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Oasys, a blockchain company specializing in game-related content, released its first set of NFTs, centering on Virtua Fighter. Characters from Virtua Fighter 1 to 3 will be available. Yu Suzuki, who was the director and producer for the Virtua Fighter series during his Sega days, is overseeing Oasys’s first NFT project Oasyx. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

Oasys will hand out the collaboration NFTs within March 2023 and the reveals for them will be in April 2023. Yu Suzuki is the director of Oasyx and artist Godtail designed the characters. The Virtua Fighter NFTs are technically part of the first set of Oasyx projects from Oasys. In total, there will be 10,000 NFTs in the first part of Oasyx and of that number, 1000 of them will be collaboration characters.

These eleven characters are the ones Oasys chose for its project:

• Akira Yuki
• Dural
• Jacky Bryant
• Jeffry McWild
• Kage-Maru
• Lau Chan
• Lion Rafale
• Pai Chan
• Sarah Bryant
• Shun Di
• Wolf Hawkfield

Suzuki commented that during his time at Sega, Virtua Fighter was revolutionary for being one of the first fighting games to utilize 3DCG technology. He thanks all of the fans for loving and supporting the series. He hopes that the NFTs using new blockchain technology will bring new entertainment to the series’s fans.

Atlus detailed some of the new additions included in the Switch version of the upcoming Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection, releasing on June 1, 2023 for the Nintendo console and Windows PC. The Switch version of the games include touchscreen controls for drawing maps when playing on handheld mode. Auto-mapping functions have also been detailed. The auto-mapping settings will be available in both the Switch and PC versions.

The auto-mapping function offers two different settings. With “Auto-mapping (ON),” the game will automatically detect and draw the floor tiles of the map. Meanwhile, “Auto-mapping (FULL)” will record both the floor tiles and walls in a dungeon. Auto-mapping can also be turned off for those who want to take care of their dungeon maps manually.

In addition, the game will support left-handed and right-handed settings for touchscreen map drawing. The map display position can be changed to the left or right depending on which dominant hand has been selected in the game’s settings.

As a reminder, Etrian Odyssey Origins will include adventurer portrait DLC inspired by characters in the Persona series, Soul Hackers 2, SMT III, and SMT V.

Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection will release on the Switch and Windows PC on June 1, 2023. The collection includes HD remastered versions of Etrian Odyssey 1-3.

A new Chainsaw Man exhibition celebrating the anime adaptation of the manga written by Tatsuki Fujimoto will be held at the Seibu Shibuya store in Tokyo until April 23, 2023. The exhibition allows the public to take a look at the original drawings and storyboards for all 12 episodes of the anime adaptation. In addition, a special pamphlet with original illustrations of popular Chainsaw Man characters will be given as an admission gift.

The exhibition also has several life-sized figures of popular Chainsaw Man characters on display, including Denji, Power, Makima, and the most recent one of Aki Hayakawa. There are four different pamphlets, and these depict Denji and Pochita, Aki and Himeno, Power and Kobeni, and Makima and Kishibe.

You can take a better look at the life-sized figures and Chainsaw Man character pamphlets here:

[gallery columns="4" link="file" ids="956003,956004,956005,956006,956017,956000,956001,956002"]

Advance tickets for the Chainsaw Man exhibition cost 1,800 JPY (~$13 USD), with same-day tickets costing 2,000 JPY (~$15 USD). Furthermore, exclusive merchandise will be sold at the exhibition. Some of the merchandise includes acrylic stands, pin badges, keychains, sticker, posters, and more. You can check out some of the merchandise in the gallery below. New merchandise will release on March 20, 2023.

[gallery columns="4" ids="956007,956008,956010,956009,956013,956011,956012,956014" link="file"]

There's a lot to do in the Avalon Forest in Bayonetta Origins. We're also playing with early versions of Cereza and Cheshire that aren't as strong as their counterparts in games like Bayonetta 3. Not to mention it's a different sort of game, as it's more of an adventure focused on solving puzzles and exploring. (I mean, there's still some combat too, of course!) So if you're just finding your footing, here are some things to keep in mind when getting started.

