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Several Final Fantasy Music Boxes Are Back on Sale Again

2 months 1 week ago

Final Fantasy music boxes include On Our Way from VII Remake

Square Enix revealed that it is restocking some of its popular music boxes from the Final Fantasy series. The lineup includes the first Final Fantasy opening theme, "On Our Way" from Final Fantasy VII Remake and "To Zanarkand" from Final Fantasy X.

Pre-orders for these restocked music boxes are immediately available on the Japanese Square Enix e-Store. Each box will be available individually at 2,200 yen (~$15).

Here is the full list of music boxes that have been made available for sale once again:

  • "Opening Theme" from Final Fantasy
  • "Searching for Friends" from Final Fantasy VI
  • "F.F.VII Main Theme" from Final Fantasy VII
  • "Aerith's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII
  • "Tifa's Theme - Seventh Heaven" from Final Fantasy VII Remake
Author
Kite Stenbuck

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New Unicorn Overlord Allies, Enemies, and Classes Detailed

2 months 1 week ago

New Unicorn Overlord Allies, Enemies, and Classes Detailed

Atlus and Vanillaware introduced new Unicorn Overlord allies and enemies, as well as a few of the classes available in the game. The latest details go over Elven characters from Elheim and Zenoiran empire agents we'll see as we explore the world.

The three new ally characters to appear are the twin sisters Eltolinde and Rosalinde, both voiced by Reina Ueda, and their former knight Ithilion, played by Tarusuke Shingaki. While Ithilion and Rosalinde are free and fighting back, Eltolinde is being held captive and is still fighting back while doing so.

Here’s how all three of them look:

Author
Jenni Lada

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Turks Were Almost Part of FFVII Apex Legends Skins

2 months 1 week ago

ffvii apex legends

In an interview with Famitsu, Respawn’s David Duong and Square Enix’s Yuma Watanabe gave some behind-the-scenes details about the current FFVII event in Apex Legends and talked about included items and things like Turks skins that didn't make it in. The event will last until January 31, 2024. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

In the interview, Duong noted that there are many people working on Apex who were huge fans of FFVII growing up, and so they decided to approach Square Enix for the collaboration. On Square Enix’s side, the team members were also huge Apex Legends fans, so they were surprised and delighted at the suggestion. Duong also mentioned that FFVII Rebirth’s aesthetic, characters, and vast library of skills were perfect fits for the Apex world, which is why they chose to use that game for the collaboration.

In the FFVII crossover event in Apex Legends, you can get skins that look like Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and other party members. However, Watanabe stated that in the original discussions, the skins would look like SOLDIERs, Shinra soldiers, and Turks instead. As a whole though, the Apex Legends team lead development on the collaboration event and very few staff from Square Enix were involved. This was to prevent any information about Rebirth from leaking out.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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New Zatch Bell Mobile Game Is Out in Japan

2 months 1 week ago

zatch bell mobile game

A free-to-play mobile game based on Zatch Bell is now available in Japan. The title of the game is Zatch Bell: Towa no Kizuna no Nakama-tachi, which can loosely be translated to Zatch Bell: Friends Forever. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

The game first came out in Japan on January 17, 2024 and it's for the show's 20th anniversary. While it’s free to download, you may need to pay real money in order to purchase more in-game currency. In other words, it follows the classic gacha mobage business formula. The game itself generally follows the plot of the show, but has its own original characters and storylines. The voice actors from the Zatch Bell returned to record additional lines for the mobile game. As for its gameplay, you have to raise your characters, as well as support cards, and learn skills in order to defeat enemies. There is also a Bond system in the game.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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Review: Another Code: Recollection Switch Offers a Fresh Look

2 months 1 week ago

Review: Another Code: Recollection Switch Offers a Fresh Look

I always thought of Trace Memory as another launch window DS game designed to introduce the handheld. Especially since there was a DTS “system” in-game. It isn’t my favorite of Cing’s games, but I had fond memories of it. Now that it and its sequel returned worldwide on the Nintendo Switch as Another Code: Recollection, the remake certainly feels refreshing.

Ashley’s been going through it as Two Memories begins. A tragedy took both of her parents away, leaving her to be raised by her Aunt Jessica. However, when she turns 14, she gets a package from her father. It contains a DAS (Dual Another System) biometrically linked to her, as well as a note bidding her to meet him at Blood Edward Island. Upon getting there, Ashley’s father doesn’t seem to be there, Jessica seems to be abducted, and Ashley meets a ghost named D searching for his memories. 

