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Studio Khara president Hideaki Anno will become a board director of animation studio, Production IG. This change in position will go into effect on August 21, 2025.

The news appeared on Studio Khara’s website on July 18, 2025. Aside from the information on Anno’s future as a director of Production I.G., it did not provide any further details.

Production IG. is an animation studio that was founded in 1987. It has produced animated projects popular around the world and not just in its native country of Japan. A small sample of its works includes the xxxHolic series, Ghost in the Shell series, Psycho-Pass, Kuroko’s Basketball, Sengoku Basara, and FLCL. It also worked on the O-Ren Ishii backstory animation sequence in the 2003 film, Kill Bill Vol. 1.

As for Hideaki Anno, while he is the founder and president of Studio Khara, he’s arguably most well-known for his work at his previous studio, Gainax. He worked on the aforementioned FLCL, but his signature work is Neon Genesis Evangelion, as well as the franchise that spawned from it. His more modern works include Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, and Studio Khara recently announced an anime adaptation of Sugar Sugar Rune.

Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road still isn’t ready yet, as Level-5 delayed the release date again. It now will launch on the Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on November 13, 2025. The company cited the amount of content present as a reason for the extra time needed, and it also shared a trailer showing off the latest additions and footage.

This marks the third time Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road ended up delayed to a new 2025 release window. It first was expected to show up in June 2025. Then, Level-5 said it would appear on August 21, 2025. 

This particular Inazuma Eleven installment has a long history of being delayed, starting back when it was called Inazuma Eleven Ares and ended up delayed out of Summer 2018 to Fall 2018. It was in 2019 that it was turned into Inazuma Eleven: Great Road of Heroes. Along the way, platforms changed as well. At one point, even mobile versions were planned.

Here’s the new Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road trailer that confirmed the new release date and shared the extra content we’ll see when it does launch.

Good Smile Company opened up pre-orders for a Hatsune Miku “World is Mine” 2024 version figure. It was first announced back in 2024. She won’t ship until October 2026 in Japan and Q1 2027 in the US. It will cost ￥27,800/$181.99.

This will be a rather tall figure, as it stands at over eight inches tall (214mm). Or rather, sits, as Hatsune MIku is positioned in a crimson armchair for the figure with a vase filled with red roses at her feet. She’s pointing toward the viewer while sitting with a smug smile on her face. She’s wearing the same white dress with black ribbon around the neck as in the music video for the track. She also has a crown on her head. 

Here’s a closer look at it from different angles.

Voltage announced the next AmuLit otome Switch game from the company is called Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost. It will launch in Winter 2025. It will appear in both Japanese and English. It's been in development at the studio since 2023.

Exact details about the characters and love interests in Neon Clash aren’t available yet, but we do have art of the heroine and one romance option. It will tell a more modern story set in the “near future” and involve different mafia members. It also seems like it will follow the AmuLit trend of not shying away from darker or more dramatic elements that started in Even if Tempest, there will be conflicts between various factions.

This will mark the second AmuLit Voltage otome game to debut on the Switch in 2025. Red Bell’s Lament showed up in June 2025. That involved a group of vampire hunters heading into the realm of vampires on a rescue mission. Other AmuLit titles include Even if Tempest and its sequel Even if Tempest: Dawning Connections. This latest entry will mark the first game to take place during a more modern time.

Good Smile Company teased one of its PlayStation 30th anniversary merchandise, as it confirmed it will release PSP acrylic stands and shaker keychains based on the Sony handheld. Each of these items will have a hollow center where the screen is, and that will be filled with acrylic pieces designed to look like PSP UI icons. Four items will be available. 

The items are both based upon the PSP-1000 model. One will be the standard black one, while the other looks like the Ceramic White model. The acrylic stands will be ￥1,760 (~$12) each, while the keychains are going to cost ￥1,320 (~$9). We don’t know how big they’ll be yet, as sizes weren’t mentioned. However, the initial images did show that the PlayStation merchandise will feature designs on the front and back of the items.

Here’s the official art showing the examples of both items. The larger images just show the PSP acrylic stands, but the bottom of the page showed the shaker keychains. While the stands have monochromatic UI icons, the keychains will have color pieces that represent the square, triangle, circle, and cross buttons.