Disturb the Bushes!

If you run through the bushes as either Cereza or Cheshire, or extend Cheshire while in Hug Mode, you can find items. Disrupting them can result in finding materials you can use when concocting potions in the game. It’s an easy way to get things, and extending Cheshire is easy enough to collect items to build up the characters or create useful items.

In Bayonetta Origins, each Sanctuary is a safe space for Cereza and Cheshire. It’s a place where you won’t have to worry about any enemies happening upon them. It’s also a spot to save and regroup. But what can you do at each one during the main storyline? Let’s go over the options that gradually open up.

The important thing you can do at a Bayonetta Origins Sanctuary is save. The lantern at each one acts as the save point. Make sure you check in there while you’re at one of these hubs.

You can also Concoct at these save spots. In the same menu that lets you save, you can choose to craft. This lets you make four potions if you collected enough Baked Geckos, Mandragora Roots, and Unicorn Horns while disrupting bushes and exploring Avalon Forest. Healing Tonic restores Cereza’s health. An Umbran Syrup can temporarily make her invincible and let her recast Umbran Arts more quickly. Demonic Mist gives Cheshire unlimited magic for his skills. Blast Cocktail lets you temporarily stun nearby enemies. Initially, however, only a Healing Tonic will be available.

Avalon Forest is a rather big place in Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. Especially since, as you’ll explore in early regions, you might notice spots you can’t quite reach yet. This is because as Cereza and Cheshire grow in power, they’ll gain new abilities. Fortunately, after you hit a certain point in Bayonetta Origins you will get to fast travel between Sanctuary hubs via the Ignis’ Pathways ability.

How to Unlock Fast Travel via Ignis’ Pathways in Bayonetta Origins

You don’t have to worry about “missing” this ability. However, you also won’t automatically be able to do so either. Instead, you need to play until you get through Chapter 5: The Mad Circus. After beating the boss and getting the second Elemental Core, follow the White Wolf’s footsteps. These will lead you to a familiar Sanctuary you already visited earlier in the game.

Upon getting to safety, a Wisp will speak to you. After a bit of a story segment, Ignis will reveal it knows secret pathways through the forest. From this point onward, every Sanctuary in Bayonetta Origins will feature the Ignis’ Pathways feature that lets you fast travel to ones you’ve already visited and, by extension, unlocked.

Perhaps one of the most influential games of all time, Capcom effectively created a new spin on Resident Evil 4 with this remake. Less of a one-to-one recreation of the original, this entry is more or less a reimagining of the classic action horror title. While it introduces some interesting new mechanics into the fold, its pivot to action may leave it a divisive entry to fans of the series.

The Resident Evil 4 remake is Resident Evil 4 in spirit, but little else. It has a clear foundation to the game it aspires to be through familiar locations, level design, and enemies. But functionally, it feels more like an action game given the introduction of the parry system and stealth kills, which the game relies heavily on for a more balanced player experience. While you can still take down enemies through more traditional methods using the returning roster of firearms like the Red9, Blacktail, and even the Killer7, it is clear Resident Evil 4 was made with the parry system as part of its core gameplay mechanic.

A short trailer for the Persona: Phantom of the Night mobile game is available on the official Weibo page. If you have a VPN, you must turn it off before accessing it. The page will not load if your VPN is active. The trailer, which is almost four minutes long and available from Weibo or the official site, shows off the main characters and gameplay.

For those who have played Persona 5 or Royal, a lot of the scenes are likely very familiar. It uses the same map of Tokyo, as well as many of the same assets from the game. We can see the main character, a girl named Arai who sits in front of the protagonist (like Ann does), and a strange owl-like creature (like Morgana). The owl’s name is Lufer and, like Morgana, he can transform into a car when they explore Mementos. Iwai will return as the weapons dealer, and there is a quick shot of Takemi walking behind the main character. The story will still center on immoral adults and the Persona users who enter their hearts to rehabilitate them. As well, the battle system will incorporate elements from Royal, such as Baton Pass.

