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The fans of Gundam Evolution have spoken. According to Gundam Evolution rankings taken by Bandai Namco, Gundam Unicorn is the most popular Gundam work. The data was gathered via surveys sent to participants in the Gundam Evolution closed network tests. Among other questions, Bandai Namco polled players on their favorite Gundam movies and series. Collected from players in both the North American and Japanese tests, they form a picture of which series are Gundam Evolution players' favorites, at least in those territories.

Bandai Namco shared the collated Gundam Evolution rankings via its official Twitter account. They're divided between Japan, North America, and a combined result for both territories.

https://twitter.com/gundamevolution/status/1552351959008497664

On the Japanese side, the Gundam Evolution rankings placed Gundam Unicorn in first place, followed by the Char's Counter Attack film. Gundam 00, Gundam Hathaway, and the original Gundam series made up the rest of the top 5. Universal Century series dominated the top rankings overall, making up 7 of the top 10 places. Zeta Gundam, The 08th MS Team, and Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory all placed. Of the original settings, Iron-Blooded Orphans and Gundam Seed joined 00 for the top spots.

Fuga: Melodies of Steel is known for having a cutesy, furry-adjacent aesthetic that belies the tension in its gameplay and drama in its story. CyberConnect2 appears to be continuing in that mold, going by its new trailer for Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2.

The company uploaded a new video laying out the story on July 28, 2022. You can see it below.

Note: The Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2  trailer and the rest of the article may spoil elements of the first game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OolRShEoq9I

The Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 trailer recalls a "secret movie" from the first game. That movie unlocks when players turn all the white gears on the title screen to orange. It previews the continuation of Fuga's story in Fuga 2, along with some rough concept art and voice acting. The new trailer follows most of the same beats, but uses more complete, colored art instead of rough sketches.

As in the secret movie, the trailer's story picks up after the conclusion of the first game's true ending. It also confirms earlier leaks about the premise. The Taranis, the giant tank from the first game, has gone berserk, taking some of the children hostage. To fight it and rescue their friends, the remaining children board the Tarascus, the tank piloted by Shvein Hax to make war upon those responsible. The trailer closes with Malt vowing revenge against his enemy, promising to find them and kill them.

The Twitter account for Digimon games Tweeted out a request for players to avoid posting about story content past Chapter 5 of Digimon Survive. Players will be free to talk about events past Chapter 5 two months after the release of Digimon Survive. That means you will be able to freely post about the whole game from September 29, 2022. This is so all players will have an equal opportunity to enjoy Digimon Survive for the first time.

That is not to say players are completely unable to talk about the entirety of the game. The Twitter account says they are free to do so if they make it clear their post contains spoilers, such as with hashtags. Spoiler hashtags on social media are often used by spoiler-averse players to filter that sort of content from their feeds. Bandai Namco didn't specify if it would take any enforcement action against spoilers (such as via takedown requests).

https://twitter.com/digimon_games/status/1552338028353437696

Requests like this are not new in the game industry. For example, Spike Chunsoft has requested that streamers and those posting on social media to avoid posting videos showing what happens after Chapter 1 of the Danganronpa games. The game also automatically prevents players from taking screenshots or videos past Chapter 1.

Five years after the release of NieR Automata, it seems the game may still hide some secrets. An anonymous player may have discovered a secret church in NieR Automata, hidden in the game's Copied City area. That is, of course, if the claim can be verified and it doesn't turn out to be an elaborate hoax or prank.

One complicating factor is that only a single anonymous player has been able to access the NieR Automata secret church. The area is supposedly hidden behind a wall in the Copied City. A player named "sadfutago" posted to the NieR Subreddit board asking about the requirements to access the area, which were unclear. Most respondents did not believe that any Copied City buildings were accessible. Sadfutago posted video of the area, which revealed a previously-unknown hidden door. Commenters were divided between calling the video a fake and investigating the claim.

Sony's ready to show interested fans what it's like to use a PSVR 2. A special post on the PlayStation Blog detailed more about the PSVR 2 User Experience. Written by Senior Staff Product Manager Yasuo Takahashi, the post detailed some of the new features of the headset and controllers. These features bring the PSVR 2's capabilities more in line with contemporary high-end VR setups.

For starters, the PSVR 2 user experience now allows for viewing one's surroundings without removing the headset. This "See-Through View" mode is enabled by external cameras mounted on the headset itself. Thus, players can check for their controllers or see if there are obstacles in their way without removing the hardware. Gameplay recording  also does not function when using see-through view. This adds an unlisted benefit: You won't accidentally show audiences the inside of your house if you record a gameplay clip and use the mode to check something.

PSVR 2 users can also record an external view of themselves for broadcast if they have a PS5 HD Camera handy. This allows stream audiences to see you wearing the hardware while still seeing through your viewpoint as you broadcast.