Image via Nintendo

Author
Jenni Lada

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Persona 3 Reload DLC Pays Homage to P4G, P5R

2 months 1 week ago

persona 3 reload DLC

Atlus revealed what DLC will be available in Persona 3 Reload at launch. You’ll be able to get outfits and Personas from Persona 4 and Persona 5.

For starters, there will be a Persona 5 Royal costume pack for the SEES members. You’ll be able to make them wear the Shujin High School uniform or the Phantom Thieves’ costumes. You can even make Koromaru look like Morgana, complete with a yellow handkerchief. This costume pack does contain spoilers though, as you can get a Black Mask outfit for Shinjiro. There will also be a Persona 4 Golden Yasogami High uniform pack. Each uniform pack will cost 440 JPY.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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NieR Automata Ver1.1a Goods Include Containers and Mats

2 months 1 week ago

nier automata goods groove garage

Groove Garage has opened up pre-orders for goods based on NieR Automata Ver1.1a. You’ll be able to get containers, pouches, stickers, and other merchandise with the YoRHa logo on them.

You can check out the full list of items and their prices from Groove Garage’s website. As a note, Groove Garage’s distributor is Amazon. However, Amazon JP cannot deliver overseas, and the NieR Automata Ver1.1a goods are not available in international stores. Those who want to purchase these items will need to use a proxy service.

The NieR Automata Ver1.1a goods and prices are:

  • Foldable container: 7150 JPY
  • ID card holder: 1650 JPY
  • Multi-use pouch: 1980 JPY
  • Patch for clothing: 1650 JPY
  • Rubber mat: 3850 JPY
  • Smartphone sticker (can give off light): 1980 JPY (for a set)
Author
Stephanie Liu

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Lost Ark to End Service in Japan on March 2024

2 months 1 week ago

Lost Ark to End Service in Japan on March 2024

Developer Smilegate announced that Lost Ark will end service for its Japan servers on March 20, 2024. The company has also shared the timeline for the end of services of various elements surrounding the game.

In a statement released by the Lost Ark Japanese management team, the company informed of the decision to terminate service for the servers and thanked players for their support. The team stated that after talks with the developers, they decided it would be “difficult to provide a satisfying experience for players” and apologized for not being able to provide more time for Japanese players.

Smilegate has also announced that the sale of limited-time items in the Lost Ark shop and the Item Mall will be interrupted for players in the Japanese servers from January 17, 2024. Likewise, Japanese Internet Cafe services for the game will end on January 24, 2024. The sale of Royal Crystals will end after a scheduled maintenance for January 31, 2024. Players will keep any Royal Crystals obtained and can spend them freely.

Author
Daniel Bueno

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Kagurabachi Volume 1 Will Come Out in Japan Soon

2 months 1 week ago

kagurabachi volume 1

Volume 1 of Kagurabachi will come out in Japan on February 2, 2024. Protagonist Chihiro appears on the cover. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

Shueisha is the publisher, and the volume will cost 550 JPY, which equates to around $3.70. It’ll be available as a physical copy in most bookstores, and you can order it online. For those who don’t want a physical book, you can also get a digital copy. Viz Media has licensed the series for English. However, they have not made a statement yet regarding when overseas readers can expect Volume 1 of Kagurabachi.

Kagurabachi is a Weekly Shonen Jump series that started serialization in September 2023. Takeru Hokazono is both the writer and the illustrator. It’s an action-fantasy battle manga revolving around Chihiro pursuing a group of sorcerers after they killed his father. In the story, the protagonist wields an enchanted sword that his father, a renowned blacksmith, made. One of Chihiro's goals is to retrieve the other enchanted swords, which the sorcerers had taken away.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Amazon Edition Pre-Order Bonus is Controller Skin

2 months 1 week ago

final fantasy vii rebirth amazon pre-order

Those who pre-order the Amazon Exclusive Edition of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth can get a limited PS5 controller skin. The skin has the game's logo in the middle, Cloud on the left side of the controller, and Sephiroth on the right.

You can get a closer look at the exclusive controller skin below:

Image via Amazon

The controller skin will only cover the front half of the device. Since it’s just a skin, you can attach it like a sticker, but it won’t provide any extra protection like a cover or case. Another bonus you can get from pre-ordering Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the Midgar Bangle Mk. II Armor. However, this does not seem to be exclusive to Amazon. Gamestop, for example, also promotes the bangle.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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Trendy Akuma is Now in Street Fighter: Duel

2 months 1 week ago

street fighter trendy akuma duel

Trendy Akuma is now a playable character in Street Fighter: Duel. A trailer for his appearance and his playstyle was uploaded on the game's official Twitter (X) account.