Here are some screenshots of Persona: Phantom of the Night:

[gallery columns="5" ids="956032,956031,956030,956029,956028" link="file"]

Veteran survivors Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield are taking the Battle Bus out of Raccoon City. The pair arrived on the Island as part of a Fortnite and Resident Evil crossover. Epic Games announced the addition in a March 17, 2023 blog post on the official Fortnite website. Both characters are available now as the "Raccoon City Survivors" set.

Claire Redfield's debut in Fortnite has her looking much as she does in the Resident Evil 2 remake. She sports her red leather jacket, jeans, and ponytailed hairstyle, with her character design adjusted slightly to match Fortnite's style. Interested players can purchase her as a cosmetic skin, which is sold as the "Scarlet Hero: Claire Redfield" bundle on the item store. Besides the Claire Redfield skin, it also includes a pickaxe and Back Bling. The Back Bling is patterned after the four unique metal keys that open doors within the Raccoon City Police Department building. The pickaxe is called the Umbrella Parasol Pickaxe, and is colored in red and white, similar to the Umbrella Corporation logo.

The character roster for Fire Emblem Heroes is about to grow, as a Rearmed Tana and Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones banner is about to appear. As a reminder, Tana being a Rearmed hero means a player who gets her could pass along her weapon and skills without losing the unit. (This can be done once, and only four can be shared.) Gilliam, Syrene, and Vanessa are also joining the cast on March 18, 2023. People will also be able to get Vigarde from a Grand Hero Battle starting on that same date.

All four characters will be available as five-stars, though Vanessa will appear as a four-star too. Gilliam is an armored unit with a Frelian Lance. Syrene is a flying unit that bears the Frelian Blade. Vanessa is another flier, albeit with an Up-Front Lance+. Finally, Tana is a pegasus knight as well, though she wields the Arcane Nastrond bow. All four will also appear in a Forging Bonds event after the banner launches.

Here’s the trailer for the Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones characters joining Heroes alongside the new version of Tana. It confirms players can “spark” on this banner after summoning 40 times, allowing them to choose one focus five-star unit for free.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBg1RsjEu4A&ab_channel=NintendoMobile

Capcom is holding a small survey about its users, with participants receiving a wallpaper of Capcom characters at the end of it. Questions mostly focus on current series that Capcom is working on. It also asks about games that are in development or recently came out. The survey is available until March 22, 2023.

After answering some basic questions about yourself, the survey asks about recent games that you have played or plan on playing from Capcom. It then asks about your habits when it comes to purchasing games, asking questions such as when or how you buy them. Finally,  it asks if you are aware that there is a sale on Capcom titles happening as of the time of writing. You can access the sale via online storefronts such as Steam.

Some upcoming Capcom titles that the user survey mentioned include the Resident Evil 4 remake, Exoprimal, and Ghost Trick. Several of these titles already have demos, or appeared during shows such as the Nintendo Direct. If there are titles that you are interested in that were not one of the options, there are also questions with free answer spaces for you to type them out.

The Capcom user survey will be available until March 22, 2023, and the wallpaper features characters from multiple games.

The list of retro games available on Switch continues to grow. Nintendo announced four new games joining the repertoire of classic titles available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The latest lineup includes Kirby's Dream Land 2, which appeared on the Game Boy. In total, this batch consists of one game that appeared on the NES, one for the SNES, and two for the classic Game Boy.

The Game Boy application gets Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Burguertime Deluxe. Meanwhile, Namco's shoot 'em up Xevious is available in the NES application. Finally, the remaining SNES game is the billiards simulator Side Pocket.

Below is the official announcement along with a preview of each of the games coming to the Nintendo Switch Online service. No Expansion Pass is required to play any of them.

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1636171953051521024?s=20

Kirby's Dream Land 2 is the first game to feature Rick, Kine, and Coo, the three friendly animals that offer various abilities to help Kirby at each level. With this, there are now eight Kirby games available with the Nintendo Switch Online and Expansion Pass subscriptions.

