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Capcom continued its run of Street Fighter 6 videos going over how to play certain characters by looking at returning fighters Guile and Juri. The former is another one of the easier-to-play characters in the game. Meanwhile, Juri can take a bit more time to learn, as she’s a kind of fighter we could use to apply pressure in matches and quickly dash in for combos and attacks.

The Guile Street Fighter 6 How to Play video appeared first. It initially begins by showing how balanced he is, with moves for multiple ranges, It also shows how even his standard punches and kicks have quite a bit of reach to them. It ends by focusing on his Sonic Boom, a returning projectile.

Armed with an arsenal of easy-to-use moves to counter anything the opponent throws at him, Guile is all about executing a solid, no-nonsense game plan on both offense and defense. pic.twitter.com/jUjD4iTKg3

— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) May 17, 2023

For the Juri Street Fighter 6 video going over how to play as the character, it shows how someone would want to use her kicks to create combos and keep moving forward. Her attack getting extra attention is Tensenrin, and it shows how the kick could be used on the ground or as an anti-air option.

Every year, Fire Emblem Heroes features banners with alts of characters as brides and grooms, and this year’s Bridal Dreams banner begins on May 19, 2023. This year the options on the banner are Anna: Secret Charmer, Flavia: Bold Bride, Say’ri: Righteous Bride, and Tiki: Bridal Reflections. The Tiki is actually a duo unit that pairs her up with the child version of herself. During the Tempest Trials+ people can earn four and five-star versions of Robin: Keen Groom.

All four bride versions of characters can appear as five-star units on the Fire Emblem Heroes Bridal Dreams banner. However, Flavia can also appear as a four-star. Anna is a cavalry unit with a green bow, Say’ri is a flier that uses a lance, Flavia is a cavalry unit armed with a sword, and the Tiki duo unit is an armored, colorless dragon.

Here’s the full trailer for the new bridal banner. It confirms that only Feh Pass subscribers can “spark” on this banner. That means if we are paying for the $9.49 monthly pass, we can pick one of the four focus units for free after pulling on the banner 40 times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBRkLZHuaSE&ab_channel=NintendoMobile

Fire Emblem Heroes is available for mobile devices, and the Bridal Dreams banner will offer bride units between May 19, 2023 and June 18, 2023.

Square Enix regularly shares clips from Final Fantasy XVI showcasing gameplay, and the latest features Clive facing a Morbol and a Knight of the Blinding Dawn. These latest segments seem to show his period of life when he was acting as the First Shield of Rosaria. As he wasn’t the Dominant of Phoenix, he took on that role to support and protect his brother Joshua. While the Knight of the Blinding Dawn is a new foe, the Morbol is a recurring Final Fantasy enemy that also shows up in titles under the name Malboro.

We start by seeing Clive face the Morbol in Final Fantasy XVI. He doesn’t have any Eikons yet, so he’s using only skills available to him. On the left, we can see he has four Potions and three High Potions for healing, as well as a Stoneskin Tonic. (In past Final Fantasy games, Stoneskin can increase defense.) He also has access to an attack, a fire spell, a Phoenix Shift, and a jump. When the Knight of the Blinding Dawn fight begins, we can see that holding R2 changes the Attack option to the Rising Flames ability, which Clive uses as the video draws to a close.

クライヴはロザリア公国第一王子として生まれるも、フェニックスのドミナントとして覚醒せず、その役目は弟のジョシュアが担うことになった。鍛錬を積み、ナイトの称号を得たクライヴは、正式にジョシュアの盾となる。

『ファイナルファンタジーXVI』
予約受付中https://t.co/6BciWXOhuV #FF16 pic.twitter.com/FsOfzUGpCN

As teased back in March 2023, the last season 2 Guilty Gear Strive DLC character will be Asuka R. Kreutz. A new trailer appeared showing him off in-game. Those of us familiar with both this installment and the series in general will recognize how notable his inclusion is. He’ll debut on May 25, 2023. If someone has the Season Pass 2, they’ll already get the character. However, as with past add-ons, he’ll be sold separately for $6.99 as well. On the same day he debuts, the Tir na Nog battle stage will appear. Free 25th anniversary color options for 24 characters will appear on that day for all players as well, and there will be 48 paid color options on sale as well.

Bandai Namco announced when a PS4 My Hero Ultra Rumble open beta will be held, sharing times and dates. the first session runs May 25-26, 2023. Then a second There will appear May 26, 2023 through June 1, 2023. 15 playable characters during this beta, with Denki “Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt” Kaminari, Itsuka “Battle Fist” Kendo, and Tenya “Turbo Hero: Ingenium” Iida new to the cast. There’s also a new trailer showing off the free-to-play battle royale. A previous beta appeared in August 2022.