You can watch the trailer for Trendy Akuma in Street Fighter: Duel here:

https://twitter.com/StreetFighterDL/status/1747680184810299660

The trailer is very short, at under thirty seconds. It starts with a silhouette of Akuma facing us before he turns around. Then, it shows a scene of him beating up his opponents and defeating them. The Tweet asks if we’re able to match his style in the arena, so his trendiness comes from his battle prowess rather than his actual fashion sense.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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Evangelion Progressive Knife Toy Plays Shinji and Misato Voice Clips

2 months 1 week ago

Evangelion Progressive Knife Toy Plays Shinji and Misato Voice Clips

Premium Bandai has announced the release of an Evangelion Progressive Knife PKN-01C toy replica that includes Shinji and Misato voice clips from the series. The replica costs 13,200 yen (or approximately $89) and is now available for pre-order from the official Evangelion Store and will be released sometime in June 2024. [Thanks, Oricon!]

This specific version of the Progressive Knife is the model PKN-01C based on its appearance in the Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone anime movie, and Unit-01 uses it. The knife can be folded and is approximately 340mm (or 13.4 inches) long when fully unfolded. The knife includes a cracked red orb pedestal inspired by the cores of the Angels in the anime series.

Additionally, over 25 voice clips by Shinji Ikari and Misato Katsuragi’s voice actors Megumi Ogata and Kotono Mitsuishi, respectively, are included in the replica. Aside from the voice lines, the "Decisive Battle" song from the Evangelion soundtrack can also be played. Additionally, the toy knife also includes white LED lights on the blade.

You can take a better look at the Evangelion Progressive Knife toy replica here:

Author
Daniel Bueno

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Don’t Forget the Yozora Mel Merchandise Before It Becomes Limited

2 months 1 week ago

Best Yozora Mel Merchandise

Now that Hololive terminated the contract of Yozora Mel, that also means that merchandise for the Vtuber will become limited edition items. The official store will stop selling items on January 31, 2024, and other items from other vendors will likely stop appearing be be discontinued. It's one of those situations where it is best to know what's out there before it becomes impossible to find.

Image via Cover

Maybe Check for Yozora Mel Birthday Merchandise?

Author
Jenni Lada

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Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Release Date Set 

2 months 1 week ago

Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story Release Date Set

Riot and Lazy Bear Games announced the Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story release date now that pre-orders are open. It will show up on February 21, 2024, and standard, deluxe, and collector’s editions are available. 

The base version of the game will be $24.99. That only includes the RPG with crafting elements. If purchased ahead of launch, it also includes the Bandle Scout Hat, Bandle Scout Poro, Evergreen Cottage, and a Yordle recipe for free. If you get the $29.99 deluxe edition, it adds a Backpack House skin pack, Particle Effects Trails pack, Poro Pet skin pack, and the Secret Menu pack. 

The collector’s edition is a bigger bundle with physical merchandise. That starts with the deluxe version of the game with pre-order DLC. People also get five Champion figures, Lulu and Rumble wood pins, stickers of characters from the game, an art book, a notebook, and a diorama of the Bandle Center you can build to display the figures.  It costs $149.99 through Riot direct, and people can choose if it is the Switch or PC via Steam, GOG, or Epic version. 

Here’s how that looks:

Author
Jenni Lada

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Ace Combat 7 Coming to Nintendo Switch

2 months 1 week ago

Ace Combat 7 Switch

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown will be coming to the Nintendo Switch, Bandai Namco confirmed. The Switch version of the game will release on July 11, 2024 and contain most of the original DLC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwSASVf-0eY

Ace Combat 7 originally released in 2019 for PS4, Xbox One and PC. Players took on the role of a fighter pilot for the Osean Federation as they battled the Kingdom of Erusea. The Switch version is set to include all the original features of the other versions of the game, including the multiplayer combat modes for 2-8 players. As well as a new trailer for the game, Bandai Namco also released a comparison video, showing the visuals of the Switch version next to the PS4 equivalent. Performance between the two versions appears to be similar, although the Switch visuals are a little downgraded from the original release. The Switch version will release exclusively as a digital title.