The four newly announced games are already available from the Game Boy, NES, and SNES apps on the Nintendo Switch worldwide. You need an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription to access these apps.

New music DLC is here for Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, and this The World Ends with You pack adds music from the original game and NEO TWEWY. It includes six songs total. Among them are some of the more notable and recognizable tracks, like “Calling” and “Twister.” People can buy the pack alone for $4.49. It is also a part of the $14.99 season pass.

Here’s the full list of songs available in the add-on. The song it originated in appears after the track.

• ”Breaking Free” from NEO TWEWY
• ”Calling” from TWEWY
• ”Someday” from TWEWY
• ”Twister” from TWEWY
• ”World is Yours” from NEO TWEWY
• ”Your Ocean” from NEO TWEWY

There’s also a launch trailer for the Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC that shows some of the new songs being added to the overall list. In each case, the background is the Shibuya Scramble from TWEWY. It starts with “Someday,” then moves on to “Breaking Free” and “World is Yours.”

Listen up, zeptograms! Shibuya is calling you!

You can now download The World Ends with You series songs in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line via Season Pass 1 or the Digital Deluxe upgrade.

Which of these zetta cool beats are you going to master first? pic.twitter.com/rOJzYHo4Rr

— FINAL FANTASY (@FinalFantasy) March 15, 2023

Bandai is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its "Carddass" card vending machine line. To commemorate the occasion, it opened pre-orders for a special set of Carddass Mini replica vending machines. The line consists of three specially designed machines based on Dragon Ball, SD Gundam, and Battle Spirits cards. The machines are sold separately via the Premium Bandai website in Japan, and each costs 8,800 Yen (about $67 USD). [Thanks, Famitsu!]

The 35th Anniversary Carddass Mini machines are small, desktop-scale replicas of the original Carddass 20 machine. Each is decorated with art based on its series. Buyers actually need to put two 10 Yen coins (or two of the special 10 Yen-sized coins included in the set) in order to turn the handle and extrude a card. Each machine comes with a set of blank white cards. The cards can be decorated or used as the buyer wishes, such as for parties or fortune-telling.

[gallery size="medium" ids="955821,955822,955823" link="file"]

Each Carddass Mini machine also includes an exclusive card replicating a rare or popular card once served by the original device. The Dragon Ball machine includes a card showing Son Gohan learning the Kamehameha. The SD Gundam machine includes a card of the RX-93 ν Gundam. The Battle Spirits machine includes a copy of The DragonEmperor Siegfried, the game's very first X-Rare card.

The next Aksys Switch otome game is upon us. It announced a release date for Winter’s Wish: Spirits of Edo, which appeared in Japan as Kimi wa Yukima ni Koinegau. The visual novel will appear on the eShop on May 18, 2023. It also showed a teaser of the seven character art cards that will appear in the first-run physical copies.

First, here’s the preliminary look at what the cards will look like. Each one features the character’s official art and a chibi version of them set against their signature color. Their name appears at the bottom. The protagonist Suzuno appears on the top. Below her is the love interest Tomonari Takamura. If it follows that pattern, the remaining five cards should be the other romance options Kunitaka Tojo, Yoichi, Genjuro Kuga, Kinji, and Ohtaro.
[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="955920" orderby="rand" link="file"]
As a reminder of how the art style looks, here’s a trailer showing off its opening movie and characters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc2WjVtKHvI&ab_channel=AksysGamesOfficial

Winter’s Wish: Spirits of Edo is a historical and supernatural Switch otome game set in the Kyoho era. Suzuno, the heroine, can see when bad things are about to happen via “black Threads.” After she’s exiled, Tokugawa shogunate’s Oniwaban bring her to Edo to aid in their efforts to fight monsters.