Here are the exact dates and times for the My Hero Ultra Rumble Open Beta:

• Phase 1: May 25, 2023 at 7pm PT/10pm ET/4am CET to May 26, 2023 at 3am PT/6am ET/12pm CET
• Phase 2: May 26, 2023 at 7pm PT/10pm ET/4am CET to June 1, 2023 at 11pm PT/2am ET/8am CET

And here’s the list of everyone who will be a playable character during this PS4 open beta.

HoYoVerse went over some of the things people can expect in the 1.1 Honkai: Star Rail update and beyond, and they include a story change, Camera Mode character expression adjustments, and an easier way to find enemies for items. Some adjustments involve specific characters, like Seele. Those will show up beyond 1.1 as a result.

Over the last few weeks, Netherrealm Studios and Series Creator Ed Boon teased a new Mortal Kombat game is on the way with a September 19, 2023 release date. We were told to expect a reveal on May 18, 2023, and it happened. On , people will see Mortal Kombat 1. The official site is open, and Shang Tsung and beta access confirmed as pre-order bonuses. The first trailer is also online. It will have rollback netcode and eventually cross-play or cross-progression.

Here is how Mortal Kombat 1 will look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ6eFEjFfJ0&ab_channel=MortalKombat

The announcement noted that this is essentially a reboot with reimagined characters. In addition to confirming the return of Liu Kang, Kitana, Mileena, Raiden, Kung Lao, Scorpion, Sub Zero, and Johnny Cage. Standard copies will be $69.99. Premium Editions will be $109.99 and include early access on September 14, 2023, 1,250 Dragon Krystals currency, and a Kombat Pack with six playable characters, five Kameo characters, and a Jean-Claude Van Damme version of Johnny Cage. The $249.99 Kollector’s Edition is only for the PS5 and Xbox Series X and comes with everything in the Premium version, a Liu Kang skin, art prints, a steel case, a Liu Kang 16.5 inch figure, and 1,450 more Dragon Krystals.

The second featured event character is here for Honkai: Star Rail, and a good Jing Yuan build sets up him with a Light Cone and Relic set that helps him deal damage. While Seele serves in a similar sort of role, she’s focused on hurting a single foe due to being on The Hunt path. Jing Yuan being an Erudition one means it is about spreading that pain out. Which means hopefully going for a lot of damage from critical hits.

What are the best Light Cones for a Jing Yuan build in Honkai: Star Rail?

Okay, so obviously the best Light Cone for a Jing Yuan build in Honkai: Star Rail is the five-star HoYoVerse made for him: Before Dawn. It’s designed to increase his critical hit damage, as well as damage from his Skill and Ultimate. Then, whenever he uses his Skill or Ultimate, he gets the Somnus Corpus effect that boosts his follow-up attack damage.

Theaters in North America will show the Psycho-Pass: Providence movie starting in July 2023 in around twenty territories. It will first arrive in North America on July 14, 2023. Crunchyroll also confirmed advanced sneak peek showings on July 11, 2023 and July 13, 2023. Other territories that will be able to watch it in theaters from Summer 2023 include Australia, Chile, and Indonesia.

The movie will be available in both Japanese and English audio in North America. For the Japanese audio showings, there will be subtitles in English. Countries where we will be able to watch the Psycho-Pass: Providence movie in theaters are:

• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Canada
• Chile
• France
• Germany
• India
• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Peru
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• United Kingdom/Ireland
• United States

Psycho-Pass: Providence came out on May 12, 2023 in Japan. It is the latest in the Psycho-Pass franchise and continues to follow Akane Tsunemori as a PSB Inspector. Chronologically, it takes place between Psycho-Pass 3 and Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System Case 3: On the Other Side of Love and Hate.

Square Enix has opened up pre-orders for the Switch version of Ketsugou Danshi, or Bonding Boys: Elements with Emotions. It will come out in Japan on June 29, 2023 and it’ll cost 3,300 JPY ($24.15). The iOS and Android version of the game has a release window of Summer 2023. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

If you pre-order the game before August 31, 2023, you can get a data book containing information on all of the characters. There will also be a premium Collectors’ Edition of the game that’ll come out on June 29, 2023. This will cost 27,500 JPY ($200) and will come with a nui doll, posters, can badges, clear cards, the soundtrack, art book, drama CD, and data book. All of it will come in a special box.

[gallery columns="1" link="file" ids="963890"]

As a reminder, Ketsugou Danshi will come with four boys by default. You will get Saku (Hydrogen), Eito (Oxygen), Rikka (Carbon), and Shiki (Beryllium) in the base game. The other six boys who are in the game are paid DLC characters. They cost 1,100 JPY each. After June 29, 2023, an all-in-pack costing 9900 JPY ($72) containing the base game and DLC will be available as well.

Asahina Akane, a VTuber with the Japanese branch of Nijisanji, will graduate from the company on May 24, 2023. In an announcement via Anycolor’s Twitter account, it stated that Akane will leave both Nijisanji and Nornis in order to focus on her school and studies. Her YouTube channel, fan club, and social media will go private on May 26, 2023.

