Siliconera

HoYoVerse has uploaded a new Myriad Celestia trailer for Ruan Mei, who will debut in Honkai: Star Rail as a playable character on December 27, 2023. She will be the first limited 5-star of Version 1.6 and will run with fellow new character Xueyi.

In the game's lore, Ruan Mei is a member of the Genius Society, much like Herta and Screwllum. Though she has not yet appeared in the game proper, you can get Ruan Mei’s blessing in Simulated Universe. She was also one of the characters who appeared indirectly in the Planar Infinity event from Version 1.4.

You can watch the Honkai: Star Rail Myriad Celestia trailer for Ruan Mei here:

The Zenless Zone Zero Equalizing Test server will close at the end of the day on December 24, 2023. Players will no longer be able to enter the game, and they will lose all of their progress.

The Equalizing Test is the name for the second closed beta of Zenless Zone Zero. It allowed players to experience what the game has to offer in its current build and gave HoYoVerse’s developers the chance to polish or alter things based on user feedback. HoYoVerse thanked all participants for their suggestions and encouraged players to watch out for more information on the game’s official release.

Like with Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail’s closed beta tests, players cannot keep any of the progress that they made in the Equalizing Test when the game is eventually released. They will have to start the story again, as well as collect characters and items once more. You can read our preview of the Equalizing Test here.

I was skeptical knowing that Capcom was going to attempt to help create a mobile game set in the Devil May Cry universe with NebulaJoy. I wouldn't really call this part of the franchise, since it's more or less just a spin-off with a very loose story featuring key members from the Devil May Cry series. But given Capcom's previous foray into the mobile genre with Sengoku Basara: Battle Party, my hopes weren't exactly high on whatever it was Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat was potentially going to deliver. While there is some good in this portable action game, the entire experience is bogged down in over-complicated systems that encourage players to dip into their wallets was early as the first mission.

Over the years, I've come to the realization that I'm a real hound for Capcom games. Resident Evil. Sengoku Basara. Devil May Cry. Haunting Ground. If it happened to come out during the PlayStation 2 and GameCube generation, I probably played it. Mostly because I just really liked what Capcom was dishing out. So naturally, given my propensity for the company's games and my love for all things Devil May Cry (even the Japan-exclusive stage play that was really just OK), that I'd be down to eat up what Peak of Combat was selling. Unfortunately, the game itself is really inconsistent in several ways that dragged down whatever good was left in it.

The director of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury has confirmed that Suletta and Miorine are married to each other. This information comes from an interview that was in the final Blu-Ray of the series. [Thanks, Automaton and sgk_123!]

Here is a translation of the director’s comment, as well as the question, based on the screenshot that Twitter user “sgk_123” uploaded:

Q: The epilogue shows the characters three years after the end of the show. Is this also something that you planned out in advance?

A: We were always going to show an epilogue, but the decision to make it three years after the end came after. As for what happens in the epilogue, we took from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. It shows Suletta and Miorine as partners after they got married.

Capcom has reminded players on its official Street Fighter 6 account that it does not tolerate cheaters or anyone engaging in disruptive behavior. The developer said it would permanently ban players from online play as punishment if anyone breaks the Terms of Use.

You can find the Terms of Use, or EULA, for each individual console, as well as in multiple languages, via the official Street Fighter 6 website. The third category is where Capcom lists behavior that players cannot engage in if they want to play online.

In general, players cannot post offensive or hateful content, transmit content that may contain viruses and such, or hack the game in any way. It also prohibits players from selling or trading their accounts or impersonating people such as Capcom employees or contractors.

Since its release in June 2023, Street Fighter 6 has become an incredibly popular fighting game among newcomers and veterans alike. In July 2023, a little over a month after its release, Capcom announced that it already sold over 2 million copies of the game. At launch, it had over 64,000 players online at the same time.

Four plushes based on Pokemon from the Paldea region will appear in the Pokemon Center in Japan. These dolls are only available in the Japan store.

You’ll be able to get Pokemon plushes based on Charcadet, Grafaiai, Tinkatink, and Palafin (Hero Form). Each doll costs 1650 JPY, which is around $11.60. The Japanese Pokemon Center does not directly offer international shipping though.

So overseas customers will have to use a proxy service of some kind to purchase them. Though they’re now available on the online storefront, you can also get them from brick-and-mortar stores. However, you’ll have to wait until December 23, 2023, for them to appear on the shelves.