On Facebook, Hajime Tabata once again reiterated his interest in the Metaverse. This appeared after the announcement that several major Japanese corporations came together to work on Metaverse project Ryugukoku. He stated that this has been something that JP Games thought about ever since its creation. It will be a project in which users can coexist with corporations within a new-generation RPG (a Metaverse). [Thanks, Resetera!]

Tabata stated that he hopes for everyone’s support as he continues to work on expanding the possibilities of games. As for Ryugukoku, it appears to be a combination of multiple Metaverse services. A flying castle of sorts would contain all the different Metaverses. As players would traverse through the various worlds, they would be able to experience a wide variety of content and services.

The second half of Tabata’s explanation on Ryugukoku is as follows:

Bandai Namco announced the game Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2 was downloaded five million times and is celebrating with a variety of bonuses. Gun Cannon Aqua [TB] is joining the roster, for one. Also, to commemorate the occasion, players will be given a variety of mobile suits and other items for logging in. The event is live now.

The following items can be gained by logging in during the event period.

• 200 Mechanics Tickers 2 stars
• 200 Mechanics Tickets 3 stars
• 300 Recycle Tickers
• 50 DP
• Ex-S Gundam Level 1
• Ripple Pattern HG
• The-O Level 1
• Zeta Gundam [HML] Level 1

The celebration also runs alongside the addition of Gun Cannon Aqua [TB] to Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2. This new mobile suit can be deployed on the ground and is an aquatic variation of the existing Gun Cannon mobile suit. It has a deployment cost of 350. Until March 23, 2023 the Gun Cannon Aqua will have a boosted chance of appearing in supply drops.

https://twitter.com/GBO2EN/status/1636232082878869504

Once per day until March 28th, 2023, players are given one free supply drop for a total of a maximum of 14 across the duration of the event. This particular supply drop will guarantee a two-star or higher mobile suit, with the possibility of a four-star mobile suit appearing.

The story of Momotaro is a famous one in Japanese folklore. It's the tale of the boy born from a peach who travelled to the demon land of Onigashima to fight the evil that lies there. However, history tends to be written by the victors, so we don’t really get to hear how the oni felt about this boy and his animal friends arriving and slaughtering them all. Indie adventure title ONI: Road to Be the Mightiest Oni sets out to address this imbalance in the accepted narrative.

You play as Kuuta, an oni who travelled from his home of Onigashima to the island of Kisejima. This island is a training ground for oni, where they can gain power and strength if they can pass a series of trials. The challenges are not easy and many oni have fallen in their efforts, but Kuuta is determined to try.

The game begins as soon as Kuuta arrives on Kisejima. You are free to wander the island at your leisure, although wandering too far makes it clear that certain areas are blocked off by magic barriers that must be broken down. This is achieved by completing combat challenges that progressively unlock across the island. In these challenges, the perspective shifts, Kuuta throws off his backpack, and you beat down a series of enemies with your club.

A new Android and iOS version of Dead by Daylight, appropriately called Dead by Daylight Mobile, is now live, and it kicked off with the addition of the Sadako Rising event that brings The Ring (Ringu) character to the game. Her event runs until March 28, 2023. In addition, NetEase and Behaviour Interactive went over the migration process and what people can expect.

The Sadako Rising Dead by Daylight Mobile update adds The Ring’s Sadako as a Killer and Yoichi Asakawa as a Survivor. While the special event marking its debut runs, people can earn a Sadako Sleeping Blossom costume and Paranormal Investigator Yoichi one. People can also earn player customization items like [Portrait] The Onryo and the Portrait Frame: The Onryo and character shirts for logging in and participating.
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As for migration, there are different methods depending on your account type. Players who used a third-party account will need to download the new version of the game and log in with the same account method as they did before. They then need to choose Standard Migration after tapping Account Migration. If someone used a guest account, they will need to retrieve their Player Cloud ID in the old version of the game, then use a third-party account and the Account Migration function and use that code to do so.

It will soon be possible to buy and watch digital copies of One Piece Film Red Crunchyroll announced that the newest One Piece movie will show up on three outlets in United States, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America on March 28, 2023. However, Amazon, Google Play, and YouTube won’t be among the initial storefronts to get it. There’s no news on the Blu-ray or DVD release yet.