Official goods of Akane will no longer be produced. As well, fans will have until June 30, 2023 to send in their letters to her. Anycolor deeply thanked fans and employees for supporting Asahina Akane throughout her career. She debuted in August 2020 as part of the Selene Girls’ Academy Drama Club group. She is also in Nornis with Inui Toko and Machita Chima, which is a singer unit. As of the time of writing, Asahina Akane reached 239k subscribers on YouTube.

Pac-Man 99 will be delisted soon, as confirmed by Bandai Namco and Nintendo. The free multiplayer title will be removed as a bonus for Nintendo Switch Online members later in 2023. October 8, 2023 is the last day to get it and play online.

Pac-Man 99 players still have a few months left to play the online modes before the game is delisted. Bandai Namco will remove paid custom themes on August 8, 2023. This will be followed by the Pac-Man 99 Deluxe Pack and Mode Unlock DLCs being pulled on September 8, 2023. Finally, the online modes will be shut down and the game will be removed from the eShop on October 8, 2023.

Despite the delisting, Bandai Namco confirmed that previously purchased Pac-Man 99 DLC will allow the game to remain playable. This means that anyone who already has the Deluxe Pack and Mode Unlock DLCs will be able to access the offline modes indefinitely. Previously purchased custom themes will also remain accessible. These DLC packs can also be re-downloaded after the game goes offline.

Pac-Man 99 released in 2021, following the similar battle royale titles Tetris 99 and Super Mario Bros 35. Like those games, players compete to play a variation of Pac-Man, with the goal of surviving longest out of 99 players.

Pac-Man 99 is out now as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service. It will be delisted on October 8, 2023.

Behaviour Interactive confirmed their latest addition to Dead by Daylight will be Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage. This is not a character played by Nicolas Cage. It’s the actor himself who will become a playable character. More details will appear on July 5, 2023.

The announcement was made on the official Dead by Daylight Twitter account. In a moody trailer, we hear him whispering about the power of imagination before a CGI version of him walks out of the fog and looks at the camera. Behaviour confirmed that Nicolas Cage will be a Survivor in Dead by Daylight, summoned by The Entity while filming “the role of a lifetime.”

https://twitter.com/DeadbyDaylight/status/1658850169218015234

Dead by Daylight featured the likenesses of many real-life actors before, but usually we see them in the form of characters they’ve played. It’s not been Bruce Campbell showing up. It’s been Ash Williams from The Evil Dead, for example. This is the first time an actor has shown up as themselves.

While this marks his first appearance in a horror game, Nicolas Cage is no stranger to horror in his movie roles. He has appeared in films such as the H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Color Out of Space and the Five Nights at Freddy’s inspired Willy’s Wonderland. He also infamously appeared in the remake of folk horror movie The Wicker Man. More recently, he has played Dracula in Renfield.

Square Enix shared some trivia on Tseng as he appears in Final Fantasy VII Remake via its Twitter account. To be more specific, it has to do with Tseng’s character design and his suit. There are also pictures in the Tweet with close-ups so you can see all the details.

There are four buttons on Tseng’s cuff, and they are so close together they’re actually stacking on top of each other. Apparently, this is a very difficult thing to accomplish, which shows off the tailor’s technique. This makes it a very popular design choice in custom suits. In real life, this particular style is called “waterfall” or “kissing” buttons. According to Square Enix, Tseng’s choice in his suit makes his dedication to work very clear. This is likely due to the fact that he has a fairly expensive custom suit as his work outfit.

Here's a closer look at Tseng in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
https://twitter.com/FFVIIR_CLOUD/status/1658759263291076608

Nintendo revealed details about the new Splatoon 3 Challenges mode added as part of the Sizzle Season. This will be a new online event mode. Challenges will be similar to Splatoon 2’s League Battles, where different game modes were rotated on a schedule.

The modes in Challenges will offer new twists on the Splatoon formula beyond the usual match formats. In the Sizzle Season announcement trailer, Nintendo named a few of the challenges, but now the company provided further details. Too Many Trizookas gives everyone access to an unlimited Trizooka special weapon. Foggy Notion drowns the entire stage in fog, making it harder to see your opponents. Finally, Extreme Jump Battle beefs up the jumping physics. We will see more Challenges in future updates.

The first Challenge in Splatoon 3 will be the New Season Challenge, which will take place on June 2-4, 2023, depending on your time zone. According to Nintendo, there will be three time windows across the weekend, each lasting two hours.

This is the latest time-limited event added to Splatoon 3. Other events have included the Eggstra Work and Big Run variants on the Salmon Run mode, as well as the regular Splatfest events. The most recent Splatfest was based on The Legend of Zelda and saw victory for Team Power, representing Ganondorf.

Splatoon 3 is out now for the Nintendo Switch. Sizzle Season kicks off on June 1, 2023.