The Pokemon Company revealed a new cooperation with China Airlines to launch a new plane with Pokemon-themed livery. The Taiwanese airliner will fly the "Pikachu Jet CI" on several flights in the Asian region.

Even though the new flight will have the name Pikachu Jet CI, the plane's livery will feature more Pokemon other than the series' representative mascot. Jigglypuff, Snorlax, and Slowpoke will accompany Pikachu. The Hoenn Pokemon Swablu and the Unova native Munna will also make an appearance. Despite not appearing on the left side, the press release also mentioned Sinnoh's mythical Pokemon Shaymin.

China Airlines will be the first airline outside Japan to fly a plane with an official Pokemon design. The Pokemon Company had previously worked with Japanese airliners like All Nippon Airways. It also provided Pokemon designs for Air Do's flights in the northernmost Hokkaido prefecture and Skymark's flights to Okinawa and Fukuoka in southern Japan. On the Flying Pikachu website, the company also teased plans to bring Pokemon jets to more countries and regions around the world.

New Nendoroid figures modeled after Mama and the Girl of Light from NieR: Reincarnation will appear in Japan. Square Enix has opened pre-orders for the new figure set containing both characters on its Japanese e-Store. The company will officially release the product on January 28, 2023.

The Girl of Light is the protagonist of NieR: Re[in]carnation, and Mama is the ghost-like character who acts as a guide in the mobile game. The Nendoroid figure will depict both characters in cute chibi proportions. The Girl's figure will have an approximate height of 10 cm (~3.9 inches).

The package will come with three facial expression parts for the Girl, showing her happy and sad faces. The set will also include a small ladle and frying pan that Mama can hold.

[gallery ids="932783,932784,932785" link="file"]

Prime 1 Studio will release figures of the Nakano sisters from The Quintessential Quintuplets. They all look like they are sitting on a blue sectional armchair-like seats. You will have to pay 158,950 JPY for the entire set, which is approximately $1163.20 USD. For those who only want a particular girl, each individual figure costs 31,790 JPY, which is around $232.65 USD.

The figures are currently open for pre-order, and they will ship out in August 2023. Depending on the development process, there may be a delay in the release window. Each figure is a 1/7 scale figure, at 18 x 18 x 18 centimeters. The girls are all wearing very light clothing, as if they were in the middle of lounging about.

Here are some more pictures of the The Quintessential Quintuplets figures from Prime 1 Studio:

[gallery columns="5" ids="932776,932775,932774,932773,932772" link="file"]

[Update: Developers at Cyberconnect2 responded on July 28, 2022 to the content of the leaks via Twitter to correct some errors. Check out this link for the response. We've also edited the article to correct some of the points raised.]

New details concerning the gameplay and release date of Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 have appeared ahead of CyberConnect2's official broadcast. Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2 will reportedly release sometime in 2023 for previous and current generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles, as well as the Nintendo Switch and PC. Furthermore, the game will feature improved gameplay mechanics, an expanded story, and more. [Thanks, ryokutya!]

According to prominent Japanese tipster ryokutya2089 via this week's issue of Famitsu, CyberConnect2 has reportedly completed 60% of the game's development. The sequel will take place a year after Fuga: Melodies of Steel's true ending. As such, those who have completed the first game and still possess the save data will get access to special content. Additionally, CyberConnect2 reveals that there the story cutscenes will be "twice the volume," and will continue to focus on Malt as the protagonist.

Sega revealed at the July 2022 NGS Headline program that it will add new costumes and accessories modeled after Hololive Production VTubers in Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis. It will include these items in the "Virtual Streamers" scratch on August 24, 2022. Players of the online game will be able to obtain multiple items that turn their avatars into the three VTubers representing the entire group.

Shirakami Fubuki, who plays New Genesis the most in the group, will represent the Japanese VTuber team. Hololive English's Ninomae Ina'nis will also appear on behalf of the group's international talents. And Kageyama Shien will become the representative of the male VTuber group Holostars.

Other than Hololive Production, the "Virtual Streamers" scratch will also include costumes and accessories based on the game's dedicated Japanese streamer Sabakuro and the Phantasy Star series VTuber Popona.

Konami will add five music tracks from Toby Fox's Undertale into Sound Voltex: Exceed Gear on July 28, 2022. Players of the rhythm arcade game will be able to play the tracks while adding effects to them.

The five Undertale tracks that will be available in Sound Voltex are "Bonetrousle," "Spear of Justice," "Death by Glamour," "Asgore," and "Finale." Toby Fox's name will also appear in the arcade game as the composer of all five tracks.

More pedometers featuring The Idolmaster characters will appear in Japan, and this time it will include over 300 characters from the whole franchise. Tanita has opened pre-orders for the items on its website. Each and every pedometer will have the same price tag of 3,300 yen.