The three storefronts that will offer One Piece Film Red digital copies to buy will be iTunes, Microsoft, and Vudu. Crunchyroll didn’t note a launch price for it or mention if there will be any special features with this version. It also did confirm that the One Piece movie will eventually show up on Amazon, Google Play and YouTube.

Axel Syrios revealed his full team for the upcoming Vtuber Apex Legends tournament. It will actually involve people from outside the company. In addition to his fellow Hololive Tempus genmate Regis Altare, Nijisanji English member Selen Tatsuki will round out the three person squad.

Here's the official announcement.

Here is our V-Saikyo team members!!!

Axel Syrios ⛓️
Selen Tatsuki - @Selen_Tatsuki
Regis Altare - @regisaltare

As the first all EN team in V-Saikyo we'll do our best!!!
We're here to make a statement#V最協S5 pic.twitter.com/KT8YLeUaaw

— Axel Syrios⛓️ @holoTEMPUS (@axelsyrios) March 16, 2023

Former Sony Interactive Entertainment President and current PlayStation Independent Developer Initiative Shuhei Yoshida will be receiving the BAFTA Games Fellowship. The award, handed out by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, is a lifetime achievement honor for major figures within the industry.

Shuhei Yoshida is one of the more prominent faces of PlayStation and a beloved figure in the industry. He joined Sony's team at its inception and now serving as head of the Independent Developer Initiative that helps indie projects release on the system. He was also head of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios from 2008 to 2019, overseeing many of Sony’s best-known titles.

As head of the Independent Developer Initiative, he acts as a champion for smaller titles. This also applies to social media. Jane Millichop, CEO of BAFTA, stated this was the primary reason for awarding Shuhei Yoshida the fellowship, along with his long career with the company.

https://twitter.com/BAFTAGames/status/1636310563016912900

The BAFTA Fellowship Award was originally introduced in the UK in 1971, honoring figures in film such as Alfred Hitchcock, its first winner. The BAFTA Games Awards were introduced in 2003, and the Fellowship award was carried over for influential figures in gaming in 2007. The first winner was Will Wright, creator of The Sims, while other winners include Shigeru Miyamoto and Hideo Kojima.

Nintendo announced the April Splatfest for Splatoon 3. This one has a cryptid theme, asking players to indulge their inner conspiracy theorist to decide on which one is most likely to be real. It will begin on April 1, 2023.

The three cryptids the Splatfest is asking players to debate are the Loch Ness Monster (“Nessie”), aliens and Bigfoot. As always, each member of Deep Cut will be representing a team, with Shiver repping Nessie, Frye arguing for aliens, and Big Man appropriately standing for Bigfoot.

https://twitter.com/SplatoonNA/status/1636351618881822720

Splatoon 3's April Splatfest will run for 48 hours from midnight UTC on April 1, 2023 until midnight UTC on April 3, 2023. The sneak peek event begins on March 24, 2023 so players can prepare. Here, players can start earning conch shells from the Shell-Out Machine as a well as choose their teams in the plaza.

This marks the fifth Splatfest since the release of Splatoon 3 in September 2022. Previous themes included what players would bring to a desert island, Pokémon types, preferred flavors and types of chocolate. There was also a Splatfest prior to the release of the game, released as a time limited demo, the Splatoon 3 World Premiere. The theme of that Splatfest was rock-paper-scissors.

Splatoon 3 is out now for Nintendo Switch. The April Splatfest takes place April 1-2, 2023.

The most recent Persona game ports of 3 Portable, 4 Golden, and 5 Royal are going on sale on multiple platforms this week. As such, Atlus shared a trailer and details about each deal. Essentially, the Switch versions are the only ones that won’t be reduced during March 2023. However, due to the PlayStation Essential Picks Sale, Steam Spring Sale, and Xbox Publisher Spotlight Series, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC versions are reduced where applicable.