Author
Leigh Price

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Dr Ratio Hits You With Knowledge in Honkai: Star Rail

2 months 1 week ago

Honkai Star Rail Dr Ratio Trailer 2

A new in-depth trailer for Dr Ratio has been released for Honkai: Star Rail. In the “With Knowledge Comes Pride” trailer, Owlbert and Screwllum discuss exactly what the new character is capable of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UdIWoWEwa0

Dr Ratio is an Imaginary damage character on the Path of The Hunt. For his Basic ATK, Mind is Might, he will hit an enemy with his book, causing Imaginary damage. His Skill is Intellectual Midwifery, where he throws a stick of chalk at his enemy and does some calculations. He will also boost his Crit Rate and damage based on how many debuffs the enemy has on them.

Author
Leigh Price

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See the Alan Wake Dead by Daylight Perks

2 months 1 week ago

See the Alan Wake Dead by Daylight Perks

Behaviour Interactive released a new trailer showcasing Alan Wake in Dead by Daylight. This is a more informative video going over his perks and how they affect gameplay.

After introducing Alan Wake, the video focuses on how each perk works. It starts with Champion of Light at the 54 second mark. His speed increases when he uses the flashlight to blind a killer. Boon: Illumination comes up at the 1:06 mark and shows how he can make a totem that helps him see where chests and generators are on the map. Finally, his Deadline perk appears at the 1:32 point. When he heals or repairs, Skill Checks come up more often so he can accomplish tasks faster.

Here’s the full Alan Wake spotlight trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XDch2j0MLo&ab_channel=DeadbyDaylight

Author
Jenni Lada

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Watch Lee Chaolan in His Tekken 8 Trailer

2 months 1 week ago

Watch Lee Chaolan in His Tekken 8 Trailer

Yet another new Tekken 8 character trailer is live, with the new one showing off Lee Chaolan gameplay. The Violet Systems head is yet again appearing in this installment. 

Lee is a Tekken series staple. He’s been around since the first game. As a member of the Mishima family, he uses their style of fighting. After his introduction, his video shows him fighting Nina Williams. However, the second half pits him against Kazuya Mishima.

Here's the full Tekken 8 Lee Chaolan trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0mjC3FEMc4&ab_channel=BandaiNamcoEntertainmentAmerica

As usual, for those catching up you can see past Tekken 8 character trailers showcasing fighter gameplay below.

Author
Jenni Lada

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See Nijisanji Vtuber Millie Parfait Cards in Shadowverse: Evolve Booster Set

2 months 1 week ago

Nijisanji Vtuber Millie Parfait Cards in Shadowverse: Evolve Booster Set

Ahead of the Shadowverse: Evolve Flame of Lævateinn booster set, a video showcasing the Nijisanji Vtuber Millie Parfait cards appeared. They’ll show up in-game on February 2, 2024. 

As expected, Millie Parfait herself hosts the Shadowverse: Evolve trailer looking at her cards. She goes over each one, showing how they work in the game and the art on them. She starts with the “It’s a Sweet Buffet” one-cost card, which gives the leader +3 defense. After that, the six-cost card Witch of Calamity, Millie Parfait appears in the video. It has Earth  Rite and Magic Sediment effects. A “signed” version of that card with different art will also be available. After that, Millie showed some of her cards. Some leader and token cards of her will appear. 

Here’s the full video. After the one minute mark, she goes over the expansion in general. She also recommended including her cards in an Earth Rite Runecraft deck.

Author
Jenni Lada

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Genshin Impact Collaboration at the Skytree Is Underway

2 months 1 week ago

genshin impact skytree

A collaboration event with Genshin Impact has started at the Skytree in Japan. It’ll run until March 6, 2024. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

During the above period of time, you’ll be able to take pictures with standees of Genshin Impact characters at the Skytree. There will also be limited menu items to eat and merchandise to purchase. Key visuals from the game will be in the shuttle elevators, splash art and character descriptions will be in the hallways, and a slime paradise will be on the 450th floor to take a picture with.

As well, on weekends, the Skytree will change colors from late afternoon to midnight. It’ll shuffle through eight different colors every two minutes, with each color corresponding to a particular character. The characters are:

  • Aether
  • Albedo
  • Charlotte
  • Lumine
  • Paimon
  • Tartaglia
Author
Stephanie Liu

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Fashion Dreamer Update Increases Wardrobe Size, Adds Dramatic Fair

2 months 1 week ago

Fashion Dreamer Update Increases Wardrobe Size, Adds Dramatic Fair

XSEED and Syn Sophia announced the new Fashion Dreamer update that increases the wardrobe size, adds a New Year’s Dramatic Fair, and brings in new patterns is now live. Patching the game to 1.3.0 makes it all accessible.