Back in 2022, Square Enix released a Final Fantasy VII Buster Sword alarm clock in Japan, then later sold the FFVII item worldwide. Now the 21,780円 device is back in Japan. It returns on July 19, 2025. A rerelease hasn’t shown up on the US storefront yet, but it did cost $199.99 when available here.

This clock is over a foot tall, due to the size of the weapon. Its tands at over 13 inches. The Buster Sword is jammed into the clock base, with the digital time lit up with LEDs on the blade and Materia glowing in the same color. Depending on the song you set as the alarm, the color of the lights will change.

As a reminder, here are all five songs that will act as the alarm for the FFVII Buster Sword clock.

Subaru and Subaru, the new sequel manga to Initial D and MF Ghost by Shuichi Shigeno, will soon launch in Kodansha's Young Magazine. However, prominent leaker Ryokutya reported that Shigeno provided an update to his own health condition in the manga magazine. [Thanks, Ryokutya.]

At the end of the manga premiere, the veteran manga artist reportedly revealed that he has a heart disease. Due to this condition, Shuichi Shigeno cautioned that the serialization of Subaru and Subaru may not run smoothly.

Subaru and Subaru will take place the year after the races in MF Ghost. Fumihiro Joyu will hold a new racing series with a new qualification method to replace MFG. The new title will star two characters who have the same name Subaru, but with different kanji letters.

The first protagonist will be Subaru Sato, a female driver from Gunma, whose relations with Initial D's Mako Sato are still yet to be known. She will receive training from Bunta Fujiwara and participate in the new racing series with a Subaru BRZ.

HoYoVerse shared the 5.8 Genshin Impact Special Program, and it confirmed the debut of Ineffa, shared a Yelan paid outfit and free Bennet costume, and teased Lauma and the Snezhnaya region of Nod-Krai for 6.0. The new update arrives on July 30, 2025. It also marks the debut of the Sunspray Summer Resort event and return of Citlali, Chasca, and Mualani.

We already knew Ineffa was on the way to Genshin Impact in 5.8 due to drip marketing. She’s an Electro character and robot. Her banner will appear alongside the Cryo returning Natlan unit Citlali. The second half of the update will feature Anemo character Chasca and Hydro unit Mualani.  

Ineffa is a big focus of the major trailer for the update, and there are hints at her past in it. At the end, Snezhnaya, Marionette, Nod-Krai, and Genshin Impact 6.0 events are teased.

No Sleep for Kaname Date - From AI: The Somnium Files feels like a filler season of an anime. The characters are generally interesting and the experience is fine, but it feels like a way to fill time while a bigger, grander, more meaningful experience is on the way. I enjoyed myself through this more brief adventure. Just I couldn’t shake it feeling like it went through the motions of what we’d expect from an installment, rather than doing something truly fresh and new like AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative.

A Plus Japan, Shanghai Bokura Technology, and Tencent announced it will hold a closed beta test for Blue Protocol: Star Resonance. Sign-ups will start on July 24, 2025. That’s also when we’ll learn more about when and where it will take place. The full game is also expected to launch in 2025.

At the moment, there’s only a new trailer going over what to expect from both Blue Protocol: Star Resonance and the closed beta test experience. This is a new take on the MMORPG originally created by Bandai Namco for consoles and PCs. Classes will include the Frost Mage, Heavy Guardian, Marksman, Shield Knight, Stormblade, Verdant Oracle, and Wind Knight, and we’ll explore locations on Regnus like the Asterleeds Region, Carniman, The Lost Andra, and Misthoen.  

Here’s the video showing off Blue Protocol: Star Resonance gameplay and announcing the beta.

Nintendo announced its stores in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto now carry seven new kinds of Donkey Kong merchandise. These range from a Diddy Kong plush pouch to towels. A large Donkey Kong plush is also planned, but isn’t available alongside the other items on July 17, 2025. 

The Diddy Kong item is the most expensive at the moment at 3,520

円 (~$24). The most affordable are two different styles of hand towels featuring DK for 990円 (~$7). 