After around nine years, Tales of Asteria will end service on May 18, 2023. However, Bandai Namco will release items such as a memorial book for players to keep their memories of the game alive. In addition, Tales of Asteria players who also play Tales of the Rays, or those who will move onto that game, will also be able to transfer some data over. [Thanks, Inside!]

Bandai Namco has not stated the reason behind why Tales of Asteria will end. In the tweet announcing it, it thanked the fans for their long years of support and playing since 2014. Because the game went on for so long, the staff came up with several ways to immortalize it. It will release a memorial book, stream music from the game, and allow you to put illustrations from Astaria as your home window in The Rays. You will have until June 19, 2023 to transfer your data to The Rays.

As for the memorial book, it will cost 8,000 JPY ($60.20). The Asobi Store version will cost 9,800 ($73.80) JPY. It contains full illustrations of characters 4-star and above, with some exceptions. The Asobi Store version will come with a 160-page book of the costume designs. The memorial book, which is B5-size, will have 540 pages. Pre-orders are open until June 25, 2023 and the book will ship out after Summer 2023.

A Square Enix game’s Epic Games Store exclusivity is about to end. The company announced Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is coming PCs via Steam at the same time as a price drop across all platforms. The new price for the game, which was originally $59.99, hasn’t been announced as of 10am ET on March 16, 2023. However, the Steam version will debut on April 6, 2023.

Here’s the official announcement, which is accompanied by a new trailer. As a reminder, this is an alternate take on the original Final Fantasy story, with Jack and his allies setting off to defeat Chaos. Rather than a turn-based RPG, it is more like a Soulslike. Jack is able to take on different classes to augment his abilities.

Note that if you're unfamiliar with the game, there will be spoilers in the new video below. It doesn't mention the new Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin price either.

Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin launches on Steam April 6th.

The game is also now available at a permanently discounted price.

You've heard that chaos awaits, but are you ready for what trials you may face?

See what perils will welcome you: https://t.co/S2bLT3TNl6 pic.twitter.com/XlNBtvJtnd

— STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN (@fforigin) March 16, 2023

The Final Fantasy XIV: Eorzea Academy manga will get an English localization. Square Enix announced it will release the title outside Japan on September 19, 2023. There’s no exact release date yet for the alternate reality tale. However, the company did share a teaser for the cover art, which shows the twins Alisaie and Alphinaud Leveilleur in their school uniforms. It isn’t the final art, however, as it is essentially the Japanese one.

For those unfamiliar, the Final Fantasy XIV: Eorzea Academy manga is set in an alternate reality. In it, the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and other major characters are all students and teachers at a high school. They go through more slice-of-life sorts of affairs, though their personalities tend to remain intact from the MMORPG. However, there’s some conflict, as the new academy ended up merging the Academy of Light and the Academy of Darkness students together with the expectation everyone would get along.

The manga first started to appear in December 2021 in Japan. Back in December 2022, Square Enix announced the chapters would be collected in a physical volume. That launched in Japan in February 2023.

HoYoVerse revealed the date for the Shenhe and Ayaka re-run banners in Genshin Impact, which will include the new four-star Mika. The returning four-stars Diona and Sucrose will also appear. You will be able to pull for them from March 21, 2023. These are the banners for the second half of Genshin Impact Version 3.5. As well, their signature weapons—Mistsplitter Reforged and Calamity Queller—will return in the banner for those who want them.

https://twitter.com/GenshinImpact/status/1636276124186443777

Since Shenhe and Ayaka are limited characters, you can only pull for them when they are on re-run. Ayaka is one of the most powerful Cryo DPS characters as of the time of writing, whereas Shenhe is an incredibly useful Cryo-oriented support. Like Shenhe, Mika will be a polearm Cryo character, and he will also fill a support niche in your party. His Skill can increase attack speed and physical damage, whereas his Elemental Burst can heal allies.