With the Dramatic Fair, the idea is to show off sophisticated fashions. These include patterns for clothing items to create, hairstyles, and accessories for photos. To earn them, you need to complete quests at each tier to unlock them. Those will only be available until February 6, 2024.

As for the new additions, XSEED went over an array of things that are available permanently as a result of the patch. Here’s a list of some of the changes.

  • Wardrobe limit increased by 1,000 to 6,000.
  • Item creator includes 10 new patterns.
  • Can sort wardrobe by 10 different colors.
  • Lookit requests “adjusted.”
  • Drone Camera tweaked.

Author
Jenni Lada

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FFVII Rebirth Glitter Globe Snow Globe Shows Gold Saucer

2 months 1 week ago

FFVII Rebirth Glitter Globe Snow Globe Shows Gold Saucer

There will be a Square Enix Members FFVII Rebirth Glitter Globe snow globe that shows the Gold Saucer. While a trailer is available showing it off however, it isn’t appearing at the rewards site just yet.

The FFVII Rebirth Glitter Globe snow globe is the size of a standard snow globe, with glitter flakes around it that fall when swirled. In the center is the Gold Saucer from the remake, rendered entirely in white and gold. The base of the globe is black with the game’s logo in white on it.

Here’s the official trailer, which also shows the size of the decoration.

https://twitter.com/finalfantasyvii/status/1747623350233366823

Author
Jenni Lada

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Genshin Impact Special Program 4.4 Debuts This Week

2 months 1 week ago

Genshin Impact Special Program 4.4 Debuts This Week

HoYoVerse announced the Genshin Impact Special Program for update 4.4 will appear on January 19, 2024. It will be held at 5am PT/8am ET/2pm CET.

As usual, the Special Program will first air on Twitch. The upload will show up on YouTube about an hour later. It will include redemption codes for Primogems and other in-game items, as usual.

While much of the story has focused on Fontaine in-game as of late, we’ll see a return to Liyue in 4.4. Ahead of the update’s launch, HoYoVerse revealed two of the new characters. One is Cloud Retainer’s human form, which is known as Xianyun. The other is a character named Gaming. Xianyun is expected to be a five-star, while it seems Gaming may be the new four-star.

Author
Jenni Lada

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Interview: Bringing Monster Hunter to Exoprimal

2 months 1 week ago

Interview: Bringing Monster Hunter to Exoprimal

The next major crossover for Exoprimal is Monster Hunter, with Rathalos joining as an opponent and new Exosuits based on the armor Hunters wear in Capcom’s monster hunting game on January 18, 2024. To learn more about this next crossover, Siliconera talked with Director Takuro Hiraoka once again

Jenni Lada: When did planning start for the Exoprimal Monster Hunter crossover?

Takuro Hiraoka: While Exoprimal was in development, the idea of a Monster Hunter crossover arose when the team began brainstorming what content we could include in post-launch title updates. 

Author
Jenni Lada

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You Can Have Your Own Kingdom Key Keyblade

2 months 1 week ago

kingdom hearts keyblade kingdom key

Square Enix has opened up pre-orders for a light-up Kingdom Key Keyblade from the Kingdom Hearts series. It costs 6380 JPY ($43.25) and will come out on February 24, 2024.

As a note, the light-up Keyblades are available in the North American shop as well. They cost $59.99 and you can get either the Kingdom Key or the Kingdom Key D. For reference, Kingdom Key is Sora’s default Keyblade from the series. Meanwhile, Kingdom Key D is King Mickey’s default Keyblade. It looks virtually the same as Kingdom Key except the “blade” portion of the Keyblade is gold.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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Shaman King Flowers Opening and Ending Show the Next Generation

2 months 1 week ago

shaman king flowers opening ending

The creditless opening and ending for Shaman King Flowers are now available to watch on YouTube. The opening is Nana Mizuki’s “Turn the World,” and the ending is Sumire Uesaka’s “Dear Panta Rhei.” [Thanks, Dengeki Online!]

You can watch the opening here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbjmHbm2i90

The opening features several key characters such as Hana, Alumi, and Kamogawa. It not only shows Hana’s daily life in Funbari, but also his complicated feelings towards Yoh. The majority of the opening shows some of the fights that Hana and his friends engage in. Hao makes several brief appearances in the opening as well. Incidentally, Nana Mizuki, the singer of the opening, voices Tamao in the show.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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Hagoromo Will Be First DLC Character in Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections

2 months 1 week ago

naruto x boruto ultimate ninja storm connections hagoromo

The first DLC for Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections will feature a playable version of Hagoromo Otsutsuki. It’ll cost 660 JPY ($4.40). [Thanks, ryokutya2089!]