The Oshi no Ko anime’s English dub is about to debut next week, and HIDIVE revealed all of its voice actors. On May 24, 2023, we will see both the English dub of episode one and the English simulcast of episode 7. The seventh episode will air at 8am PT/11am ET. After that, the English version of the first episode will appear at 9am PT/12pm ET.

Here’s the full list of English voice actors who will appear in the Oshi no Ko anime dub.

• Ai Hoshino: Donna Bella Litton
• Aqua (as a child): Chaney Moore
• Aqua (as a teenager): Jack Stansbury
• Gorou: Jeremy Gee
• Ichigo: Brandon Hearnsberger
• Kana: Natalie Rial
• Miyako: Christina Kelly
• Ruby (as a teenager and child): Alyssa Marek
• Sarina: Savanna Menzel
• Taishi: Ty Mahany

Some of the English voice actors already began sharing their thoughts about their roles on Twitter. For example, Aqua voice actor Stansbury and Kana actress Natalie Rial both spoke up about their performances.

When Square Enix releases a new Final Fantasy XIV expansions and patches, it also shares an updated fan kit with wallpapers and imagery from it. In May 2023, we’ll see the 6.4 patch. Ahead of that, the new drop appeared. This time, the focus is on The Voidcast Dais Final Fantasy XIV trial star Golbez.

As is common with Final Fantasy XIV, Golbez is a character from Final Fantasy IV making a cameo in the MMORPG. There are desktop and mobile wallpaper options. One of the Final Fantasy XIV wallpapers features the name of the 6.4 patch, “The Dark Throne,” while the other shows the Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker logo. Likewise, the two social media banners offer the same options.

As confirmed during the Letter from the Producer Live Part LXXVII, both The Voidcast Dais and The Voidcast Dais (Extreme) will bring Golbez to Final Fantasy XIV in patch 6.4. Those will be added alongside the new The Aetherfont Dungeon and Pandaemonium: Anabaseios Raid. There will also be a Pandaemonium: Anabaseios (Savage) option, though it will appear a week after 6.4’s debut.

Final Fantasy XIV is immediately available on PC, PS4, and PS5, and patch 6.4 will release on May 23, 2023.

Bandai Namco announced a Blue Protocol Live Broadcast #7 will take place on May 23, 2023 at 4am PT/7am ET. In addition, the website will be down for maintenance from 9-9:30pm PT/12-12:30am ET on May 22, 2023. This will likely be a fairly major broadcast, so we might get important information such as a release date.

The sixth Blue Protocol actually consisted of three separate parts. While the first one was almost two hours long, 6.1 to 6.3 were both under an hour. These livestreams still provided big information for the game. For example, they informed us about the benchmark program where you could play with the character creator, as well detailed character classes to us. But since this will be #7 and not #6.4, we might be able to get a long stream once again.

In an upcoming interview with Famitsu, Bandai Namco Entertainment CEO Nao Udagawa expressed that the company plans to focus on Armored Core 6, Elden Ring, and Tekken 8 for the time being. It is also considering implementing games in its Gundam Metaverse. It wants to make more content for the Idolmaster franchise too. [Thanks, ryokutya2089!]

Both Armored Core 6 and Tekken 8 are still in development. However, they will be the two major releases that Bandai Namco publishes in the near future, fiscal year 2023, and going into next year. So the company will put a lot of time and money into promoting them. This also goes for the Elden Ring DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, which is the award-winning game’s first major expansion.

One of the ways HoYoVerse introduces new and upcoming Honkai: Star Rail characters is via talk show-like video segments. Given a new five-star debuts on May 17, 2023, there's a new "Keeping up with Star Rail" to go with it. As usual, it means a chance to see some in-game footage while hearing about a new additional. For this installment of the Honkai: Star Rail show, Fu Xuan shares what she knows about Jing Yuan.

Initially, this Honkai: Star Rail video begins by showing Jing Yuan with his troops, before showing in-battle footage that analyzes his normal attack, Skill, and Ultimate. Both the host and Fu Xuan explain how the attacks affect his in-battle performance, as well as how his Technique works when used ahead of a fight.

Here’s the full video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shonzh8EgNk&ab_channel=Honkai%3AStarRail

VTuber agency Hololive Production released a new set of supporter guidelines intended to establish a "common language" for its fans. The guidelines cite an increase in communication "across borders, genders, and generations" leading to "natural" friction between thoughts and values. Hololive Production and its parent company Cover previously took steps to protect their streamers from defamation, including cooperating with fellow VTuber agency Nijisanji.

The supporter guidelines for Hololive fans have three sections, titled "Support them," "Watch Over Them," and "Respect them." The first section asks supporters to encourage streamers through difficulties and failures and to congratulate them when they succeed. The second asks fans to appreciate the difficulty of trying new activities or directions, and to support them through their ventures. Finally, the third section implores supporters to accept and respect differences of opinion between them, streamers, and other members of the community.