Here’s the full list of everything available now and their prices:

Premium Collectibles Studio announced it will show off the Street Fighter Chun-Li statue at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con, with the announcement teasing all three costume variants of the large figure could appear. This would mark the first appearance of them. Previously, the product page on the company website only included a placeholder image and option to submit an email to sign up for the waitlist.

We don’t know exactly how tall the 1:2 Street Fighter Chun-Li statue will be, or how expensive each of the three figure variants will each be. The first teaser video didn’t offer any reference items to provide a sense of scale. It did show that all three will feature her in the same time of pose she makes when a fight starts and she’s preparing to attack. 

As for the outfits for each of the Street Fighter Chun-Li figures, each statue will wear a costume calling back to past appearances. The Battle option is based on the Battle costume seen in Street Fighter V. Alpha looks like her Street Fighter Alpha appearance. Classic looks like the style she wore starting in Street Fighter II. 

Here’s Premium Collectibles Studio’s teaser video:

On July 16, 2025, the much hyped Fire at My Heels: Kitasan Black SSR Speed Support Card debuted in Umamusume: Pretty Derby, and the PC version of the game hit a new all-time peak player count milestone on Steam as a result. The new record is 87,453, according to SteamCharts. It is also showing as the top seller in the US on Steam, and number two globally.

The Kitasan Black SSR Support Card is known for being one of the best Speed options in Umamusume: Pretty Derby. It’s held its position as a beneficial addition to a deck in Career in the Japanese version over the last three years. Part of this is because, as you uncap and max out the card, it increases the odds of her appearing for Speed training and offering the Friendship bonus. There are also mood bonuses, her Professor of Curvature velocity bonus on a turn is helpful, and she can also provide hints for skills like Corner or Straight Recovery.  

Hololive Vtuber Usada Pekora brought back her mom, referred to as Pekomama, for her latest stream. For over an hour on July 17, 2025, the two talked with viewers and other members of Hololive. Her mother appeared in honor of Pekora’s sixth anniversary, as the performer debuted with the company on July 17, 2019. 

This Usada Pekora and Pekomama stream ended up being purely a chatting one, with the two talking with fans of the Vtuber, then later with special Hololive guests for over 80 minutes. After talking together for about a half hour, other performers from the company started calling in. Shirogane Noel, La+ Darknesss, Kikirara Vivi, Tokino Sora, Otonose Kanade, and AZKi each stopped by to chat with her mother. 

Here is the full stream. It is only available in Japanese.

Now that Donkey Kong Bananza is available for everyone, we know the voice actors who play various characters like DK and Pauline. Since Pauline is fully voiced, her actress varies for different languages and regions. However, Donkey Kong is played by Kouji Takeda in every region. In English, the spoken and singing voice for Pauline is Jenny Kidd. 

Kouji Takeda taking up the role of DK in Donkey Kong Bananza isn’t surprising, as he has been the voice actor for the character for a few projects recently. He played the character in the Japanese dub for The Super Mario Bros Movie. Then, in Mario Kart World, he reprised the part. We also heard hi as Daruk in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its spin-offs. One of his other recurring roles is Shinichi Sato in Blue Exorcist.

We knew the Japanese voice actress for Pauline ahead of launch, due to Nintendo revealing it in an Ask the Developer interview series based on Donkey Kong Bananza. Yurianne Eve plays her.

Once again, MegaHouse will release a collection of Sanrio Kaitai Puzzle Fantasy figures that shows the skeletons of the features characters, and this time the four in the collection will feature two My Melody designs and two Kuromi options. These launch at the end of June 2025 in honor of the characters’ anniversaries. (My Melody is turning 50, and Kuromi is 20.) As with past entries in this line, this will be a blind box collection, with a single one costing 1,210円 (~$8). So you won’t know which character or color you’ll get. Big Bad Toy Store is selling a full set of four, which is how they appear packaged on shelves, for $63.99. 

MegaHouse announced that 2B from NieR: Automata will become a Desktop Army figure. She’ll launch in the second half of October 2025 in Japan. She’ll cost 9,900円 (~$68). At time of writing, it seems the only store with worldwide shipping carrying it is AmiAmi, which is selling it for about $58.46.