The manga for The Ancient Magus’ Bride will return as a simultaneous English and Japanese publication but with AI translations. Bushiroad will use the AI translation program Mantra Engine from Mantra, which specializes in translating manga.

According to Bushiroad and Mantra, the companies intend to add simultaneous manga releases in other languages. From May 2024, for example, you can read AI-translated manga in Simplified Chinese. Bushiroad will upload these chapters onto Comic Growl, which is the company’s new online magazine and comic venture.

While Bushiroad and Mantra are only focusing on manga and magazines for now, they plan on using this technology to translate other forms of entertainment and release them at the same time as the original Japanese. Notably, companies within and outside of Japan already use Mantra, translating 250 to 300 volumes' worth of text every month.

The majority of reactions to this news have been negative. In general, most consumers do not react well to AI due to the implications behind its usage. Some have even stated that reading scanlations or fan translations is more morally correct than reading AI-translated work.

Onkyo announced the release of new wireless earphones with motifs inspired by the Sega Genesis and Dreamcast consoles. T-shirts and acrylic stands with the same Sega Genesis and Dreamcast motifs be available as well. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

Sales for the new Sega Genesis and Dreamcast earphones and merchandise starts on December 22, 2023. The items will be available from the Onkyo Direct online store, and the Onkyo Direct Akihabara store in Tokyo, Japan.

The wireless earphones are the model CP-TWS01A, and they cost 15,500 yen (or about $109) each. In addition, Onkyo will also sell Sega Genesis and Dreamcast wireless chargers for 4,400 yen (~$31) each. The Sega Genesis and Dreamcast acrylic stands cost 1,200 yen (~$8,) and the T-shirts cost 4,000 yen (~$28).

The headphone case is designed after the consoles themselves, and the Sega Genesis earbuds feature the 16-bit and console logo. Meanwhile, the Dreamcast model earbuds are designed to look like the console’s controller. The earphones feature the startup and system sounds of each console.

Hololive Vtuber Mori Calliope Cover, and Hanamichi Monogatari launched a Fortnite map to promote her cherry blossom liqueur MoriZakura. The map was created by metaverse production company MetaHeroes, which specializes in creating promotional Fortnite maps.

MoriZakura is a cherry blossom liqueur that was created in collaboration with Taiwanese alcohol company Hanamichi Monogatari, while the promotional art was made by Aku Maborosi. MoriZakura is available to pre-order in Taiwan now, with pre-orders in Japan set to open in Spring 2024.

The Fortnite map itself is freely available using the map code 7918-3226-4522. The location features grind rails, cherry trees, and posters of promotional art for the liquor.

You can find Mori Calliope's announcement tweet with a short video showcasing the map below:

While the Iron’s Hot is a blacksmith sim that seems promising, but also happens to be a Switch game that gets in its own way. Due to various minigames, crafting execution, and the method in which you take on new challenges, it can feel a lot like a tedious day job.

While the Iron’s Hot begins with an amateur blacksmith attempting to reach Ellian Island. After an attack on the boat taking them there, they wash ashore outside of Stal village and meet a former blacksmith named Drystan. Apparently, it isn’t exactly the crafter’s paradise players expected, but by building up their repertoire and helping others, the village could thrive again and players could fulfill their dreams.

Aladdin X announced that there is now a Christmas skin in effect in Suika Game (Watermelon Game) on the Switch. It is available as of December 21, 2023, following a download of the latest update.

This is a purely cosmetic skin for Suika Game. It doesn’t change any of the gameplay or alter any of the items you’ll be matching. So it will still be all about pairing up cherries, strawberries, grapes, and so on until you eventually get watermelons, which you then match to remove them and boost your score. However, the watermelon itself will look different when this holiday skin is in effect. 

While playing Suika Game, pressing the left or right triggers will let you switch to the new Christmas skin on the main menu. In addition to the main menu looking different, you’ll see a game scene with Christmas trees around and a candy cane-lined box. The watermelon in this skin holds a candy cane and has other decorations on it. The music is also different to fit the season.

Here are some official screenshots showing how different it looks when someone changes to the new skin.

Larian Studios released Hotfix 15 for Baldur’s Gate 3. According to the patch notes, it fixes a number of crashes, adds some new language packs and fixes the “Pinocchio issue” that some players have experienced.