[embed]https://twitter.com/hololive_En/status/1658759662865637376?s=20[/embed]

Nintendo revealed more information about the new Splatoon 3 weapon – the S-BLAST '92. Revealed as part of the Sizzle Season anouncement, the new weapon is a Blaster based on the Super Scope peripheral released for the SNES.

This new Splatoon 3 weapon has been confirmed to have two different firing modes. On the ground, the S-BLAST '92 has a long-range shot with a small blast. If you jump, however, the shot will be much shorter, but have a much larger blast. The video released on the official Splatoon account also confirmed that the weapon’s kit will also include the Sprinkler sub-weapon and the Reefslider special.

https://twitter.com/SplatoonNA/status/1658819757884297217

The S-BLAST ’92 is notable for taking its design from the Super Scope, originally released for the SNES. As the Splatoon 3 weapon's name suggests, it released in 1992 in North America and Europe. It was supported by games such as Yoshi’s Safari and Battle Clash. The Super Scope was most recently seen in the Super Smash Bros series as a random item drop.

It’s not the first time Splatoon has used a real-world light gun peripheral as a basis for a weapon either. Past Splatoon games have featured the N-ZAP weapons, which were based on the NES Zapper, used for games such as Duck Hunt.

Splatoon 3 is out now for the Nintendo Switch. Sizzle Season kicks off on June 1, 2023.

Rumors suggested Sony would announce its next livestream presentation soon. Now, it’s confirmed that a new series of announcements is on the way. The PlayStation Showcase will be held on May 24, 2023 and discuss new PS5 and PlayStation VR 2 games. People will be able to tune in online at 1pm PT/4pm ET/9pm BST. We'll be able to check it out on its Twitch and YouTube channels.

Here's the official announcement:

See you soon!

PlayStation Showcase broadcasts live next Wednesday, May 24 at 1pm Pacific Time: https://t.co/GZVl6Du3Mu pic.twitter.com/mdvIlLq3Ph

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 17, 2023

The announcement only focused on the fact that the showcase will be happening. It didn't tease any titles coming up. We do know that games like Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are coming, with the former supposedly getting a demo in the near future. There have also been teases from Netherrealm about a new Mortal Kombat game.

HoYoVerse announced its Honkai: Star Rail Amazon Prime Gaming bundle is now available. It is listed as the first one on the official site. People who subscribe to the service and play the game can claim a code for a pack of in-game currency, then use it. However, this is a one-time use item.

Here’s the full list of everything in the Honkai: Star Rail Prime Gaming bundle:

• 5 Refined Aether: This can be used to level up a Light Cone, with each one being equivalent to 6,000 EXP.
• 60 Stellar Jade: This is the “real money” currency. 160 of them can be used for one pull on an Event Warp banner.
• 40,000 Credits: This is the in-game currency that can be used at shops or when leveling up characters and equipment

The official announcement noted that this bundle is being offered to celebrate Jing Yuan's debut. He's the latest five-star character to join the game. His banner goes live on May 17, 2023 and, when it does, it will also feature March 7th, Sushang, and Tingyun as focus units.

Nintendo already announced its first sales figures for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The game already hit a major milestone. It launched on May 12, 2023. In its first three days on the market, the game hit 10 million copies sold worldwide.

Here's the official announcement.

The Legend of #Zelda: #TearsOfTheKingdom has sold over 10 million copies worldwide in its first three days, becoming the fastest-selling game in the history of the Legend of Zelda series.

Thanks to those already enjoying Link’s latest adventure! pic.twitter.com/XxRSLaiWrO

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 17, 2023

As for buying The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, there haven't been major sales yet. However, there are some ways to get it for $69 or less, rather than $69.99. The standard price of the game is $79.99.

Hatsune Miku and other Vocaloid characters will hang out with capybara in new line of merchandise. The line-up includes tin badges, acrylic keychains, acrylic character plates, a premium postcard holder, an acrylic art book, acrylic stickers, a leather sticky note book, an acrylic diorama, and a tote bag. The estimated release date of the items is June 16, 2023. Pre-orders are now available from the eeo online store, and they will close on May 22, 2023. The characters that appear in this collection are Hatsune Miku, Rin and Len Kagamine, Megurine Luka, Meiko, and Kaito.

There are two different available sets of pin badges. Each individual badge costs 550 JPY (~$4), and the entire set is available on sale for 3,300 JPY (~$24). Likewise, each keyholder in the collection costs 880 JPY (~$6), and the entire set costs 5280 JPY (~$39). Each acrylic character plate costs 1,760 JPY (~$13). The premium postcard holder also costs 1,760 JPY (~$13).

Meanwhile, the acrylic art book costs 2,750 JPY (~$20). Each acrylic sticker costs 900 JPY (~$7), and the entire set costs 5400 JPY (~$40). Each leather sticky notes book costs 605 JPY (~$4) and there are three available. One is pairing up Miku and Luka, another one pairing Rin and Len Kagamine, and a third one with Meiko and Kaito. The acrylic diorama costs 3,850 JPY (~$28), and the tote bag costs 2,200 JPY (~$16).