The trademark of the Desktop Army line is that all of the characters are about 80mm (three inches) tall, and the figures are articulated, come with accessories, and are compatible with all past armor and accessories with other characters. This figure includes both 2B and Pod 042. You also get two swords with her, which are Virtuous Contract and Virtuous Treaty. These can be held in her hand or attached to her back. 

Here's a closer look at the character, some possible poses, and the accessories she'll come with from MegaHouse.

Pocketpair announced a number of changes made and coming to Palworld as a result of the lawsuit filed by Nintendo based on its similarities to Pokemon. This is one of the more extensive responses to the lawsuit filed in 2024, which claimed several patents were violated. The statement confirmed why one change was made to resemble a connection to Poke Balls, and noted another is coming regarding traveling via Pals. 

The change that already happened involved Pal Spheres, the equivalent of Poke Balls. In Palworld, these hold Pals and throwing one with a character in it would allow you to summon the character to appear alongside you. The company said it made that change because of the lawsuit, so now a Pal just appears next to a player after an owned one is called.

Sony and Kojima Productions announced that there will be a PS5 Dualsense controller based on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, but the limited edition design will only be sold directly through the PlayStation online storefront. These will appear on June 26, 2025, though we can pre-order the peripheral at 10am ET in the US and 10am local time in Europe on May 22, 2025. 

As this is a limited edition controller, Sony noted that it won’t be able to share exact quantities for each region. The company did share a price for it, however. It will cost $84.99/€84.99/£74.99 /¥12,480. Standard Dualsenses tend to cost around $79.99. This comes after price increases on the PS5 and some peripherals were already announced for multiple places worldwide. The announcement on the PlayStation Blog didn’t note if tariffs will affect the price in the US, since the product will be shipping in June 2025. 

Square Enix has published a new tweet describing the newer 3D model for Yuffie Kisaragi in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in more detail. The company explained how it further emphasized the ninja characteristics of Yuffie with the model changes while depicting her growth in FFVII Rebirth following her earlier debut in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade.

The company added the amount of information to emphasize Yuffie's Japanese theme by adding a detailed armor sleeve to her left arm, along with a belt and pouch to her pants. In addition, it designed the pouch in such a way that enables Yuffie to carry multiple kunais, which are essential for a ninja character.

Square Enix also explained the way it made Yuffie's close-up bust CG. It intended to give her a more matured appearance as she grows up through her new journey with Cloud's group.

The original Japanese official tweet is also available to view right below:

What we end up getting when a company releases a remaster of a game varies. Sometimes, there are only some improved textures and HD enhancements. We might get a new or updated localization, if it involves a Japanese release. If we’re really lucky, the alterations will be so extensive that it might feel more like a remake. That’s what’s happened with Bethesda and Virtuos’ The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, as the remaster is so comprehensive and detailed that the experience often feels entirely new.

Oblivion Remastered begins with a player’s imprisoned avatar being tasked with a royal mission to get the fallen Emperor Uriel Septim VII’s Amulet of Kings to Blades Grandmaster Jauffre, while also dealing with the invasion of Oblivion’s Daedra as a result of the ruler’s death. We must forge our own path through Cyrodiil and find a way to save it and Tamriel. It's... fine. I'm not a huge fan of the main game's campaign and preferred supplemental missions in the past, and I found it remained true here. As a very welcome bonus, the remaster of Oblivion includes the Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles expansions. While Knights of the Nine is totally fine, I always really enjoyed the Greymarch campaign in Shivering Isles and found returning to it a welcome premise.

Taito and Banpresto released a new One Piece plush, which recreates the Monkey D Luffy straw hat as a soft cushion. It will be over 16 inches long (42cm). It is currently appearing in actual arcades in Japan, as well as online crane games. It isn’t showing up in any 

As you’d expect, the One Piece plush of Luffy’s straw hat is yellow, with a red band around it. As this is designed to be used as a decorative piece and cushion, the brim is incredibly thing and small, and the crown is much larger than usual. 

The official Japanese Banpresto Crane Game image highlighting the plush also teased a second one. An Imu toy is in development. This character only appears toward the end of series. 