Aside from a playable version of Hagoromo, there will also be a new Combination Secret Technique, Ninja Info Card images, special messages, and matching voices. There is no information on the release date for the DLC. Hagoromo’s list of ninjutsu include Divine Thunder and Truth-Seeking Chaos Bullet. He can also wield the Sword of Nunoboko, as well as use the Secret Technique: Sage Lightning Strike. 

In the Naruto series, Hagoromo was the Sage of Six Paths. He was the founder of ninshu, which eventually became ninjutsu, thus making him an ancestor of all modern shinobi. While he used a wide variety of skils and techniques, not all of them seem to be present in his playable version’s kit.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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First Trigun Maximum Nendoroids Are Vash and Wolfwood

2 months 1 week ago

trigun maximum vash wolfwood nendoroids

During Winter WonFes 2024, Good Smile Company will show off prototypes of Nendoroids of Vash and Wolfwood from Trigun Maximum. There is no paint on the prototypes yet.

So far, we can see that Vash has a smiling face plate and one of his optional parts is a gun. Meanwhile, Wolfwood also has a gun and his Punisher as optional parts. He’s got a smiling face plate and a cigarette. It’s unclear if the cigarette is part of the face plate or if it’s an optional part that you can put in it. Since they’re based on their designs in Trigun Maximum, they may not look familiar to fans who started the series from Stampede.

Trigun Maximum is the direct continuation to Yasuhiro Nightow’s original Trigun manga. It follows Wolfwood giving Vash back his gun and pulling him out of his retirement. They then continue to fight against the Gung-Ho Guns and to thwart Knives Millions’s plans to destroy humanity. The manga originally ran from July 1998 to April 2008, with fourteen volumes in total.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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Square Enix Confirms AI-Generated Assets Used in Foamstars

2 months 1 week ago

foamstars AI

Square Enix has confirmed that the development team used AI-generated assets in Foamstars. This is in line with Square Enix’s announcement in the beginning of 2024 that it will embrace AI technology in its upcoming products. [Thanks, VGC!]

Kosuke Okatani, the producer of Foamstars, has confirmed that the development team used AI in the game. They used Midjourney to create small art for in-game icons, as well as for the in-game album covers. However, he also states that humans made the majority of the game, such as the core gameplay and designs. Only “0.01% or even less” of the game is AI generated. According to Square Enix, this is more an experiment to see how AI can help with game development.

Author
Stephanie Liu

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FFXIV Labyrinthos Grape Lamppost Honors Endwalker Grapes 

2 months 1 week ago

FFXIV Labyrinthos Grape Lamppost Honors Endwalker Grapes

Square Enix once again paid tribute to the polygonal, blocky FFXIV Endwalker grapes, this time with a Labyrinthos Grape Lamppost. The new outdoor furnishing item appeared in patch 6.55 part 2.

The Labyrinthos Grape Lamppost can only be placed outside of housing. So if you don’t have a home where you can put outdoor furnishing, you can’t display it. It is something someone can craft. The “lamp” part of it is designed to look like the Labyrinthos area’s blocky grapes. These appeared like that briefly in FFXIV Endwalker, though patch 6.01 fixed their appearance. Someone can’t buy them, and you can’t place them in an armoire or glamour dresser. It can be desynthesized by an Alchemist, however. 

The official description for them continues to play with how the FFXIV Endwalker grapes ended up becoming a meme. So much so that LINE stickers and a Las Vegas Fan Fest 2023 stress ball were designed to look like them.

Author
Jenni Lada

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FFXIV Patch 6.55 Part 2 Adds New Quests and Gilded Araya Trial

2 months 1 week ago

FFXIV Patch 6.55

Patch 6.55 Part 2 is now live for Final Fantasy XIV, and Square Enix shared the patch notes detailing what it has brought to the game. The release date for the patch was revealed earlier this month at the 2024 Fan Fest in Tokyo.

As well as the usual bug fixes and balance changes, the big addition in this patch is the new Gilded Araya trial. The Gilded Araya was previously available to fight as a challenge battle at Fan Festival events in the North America, Europe, and Japan. This trial requires an item level of at least 625 and is tackled with a team of eight players.

Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.55 also brings three new main scenario quests for players that have reached level 90 and are up-to-date with the story. This is now when the game begins to set the stage for the upcoming Dawntrail expansion.