You can take a better look at the new Hatsune Miku and Vocaloid character and capybara merchandise here:

Movic revealed two new Pochita-themed merchandise items from hit manga and anime Chainsaw Man. The new merchandise goods see Pochita turn into a silicone light, and a mini rug pad. The Pochita silicon light costs 6,600 JPY (or roughly $48), while the rug pad costs 7,700 JPY (or roughly $56). Pre-orders for the Pochita light and mini rug mat are now open from the Anime online store, and they close on June 4, 2023.

The new Chainsaw Man merchandise goods are interior design goods modeled after Pochita, the mascot of the show and Denji’s sidekick. The silicone light is scheduled to release in late August 2023, and the mini rug mat releases mid-September 2023.

You can take a better look at the new Chainsaw Man Pochita merchandise in the gallery below.

[gallery ids="963674,963673,963672,963671,963670,963669" link="file"]

Premico announced the production of a silver necklace based on the upcoming Sailor Moon Cosmos movie, created as collaboration, and using Hirado traditional Japanese jewelry craftsmanship. The necklace costs 54,780 JPY (or roughly $400). The expected release date for the item is mid-June 2023. The new Sailor Moon Cosmos silver necklace is now available for pre-order from the Premico online store. [Thanks, Natalie!]

The part of the pendant that connects to the chain is modeled after the Eternal Moon Article brooch that Usagi Tsukino wears in Sailor Moon. Additionally, the pendant is decorated heart-shaped cubic zirconia stone. The inner flower in the pendant is also adorned with a cubic zirconia stone.

You can take a better look at the new Sailor Moon Cosmos silver pendant in the gallery below.

[gallery columns="5" ids="963700,963714,963701,963703,963702" link="file"]

Hirado craftsmanship is a silver filigree technique that aims to produce lace-like patterns on the jewelry by attaching thin silver threads together. This technique was introduced from the Netherlands to the Japanese city of Hirado in Nagasaki, during the Edo period (17-19th century.)

In other Sailor Moon Cosmos news, the theatrical release of the first part of the movie series will released a new trailer in April 2023 highlighting Mercury and Jupiter.

Nijisanji Vtuber Hyakumantenbara Salome is going to inspire a new line of commemorative merchandise, celebrate her past record-breaking 1 million subscriber count on YouTube two weeks after her debut on May 2022. The lineup of goods includes a choker, diary and pen, voiced keychain, and black tea produced by Hyakumantenbara Salome herself. The new line of merchandise is now available for pre-order from the Nijisanji official store until June 17, 2023.

The Hyakumantenbara Salome purple choker costs 2,500 JPY (~$18). Meanwhile, the pen and diary costs 6,000 JPY (~$44). The voiced keychains are available in three variations, and each one includes three different voice lines. They are available for 1,500 JPY (~$11). The black tea costs 2,000 JPY (~$15). All goods in the new line of merchandise are expected to release in early September 2023.

You can take a better look at the new line of Hyakumantenbara Salome commemorative merchandise in the gallery below.

[gallery columns="4" ids="963728,963727,963726,963725" link="file"]

Hyakumantenbara Salome debuted on May 24, 2022, and she is currently the record holder for being the fastest VTuber to reach 1 million subscribers on YouTube, after breaking Gawr Gura’s record of 39 days. Salome reached the 1 million mark after only 13 days and a few hours.

Dark Horse Comics announced that the original manga run of Trigun and Trigun Maximum will return in North America with a new deluxe hardcover edition. The Trigun Deluxe Edition hardcover costs $49.99 USD, and it will appear in bookstores and comic stores on December 5 and 6, 2023 respectively. This edition will collect the first two volumes of the original 1995 Trigun run in 672 pages.

The Trigun Maximum deluxe hardcover will appear in five volumes, or roughly 600 pages each one. Each volume will also cost $49.99 USD. The first volume of the Trigun Maximum Deluxe Edition will release on April 2, 2024 and April 3, 2024 in bookstores and comic stores, respectively.

https://twitter.com/darkhorsecomics/status/1658548076200484916

Trigun Maximum is a direct continuation of the original two-volume Trigun manga. The difference in name comes from a change of publishing magazine that Yasuhiro Nightow had to go through back in 1997. The artist had to add the Maximum title to the manga to continue publishing the story.

This very anticipated reprint comes after the wide success of the new Trigun Stampede anime adaptation, and makes it much easier for new and old Trigun fans to read the original work.

One of the Dragon Quest X Online weapons designed by Bleach manga artist Tite Kubo will return to the game. The one-handed sword Spalt Edge is one of the three collaboration weapons designed by Kubo released in 2015 for DQX Online, and it will make a reappearance soon. [Thanks, ryokutya2089!]