Here are the two official pictures of the new One Piece plush:

On the official Facebook page for Genshin Impact, HoYoVerse announced it will require age verification for everyone in the US who plays the game by May 20, 2025. It noted this is part of a measure to comply with laws in the country. This will be mandatory, and accounts could be suspended if people don’t comply by July 18, 2025. There’s also the prospect of potential deletion.

HoYoVerse actually mentioned two dates with regards to cut-offs for US players and the Genshin Impact age verification process. In the first part, it noted that someone needs to provide their date of birth by July 18, 2025. The consequences of meeting that date involve an account being suspended, friends on the friend list being deleted, all chat records being wiped, and notifications on mobile devices being disabled. The announcement didn’t note if complying after that date could result in the suspension being lifted.

Square Enix announced new pieces of NieR Replicant and NieR: Automata merchandise featuring Emil’s face, with the Black Box from Automata and Mama from NieR Reincarnation also appearing. All of them are expected to launch in Japan on July 26, 2025, and AmiAmi is taking orders for them and shipping worldwide. Due to the Trump tariffs, these items didn't show up in the US store yet.

The Emil NieR Replicant drawstring bag costs 2,530円 (~$18). It’s over seven inches tall (195mm) and seven inches (180mm) wide. There is a brocade-style pattern on the back, with Emil’s face on the front. 

Here’s how that looks:

Billboard updated its charts for the week, and the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 game soundtrack hit the number one spots in both the Classical Albums and Classical Crossover Albums categories. This is its first week in first place in both divisions. 

The Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 soundtrack released on April 24, 2025, the same day the game launched. It could be found on streaming services like Soundcloud and Spotify, as well as purchased via storefronts like Amazon, Apple, and Steam. Lorien Testard composed the entire score, with Alice Duport-Percier contributing vocals. As a whole, the album consists of 154 tracks that appear throughout the game.

Sega announced the English voice actors who will play characters in Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut on the Switch 2, and many will return to voice people they played in past games. Most notably, Matt Mercer, who played Goro Majima in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and Yong Yea, who was Kazuma Kiryu in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, will return for this installment. There are also two trailers highlighting moments with Kiryu and Majima in English. 

First, here’s how Yea sounds when he appears as Kiryu again in the game.

Next, we can see how Mercer portrays Majima.

Famitsu shared a release date for the Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter remake. The game will apparently appear on September 19, 2025, which falls within the established 2025 launch window Nihon Falcom shared previously. Pre-orders are already available worldwide. Famitsu’s official site also noted that more details about the game will appear in issue number 1,897. No sites updated to confirm it yet, with places like Steam still showing a “coming soon” notice. [Thanks, Famitsu and Ryokutya!]

We already had some idea that the game would appear around this time. This is because Pin Box revealed a limited edition Bracer Supply Box designed to accompany it at launch. That ended up being assigned a Fall 2025 release window when it appeared at the end of April 2025. 

Graniph announced it will sell Kingdom Hearts shirts, pants, boxers, bags, and other accessories. Items will launch in stores and online on May 20, 2025, and pre-orders are available now online. The official site can be viewed in English and the company ships to the US. However, some of the items are already sold out. 

To start, there are 12 different Kingdom Hearts shirts, with eight being t-shirts. These are all unisex items, and all are available in sizes S through XL. In the cases of some t-shirts, SS and XXL are also options. Standard t-shirts cost ¥4,500/$39. The two button-up, short sleeve shirts are ¥6,900/$60 each. There is also a Timeless River Pete set that includes a t-shirt with matching shorts for ¥7,900/$68. A zip-up, short-sleeved jacket that can be worn as a shirt is also ¥6,900/$60. In addition to characters like Sora, Donald, Goofy, Pete, Kairi, Chip, and Dale, they also reference worlds from the game.

The Pokemon Company has revealed that it worked with Asken to produce official recipes for some of the Pokemon Sleep meals in real life. People can now reproduce select meals from the Pokemon-themed sleep management game app, provided they can understand or translate the Japanese recipes.

Asken has set up separate webpages for each of the four recipes featured in this collaboration. The Pokemon Sleep recipes in question are the Limber Corn Stew, Petal Blizzard Layered Salad, Dream Eater Butter Curry, and Apple Acid Yogurt-Dressed Salad.

Preview images of what the Pokemon Sleep dishes will look like in real life are also viewable right below:

The roguelike genre’s gotten crowded over the last few years, which means I’m always delighted when a title comes up that feels like it does tread new ground. While StarVaders does feel a bit familiar, given we’re once again building a deck, taking turns on a grid to strategically wipe out enemies, and hopefully surviving an alien apocalypse, its welcoming nature, variety, and wealth of options for wiping out enemies mean it’s quite a promising prospect.

Aliens are attacking earth. Things begin with Roxy fixing up a Gunner mech right as the assault begins. She vows to protect her loved ones and everyone else she can, now that she has a suit that lets her do it. But she’s only one of multiple pilots with units standing by. Each person and their mech, be it Gunner, Stinger, or Keeper, employs different tactics and uses different types of artifacts and cards to push back against invading enemies. 

It isn’t uncommon for manga series to involve two related characters from a family with one supposed to be the best and the other essentially an unpowered spare, but then for things to flip and the underdog being the true force to be reckoned with in the story. Bride of the Barrier Master is exactly that, however in this manga the way the heroine and her situation is handled makes it a more engaging twist.

There are supernaturally gifted families in Japan who keep the country safe by maintaining barriers, and Hana and her twin sister Hazuki are part of the lesser Ichise family. Hazuki is an especially gifted and blessed Practitioner, so much so that she’s even summoned a human Shikigami to assist her in her work. However, Hana just… isn’t anything special. Her Shikigami is a butterfly, she’s ignored by other people, and it even seems like her family sort of actively hates her. 

As you might expect, given the nature of these sorts of series, that doesn’t last. On her fifteenth birthday, she suddenly comes into a power even stronger than Hazuki’s. She’s able to summon two human Shikigamis. 

On January 31, 2024, Konami released Silent Hill: The Short Message for the PlayStation 5 entirely for free. The first console entry in the Silent Hill series since Silent Hill Downpour, this bite-sized experience lends itself to the psychological horror elements of the series. However, due to the focus of its narrative and first-person controls, long-time fans of the series may find it lacking. That said, Silent Hill: The Short Message is perhaps the closest thing to a "true" Silent Hill game fans have been looking for since the days of Team Silent.

Editor's Note: Silent Hill: The Short Message and this review of it contains mentions of suicide, self-harm, and abuse.

SuperGroupies announced a new clothing and accessory collection based on Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba from the Yu-Gi-Oh anime series. The items in the new collection are available for pre-order from the SuperGroupies online store until March 4, 2024.

The new SuperGroupies collection includes two items for each character, with an outerwear jacket and a handbag for Yugi Muto. The jacket will be available in S, M, and L sizes. Meanwhile, Seto Kaiba gets a pin set and another handbag. The release date for the items is set to early June 2024.

Here is the price list for the new SuperGroupies Yu-Gi-Oh collection:

• Yugi Muto Model Jacket – 23,100 yen ($153.80)
• Yugi Muto Model Bag – 18,700 yen ($124.50)

Bandai Namco released a new gameplay trailer for the upcoming Goku's Next Journey DLC for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. The add-on is set to launch sometime in February 2024, but the developer has yet to reveal an exact date for it.

The trailer features a sparring match between Goku, sporting a blue outfit rather than his signature orange, and his son Goten. The father and son banter back and forth as they fight, before showcasing a new Surge activation animation and the match eventually ending with a clash of kamehameha beams.

While the exact contents of the DLC pack have not been listed, if it follows the pattern of previous DLCs then Goku's Next Journey should consist of new super attacks and soul emblems on top of the additional story arc to play through.

You can watch the full gameplay trailer for Goku's Next Journey below:

Konami is holding an official poll on its Silent Hill Twitter (X) account to decide the name for the new monster in Silent Hill: The Short Message. You can choose between four names.

The four choices are Cherry Blossom Monster, Sakura Creature, Sakura Head, and Sakura Body. There is also a Tweet below the poll that shows a picture of the creature for those who may have forgotten it. Masahiro Ito, the designer of the monster and other creatures in the Silent Hill series, retweeted this poll and asked, “What would Anita, the protagonist, call it?”

Incidentally, the famous Pyramid Head has the official name of “Red Pyramid Thing,” which is what James calls him when he first sees him. So whatever the “official” name is for the sakura monster is what Anita would personally use. The monster from Silent Hill: The Short Message has sakura blossoms completely covering its head and crotch area. It has bare legs, and you can’t really see its hands due to the long sleeves of its white sweater.

PQube announced that not only is White Day 2: The Flower that Tells Lies is heading to the PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2024, but it will do so in a Complete Edition that offers all three episodes at once. Back when it appeared on PCs, people needed to go through each installment one at a time.

White Day 2 essentially tells the story of three people, rather than just follow one person like White Day: A Labyrinth Named School did with Lee Hui-min. So in the first episode, people follow Jung Soo-jin and her crush as they’re trapped at Yeondu high school. The second covers Kang Seo-yeon trying to undo a ritual at the school. Finally, the third episode ties into the first game by having Yoo Ji-min trying to help Han Na-young. 

Here is the first trailer for the console release. It also confirms that there will be a physical PS5 version of the game available, in addition to the digital PS5 and Xbox Series X ones.

The Pokémon Company President Tsunekazu Ishihara and professional shogi player Sota Fujii sat down for a conversation in a recent article published in the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. The two discussed the similarities between Pokemon and shogi. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

During the interview, President Ishihara said that he has enjoyed playing shogi since childhood as it has been around longer than Pokemon. Meanwhile, Fujii said that he hadn't had much experience with Pokemon until recently but that he has played Pokemon GO.

Ishihara and Fujii commented that both Pokemon and shogi are similar, as both are "mind sports" that promote strategic thinking abilities in 1v1 player scenarios. In both games, players need to observe their opponent’s movements and plan their own moves ahead.

Ishihara jokingly added that, in the 5 and 6-year-old categories for both games, there are some naughty children competing, and the people responsible for both Pokemon and shogi tournaments want them to compete calmly and make it a rule to shake hands and promote sportsmanship behavior.

Glover is coming back once again, and this time a new port of it will appear on the Evercade console and handheld. It will show up in the Piko Interactive Collection 4 on April 30, 2024 for $19.99/£17.99€19.99.

Glover started out as an N64 and PC game back in the day, before eventually heading to the PlayStation as well. It stars a wizard’s glove named Glover trying to retrieve lost crystals that were transformed into balls in a platformer adventure. In 2021, Piko Interactive shared an early rom of the N64 version. This was followed by its PC return in 2022. It is also eventually heading to the PS4, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X. 

First, here’s the trailer showing how the new port of Glover looks when running on an Evercade alongside the other Piko Interactive Collection 4 games.

When One Punch Man: World was first announced, I was a bit apprehensive as I've always had a slight bias against mobile games with heavy action at the center of their gameplay. While I know projects such as Genshin Impact have long proven that intense combat can be incredible on mobile platforms, I've mainly found myself opting out for console versions of these titles. I was surprised when I discovered that One Punch Man: World is one of the best fighting games with adventure elements I've played in some time.

Full disclosure: I am a casual fighting game player at best. So, this review will be from the perspective of someone who is familiar with the genre, but isn't a master at it by any means. That said, I had a blast with my time playing One Punch Man: World. At its core, the game is anchored by a campaign that is currently divided into seven "arcs." Each one centers around a specific hero's story and is broken into "episodes" with heavy cutscenes.

Tekken 8 Producer Katsuhiro Harada revealed exactly when he started thinking about new character Azucena. When sharing a social media post from a fan, he noted that he’s been thinking about creating the newcomer for about seven years. 

This means that around 2017, Harada was probably thinking about the concept behind the character. He noted the idea for her first started coming to mind then. As a reminder, Tekken 7 debuted on consoles and PCs back in 2017. So this means he’d been thinking about her since around the last installment. 

Here’s the full post about the Tekken 8 character Azucena Harada made on social media.