Author
Elliot Gostick

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Solo Leveling Anime English Dub Debuts This Week, Voice Actors Revealed

2 months 1 week ago

Crunchyroll revealed the Solo Leveling anime English dub debut date, shared a trailer, and announced its voice actors.

Crunchyroll announced the Solo Leveling anime English dub release date, as well as many of the voice actors for the show. It will begin airing on the subscription service on January 20, 2024. 

Here is the full list of Solo Leveling anime English dub voice actors so far, with Aleks Le in the starring role as Sung Jinwoo:

  • Baek Yoonho - Christopher R. Sabat
  • Cha Hae-in - Michelle Rojas
  • Choi Jong-in - Ian Sinclair
  • Go Gunhee - Kent Williams
  • Lee Joohee - Dani Chambers
  • Sung Jinah - Rebecca Wang
  • Sung Jinwoo - Aleks Le
  • Woo Jinchul - SungWon Cho
  • Yoo Jinho - Justin Briner

Author
Jenni Lada

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Good Smile Company Harmonia Humming Snow Miku Doll Is Almost $200

2 months 1 week ago

Good Smile Company Harmonia Humming Snow Miku Doll Is Almost $200

Good Smile Company announced its Snow Miku Harmonia Humming doll will launch in January 2025 in Japan and Q2 2025 worldwide. The doll, based on the variant design of Hatsune Miku, will cost ¥30,000/$198.99, and pre-orders are open now.

Like all of the Harmonia Humming line, this is a 1/8 scale doll based on the character. It is based on traditional Snow Miku outfits. That means instead of the primary colors being black, grey, and turquoise, they are shades of blue, silver, and white. She stands at over seven and a half inches tall and comes with a stand. She’s also articulated, like all dolls in this line, with people able to pose her arms, legs, and head. Her eyes can also be adjusted. 

The Snow Miku will come with her full outfit. People get a top, skirt, hair clips, gloves, arm covers, boots, a scarf, and a headset. These could be used with other Harmonia Humming dolls.

Here’s a closer look at the new Hatsune Miku doll and her outfit.

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Jenni Lada

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Fate/Samurai Remnant Demo Now Available

2 months 1 week ago

Fate/Samurai Remnant Demo

A demo is now available for Koei Tecmo and Omega Force's Fate/Samurai Remnant, allowing interested players to get a taste of the game before buying. The demo is available on the PC, PS4, PS5, and Switch, and it offers the option to carry over save data to the full game.

Fate/Samurai Remnant is a story-heavy RPG with Musou series-style combat set in Type Moon's Fate universe. In it, magic users summon the spirits of historical and mythological figures to fight for wishes from the Holy Grail. This time the action is set in 1600s Edo and follows Miyamoto Iori, the disciple of legendary swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi, as he becomes entangled in the Waxing Moon ritual.

Covering the game's introductory section, the demo will include the initial conflict between Iori and the mysterious enemy Rider-class servant, his summoning of his own Saber-class servant, and some exploration of the game's initial area of Edo. Saved data from playing the demo can then by carried over to the full game if players wish to continue.

You can find more information on the official website, or watch the announcement trailer via Youtube below:

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Elliot Gostick

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Baldur’s Gate 3 Hotfix 17 Stops Gale from Suddenly Leaving Your Party

2 months 1 week ago

Baldur's Gate 3 Hotfix 17 Gale

Larian Studios released Hotfix 17 for Baldur’s Gate 3, and it fixes an issue with Gale. However, this is primarily a small update designed to address a few issues around saves and a couple of story adjustments.

The biggest addition to Hotfix 17 is a change to the behavior for Gale as part of his Baldur's Gate 3 storyline. Due to a bug, players found him leaving the party instantly if they fail to offer him any magical items, even temporarily. This has been adjusted so that he will only do this if you make it clear you never intend to give him magical items to snack on. He will no longer leave if you simply don’t have anything on hand in that exact moment.

Hotfix 17 also fixes a few issues related to Baldur's Gate 3 save files. These include reducing the size of save files that were registering summons that no longer exist in the game world. Save files overall are also getting increased compression, reducing their sizes. This also aims to fix errors that occurred due to large save sizes. This includes an error specific to the PS5 version where large file sizes would prevent players from being able to save again.

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Leigh Price

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Persona 3 Reload and Palworld Complete the January 2024 Xbox Game Pass Lineup

2 months 1 week ago

Persona 3 Reload Xbox Game Pass

Persona 3 Reload and Palworld are among the latest games announced for Xbox Game Pass by Microsoft. They are part of five games releasing in the second half of January 2024, and two games announced for February 2024.