In late 2021, Tanita released pedometers that featured 190 idols from The Idolmaster: Cinderella Girls. The title's roster is already larger than all other Idolmaster entries combined, but that still does not stop the company from expanding the product lineup to cover the whole Idolmaster series.

The new pedometer designs will feature 39 idols from Million Live, 25 characters from Shiny Colors, and 49 male idols from SideM. It will also add 19 characters who debuted in the console games, including the original 765 Production members, the 876 Production idols from the 2009 DS game Dearly Stars, and the 2021 PS4 and PC title Starlit Season. In total, the lineup will have all 322 idols from the entire franchise represented.

[gallery columns="1" ids="932741" link="file"]

Tanita will close the pre-order period for The Idolmaster series pedometers on September 5, 2022. It will produce the items based on the number of orders received and ship them from mid-November 2022.

Punishing Gray Raven developer Kuro Game debuted a new look at Wuthering Waves, its new game. Titled "Sunoare", the trailer showcased more in-development footage of the open-world action title.

Check out the Wuthering Waves gameplay trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01vz41sCr84

The Wuthering Waves trailer shows off a mix of cutscene, combat and environmental traversal gameplay. A male playable character travels about a large open-world map with long vistas. They and other, unnamed female playable characters, are shown gliding through the air while holding an umbrella-like glider. The glider itself is made up of multiple rigid panels, similar to the one used by Fragile in Death Stranding. Characters can swim, climb, swing on ropes, and even run along vertical walls.

They can use these moves in combat, too, to gain height advantage on enemies. The trailer also shows an in-game town or settlement of some kind. From some of the character interactions shown, it may be a hub for quests or narrative events in the final release of Wuthering Waves. In combat, characters can belt out combos, and the gameplay shows free-switching of different characters in the party. As the game is in development, no UI or interface is visible, though.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a huge game, both in scope and in the anticipation levels of its dedicated fan base. Its ambitions match! There's a ton to do, see and learn. With all this, though, comes high expectations. So does it meet them? Let's go through the menu.

Characters

The protagonists of the game, two combat teams from the game’s main warring factions, are out to... save the world? Handle everyone’s problems? It’s a fairly standard JRPG setup, though Monolith does a good job making you invested in their adventure and its secrets. The two main heroes, Noah and Mio, are “off-seers,” experts in sending off dead fighters in a world very much full of them. This is used to center the story on life and death, and the consequences of an abbreviated existence.

The tone of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 feels like a mix of the original Xenoblade and the Wii U-exclusive X. It’s more serious in tone, and more realistic in visual presentation. It’s also less of a “handheld” game. We didn’t have any issues playing it on our Switch Lite, but it’s clear that the game’s designed for a larger, TV-based play experience. Xenoblade 2 had large text, hidden interface elements and such, and that’s just not here. It’s also a darker, more atmospheric game, while 2 was generally a vibrant anime world.

Soul Hackers 2 releases in just under a month, and Atlus wants to make sure everyone's on the same page, story-wise. The new Soul Hackers 2 worldview trailer serves that purpose.

Formally called the "World Overview Full Explanation", the Soul Hackers 2  worldview trailer is narrated by Tomokazu Sugita. Sugita's narrated quite a few Atlus trailers, including daily demon features for Shin Megami Tensei V.

Check it out below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4CEzltBAnM

The Soul Hackers 2 worldview trailer establishes the setting as the mid-21st century. It's a time when human technology has stagnated, and its culture has entered slow decline. But lo, the Singularity looms. Technology spontaneously leaves the hands of its creators, evolving on its own. Within the communications network Neuron, a will emerges: Aion. Predicting the imminent end of the world, Aion creates two agents to make first contact with humanity: Ringo and Figue.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, secret organizations battle over the Covenant, the "keyword" to change the fate of the world. The Phantom Society and Yatagarasu war using Devil Summoners. Devil Summoners can form contracts with demons, calling on their power. It's into this Maelstrom that Ringo and Figue enter.

PC players with a Steam account will have their first Crayon Shin-Chan game released on the platform. Bushiroad has created a Steam page for Crayon Shin-Chan: The Storm Called! Flaming Kasukabe Runner!! It will release the action runner game digitally in Fall 2022. This game will contain Japanese voiceovers with subtitles in Japanese, English, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Latin American Spanish.

Flaming Kasukabe Runner originated as a free-to-play mobile game that Bushiroad launched for Android and iOS devices in 2016. Although the company also made English and Spanish localizations, the global version of the original mobile game is no longer available.

In early 2020, Bushiroad released a single-purchase version of Flaming Kasukabe Runner on Nintendo Switch worldwide. This game is still available on the North American Nintendo eShop at $9.99.

SuperGroupies unveiled its new Kingdom Hearts collection, with preorders open in North America and Japan. Shipping to Europe is available through WorldShopping. The fashion line includes watches, wallets, umbrellas, backpacks, and jackets, with designs based on nine of the game's iconic characters. Each order will also come with exclusive postcard art from creator Nomura Tetsuya. Pre-orders will be open until August 14, 2022, at 8 PM PST.

The Kingdom Hearts fashion line initially appeared at the Kingdom Hearts 20th-anniversary event held in Tokyo earlier this year. The announcement revealed that the fashion line would somehow incorporate nine characters from the series into wristwatch designs: Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, Axel, Xion, Ventus, Aqua, and Terra. We now know that each character would not only get their own watches but would also get other fashion items such as backpacks and jackets.

https://twitter.com/SuperGroupiesUS/status/1551487049697734657?s=20&t=BJS7YJ6Ht2TAo0fEA2b0RA

Each item incorporates various references to the character it represents. Sora's wristwatch, for example, features his crown symbol and his keyblade as the hour hand. Axel's jacket features some similarities to his Organization XIII outfit and also has the Organization symbol on the chest. While prices for the watches, umbrellas, wallets, and backpacks are all the same regardless of character, jacket prices vary.

Kotobukiya has opened pre-orders for Genshin Impact figures of Aether and Lumine in Japan. The company has also announced the release window for both products. The 1/7 scale figures of the Traveler protagonists will be available in April 2023.

Both figures will have the same full price tag of 18,480 yen (~$135.5). Kotobukiya's online shop also offers several incentives related to these Genshin Impact figures. It will guarantee stock availability to people who place orders on the website by October 18, 2022. The publisher's store will also add an extra facial expression for each figure in limited amounts.

Kotobukiya first unveiled the 1/7 scale figures of Aether and Lumine on July 20, 2022. Both characters will stand and pose on a specially-made pedestal. The figures' overall height—including the pedestal— will be 270mm (~10.6") for Aether and 255m (~10") for Lumine. The company will use PVC and ABS to produce these figures.

Aether and Lumine are the next Genshin Impact characters in Kotobukiya's lineup of figures after Barbara. Kotobukiya launched a similar pre-order offer for Barbara's figure with a store-exclusive facial expression and guaranteed stock until April 12, 2022. It will release the first figure in September 2022.

Studio Bones announced the My Hero Academia season 6 release date will fall on October 1, 2022. The upcoming season will air on Japanese televisions on the Yomiuri and Nihon Television channels, every Saturday at 5:30 PM Japan Time (1:30 AM PST / 10:30 AM CEST). The availability of an English dub or streaming platform has not yet been confirmed. [Thanks, Livedoor!]

Along with the release date announcement, Bones also revealed the latest key visual for season 6. As with previous trailers and visuals for the season, the poster depicts the heroes ready to face off against the villains of the Paranormal Liberation Front. Furthermore, the announcement Tweet mentions that the upcoming season will cover the "All-Out War" arc of the manga.

Ultraman fans may soon be ready to become Ultraman farmers. The Ultraman franchise-themed Monster Rancher spin-off is coming this October. Bandai Namco revealed that the Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher release date falls on October 20, 2022.

Here's a trailer announcing the release date and showing off more gameplay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn2kFZJaa_M

With the global Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher release date confirmed, Bandai Namco also promoted a pre-order bonus. Pre-order customers will receive a "Giant of Light" cosmetic skin for the Ultra Kaiju Sevenger. Sevenger first appeared in the 1975 series Ultraman Leo, as a "Capsule Kaiju" belonging to the hero Ultraseven. Ultraseven's alter ego Dan Moroboshi could summon Capsule Kaiju to fight when himself could not transform into Ultraseven. Sevenger appeared again in 2020's Ultraman Z, as an anti-monster robot piloted by human-size operators. Sevenger later appeared in some specials separate from main Ultraman series. Sevenger Fight, a comedic short, pits Sevenger against various monster foes.

Check out a promo for Sevenger Fight below to see Sevenger in action.

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

Papers, Please will come out on iOS and Android mobile devices on August 5, 2022. Like the PC version, it will have a campaign mode where you play through the story, as well as an endless mode for those who want to see how long they can last. For those who purchased the game on the iPad, you can get it on the iPhone for free. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

While the contents of the game itself are the same as the original, Lucas Pope moved around some of the interface so that the game can look good when you hold it in portrait mode. It will also come with all of the languages that the game has been localized in.

Papers, Please first came out in 2013 for the Windows PC. You take on the role of an immigration officer working at the border of Arstotzka, which is a fictional country with some similarities to the Eastern Bloc. It is a puzzle simulation game in which you look at immigrants’ passports and other supporting paperwork, and check for inconsistencies. If there is nothing wrong, you may let them pass, but if there is false information, you must detain them for the safety of your country.

Several streamers and VTubers (including Markiplier, Ike Eveland, and Gawr Gura) have streamed the game over the past few years.

Universal Studios Japan (USJ) has released more information on the Jujutsu Kaisen collaboration event that will run from September 16, 2022. Like most crossovers at the theme park, there will be a 4D ride, as well limited time music that will play on Hollywood Dream: The Ride. Additionally, there will be Jujutsu Kaisen-themed food and merchandise available during the crossover. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

“Kaikai Kitan” by Eve, which is also the first opening of the series, will play on Hollywood Dream. As for the 4D ride, you will be able to experience a fight between the main cast of characters and Cursed Spirits, along with a story original to the ride. Yuji and the others are fighting to prevent a conspiracy targeting the opening of a Jujutsu High in Osaka. This will also mark the first time that the Jujutsu Kaisen characters appear in 3D.

The 4D ride will be available from September 16, 2022 until July 2, 2023. As for the Hollywood Dream: The Ride (Kaikai Kitan version), it is available until January 18, 2023.

Jujutsu Kaisen follows the story of Yuji Itadori after he becomes a Jujutsu Sorcerer in order to prevent his execution. He houses a powerful Curse named Ryomen Sukuna inside of his body because he ate one of the fingers. The ultimate goal is for Yuji to eat all of the fingers so that they can fully exorcize Sukuna.

During WonFes 2022, Apex Toys revealed that a figure of Jack-O Valentine is in development. As the picture only reveals the figure’s silhouette, it is difficult what it will look like in the end. However, we can see that the figure will strike her signature ‘Jack-O pose.’ [Thanks, Zodam!]

The Jack-O pose has Jack-O placing her chest on the ground. She then raises her rear up in the air, with her legs far apart and feet on the ground. There was even the online ‘Jack-O Challenge,’ in which people took pictures of themselves or drew characters re-enacting the pose. This pose is actually Jack-O’s crouching animation.

Here's what it looks like in Guilty Gear Strive.

Naughty Dog is currently working on a remake of 2013's The Last of Us, bringing it to the PlayStation 5. The project was long-rumored and finally leaked by a PlayStation Direct store listing. Now Naughty Dog itself has come forward with a gameplay showcase for the game. Now called The Last of Us Part 1, a new video documentary highlights the team's goals and the upgrades players can expect from the transition to PS5.

Check it out below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRKIWQUucj0

In the The Last of Us Part 1 "Rebuilt for PS5" feature, Naughty Dog figures like Co-President Neil Druckmann, Director Matthew Gallant, and Creative Director Shawn Escayg hold forth on their goals for the game. The feature shows off comparisons between 2014's The Last of Us Remastered  (a PS4 upgrade of the game) and The Last of Us Part 1 running on the PS5. According to the team, the PS5's extra power and graphical capabilities allow Naughty Dog to bring the game closer to their original creative vision. The effort also allows them to take advantage of innovations and lessons learned from the development of The Last of Us Part 2.

Square Enix's remaster of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together may have a release date. A listing on PlayStation Store price tracker site PSDeals.net lists the Tactics Ogre: Reborn release date November 11, 2022. The listing also included a detailed description of the remastered title's features, and a few screenshots. Previous leaks showed off some new key artwork and a possible cover shot, but no release window, screenshots, or description.

According to the description on PSDeals.net, Tactics Ogre: Reborn is destined for PS4 and PS5. It is based on the 2010 PSP-based Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. It's worth reiterating that at the moment none of this information is confirmed.

In addition to a release date, the Tactics Ogre: Reborn description touts a "completely revamped AI", and a change of the level management system from being "class-wide" to "unit-by-unit". It also highlights playability improvements like a quicker battle speed, auto-saving, and an overhaul to controls and UI. Character art and backgrounds have been recreated in HD.

Check out some of the leaked screenshots in the gallery.

[gallery link="file" ids="932669,932670,932671,932672,932673,932674"]

Production-wise, cutscenes will be fully voiced in English and Japanese. The music of Tactics Ogre: Reborn has also been rerecorded with live performances.

Yostar and Hypergryph conducted the 2.5 year anniversary stream for the global edition of Arknights on July 23, 2022. Alongside previews of the upcoming anniversary event, a new trailer for Arknights: Prelude to Dawn, the anime adaptation of the game, was shown.

The trailer features new footage from the show, as well as voice acting in Japanese by Tomoyo Kurosawa, who plays Amiya.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brkx0yLJ260

The setting and catalyst for events in the game world of Terra is clarified a bit more in the traile for Arknights: Prelude to Dawn. Amiya's speech reveals that Originium, the fictional material that powers all manner of technology and Arts (magic) in Arknights' world is also the source of Oripathy. Oripathy is an incurable disease caused by exposure to Originium. While some gain unusual powers and abilities due to their Oripathy symptoms, most "Infected" are doomed to a painful existence. Infected sometimes form Originium crystals on their skin or organs, and even explode when they die. Infected are segregated away by various Terran governments and persecuted mercilessly.