The weapons were originally available through download codes included in the August 2015 issue of the V Jump magazine, as well as the DQX Online third anniversary fan book. The other two Spalt weapons are the two/handed Spalt Blade and the Spalt Claws knuckle weapon.

The Spalt weapons were originally made available as part of several collaboration events in 2015. The Spalt Blade appeared in Dragon Quest X Online on July 2015, while the Spalt Edge appeared on August, and the Spalt Claws on October of the same year.

Bleach author Tite Kubo also collaborated by drawing an illustration for the Dragon Quest X Online third anniversary fan book, depicting three members of the Ogre species wielding the Spalt weapons.

Final Fantasy XIV and XVI Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida (or Yoshi-P) has met with Japanese novelist Yukito Ayatsuji to talk. During their conversation, both Yoshida and Ayatsuji talked about video games, and the mystery genre. Their conversation is set to appear on “a certain website” in roughly a month. More details will be revealed at a later date. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

On May 16, 2023 Yukito Ayatsuji posted on his Twitter account a photo of himself and interview partner Yoshida. Both Yoshida and Ayatsuji had planned to talk around 2020, but their plans were cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Their conversation was finally possible three years later.

You can take a better look at the photos that Yukito Ayatsuji posted on his Twitter account here:

https://twitter.com/ayatsujiyukito/status/1658404811233165312

Ayatsuji also teased his meeting with Yoshida the day prior, by posting a photo of both of them, face cropped, holding Pui Pui Molecar felt plushes. However, due to Yoshida recognizable necklace, fans managed to discover the identity of Ayatsuji’s interview partner.

Yukito Ayatsuji is a Japanese writer and novelist, and he is well known for his mystery and horror stories. Some of his most famous works include mystery novel The Decagon House Murders, and the Another series of horror novels.

Good Smile Company opened pre-orders for a figma figure of Aki Hayakawa from Chainsaw Man. Just like in the series, this figure involves Aki wearing the Public Safety uniform, carrying his sword, and even smoking a cigarette for a possible pose. This figma costs ¥11,000 and is planned for a February 2024 release date in Japan. It will cost $78.99 for North American buyers, with shipping scheduled for Q2 2024.

This figure presents Aki with his iconic Public Safety devil hunter style with three face plates: a standard one, a shouting one, and another with one eye closed for a fox demon invocation pose. There’s also a bonus glaring face with sweat-like drops if someone buys it from the official Good Smile Online Shop.

As for the accessories, he will come with a fox hand and a cigarette-holding hand, in addition to a pair of both closed and open hands. The figure of him will also include two sets of swords, with one a standard one and another a sheathed nail-shaped one. (The latter can’t be removed from its sheath.)

You can take a closer look at the Chainsaw Man Aki Hayakawa figma and the figure's accessories here below.

[gallery columns="4" ids="963624,963623,963621,963619,963622,963620,963625,963626" link="file"]

Square Enix revealed a new line of Kingdom Hearts merchandise featuring three new keychains based on popular keyblades in the video game franchise. The three new keychains are Two Become One, Bond of Flame, and the χ-blade (pronounced the same as “keyblade.”) All three of them cost 2,090 JPY (roughly $15 USD). They are available to pre-order from the Japanese Square Enix online store, and they are expected to release on September 9, 2023. They aren't showing up in the worldwide Square Enix storefronts yet. [Thanks, Dengeki Hobby!]

The new Kingdom Hearts keyblade keychains are made of zinc alloy. All three of them have a metallic polished finish, with Two Become One and the χ-blade painted silver and Bond of Flame painted crimson red.

You can take a better look at the new Kingdom Hearts keyblade keychains in the gallery below.

[gallery link="file" ids="963597,963598,963599,963601,963602,963600"]

The new Overwatch 2 roadmap is here for season 5 through 7, and it confirmed that the PvE Hero Mode option is being scrapped in favor of Story Missions. Upon the announcement coming out, GameSpot also shared an interview with Director Aaron Keller and Executive Producer Jared Neuss that went over the decision to get rid of this mode and why.

In the GameSpot interview by Tamoor Hussain, resources were cited as an issue. Specifically, Director Keller noted that that development of the Overwatch 2 PvE Hero Mode would be like “running two separate games at the same time with a set of Heroes as the piece that is shared between two of them.” He noted the time necessary to do that and resources meant it was “pulling focus away from the live game.”

Neuss also expounded on how much extra work it involved and told GameSpot:

But for games like this, it's tougher because the team was building something that is totally different than anything that they'd built before. These story missions are significantly different than Archives or other ways that [we've] told stories inside the game before. And so developing those, what it takes to do that, the technology required, the people required, the iteration required is all different.

NIS America officially announced The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails release date is on September 19, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC. This will be the first time Nayuta no Kiseki will be available for English audiences. A new trailer focusing on the game's story setting is also now available.