Hotfix 15 primarily solves a couple of issues encountered by Baldur’s Gate 3 players. A few crashes have been addressed, including a few related to level loading, two Xbox-specific crashes related to online checks and very specific crash triggered by disarming an enemy twice then incapacitating them.

Hotfix 15 also sets out to solve the “Pinocchio issue”, as Larian has called it. This issue saw character faces getting unnaturally stretched out, usually affecting noses and cheeks. Character eyeballs were also disappearing during this glitch, leaving what Larian calls “pits of flesh” in their place.

The hotfix also adds Japanese to the PC and PS5 versions of the game, although this only applies to Japanese versions of the game on PS5. The Korean language pack has also been enabled on Mac versions of the game.

There are other fixes addressed in Hotfix 15. Other notable problems that have been addressed include save files becoming “very large” thanks to lava bubbles in Grymforge, and a memory issue involving containers in the console versions.

Square Enix started taking pre-orders for Final Fantasy VII Remake plush of Rufus Shinra and the Turks members Reno and Rude. All three cost $39.99 and will ship in September 2024.

The heights of the three stuffed versions of the characters vary. Reno and Rude are the tallest, at over 7.68 inches each. However, Rufus is listed as being 6.85 inches tall. All of them featured embroidered eyes. Different types of fabrics also appear to be used for different textures.

First, here we can see how the Final Fantasy VII Remake Rufus plush will look. While he is wearing his distinctive take on his coat from the remake, it is a bit difficult to see based on his size and the plush doll’s position.

Bandai Namco confirmed Krillin, Piccolo, Yamcha, and Tien will appear as characters in the upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. It first came up at the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour 2022/2023 Finals before appearing again at The Game Awards 2023, where the new entry in the Budokai Tenkaichi series appeared under a new Western name.

While the characters briefly appeared in the game's initial trailer, it was unknown if they would be fully playable or appear as supporting characters. Now that they have been confirmed, there is a good chance that other characters briefly visibile in the trailer may also appear, including Mr. Satan, Cell, and Android 18. This is in addition to Goku, Vegeta, Broly, and Frieza, who featured more heavily in the trailer itself. There is no word yet on what the characters' playstyles or abilities will be like in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero.

You can see how the characters will look in-game via the tweet below, as we got a chance to see a screenshot of each of them:

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes entered the bug fixing stage of development, Rabbit and Bear Studios confirmed. In the final Steam development log of 2023, co-directors and co-producers Yoshitaka Murayama and Osamu Komuta shared some insights into the process.

Murayama went into how much work is required to do bug fixing for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. The biography of the game contains “a huge number” of characters, along with their own scenario settings. The hub town features multiple facilities that each bring their own issues. Finally, the middle of the story allows open progression which affects how the story plays out. With all these factors in play, bug reports can be long. However, Murayama does state that the “psychological damage” of the reports is better than his time working on Suikoden, when the reports were handwritten and stacked.

Although the focus of the update was bug fixing, Komuta did share some new screenshots, detailing a new snowy village named Skriss Village. The second screenshot showed a mysterious icy plateau featuring the character of Nowa in a block of ice.

Good Smile Company opened pre-orders for the Frieren Nendoroids of Frieren and Fern ahead of the 2024 debut of the figures. Each one comes with a special bonus part when ordered directly from the company.

Both the Frieren and Fern figures will appear in July 2024 in Japan. The Japanese storefront is selling Frieren for ¥6,500 and Fern for ¥5,900. Meanwhile, the US storefront has Frieren for $40.99 and Fern for $37.99. It will ship from there in Q4 2024.

Each character will come with three face plates and a number of accessories. Frieren’s expressions are neutral, happy, and smug. She also comes with a Blue-Moon Weed, grimoire, and staff she can hold. Fern also has a neutral face plate, as well as ones where she looks mad or is pouting. She has the comb gift, staff, and Zoltraak to hold. 

Here’s how both look:

Square Enix has formally launched its first NFT project Symbiogenesis on December 21, 2023. The project's website is accessible in English and Japanese with Google Chrome browsers on PCs and mobile devices. It also requires all users to have a MetaMask NFT wallet and a Discord account with two-factor authentication enabled.

Symbiogenesis features multiple stories that gradually unravel the mysteries of the floating continent. While everyone can instantly read the main story, there are also stories that players must unlock by finding certain items or cooperating with fellow players via the project's Discord server. The overall story consists of six chapters, and there will also be a climactic World Mission where three chosen players can determine the continent's ultimate fate.