The global edition of Arknights sees its 36th month in operation soon. This milestone is enough for Yostar and Hypergryph to call it an anniversary and celebrate. The Arknights 2.5 Anniversary stream previewed new content and events for the game. Coming soon is a limited-time Arknights event, called "Invitation to Wine". Like Who is Real and Ancient Forge before it, Invitation to Wine is a Lunar New Year event, rescheduled to adapt to the global edition's event pacing.

Check out an anime trailer for Invitation to Wine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpgRVVZQKB8

Like previous related Arknights events, Invitation to Wine involves a sister of the Yanese Operator Nian. Where Who is Real introduced Dusk, the eleventh of Nian's siblings, Invitation to Wine focuses on Ling, third eldest. Ling is a carefree poet who can manipulate dreams. All three of the siblings (and their other, unidentified sisters) are fragments of Sui, a powerful Yanese deity. While another new character, Lee, investigates the provenance of a mysterious wine cup, the Rhodes Island Operators Kroos and Mr. Nothing enter the heartland of Yan to track down Ling.

HoYoVerse has released another trailer for the upcoming Sumeru region in Genshin Impact. As a reminder, Sumeru will come out in Version 3.0, which is the next update after the current Version 2.8. While the first trailer focused on the concept of the Dendro element, the “Of Rain and Sand” video takes a look at the actual region players will get to explore.

Unlike previous regions, which remains fairly consistent in biome, Sumeru will have a rainforest section and a desert one. The rainforest will have lots of mountains and tropical flora. As well, the desert will have ruins and oases, as well as caves. As Genshin Impact is a fantasy game, the team did not want the designs to look that realistic, though it did incorporate real-life designs as influence.

You can watch the full video and interview behind the design of Genshin Impact’s Sumeru region here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2l9IpLVgXQ

Some characters who will appear in Sumeru include Collei, Tighnari, and Dori. There is no official information as of yet in regards to their rarity and whether they will be immediately available in the gacha when Version 3.0 launches.

The Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Cafe closed down shop on July 22, 2022, but the FFVII Remake Twitter account has uploaded a recipe for Banora White Juice in case anyone who missed it wants to give it a try. The video is just under two minutes long, and there are no English subtitles. However, the recipe is fairly simple, with perhaps the only difficulty being locating butterfly pea syrup.

https://twitter.com/FFVIIR_CLOUD/status/1550707279611146241

Banora White Juice calls for 150 mL of apple juice that you pour over ice. You then put in a combination of butterfly pea syrup (20 mL) and “purple haze” syrup (5 mL). It is slightly unclear if “purple haze” syrup is syrup with the flavors of a Purple Haze mixed drink. It may also be possible to simply pour in 25 mL of butterfly pea syrup. After pouring in syrups, you squeeze in the juice of one lemon and then top it with some mint leaves. You will not need to shake it.

In Final Fantasy VII lore, a Banora White (or dumbapple) is a species of apple, and the Banora Underground references juice made from the apples. The fruit is a key component in the story of Crisis Core, and will likely make an appearance in the remake of the game. You can also see posters for Banora White Apple Juice in FFVII Remake.

The Netflix adaptation of Cowboy Bebop has been nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Main Title Design category. This means that the show’s intro sequence is what the Academy focused on. Other shows in the same category include Only Murders in the Building, Pachinko, and Severance.

While not an exact one-to-one, the Emmy-nominated introduction for the Netflix version of Cowboy Bebop took a lot of cues from the original anime one. It has the same jazzy song, angles, and silhouettes. There are also similar shots. IGN has uploaded a video comparing the Netflix sequence to the original side-by-side, which you can watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIVSY3BhU9Y

Cowboy Bebop debuted on Netflix on November 19, 2021, and less than a month later, Netflix announced the cancellation of its second season. According to sources, the drop in “viewing activity” during the week of December 5, 2021, made it seem unfeasible to renew the show considering production costs. Because the show left room to continue the story in a second season, it now ends with a cliffhanger of sorts.

Yostar Japan held a new live stream that revealed new Azur Lane content in its Summer 2022 event. The new event will run from July 28 to August 11, 2022. It will add six new shipgirls affiliated with the Italy-inspired Sardegna Empire. The Littorio-class battleship RN Roma will become the main star of the upcoming Azur Lane event.

These new additions will complete several Italian ship classes that have been featured in the mobile game. Other than Roma, Azur Lane will also see the completion of the Trento-class heavy cruisers with Bolzano, and the Duca degli Abruzzi-class light cruisers with Giuseppe Garibaldi.

1. RN Roma - Super Rare Battleship - Construction-exclusive
2. RN Giuseppe Garibaldi - Super Rare Light Cruiser - Construction and point shop
3. RN Leonardo da Vinci - Super Rare Submarine - Construction-exclusive
4. RN Alfredo Oriani - Elite Destroyer - Construction-exclusive
5. RN Bolzano - Elite Heavy Cruiser - Construction-exclusive
6. RN Emanuele Pessagno - Elite Destroyer - Total point rewards

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A second trailer for One Piece Film: Red is now available to watch on the official One Piece YouTube channel. The trailer has subtitles in fourteen languages including English, French, Chinese, and Russian. It also features the theme song and insert song, which are both sung by Ado. [Thanks, ryokutya2089!]