Here are all the new Xbox Game pass releases for the second half of January 2024:

  • January 18, 2024: Turnip Boy Robs a Bank (cloud, console and PC – day one)
  • January 18, 2024: F1 23 (console, PC – via EA Play)
  • January 19, 2024: Palworld (cloud, console and PC – day one)
  • January 25, 2024: Go Mecha Ball (cloud, console and PC – day one)
  • January 30, 2024: Brotato (cloud, console and PC)
  • February 2, 2024: Persona 3 Reload (cloud, console and PC – day one)
  • February 6, 2024: Anuchard (cloud, console and PC)

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Leigh Price

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FFXIV The Maiden’s Rhapsody FFXI Event Returns

2 months 1 week ago

FFXIV The Maiden’s Rhapsody FFXI Event Returns

Once again the FFXIV FFXI The Maiden’s Rhapsody event will appear in the game. This time, it will run between January 22, 2024 and February 5, 2024. 

This is an established event that showed up multiple times since its November 2015 debut. As the official site pointed out, it returned in 2017, 2020, and 2022. As such, the reward is the same, you can continue if you didn’t finish last time, and you can see it again with Seasonal Event Replay. 

To take part, in case you haven’t completed it before, you need to go to X:11.6, Y:11.2 at the Upper Decks of Limsa Lominsa. Remumu will be there, and you can talk to her to start “A Journey to Remember.” You must have a class or job at level 30 to take it.

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Jenni Lada

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Last Pomu Rainpuff Schedule Before Graduation Includes Pokemon, Minecraft

2 months 1 week ago

Last Pomu Rainpuff Schedule Before Graduation Includes Pokemon, Minecraft

Nijisanji Vtuber Pomu Rainpuff revealed her last schedule before her graduation on social media. It started on January 15, 2024 and will run until January 19, 2024 when she goes off line and leaves the company. 

There are a mix of collabs, karaoke, and final zatsudans. She also announced that the music video for her last original song “Please” will appear on January 17, 2024. On January 16, 2024, her final Pokemon Black Chandelure challenge stream will air, followed by a last LazuLight collab with Elira Pendora and Finana Ryugu.

Here is the final schedule:

  • January 15, 2024 at 2pm PT/5pm ET: Karaoke JP
  • January 15, 2024 at 5pm PT/8pm ET: Karaoke EN
  • January 16, 2024 at 11am PT/2pm ET: Pokemon Black Challenge
  • January 16, 2024 at 4pm PT/7pm ET: Lazu Company Collab
  • January 17, 2024 at 11am PT/2pm ET: Last Minecrafting
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Jenni Lada

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Street Fighter 6 Reached 3 Million Units Sold Worldwide

2 months 1 week ago

Street Fighter 6 reached 3 million units sold worldwide

Capcom announced that it has sold over 3 million units of Street Fighter 6 worldwide as of January 3, 2024. This number combined physical and digital sales of the full game on consoles and PCs. It also shared a new celebratory illustration featuring Chun-Li.

The company has also provided three bonus items to celebrate the new milestone. Players can access the news page mentioning the same announcement in the game to obtain a special stamp, emote, and avatar costume.

Capcom concluded the Japanese press release by promising that it will continue to add new content to the fighting game. The company has been adding not only more playable characters but also new cosmetic choices like the Outfit 3 set and crossover content from other external franchises, such as Spy x Family. It also still has upcoming plans to add Ed and Akuma as additional playable characters in Winter 2024 and Spring 2024, respectively.

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Kite Stenbuck

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Foamstars Release Date, PlayStation Plus Appearance Revealed

2 months 1 week ago

Foamstars Release Date, PlayStation Plus Appearance Revealed

Square Enix revealed the Foamstars release date and also confirmed the game will be a part of PlayStation Plus at launch. It will debut on February 6, 2024 on the subscription service, then appear to buy for $29.99 on March 5, 2024.

As a reminder, Foamstars is a team-based shooter like Splatoon or Overwatch. However, players are using foam to fill the arena and defeat opponents, as first seen during the September 2023 open beta. Happy Bath Survival, Rubber Duck Party, and Smash the Star 4v4 modes will all appear at launch. For those who want to play more cooperatively or alone, there will be the single-player Foamstar Mission or four-player Squad Mission. By going through these modes, people can complete Anytime, Limited-Time, and Weekly challenges to earn new characters and features. Specifically, Square Enix pointed to The Baristador as one of these rewards.

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Jenni Lada

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