According to an official announcement from Cover via social media, the Hololive Vtuber Murasaki Shion will be on an indefinite hiatus from December 21, 2023. Effective immediately, she will not participate in streaming or content creation until further notice.

In Murasaki Shion’s post, she mentioned that she will be completing some work that has already been pre-determined for her. She will complete what is currently on her schedule at this time, and then refrain from making any more content for the foreseeable future.

An explicit reason for this hiatus was not stated by Cover or Shion, but she did mention that she hopes to meet with fans again once she returns to feeling her best. She also included that it would make her the most happy if her fans didn’t worry too much and waited patiently for her return.

Here's the official social media post from Cover regarding the decision about her indefinite hiatus below:

Idol Corp took to social media to announce that Vtuber Momo Otako is now be on hiatus. The reason for the break, which is indefinite, is to allow her time to focus on her health and recover. 

Here is Idol Corp’s statement about Momo. It didn’t offer any details about her condition, but did offer well wishes as she goes through treatment.

Momo herself also offered a brief statement on the situation. She wished people a Merry Christmas and thanked people for their understanding.

Square Enix announced a new FFVII Ever Crisis Character Quest starring Barret. "A Dad's Struggles" is available now in-game.

These sorts of quests tend to flesh out stories that people might be aware of, due to events in the game, but that never were told in game-format or given as much attention. In the case of this story, we get to see more insight into the relationship between Barret and his daughter Marlene. While the announcement didn’t explain exactly how the story will go or what rewards it will net players who go through it, it did share a trailer showing part of the story. 

Here’s the first teaser for the FFVII Ever Crisis Barret Character Quest Code 1 “A Dad’s Struggles.” It appears to show Barret carrying Marlene via a wrap around his chest. They’re out in the wild. He also keeps asserting, “Daddy’s gonna make it!”

Onkyo has revealed new VR goggles with NieR Automata Ver1.1a and YoRHa brands. It will open pre-orders on Friday, December 22, 2023, at 3 PM JST (1 AM ET). The item will cost ¥15,000 (~$105.50). International shipments for the item may also be available, as Onkyo's web store supports the Buyee widget.

The smartphone VR goggles will be based on the Homido Prime VR headset, which normally costs €69.99 (~$77). Onkyo's official X account added that the device 9S used in the tenth episode of the Ver1.1a anime will serve as a design basis for the goggles.

The VR goggles will not be Onkyo's first NieR Automata-branded item. The company had previously released earphones with YoRHa logos in 2022. Other companies have also revealed audio-related items with the popular game brand, such as Yamaha's game streaming mixers and Arma Bianca's AirPods cases.

3goo has announced that it will release the Japanese version of UFO Robot Grendizer: The Feast of the Wolves for PlayStation 5 and 4 on April 18, 2024. It will include Japanese voiceovers, and Microids will also add the new voice option to the global release once the game is formally out in Japan.

The Japanese version will have a different subtitle: Tatoe Waga Inochi Tsukiru tomo (Even if My Life Were to Perish). A limited Collector's Edition will be available at ¥7,980 (~$56), and it will include an artbook, two character pins, a Grendizer keychain, an original soundtrack album, and four postcards. The Japanese box will still have less content than the European Collector's Edition, which comes with a 25cm (~9.84 inches) tall figurine and costs more at £249.99 (~$316).

3goo has also published a new trailer to announce the Japanese release date. But while the end of the trailer confirms the inclusion of Japanese voiceovers, it mostly reused the English launch trailer with English voiceovers while adding Japanese subtitles.

Hololive Vtuber Kiara Takanashi made a statement clarifying circumstances surrounding her recent End of the Year / Birthday Live 2023 3D concert. The performer clarified on social media that it didn’t happen because of a previous Twitter Space which included commentary regarding a 3D concert and noted that she was recording this performance when she did have that talk.

Back on November 18, 2023, Kiara hosted a zatsudan Twitter Space during which she discussed things such as her desire to do a 3D concert. She brought up how other Hololive Vtubers like Calliope Mori and Hoshimachi Suisei got those opportunities, and how she wanted to do something similar for DoKomi. At the time, she mentioned, “Please let me do [a 3D concert] too. I want to do it too, please.” She also brought up wanting an anniversary 3D and “insisting on it since February [2023].” She also mentioned it feeling “discouraging” and “disheartening” at the time.

You can listen to that below. Discussions about it come up at about the 49 minute mark.

In a brief interaction on social media, Danganronpa series creator Kazutaka Kodaka commented on the type of games he creates. In his statement, the developer explained that he values creating games that he himself likes and prefers to make distinct projects rather than “perfect” games.

Kodaka first shared two posts on his personal social media account on December 18 and 19, 2023, about the physical edition of Rain Code currently being discounted, and added that this was “a chance to play the best visual novel and the best detective game” with “the best stories and characters.”

When another user stated that Kodaka was “feeling himself,” the developer once again shared a post going into detail about the type of games he creates. Kazutaka Kodaka emphasized the importance of liking the projects he works on, regardless of how well they sell, and his wish for people with similar sensibilities to play the games he makes.

You can read the original post by Kazutaka Kodaka here:

Hololive VTuber Yukihana Lamy updated her fans on her current health condition and future plans for her streaming activities via social media. As her doctors have not been able to identify the cause of her illness at this time, she has been instructed not to stream until given official approval.

In her post, Lamy mentioned that she is being examined by doctors to determine the cause of her poor health condition. She said she wishes to work with her manager to continue to communicate with her fans, even though she is feeling ill. Additionally, it has been decided that she will not go through with her planned Heaven Burns Red stream. However, she will watch the upcoming Christmas live with her fans via chat. She ended her announcement by saying that she is trying to recover so that she may return to streaming as soon as possible.

You can see the official announcement from regarding the current break Hololive Vtuber Yukihana Lamy is taking in her social post below:

I hated how Final Fantasy XVI handled Jill. Despite being a Dominant, for most of the game she feels like she exists to elevate Clive and provide motivations for his actions. Now that I’ve gone through the Echoes of the Fallen DLC for Final Fantasy XVI, it feels like another reminder that the game’s heroine isn’t getting her due.

Jill’s existence as an accessory for Clive kicks off in the story’s beginning. While she’s shown growing up alongside Clive and Joshua and being present before the events that set things in motion, she’s quickly left behind. She’s there to act as a foil to the more important Rosfield brothers during their introduction, then quickly disappears onto the sidelines while the two of them head to the life-changing events at Phoenix Gate.

Two Pokemon Scarlet and Violet bugs involving leveling up the Pokemon Inkay and crafting the TM 223 Metal Sound will be fixed soon. Nintendo and Game Freak acknowledge these bugs, and confirmed that Ver. 3.0.1 will fix the issues, and is scheduled to release after late January 2024.

The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Inkay bug appears when using Rare Candy or Experience Candy to level up the Pokemon when it is under level 30. After the level up message appears, there is a chance that button inputs won’t register and players will be effectively soft locked. This issue can be avoided by not using leveling items before Inkay reaches level 30 until the patch arrives.

Meanwhile, the bug involving the TM 223 Metal Sound affects its crafting materials. At the time of writing, one of the components used to create TM 223 is only available from Shieldon, which is exclusive to Pokemon Violet. As a response to this issue, Game Freak announced that it will give away TM 223 as a Mystery Gift in both Pokemon Scarlet and Violet until the release of patch Ver. 3.0.1.

Square Enix often shares certain FFVII Remake tracks around appropriate themed times, and ahead of Christmas it shared the song “Midnight Rendezvous.” This was a piece composer Misuto Suzuki created for the game, and it used the holiday season as an inspiration.

HoYoVerse has been sharing updates on Zenless Zone Zero closed beta stats during the trial, and the latest go over battles, attacks, and Golden Bangboos. For example, over 2.6 million battles were fought, 17.8 million Special Attacks were used, and 2,804 Golden Bangboo were found as of December 13, 2023.

Here’s a list of all of the newly recorded Zenless Zone Zero stats. Again, all of this covers all activities up through December 13, 2023.

• 100 Golden Bangboo encountered escaped.
• 371 Agent corruptions caused by one player.
• 1,084 players finished all Hollow Zero challenges.
• 2804 Golden Bangboo encountered.
• 6,389 Reckless Hollow Raider invitations declined.
• 10,975 players pulled the Entertainment Zone lucky lever.
• 106,208 Agents corrupted.
• 187,611 VR Trials completed.

