of the other Star Ocean: The Second Story R character trailers we've seen so far: