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As is common with Atlus games, there's an Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection launch trailer showing what to expect from the Nintendo Switch and PC releases. This is more of a summary, rather than a focused look on a specific element like mapping. After watching, people will immediately find all three games either individually or as a collection in both storefronts.

The launch trailer first shows what it’s like to explore the remastered dungeons. Then, it shows the static, updated art used for characters and locations in town. From there, it focuses on gameplay. We get to see some dungeon biomes, as well as seafaring in Etrian Odyssey III. After that, we see how NPCs can assign quests, we form a five-person party, and learn skills from the sill trees. Near the end of the video, we see how fighting enemies and exploring the dungeon nets us materials to fill up our catalogue and earn new equipment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSeXc8JwwFw&ab_channel=OfficialATLUSWest

The Persona 5 Nendoroid figures of Joker, Morgana, and Futaba Sakura are back in stock. The figures are now available to pre-order from the Good Smile Company online store. The estimated release date for all three figures is October 2023 for Japan, and Q4 2023 for North America. Each figure costs $42.99 USD, or 4,888 JPY for Joker, 4,584 JPY for Morgana, and 5,900 JPY for Futaba. Pre-orders for the Persona 5 Joker, Morgana, and Futaba Nendoroids will close on until July 6, 2023.

The Joker figure includes two face plates, a standard and grinning expression. His mask can be removed, and it also includes interchangeable eyes. A smaller mask for Joker to hold in his hands is included, as well as his knife and pistol.

[gallery size="medium" ids="965941,965942,965943" link="file"]

Meanwhile, the Morgana figure includes several interchangeable parts for his face, including standard, serious, grinning, and his All-Out face expressions, as well as a slingshot and his saber weapons.

[gallery size="medium" ids="965944,965945,965946" link="file"]

Square Enix revealed that more Final Fantasy VII Remake merchandise is on the way. Pre-orders for a FFVII Remake Shinra Company shoulder pouch are now available from the Square Enix Japanese e-store. The shoulder pouch costs 8,205 JPY (or roughly $60 USD). The expected release date of the pouch is September 30, 2023. The pouch can be used to carry small items, like a phone or wallet, and it includes a small pocket designed to hold cards or public transport passes. It isn't showing up in the worldwide store yet.

The new Final Fantasy VII Remake pouch is made out of polyester and synthetic leather. The pouch is black, and it has a vibrant red embroidery finish. The inside of the pouch is lined with a similar red fabric. The strap of the pouch is removable and adjustable.

You can take a better look at the FFVII Remake Shinra pouch in the gallery below.

[gallery columns="5" link="file" ids="965977,965978,965979,965980,965981"]

Continuing with the Shinra Company theme, on February 2023 Square Enix revealed yet another Final Fantasy VII Remake item inspired by the fictional company. It was an AirPod metal case with the Shinra logo engraved on it.

SNK Global released a statement about the planned rollback netcode update for Samurai Shodown. The initial release window for the update was set for Spring 2023, but it has since been delayed until Summer 2023. The reasons given for pushing back the implementation of rollback netcode are various setbacks and other circumstances that appeared during the preparation of the update.

SNK announced the inclusion of rollback netcode in Samurai Shodown back in November 2022. Ever since, the game received a Community Beta Test for the update back in February 2023. Alongside the announcement of the delay, SNK also announced that a second Community Beta Test for the Samurai Shodown rollback netcode update will be held in June 2023. The exact days the test will happen will be announced at a later date.

You can read the statement SNK put out here:

https://twitter.com/SNKPofficial/status/1664089380242223105

The version of Samurai Shodown to receive rollback is the 2019 reboot of the franchise. Additionally, the Neo Geo Collection included rollback back when it released on June 2020. The collection includes the first five titles in the series, alongside two updates for Samurai Shodown V, one of them never released before.

The prosecution is seeking two years and six months in prison for Yuji Naka in his case of insider trading, as well as a fine of 2.5 million yen and a surcharge of 170 million yen. The third trial for the case involving Sonic creator Yuji Naka and former employer Square Enix was held on June 1, 2023 at the Tokyo District Court. The verdict will be revealed on July 7, 2023. [Thanks, DenFamiNico Gamer and Yahoo News!]

This proposal in the insider trading case is not the final sentence. If the Tokyo District Court pursues the prosecution’s proposal, Yuji Naka won't only have to go to prison, but will have to pay the equivalent in Japanese Yen to $17,880 USD as a fine and over $1.2 million dollars as a surcharge.

During the trial, the prosecution argued that defendant Naka misused his authority to gain an unfair advantage over ordinary investors. Meanwhile, the defense asked for a suspension of sentence as well as a reduction of the fine and surcharge, alleging that defendant Naka did not actively seek out insider information during his time at the company, as that the information was mistakenly sent to him.

First-person dungeon-crawlers aren’t that uncommon. Since games like Wizardry set the stage for them, we’ve seen plenty of one-offs and series succeed. But there’s always been something special about Etrian Odyssey. Atlus purposely setting out to pose incredible challenges, while also giving people opportunities to be meticulous about map-making. That’s not even getting into the end-game reveals about the nature of entries’ world. These are special titles and, while there will always be something special about playing Etrian Odyssey I, II, and III on the Nintendo DS, Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection shows the series can maintain its individuality and thrive even on the Switch and PC.

As part of the MegaHobby Plus 2023 Early Summer, MegaHouse shared a look at the upcoming One Piece Portrait of Pirates RE-MAXIMUM Uta figure. It features the tagline, "I'm Invincible." Only an unpainted prototype of the statue, which is due to come out in 2024, appeared.

Here is a closer look at the One Piece Portrait of Pirates RE-MAXIMUM Uta figure. There's no price estimate for it yet. MegaHouse also didn't note how big it will be. However, the WA-MAXIMUM Yamato Portrait of Pirates figure ended up being about ten and a half inches tall.

【#megahobbyplus announcement】
Special info!
It is the first time showing prototypes for…

Portrait.Of.Pirates ONE PIECE“RE-MAXIMUM” UTA
~I'm Invincible~

Uta will bring you to happiness !https://t.co/prra0MyoOu#ONEPIECE1085 pic.twitter.com/AHbkJq5HLd

— MegaHouse-Official (@Megahousejp) May 31, 2023

Blaze Entertainment held its May 2023 Evercade Showcase and announced a number of new game collections. Most notably, two Duke Nukem game collection cartridges are on the way, and there will also be a special Evercade VS Atomic Edition variant of the console based on the series. The presentation also noted there will be updates to the systems that add features like per-game button-mapping.

Duke Nukem Collection 1 will give Evercade owners Duke Nukem 1+2 Remastered and Duke Nukem 3. The second collection features Time to Kill, Land of the Babes, and Advance. Both will appear in November 2023, with pre-orders opening in August 2023. As for the Atomic Edition of the console, only 2,000 will be made. They will be sold for £119.99/$148.66 and each one will include a certificate of authenticity. Funstock pre-orders are open now ahead of its November 2023 debut while supplies last.

Here’s the list of all new Evercade game collections that showed up during the May 2023 showcase:

World II World service will end on July 31, 2023. The game started on February 22, 2023, which means that it will only have lasted a little over five months. The development team apologized for how sudden it is. However, it decided to shut down the game because it felt like it couldn’t provide entertaining and enjoyable content to its player base.

The premium Gravity Stones currency is no longer be available effective immediately. You will still be able to use any Stones that you have until the game ends. The development team plans to start refunding Gravity Stones from July 31, 2023 as well.

World II World is a mobile RPG from Aniplex and Deskworks!. The story focuses on divided worlds, which the Girl on the Boundary, Weave, can observe. Each world is split into two sides, such as the Gunman x Samurai World and the Fantasy x Reality World. Gameplay seems to hearken back to the Nintendo DS and 3DS era, with a top screen and a bottom screen you have to simultaneously control.

The latest legendary hero to join Fire Emblem Heroes is Hinoka from Fire Emblem Fates. This version of Hinoka, titled "Thundering Wings," will be available via a banner in-game starting from May 31, 2023 to June 13, 2023. Several previous legendary characters will also be available from the banner.

You can catch her character trailer below. Note that it confirms someone can only "spark" on the banner and get one of the focus characters for free after 40 pulls if they are a Feh Pass subscriber.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp5Rh3FxEFQ[/embed]

Hinoka: Thundering Wings hails from a timeline where her older brothers, Ryoma and Takumi, died in battle against the kingdom of Nohr. This left Hinoka to pick up their legendary weapons, Fujin-yumi and Raijinto, and become queen of the kingdom of Hoshido. She appears to fight as a Kinshi Knight, an advanced class from Fire Emblem Fates that rides a sacred bird-like creature.

Also available on the banner are the following focus heroes.

Sony revealed the latest selection of PlayStation Plus games for June 2023. The free monthly games available as part of the Essential Tier will be Trek to Yomi, Jurassic World Evolution 2 and NBA 2K23. All three games will be available for both the PS4 and PS5 from June 6, 2023.

Trek to Yomi is a side-scrolling action game inspired by classic Japanese cinema. You play as a young samurai named Hiroki as he fights to protect his town. It features highly stylised visuals and intense sword fights in ancient Japan. It originally released in 2022, and is normally priced at $19.99.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is a park management sim where you can build your own dinosaur theme park. You can genetically modify your own dinosaurs, build their enclosures and develop safety measures to prevent them rampaging through your guests. Jeff Goldblum reprises his role as Dr Ian Malcolm. It originally released in 2021, and is normally priced at $59.99.

NBA 2K23 is the most recent instalment of 2K’s annual basketball sim series, released in 2022. You can build yourself up to being a star player in MyCareer or play against basketball greats in MyTeam. PlayStation Plus members also get access to exclusive reward packs. It's usually priced at $59.99 for the PS4 version and $69.99 for the PS5 version.

Capcom announced a new Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak Digital Event will air on June 7, 2023 at 7am PT/10am ET/3pm BST, and it will be the final one. It will feature new information on the content coming in the Bonus Update. In addition, there will also be a few interviews with the developers that discuss the game’s development.

Check out the official announcement for the final Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak Digital event. It includes a brief teaser trailer for the last update. The stream will be presented by Series Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and Directors Yasunori Ichinose and Yoshitake Suzuki.

https://twitter.com/monsterhunter/status/1663832692876804096?s=20

The last Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak digital event aired in April 2023. It showed off much of the new content coming to the game, such as the Risen Shagaru Magala and Amatsu. Both appeared when the free Title Update 5 debuted. Since then, many new Event Quests added rewards like the Buff Body layered armor and a cat-inspired armor set.

We now know the entire cast of voice actors for Shadow Galactica in the Sailor Moon Cosmos movies. For reference, Shadow Galactica is the antagonistic group of the Stars arc. This announcement reveals nine voice actors in total. They'll be joining veteran voice actresses such as Marina Inoue and Saori Hayami. [Thanks, Oricon!]

Here are the new voice actors who will be in Sailor Moon Cosmos:

• Sailor Aluminum Siren: Ayumu Murase (Venti in Genshin Impact)
• Sailor Chi: Fumie Mizusawa (Ayako Mitsuzuri in Fate/stay Night)
• Sailor Heavy Metal Papillon: Haruka Kudo (Hagumi Hanamoto in Honey and Clover)
• Sailor Iron Mouse: Sena Koizumi (First major anime role)
• Sailor Lethe: Shiori Mikami (Melissabelle in Granblue Fantasy)
• Sailor Mnemosyne: Kanae Ito (Crestia Bell/Suzuno Kamazuki in The Devil is a Part-Timer)
• Sailor Phi: Yuka Komatsu (Scanty in Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt)
• Sailor Red Crow: Yoko Hikasa (Madam M in Final Fantasy VII Remake)
• Sailor Tin Nyanko: Mariya Ise (Killua in Hunter x Hunter 2011)

All of the characters above have the word “Sailor” before their title, much like how the Sailor Senshi do.

As part of its MegaHobby Plus 2023 Early Summer announcements, MegaHouse revealed some of its Oshi no Ko figures and keychains. We already knew about the Look Up figures of Aqua and Kana, though this is our first official peek at their unpainted prototypes. Painted prototypes of Ai and Ruby also showed up. There's no set release date for the finished figures yet. As for the keychains and Chokorin Mascot toys, we’ll see those in October 2023 and January 2024.

First, here are the Look Up Aqua and Kana Oshi no Ko figures. Both are in their school uniforms. While the prototypes are unpainted, their eyes are for the example photo. They’ll be 110mm tall, like all entries in the line. These figures also tend to cost around ¥4,180 (~$30) each.

【#megahobbyplus】
Looking up figure series#Lookup #Oshinoko

It is the first time showing prototypes for…

Lookup 【Oshi no ko】 Aqua / Kana Arima

Follow us for updates!https://t.co/y4OatAtSBS#Lifewithlookup pic.twitter.com/jqMAcli9Th

Though My Hero Academia returned from a sudden hiatus in Issue #26 of Weekly Shonen Jump, it will take another break next week. We will be able to start reading it from Issue #29 so long as there is not another delay. Weekly Shonen Jump cited production issues for why My Hero Academia will go on a brief hiatus. [Thanks, Shonen Jump News!]

Since 2023, the My Hero Academia mangaka Kohei Horikoshi went on several brief breaks. In March 2023, he took a break due to health reasons. The story is close to the end and this is an intensely popular series (it is one of the best-selling manga in the first half of 2023).

Horikoshi’s apology and his promise to “push through to the end” seem to mean that he does plan on putting in my work and hours in order to finish the series. Fans have Tweeted their worries, with several asking him to take it easy. As of the time of writing, it’s unclear if My Hero Academia will continue to have a schedule slip or if Horikoshi really will push through.

Square Enix sent out the alert that FFXIV players on Chaos or Light Worlds should be ready for automatic housing demolition to begin again. On June 21, 2023, the process will resume. How this works is if players don’t visit their estate in 30 days, the timer for automatic demolition will begin. People who did visit between February 9, 2023 and June 21, 2023 will see the count restart on June 21, 2023. People who didn’t will have the timer pick up from where it was on February 9, 2023.

Here’s the full list of FFXIV Worlds that will be affected:

• Alpha
• Cerberus
• Lich
• Louisoix
• Moogle
• Odin
• Omega
• Phantom
• Phoenix
• Ragnarok
• Raiden
• Sagittarius
• Shiva
• Spriggan
• Twintania
• Zodiark

As a reminder, the pause on FFXIV automatic housing demolition on the Chaos and Light Worlds happened in response to the February 6, 2023 earthquake in Turkey. Those are both European Data Centers, with the worlds on them being inhabited by people in those regions. Square Enix instituted the pause so people in the region affected by the disaster wouldn’t have to worry about getting online to ensure their virtual homes would be safe.

Bandai Namco revealed Diego Brando will be the last JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R DLC character. However, this is a different version than the one already available in the game. It is the alternate/parallel world one who will also show up in the game. There will be an official announcement on June 11, 2023, but for the moment only a teaser trailer appeared.

The alternate Diego Brando from a parallel world is a spoiler character from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run. We don’t get to see any of his moves in the teaser. There’s only the confirmation that he’ll appear. However, since this will follow along with what we know about the character from the original manga series, we know he’ll have The World as his Stand.

Try not to lose your head…in excitement!

Alternate World Diego is ready to unleash The World in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R!

More information on June 11th! pic.twitter.com/O2FHJ9VGCs

— JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R (@jojo_games) May 31, 2023

In an interview with Ascii, FFXVI producer Naoki Yoshida revealed that production on a PC port will start after the PS5 version launches. There is no concrete window for when to expect it, but he stated that development will be slow and steady. [Thanks, Ascii!]

Rumors appeared in early 2023 about a PC release of FFXVI. This was due to a 2020 trailer showing that the game would come out on PC, and then a 2022 trailer talking about the 6-month PS5 exclusivity period. We took these two pieces of information to mean that the PC version of the game would come out after six months. In January 2023, Yoshida specified that the team is only focusing on the PS5 and warned against expecting the game on other platforms. Though he did not give a specific time frame for when development will start, it looks like PC players can expect to explore Valisthea some time in the distant future based on the interview.

Here is exactly what Yoshida said in the Ascii interview:

In regards to the development of the PC port, we plan to slowly work on it after release [of FFXVI for the PS5].

Weekly Shonen Sunday published the results of its Heroine Grand Prix poll. In total, 275,027 people cast in their votes. This poll included characters from series that have ended, such as Magi, Hayate the Combat Butler, and Flame of Recca. Three out of the Top 10 characters originate from Detective Conan. [Thanks, Weekly Shougakukan Edition and Denfaminico Gamer!]

The poll results for the Top 10 are as follows:

1. Ran Mouri (Detective Conan)
2. Ai Haibara (Detective Conan)
3. Kagome Higurashi (Inuyasha)
4. Ayumi Yoshida (Detective Conan)
5. Nazuna Nanakusa (Call of the Night)
6. Kanon Nakagawa (The World God Only Knows)
7. Miku (Aishiteru Game wo Owarasetai)
8. Suya Rhys (Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle)
9. Lum (Urusei Yatsura)
10. Aoi Nogami (Psychic Squad)

Two Hayate the Combat Butler characters were in the Top 30, with Nagi in 23rd place and Hinagiku in 19th. Sakura Mamiya, who is the female lead of RIN-NE was in 16th. Rumiko Takahashi, who wrote Inuyasha and Urusei Yatsura, was also the mangaka for RIN-NE. Morgiana from Magi is in 25th place and Yanagi Sakoshita of Flame of Recca is 26th.

Uniqlo announced a line of shirts based on the Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime. Placeholder pages are already live on the official site. They will launch sometime at the beginning of August 2023. Five designs are available, with all of them being unisex t-shirts. They will be ¥1,500 (~$10) each. Only the Japanese debut is confirmed for now, though these sorts of releases do tend to appear in Uniqlo stores worldwide. (We did see this happen with the UT Archive One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach collection.)

Many of these new designs feature multiple characters from Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War. Only one features a single character, and that involves Ichigo posed in front of the series’ logo. Also, a number of designs feature images on the front and back. For example, the Sternritter and Thirteen Court Guards ones have the series’ logo on the front and image on the full back of the shirt.

Here's a closer look at all the designs:
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="965703,965704,965705,965706,965707,965708,965709,965710" link="file"]

We now know the Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons release date. The follow-up to the series from Secret Base originally had a Summer 2023 release window. That’s been pinned down to July 27, 2023. There’s also a confirmation that only local co-op will be available at launch and a new trailer to see.

Here’s how the new Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons release date trailer. It begins by focusing on specific characters. First, we get to see Billy Lee. After that, we get to see some of Jimmy Lee’s moves. It shows how they can switch between defensive and offensive positions to tag in and out of the fight. From there, we get to see the additional playable characters, who are Marian and Uncle Matin. It closes out by looking at general gameplay, such as what happens when a mission is cleared and the four gang leaders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c0ff_uZQrY&ab_channel=ModusGames

As for the co-op options, people will be able to play with a friend in the same room at launch. Two people will be able to take part, with each one using a pair of characters. However, it seems that online multiplayer will be added before 2023 ends.

The Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons release date is July 27, 2023. It will appear on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.

As part of the MegaHobby Plus 2023 Early Summer announcements, MegaHouse revealed a new Persona 4 Golden Izanagi figure. This will be a new take on Yu Narukami’s signature Persona. It will be part of the Game Characters Collection DX line. However, only an unpainted prototype appeared, and there’s no release date for it yet.

Here’s a closer look at the unpainted prototype. It will be 200mm tall, which is almost eight inches.

【#megahobbyplus announcement🔊】

Introducing new item release info for…

Game Characters Collection DX series Persona 4 The GOLDEN Izanagi

It's under development!
Follow us for updates!https://t.co/e0jpwecYJM#p4ga pic.twitter.com/uGI98CkUae

— MegaHouse-Official (@Megahousejp) May 31, 2023

This is version 2 of the character. The original Izanagi joined the Game Characters Collection DX lineup back in January 2012. However, it also eventually got a rerelease two years later in 2014.

YOASOBI’s “Idol,” which serves as the opening for Oshi no Ko, is the first song in Oricon history to have over 20 million weekly YouTube views for six weeks in a row. In slightly simpler terms, this means that people watched the video over 20 million times every week for six weeks. It and the English version also topped multiple other Oricon rankings. [Thanks, Oricon!]

For the fourth time since its release, “Idol” topped the Weekly Digital Singles Chart and Weekly Streaming Chart. It is also in first place for the Weekly Singles Chart. This is the first time in May that “Idol” has achieved this. In previous weeks, it dropped from #1 to hover at #2 and #3. The English version of “Idol” came out earlier this week but it’s already the eighth most downloaded song with 6080 downloads.

As one may expect, there are a couple of divergent endings in Pocket Mirror: GoldenerTraum. In total, there are seven endings in it, as well as several Dead Ends that result in an instant Game Over. To fully understand the story and lore of the game, you will need to go through the game multiple times. This guide will help you to see all of the endings in Pocket Mirror: GoldenerTraum and uncover the secret of the die Heilige family. As a warning, this guide will contain spoilers.

No matter what, you will have to replay the game twice. There’s one ending that you can only unlock if you don’t get any of the girls’ Regalias. But most of the other endings require you to have at least one. To make things easier, you can create multiple save files. You should make your first separate save as soon as you get to Fleta's Dollhouse so you can skip Egliette's section. Then, make another separate file when you reach Sub Rosa in Lisette’s world. Sub Rosa is where it splits between the Platinum and Dawn/Goody Two Shoes endings. After seeing Dawn or Goody Two Shoes, make a new save file when the game prompts you to so that you can load up from Hades to get the other ending.

Here are the different endings in Pocket Mirror: Goldenertraum and how to get them:

Now that we’re halfway through 2023, Oricon released its manga sales ranking for the first six months of 2023. All of the manga on the list are serialized, or were serialized, in a Jump publication. Unsurprisingly considering the popularity of these series, all of them also have anime adaptations. [Thanks, Shonen Jump News!]

The Oricon ranking of the best-selling manga in the first half of 2023, including how many copies sold, are:

Microsoft updated the Xbox Gear Shop with pieces of merchandise inspired by the classic PC games Minesweeper and Solitaire. Some use art and designs taken directly from the games. All of them are expected to start shipping the first week of June 2023.

There are more pieces of Solitaire merchandise than there are Minesweeper items. Those who enjoy the card game can get a baseball hat, coaster set, mouse pad, phone case, and tote bag. Meanwhile, there will be a blanket, phone case, and tote bag based on the puzzle game. All items are expected to ship around the first week of June 2023, with items like the phone cases shipping out on June 2-3, 2023 and the blanket heading out on June 5-6, 2023.

Here’s a full list of all the items’ prices:

• Baseball Hat: $29.99
• Blanket: 74.99
• Coaster Set: $29.99
• Tote Bag: $29.99
• Mouse Pad: 9.99
• Phone Case: 32.99

And here's a full gallery showing what all of the pieces of merchandise look like:
[gallery size="full" ids="965596,965598,965597,965595,965602,965603,965599,965600,965601" link="file"]

The Minesweeper and Solitaire merchandise is now available to order in the Microsoft Xbox Gear Shop and is expected to ship in early June 2023. Both games are available on Windows PCs.

In Genshin Impact, Kirara is a fairly useful four-star Dendro swordswoman who can serve as either a shielder or as a sub-DPS while on the field. Her best usage is via exploring Teyvat using her Skill, Meow-teor Kick. Teyvat is dangerous though, so a cheap way to keep your Kirara alive with low investment is to level her up. Fortunately, it's fairly easy to find Ascension materials for Kirara in Genshin Impact.

Ryu Ga Gotoku (RGG) Studio announced a new RGG Summit Summer event for June 15, 2023. This live stream will feature news and updates on the upcoming Like a Dragon/Yakuza games such as Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and Like a Dragon 8. A countdown already appeared on the Sega South East Asia YouTube Channel.

You can see the official announcement of the RGG Summit Summer 2023 live stream event on the RGG Studio Twitter account below:
https://twitter.com/RGGStudio/status/1662792394733961217?s=20

The last RGG Summit livestream was aired on September 2022. It featured many big game announcements, such as the franchise’s official name change for Western audiences from Yakuza to Like a Dragon, along with a teaser for the new Like a Dragon 8. Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, a spin-off focusing on Kiryu’s story after Yakuza 6, was also announced during the event.

News on both projects, in terms of details such as gameplay or even release dates, is expected to be shared during the RGG Summer Summit. In addition, the description of the live stream on SEGA Asia's YouTube channel refers to it as a "New Release Presentation." So it is possible we'll see an announcement for a new game in the works, although the development team has not yet made any official statements.

Square Enix announced Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest the Adventure of Dai will release worldwide on September 28, 2023. The game will be available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch, and PC. In addition, it released a new English trailer showcasing some of its gameplay.

Take a look at the new trailer for Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest the Adventure of Dai below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIR7evhx4ms&ab_channel=DRAGONQUEST

Infinity Strash is based on the Dragon Quest the Adventure of Dai anime and manga series. The game will feature two main modes. One is a Story Mode that will follow the series story up to the “Sovereign Rock Castle” arc. The other is Temple of Recollection, where players will explore a dungeon with more challenging enemies that changes every time you play. Also, unlike the main Dragon Quest series, Infinity Strash will be an action-RPG with real-time combat similar in style to the Dragon Quest Heroes spin-off games.

Square Enix also revealed the game will feature items called “Bond Memories,” which upgrade characters’ abilities and stats. Interestingly, these accessories will also unlock scenes from the original manga and can be powered up by completing segments from the Temple of Recollection. Pre-orders will include a “Legendary Hero” outfit for Dai and “The Hero’s Tutor” Bond Memory to unlock immediately.

Kirara is one of those rare characters in Genshin Impact who requires the same Artifacts and weapons no matter how you want to use her. Whether you want to add her to a team as a sub-DPS through her on-field Dendro application, or as a dedicated shielder, she more or less uses the same stuff. This makes Kirara a very flexible character who can change her job at the drop of a hat whenever you need her to.

As a Sword user, your choices are mostly ones that improve her ER or EM. There is the Key of Khaj-Nisut if you have it and don’t have a proper shielder. Kirara’s shield is actually really good compared to another Dendro shielder who came out around her debut. So it’s not a waste to put it on her depending on your situation.

In a Q&A with the writing staff for Final Fantasy VII Remake, someone asked why Reno and Rude became more humanized in the updated version of the game. In response, Square Enix uploaded part of the script that the voice actors used for the game. It also explained how the Reno and Rude’s popularity, as well as the Midgar-focused plot of FFVII Remake, affected the writing.

The script is from a scene in Chapter 11 of FFVII Remake. Specifically, it’s the scene where they receive orders to drop attack the Sector 7 pillar. Reno and Rude express doubt and irritation over this decision. Reno in particular says in a self-deprecating tone that it’s too late to pretend to be a good person. This brief conversation in question is the one that most strongly shows the difference in their portrayal between the remake and the original.

The question that someone posed to the writing staff wondered why FFVII Remake focused more on the human side of these two. Part of the answer is because the story centers so much on Midgar. So the staff wanted to spend more time on exploring and developing Shinra characters. Since Reno and Rude became popular after the original Final Fantasy VII, the writing staff gave them more screen time and personality in FFVII Remake. Though they still loyally carry out their orders, they show inner turmoil about what they have to do. Letting the audience see this was a way to make them seem more multifaceted.

Jazwares and Kelly Toys announced the next two Pokemon Squishmallow plush toys are Piplup and a new winking Pikachu. This will mark the second sort of Pikachu variant in the collection. There's no release date yet, but the official account did share a picture of the two new plush alongside the six already in the lineup.

Here are the official Piplup and winking Pikachu Squishmallow Pokemon stuffed animals.

Shining a light on what’s new, Piplup & Winking Pikachu! @Pokemon#SquishmallowsxPokemon #Squishmallows #SquishmallowsSquad pic.twitter.com/bv712btfj6

— Squishmallows (@squishmallows) May 30, 2023

Super Groupies opened up pre-orders for Doki Doki Literature Club accessories and merchandise. Pre-orders will be available until 12pm JST on June 19, 2023. That would be 8pm PT/11pm ET on June 18, 2023 for those in the west. In total, Super Groupies will release six Doki Doki Literature Club items that draw inspiration from the four club members.

There are four watches with designs based on Sayori, Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki. The watches also contain references to the game itself. For example, the face of Yuri’s watch is at an angle, much like how the backgrounds slanted in Yuri’s route. Another example is in the black pixels on Natsuki’s watch to emulate the pixels that would appear. Each watch costs 22,000 JPY, which is around $156.80.

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Super Groupies will also release a tote bag and a wallet based on Monika. The leather is the same light brown of her hair. As well, the insides contain the “Just Monika” text box, as well as a lot of text glitches. The tote bag costs 18,700 JPY (around $133.30) and the wallet costs 15,400 JPY (around $109.80).

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Netflix announced that season 2 of Bastard: Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy will begin airing on July 31, 2023. It dropped a new trailer along with it.  The second season was first teased back in January 2023, when a short trailer and design sheets for several characters were also shown. The official site notes that this season will cover the Hell's Requiem arc.

This season is once again directed by Takaharu Ozaki (Goblin Slayer) and Liden Films, with Kisho Taniyama returning to voice the wizard Dark Schneider. Also featuring are Tomori Kusunoki as Tia Noto Yoko, Kensho Ono as Kall-su, Kanae Ito as Lucien Renlen, and Hiroki Yasumoto as Ninja Master Gara.

Here's the official Twitter announcement from Netflix, which includes the new trailer:

[embed]https://twitter.com/NetflixAnime/status/1663500513889996801?s=20[/embed]

Bastard is an anime adaptation of the dark fantasy manga of the same name by Kazushi Hagiwara, which was originally serialized in Shonen Jump. It follows the adventures of the wizard Dark Schneider defending (or not) the Kingdom of Meta-llicana from the dark god of destruction, Anthrasax. The first season aired on Netflix in June of 2022 and consists of 24 episodes.

Season 2 of Bastard: Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy will begin airing on July 31, 2023 over on Netflix, where the first season is immediately available.

More Dragon Ball: The Breakers characters and content is coming in season 3, with Ginyu Force debuting as the new Raider. Bandai Namco announced the new season starts on June 9, 2023, with paid and free content appearing. However, people can access the public test server starting on May 31, 2023 to test out the new additions early.

While Ginryu Force is made up of Ginyu, Burter, Guldo, Jeice, and Recoome, the characters act as a single entity in Dragon Ball: The Breakers. The announcement stream noted they are a “team-up type.” Players will switch them out, and being able to do so without a survivor beating them makes the next character stronger. This was showcased starting at the five minute mark of the Season 3 Special Launch Live-Stream.

As for Survivor Skins, a few are coming. Dende and King Kai will be sold for TP Tokens. Fortuneteller Baba will be a Dragon Tier reward. Bulma, Chi-Chi-, Oolong, and Yajirobe will also appear.

New Transphere were announced too. Once the new season starts, we will be able to grab one and turn into Bardock, Gohan, or Goten. The Bardock and Goten versions will be their Super Saiyan forms. For Gohan, it will be his teen Super Saiyan 2 one.

Snowy Mountain will also appear as the new free map in the game.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the latest PS5 exclusive to head to PCs, and the game already has a Steam release date. People will be able to pick it up on July 26, 2023. The product page is live and people can add it to their wishlists. There's also a trailer for the port.

Here's the trailer for the PC version of the game.

We're thrilled to partner with our friends at @NixxesSoftware to bring Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart to PC! Experience the iconic duo on PC for the first time in the franchise's history on July 26th! #RatchetPC #Ratchet20

More info here: https://t.co/XniYAUSkco pic.twitter.com/TlbQoWAWRe

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) May 30, 2023

There's another update on the Netflix live-action adaptation of One Piece, and this time it involves Going Merry. A new poster appeared with a different key visual. This time, the focus is on how the Straw Hat Pirates' ship will look in the show.

Here's the official announcement. We only get to see Going Merry head-on in this One Piece live-action poster. The figurehead is a sheep, just as it is in the manga and anime. For the poster, the character’s mouth is open. This suggests that its expression could exchange during the show, just as it would in the series in response to certain events.

【本日解禁】#Netflix 全世界独占配信⚡️
実写ドラマ版『ONE PIECE』
新ビジュアルが解禁されました！

一味を乗せ、海を駆けるメリー号…
冒険の夜明けは近いです
続報をお楽しみに！https://t.co/hcll1u0Iax#ONEPIECE pic.twitter.com/Uidb12JBmy

— ONE PIECE スタッフ【公式】/ Official (@Eiichiro_Staff) May 29, 2023

From May 30, 2023, Pokemon Home will start supporting for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Once you connect your game to Pokemon Home, you’ll receive a Sprigatito, a Fuecoco, and a Quaxly. All three of them will have their Hidden Ability. As well, you'll be able to transfer in Pokemon that Game Freak coded into Scarlet and Violet, but never made obtainable in Paldea.

https://twitter.com/Pokemon_cojp/status/1663500531812249600

The full list of Pokemon that you’ll be able to transfer to and from Scarlet and Violet is available via Serebii. Some Pokemon were obtainable through limited events, such as Charizard or Typhlosion. You could only get them through Tera Raids or, if you missed them, trading. This also gives us the chance to transfer in Pokemon from their previous journeys. So if you have an emotional attachment to a Pokemon partner from, say, X or Y, you’ll be able to bring them with you as you travel through Paldea.

Lilith arrived in Sanctuary with her the minions of hell. Diablo IV introduces one of the most integral characters from its expansive catalogue of lore to weave a tapestry about choice, parenthood, while transitioning the series into something more resembling a live service game. With one of the most interesting antagonists to date and a cast of characters that harken back to the much beloved Diablo II, Blizzard attempted to recreate the same lightning in a bottle it did with that seminal entry in the franchise. While Diablo IV is most certainly a beast of its own, it retreads old ground in more ways than one.

Two big crossovers are coming to Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis. Sega announced in the May 30, 2023 NGS Headline that there will be Ghost in the Shell and Sonic the Hedgehog items in PSO2. Both crossovers will happen in the second half of June 2023. Sonic items arrive on June 21, 2023, while Major Motoko Kusanagi and the crew will show up on June 28, 2023.

The Sonic the Hedgehog PSO2 New Genesis event is being held in honor of his birthday. The hub will feature statues of Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose, Knuckles, and Dr. Robotnik. There will also be a Special Training: Green Hill Sprint limited quest. This is a practice drill with item drops like a Curio Holy Ray. It also offers extra quest point bonus rewards for getting rings and Chaos Emeralds. It’s designed to behave like a Sonic level. As a reminder, Sonic items often appear in the game, such as a Tails Mag Form or other customization items.

As for the Ghost in the Shell PSO2 New Genesis AC Scratch Ticket, it is based on SAC 2045. People can dress up as Motoko or Batou with its items. There are also Weapon Camo options based on the series. It also looks like there will be a Tachikoma Mag Form, as there are stamps based on characters from the series. It looks like there will be a Tachikoma characters can ride too.