Tekken 7’s Shaheen will return for Tekken 8, and there’s a new trailer from Bandai Namco showing him off. The video focuses on his new entrance and some of his moveset.

As a reminder, Shaheen only just debuted in the last major entry. He’s dubbed the Desert Falcon and is fighting against Mishima due to what the company did to his friend Salim. This new trailer even features him facing Kazuya and asking him about what happened when his friend died before facing him. In the last game, he used martial arts, and we see him use a number of kicks in the latest footage. 

Lots of Tekken 8 videos focusing on characters appeared ahead of the new Shaheen trailer. Here are some of the past ones, in case you missed them.

Sony has announced that it will no longer accept PS4 Pro CUH-7100 or PlayStation VR CUH-ZVR1 consoles for repairs. Customers will had until the end of December 20, 2023 to submit their applications for repairs. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

According to Sony, the main reason that it’s no longer offering support for the two devices is a lack of stock. Though December 20, 2023 is the last date you can ask Sony for help, customers will have until January 5, 2024 to send in the consoles they want Sony to service. In addition, Sony adds that those who do not apply in advance will have until December 20, 2023 to send in their devices.

This is not the first time that a company has had to close down repair services due to a lack of parts. In 2021, Nintendo announced that it will no longer accept Nintendo 3DS or 3DS XL devices that people send in for repairs. As the PS4 is slowly phasing out and the PS5 is becoming more mainstream, it’s likely that Sony prefers to use its limited supply of materials on current-generation consoles.

Sony in Japan will no longer accept PS4 Pro or PS VR consoles for repairs as of December 20, 2023.

A new hoodie inspired by Handler Walter from Armored Core 6 will appear in Japan. Mamegyorai has opened pre-orders for a Frost hoodie based on the character under its TorchTorch brand. The item will be available at 13,200 yen (~$96.23).

The hoodie will be available in five sizes: S, M, L, XL, and XXL—based on Japanese sizing standards. A side of the pocket will feature the English quote "621... I'll give you a reason to exist." The center of the hoodie will have Handler Walter's emblem intentionally made with cracked ink to depict his personality.

The hoodie will also be available to ship internationally via Buyee. However, as of the reveal on December 20, 2023, it lists all five hoodie sizes as "sold out."

HoYoVerse announced a new Genshin Impact Sanxingdui Museum web event with Zhongli called Ancient Treasures Unearthed. Between December 20, 2023 and January 2, 2024, people can play to earn various rewards. 

To take part in the event, you’ll need to go to the official site for it. After logging in, provided you reached Adventurer Rank 10 in Genshin Impact, you’ll be able to listen to Iron Tongue Tian stories with Zhongli. Your goal will be to look at the four relics that will come up. Once you pair them with the stories tied to them, you’ll complete the activity.

As for what you can get, there are three in-game items and one reward for customization. By finishing the event, you’ll get 3 Adventurer’s Experience books for characters, 40 Primogems, and 20,000 Mora. People will also be able to get an event wallpaper based on the designs. However, you do need to “share” the event in order to get the items. The wallpaper can be downloaded right away, but you’ll need to log into the game to claim the rewards from your inbox.

Square Enix offered an update on the FFVII Ever Crisis events road map for the rest of December 2023 and January 2024. Things kick off with a boss rush on December 21, 2023.

Here’s the full list of everything people can expect in the game over the next few weeks:

• December 21, 2023: Clash of Vengeance Boss Rush will appear. It will feature bosses like Rufus, Watermelon Tonberry, Sephiroth, and Hell House.
• December 21, 2023: FFVII Ever Crisis Winter Gift given out when people log in. It consists of 3,000 Blue Crystals.
• December 24, 2023: Co-op Battle: Summon Bahamut, Year-End Campaign, and Rare Enemy Encounter Event
• December 31, 2023: FFVII Ever Crisis New Year’s Event with daily free x10 draw. Up to 240 total will be available. A present will also be doled out.

Nintendo announced there will be a Pokemon Scarlet and Violet epilogue called The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. This will launch on January 11, 2024, and someone needs to own the base game and expansion pass. 

Editor’s note: There will be some spoilers for the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet ending below.

The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero trailer appeared to offer a hint as to what to expect. At the end of the base game, players were able to go to Area Zero with Arven, Nemona, and Penny to explore and close out all the stories together. For this next tale, the trailer starts with the player at home with their mother. She brings up how there will be one more adventure for everyone. From there, it pans in on Kitakami. It’s at the spot where the player goes on the combined trip with the Blueberry Academy students during The Teal Mask. However, this time the avatar is there alongside Arven, Nemona, and Penny. 