Take a look at the new story trailer for The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails here below.

https://youtu.be/RLbXBI4qvWI

The story of the game starts when Nayuta gets the opportunity to embark on an adventure after meeting a fairy-like creature named Noi. The trailer shows some bits at the start of the journey, when Nayuta and his friend Cygna encounter an imposing man in dark clothes after finding Noi.

After that, the video also shares some gameplay segments showcasing the action-RPG elements of the game. You can see various locations while Nayuta and friends jump and attack enemies through forests, ice caves, and ancient-looking ruins.

Nayuta no Kiseki was originally released in 2012 as an action spin-off of the Trails series for the PSP, but it wasn’t localized for English audiences until now. This release follows the recent NIS America efforts in bringing The Legend of Heroes games to western audiences, the latest ones being Trails to Azure and Trails into Reverie.

Bandai Namco announced the patch to fix issues in Tales of Symphonia Remastered for Nintendo Switch will finally roll out on May 18, 2023. This update is expected to deal with problems such as black screens, background music glitches, and freezes throughout the game. Players have been reporting game-breaking issues since the game’s release. It will bring the game up to version 1.2.

According to the patch notes, this update will fix significant issues including processing slowdowns while moving through the Triet area, freezes in the middle of boss battles, and sudden black screens that locked the game in place. This quality-of-life update, known as Patch 1.2, arrives about three months after the game’s release in February 2023.

Since the game’s release, many players have reported severe performance issues from framerate drops to missing effects and animations. As a response, Bandai Namco apologized for the problems found in the game and announced the team would be working on fixing them.

It’s worth noting this Patch 1.2 is only coming to the Nintendo Switch version of the game, which has been reported to have the most severe issues. Bandai Namco has not mentioned any similar patches for the other platforms so far.

Tales of Symphonia Remastered is currently available for the Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. Another version based on the PS3 release is available on PCs via Steam.

It isn't unusual for a game to occasionally shift protagonists. It can happen briefly to serve as a way to introduce a person or a story element. With Honkai: Star Rail, we've seen HoYoVerse employ this mechanic both with Kafka and Dan Heng, two people with major roles in the story. In both cases, it can feel a bit different than the typical exposition or character questline, and it works to the benefit of the game in many ways to make its storyline, lore, and even gameplay better.

Editor’s Note: There are no spoilers for Honkai: Star Rail’s story or Kafka and Dan Heng’s background below.

By having the player be Kafka when Honkai: Star Rail begins, it helps provide a greater opportunity to question her motives and morality. We’re someone who is setting the story in motion. Kafka is bringing our avatar to life. Can she really be bad? Likewise, it’s letting us see her interactions with Silver Wolf and perhaps see that maybe she isn’t as potentially malicious as our later Astral Express encounter and Xianzhou Luofu experiences with her suggest.

[caption id="attachment_963387" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Siliconera[/caption]

Hololive fan-games appear to be having a moment right now. First, there's the surprisingly good survivors-like Holocure, and now a fighting game offering in Idol Showdown. This is to say nothing of the RPG's, flash games and platformers also coming out of the fan-game scene. Going into Idol Showdown, I was initially apprehensive. I have precious little experience with fighting games, but thankfully it does a decent job of acclimating newer players to the controls.

For the uninitiated, Idol Showdown is a free fan-made fighting game from Besto Game Team and starring VTubers from the Hololive agency. Everything from the moves to the characters and palette swaps are a reference to Hololive streams and in-jokes. When the fight is over, the screen zooms out to a very Youtube-like layout complete with a chatbox and faux-recommendations. Even the voice lines are clipped from the streamers themselves, although several of them have since provided voice lines for the developer to add into the game. There are eight playable characters taken from the agency's Japanese branch, though plenty of members from the English and Indonesian speaking branches also make cameo. The developers also teased additional characters, such as Usada Pekora.

Kotobukiya announced launch details about the upcoming Mega Man 11 model kit, including the reveal that the finished figure can be posed without his helmet. He will cost 7,800円 (~$57). The Japanese release window for it is October 2023. There's no North American release window yet, but it will appear worldwide.

This version of Mega Man is a non-standard scale unit. Once fully built, he'll stand at 135mm. That is just about five inches tall. There are 51-200 parts in the kit. Also, like past kits, it is recommended people have things like nippers.

The finished Mega Man figure will be articulated and able to be posed in different ways. There are four face plates. Mega Man can be posed with or without the helmet. He can have his Mega Buster equipped. There are also Charged Shot effect parts.

Here's a closer look:
[gallery columns="7" size="full" ids="963563,963566,963560,963562,963567,963564,963565" link="file"]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9UiTySFf88&ab_channel=KOTOBUKIYATV

As a reminder, this is one of many Mega Man model kits from Kotobukiya. The company manufactured many based on past installments. Earlier in May 2023, it also announced additional designs like one based on Black Zero.