Both the first and second trailer for the movie allude to Uta’s familial relationship to Shanks. However, the second trailer shows more scenes, such as Luffy and Uta’s friendship, as well as parts of Uta’s performance at the music festival. It also shows Uta in the process of being taken away, as well as the Straw Hat Pirates fighting to retrieve her.

You can watch the second One Piece Film: Red trailer here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAN45KAL5lg

When you haven't had enough of Final Fantasy adventures in game form, consider the realm of books. Square Enix is publishing a new picture book adventure based on Final Fantasy. Title Chocobo and the Airship, the new book hits shelves on March 21, 2023. It's billed as a "heartwarming story" for Final Fantasy fans of all ages. The book is written by Kazuhiko Aoki, director of Chocobo's Dungeon 2, and illustrated by Toshiyuki Itahana, character designer for Chocobo's Dungeon.

Square Enix Manga and Books announced the publication on July 22, 2022, via its Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/SquareEnixBooks/status/1550466692228079621

The announcement also links the product page for Chocobo and the Airship on the Square Enix store. The page lists the book as a 40-page hardcover work. Its cover art, though not final, shows work-in-progress art with the Japanese title, Chocobo to Soratobu-bune ("Chocobo and the Flying Ship").

The page describes the story premise. Tireless inventor Cid and a brave little Chocobo must work together to build an airship. Their goal is to save their town, which is under threat from monsters. To get their ship into the air, though, they'll need a magical Flying Stone. They begin a "kwehst" to acquire the stone, meeting heroic adventurer allies and braving various dangers.

Chocobo and the Airship releases on March 21, 2023. It'll cost $17.99 USD.

Street Fighter 6 is coming with all-new fits for its world warriors, but some looks just don't die. That's why Capcom confirmed the existence of Street Fighter 6 classic costumes for series OGs Ryu, Chun-Li, and Guile. The costumes were first revealed at Capcom's SF6 panel at the ongoing San Diego Comic-Con 2022.

High-resolution screenshots of the Street Fighter 6 Classic Costumes were later uploaded to Capcom's official Twitter account. Check them out in the gallery below.

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The three costumes return Guile, Chun-Li, and Ryu to their appearances in Street Fighter II. Ryu once again wears his torn white gi, and is clean-shaven. Guile is back in his camouflage pants and olive-green tank top. Thanks to modern lighting and the game's aesthetic, though, the colors are a bit closer to his Champion Edition look than Street Fighter I or II. Chun-Li wears her modified blue cheongsam, with the spiked bracelets, sheer tights, and white boots. The Street Fighter 6 Classic Costumes also enable Chun-Li to perform a new taunt animation, one that has its own hitbox.

The Classic Costumes will be available in-game as DLC. Capcom didn't confirm the timing of the DLC. It also didn't confirm if the DLC is free or costs money. Beyond just the classic costumes, it will, though, be adding other new looks. The SDCC panel highlighted a street wear costume for Luke, and another alternate costume for Jamie.

Square Enix continued its series of blog posts revisiting the development of Final Fantasy VII Remake. The latest entries of FFVII Remake Revisited cover Chapter 5: Dogged Pursuit and Chapter 6: Light the Way. In doing so they reveal the origins of two common elements from the game. Those are Stamp, the dog-like Shinra company mascot, and the "Potion" benches, a common place to replenish lost HP and MP.

Check them out at these links. Note that they, and this article, contain some spoilers for Chapters 5 and 6 of Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Chapters 5 and 6 in Final Fantasy VII Remake cover Cloud and company's trip to Mako Reactor No. 5. They travel first via train, and then via the lighting infrastructure underneath Midgar's sector plates. The FFVII Remake Revisited blog brings insights into moments from the chapter, courtesy of members of the development team.

HoYoVerse has debuted a new web event for Genshin Impact players. Called Mesmerizing Dream At Sea, the Genshin Impact web event enables players to gather Primogems, resources, and other goodies. Their task: To help Paimon remember a weird dream she had.

https://twitter.com/GenshinImpact/status/1550329791038889984

The Mesmerizing Dream at Sea Genshin Impact web event is available via browsers, and accessible at this link. Players will need to log in each day to access a set of Daily Commissions and other tasks. The commissions are simple objectives, including logging into the game, completing in-game commissions, or catching Crystalflies. Completing the commissions will earn Paimon's Inspirations. The Inspirations can be used to retrieve dream memories.