Crim's Sawaki Takeyasu announced the release date for the Nintendo Switch version of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. The new port will be available on April 28, 2024.

The Switch port will have HD Remaster on its subtitle, as it will be a direct port from the 2021 PC version. The developers declared that the Switch version will have Full HD resolution and 60fps frame rate just like the PC release.

All copies of the Switch version—including digital releases—will come with an art book and the "Lucifer's Fall - Chronicles of Ceta" novel. Rainy Frog will publish the physical copies. Crim is also preparing limited Dramatic Edition packages that add a drama sound CD telling the fall of Lucifer and its script book with brand-new illustrations. A set of six postcards will also be available exclusively from the company's web store.

Pre-orders for the regular and limited physical releases will open in Japan on December 21, 2023. Crim is also working to open digital pre-orders on January 11, 2024, as the date January 11 also contains a reference to "Ichiban ii" in one of Enoch's famous quotes, "I'll take the best you have."

The Iwate Prefectural Museum, in collaboration with The Pokemon Company, announced the opening of the Pokemon Fossil Museum exhibition. People will be able to learn more about fossils and paleontology by examining various real-life and Pokemon fossils until March 3, 2024. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

Adult tickets cost 1,200 yen (or about ~$8), and the price for children's tickets will be 400 yen (~$3.) The Pokemon Fossil Museum Iwate exhibition will feature life-size skeleton models of various Fossil Pokemon. Some of these models include Pokemon like Tyrantrum and Aurorus. Dinosaur skeletons and various ammonite fossils found in Iwate Prefecture will be on display.

In addition, illustrations of various Pokemon and extinct fauna will be displayed, such as the Pokemon Archeops, and the real-life Archaeopteryx dinosaur it is based on. Visitors can compare the models and illustrations to the skeletons of the real-life dinosaurs these Pokemon are based on.

HoYoverse released a new character trailer for Navia, the latest five-star character headed to Genshin Impact. The trailer showcases her personality and combat abilities ahead of the release of Version 4.3 on December 20, 2023.

Navia is a five-star Geo claymore user, set to become available as part of the "In the Name of the Rosula" banner alongside Sucrose, Candace, and Rosaria. Her weapon, the Verdict Mistsplitter Reforged, will be available as part of the weapon banner.

The trailer features Navia and her organisation, the Spina di Rosula, searching for a criminal known as the "Sea-Shadow". A chase ensues by land, sea, and air before we transition to a showcase of Navia's combat animations against the unlucky thief. In battle, Navia uses her cannon-umbrella hybrid and an axe, which is classified as a claymore in-game. She finishes with her elemental burst, involving a battery of golden cannons.

You can watch the full Genshin Impact character trailer for Navia below:

The next Hello Kitty Island Adventure event is Lighttime Jubilee with Badtz-Maru. It will involve lighting up the Resort Plaza starting on December 21, 2023.

Unlike the Give and Gather Celebration, which is a Christmas sort of affair, this Hello Kitty Island Adventure event covers New Year’s as well. It also will add another cosmetic change to the main hub area and involve new rewards. The teaser image shows a number of light displays that can be placed in cabins, including tile rugs that light up, arches, stands, and new wallpaper and flooring. 

There is a Hello Kitty Island Adventure Lighttime Jubilee trailer starring Badtz-Maru that offers a hint as to what to expect. After teasing the rewards, it shows him talking with Chococat. The two attempt to light up displays around Resort Plaza. However, things go out. The player will then need to go around collecting light bulbs on the island. This will then fix the displays. Badtz-Maru is also shown giving one of the light fixtures as a reward during the restoration process.

In 2018, House Flipper filled a niche in the building sim genre not quite realized before. Now, House Flipper 2 is here, and Frozen District and Empyrean seemed to follow the motto, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

House Flipper 2 offers a lot of what you'll be familiar with from the first game. The main gameplay loop is the same. You're a flipper and you take on jobs around your city. These start as simply just cleaning up garbage, but grow to be full scale renovations. Eventually, this leads to you to buying and renovating homes to sell. While this is more or less the same loop as before, the process is streamlined. Accessing different tools and gear feels natural, and the current quests offer clear objectives and checklists.