The dream memories play out a quiz-style scenario, where Paimon asks questions about the ongoing Summer 2022 event. Getting answers right proceeds to the next part of the Mesmerizing Dream at Sea Genshin Impact event map. Flubbing a question prompts a do-over fueled by snacks. Snacks can also be earned by completing in-game tasks such as spending a certain amount of Mora.

With that in mind, it's best to begin and progress the Summer 2022 event story while participating in the Mesmerizing Dream at Sea event, to minimize incorrect answers.

The prizes for the event include 80 Primogems, 6 Hero's Wit items, 8 Mystic Enhancement Ores, 4 Sanctifying Unctions, and 90,000 Mora.

Capcom has published a new Mercenaries trailer for Resident Evil Village. This trailer showcases the new content that will be available in the Gold Edition compilation and the Winters' Expansion DLC set. It primarily gives the spotlight to the three new playable characters that will be available through the DLC.

The company has also updated the Mercenaries segment on its Resident Evil Village Gold Edition webpage. It added more details on the gameplay methods for each new character. Chris Redfield can launch straight punches and use the Target Locator to call in support fire from his allies. Karl Heisenberg can summon a Soldat Jet while hitting enemies with his hammer and using his electric and magnetic abilities. Alcina Dimitrescu can attack enemies with her talons to fill her Thrill gauge. When it is full, she will be able to summon her daughters to attack the enemies in her stead.

In addition to the three new characters, the Mercenaries set will also add two new stages called "The Bloody Village" and "The Bloody River."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Mz8Xjbu6yc

Touhou Project creator ZUN will release a new game at the milestone-reaching Comic Market 100. The game will be titled Touhou 18.5: 100th Black Market. Both its storyline and gameplay system will take inspiration from ZUN's previous game, Touhou 18: Unconnected Marketeers.

The story of 100th Black Market will take place shortly after the events of Unconnected Marketeers. A black market that greatly increases the value of Ability Cards outside of the creator's control has appeared in Gensokyo. While the prequel had four playable characters, this game will solely focus on Marisa Kirisame as she investigates the black market while trying to collect the cards for herself.

100th Black Market will focus on the card collection aspect. In a similar fashion to Unconnected Marketeers, players will be able to purchase and equip Ability Cards that give various buffs to Marisa, which range from passive buffs to additional attacks. Players will aim to complete the card collection while trying out different combinations. A market stage in Touhou 18.5 will consist of several short waves generated randomly.

Touhou 18.5: 100th Black Market will be available for PCs. ZUN's Team Shanghai Alice will sell physical copies of the game at Comiket 100 in Tokyo Big Sight on August 14, 2022. The developer has also confirmed plans to bring the new game to digital platforms, including Steam.

Inazuma Eleven: Great Road of Heroes has received a new name after news about its development went silent for a long time. Level-5 revamped its website and blog while revealing that it has renamed the new Inazuma Eleven game to Victory Road of Heroes. The name change also came with a large overhaul of the game's storyline.

While the green-haired Unmei Sasanami will still be the new game's protagonist, the revamped Story Mode will focus on depicting his own story. The main storyline will have Unmei gather members for a soccer club at a new school in Nagasaki with an all-new cast of characters. Level-5 will still retain the promised feature of recruiting characters from prior Inazuma Eleven entries, but players will do that in a separate Chronicle Mode.

Level-5 also promised more versatility in the new game's controls and displays. All platform versions will allow players to choose between horizontal and vertical play fields. Mobile devices and undocked Switches will also have a screen orientation option. The Nintendo Switch version will have the most versatile control scheme where players can utilize both the controller and touchscreen.

It's time for some hell with Cell (and Frieza). Dragon Ball: The Breakers has a release date, and it's launching soon. A Tweet from the official account confirmed that Bandai Namco's open-map Saiyan survival simulator launches on October 14, 2022.

The announcement also confirmed the presence of universal ruler Lord Frieza as one of the playable villains via a trailer.

https://twitter.com/DBTB_EN/status/1550118401992888320

The trailer takes place on the planet Namek, where a player character attempts to save a trapped Namekian child. Seen through the telltale projection of a Scouter, the player briefly channels Son Goku's power to deliver a blow. It doesn't work, and Frieza in his first form emerges from the smoke. Gameplay footage reveals that Frieza will transition through his first four forms over the course of a Dragon Ball: The Breakers match, with the more slender Super Frieza being effectively invincible.

The trailer also promoted a pair of limited physical releases of Dragon Ball: The Breakers. The base game is digital-only, through pre-orders unlock the Android 18 Transphere (enabling transformation into Android 18) and Scouter (Blue) cosmetic accessory. The Special Edition comes with the game on disc or cartridge (or digital code for PC), as well as a costume, victory pose, and a Yellow Dragon vehicle skin. The Limited Edition pack comes with all of the Special Edition and pre-order content, and adds a steelbook case, a set of stickers featuring the Raiders, a green Potara accessory, and a physical Cell Shell figure.