The first two banners of Genshin Impact Version 3.5, which are still available, feature Dehya and Cyno. Though Cyno is also a re-run character, Dehya is a new 5-star Pyro Claymore user. The Windblume Festival, which is the flagship event, is still ongoing, as is the Vibro-Crystal Verification Event. These events include Primogems as rewards.

Warm and cover your feet with a set of Paldean introductory Pokemon. A new set of Pokemon socks is debuting at the Pokemon Center online store focuses on the starter Pokemon from Scarlet and Violet, among others.

The lead items in the new batch of designs are sets of "mascot socks" based on the Scarlet and Violet starters: Sprigatito (aka Nyaoha), Fuecoco (aka Hogator), and Quaxly (aka Kuwassu). Each pair features a plush face of the Pokemon near the opening of the sock. When worn, the face will appear above the foot and on the leg of the wearer. Two versions of each starter sock exist, based on the buyer's length preference.

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Other mascot socks based on non-Paldean Pokemon like Spheal, Togepi, and Mew are also available.

Two pairs of short socks feature scenes. One pair features Fidough in a pile of bread, and another features Paldean Woopers digging.

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More low-key designs are also available at the Pokemon Center online store. The newest ones are based on Gengar, Diglett, Snorlax, Ditto, and all nine extant Evee variants. These socks have a mostly plain exterior but feature small designs and logo-style patches based on the faces of the relevant Pokemon.

Sony revealed the next games joining its PS Plus Game Catalog for March 2023. The selection is led by some big-name titles, including Tango Gameworks' Ghostwire Tokyo, CyberConnect2's Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, and the day 1 release of Tchia. The games will be available from March 21, 2023.

The PlayStation Plus Game Catalog is available to PS Plus subscribers with an Extra or Premium tier. Subscribers at the Essential tier received free games last week. Besides Ghostwire Tokyo, Kakarot, and Tchia, the March 2023 game catalog also Life is Strange: True Colors, and Life is Strange 2, the latest games in the series. Fans of The World Ends With You will also be able to play its sequel, Neo: The World Ends With You. Final Fantasy enthusiasts can also check out Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, which was once conceived as a companion game of sorts to both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XV.

The PS Plus Premium-exclusive classic additions will also see the addition of Ridge Racer Type 4, Ape Academy 2, and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror.

Here's the full list of additions to the PS Plus Game Catalog for March 2023. They're organized by subscription tier and based on the North American offering.

Natsume shared some screenshots of Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos. This will be the newest entry in the Harvest Moon series, and it will launch later in 2023. The screenshots show what the characters, environments, and gameplay look like. It will also bring back characters such as the Harvest Sprites and the Harvest Goddess.

In Harvest Moon: The Winds of Anthos, the player will live in the titular land of Anthos. Ten years prior to the main story, a huge volcanic eruption forced the Harvest Sprites and the Harvest Goddess to use their powers to save people. Though the damage was minimal and there weren’t many casualties, this has left Anthos split up and the people divided. Part of the gameplay will be exploring five different towns, which all of their own unique terrain and seasons, as well as meeting the people there.

Check out some screenshots from the game here:

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Though this is a farming simulator, there will also be aspects of a lifestyle sim. You will be able to romance five different bachelors and five different bachelorettes, as well as keep pets. Pets that you can care for include the usual cats and dogs, but you can also have a parakeet or a wolf. There will also be a cooking function, and you will be able to cook different meals at the same time. Finally, you will still be able to go mining.

The DVD and Blu-Ray for Spy x Family will come out on June 13, 2023. This will be the first part of the first season, with several special features. Since this is the first part only, it will likely only have the episodes from the first cour of Spy x Family. So that would be episodes one through twelve.

Special features that will be on the Spy x Family DVD and Blu-Ray are interviews with the Japanese voice actors, as well as a panel with the English dub actors. There is also a textless version of the ending song. The first ending for Spy x Family was “Kigeki” (or “Comedy”) from Gen Hoshino.

Spy x Family is a highly popular anime and manga series about the Forger family. The father is a spy, the mother is an assassin, and the daughter is a telepath. However, only the daughter knows the others’ secret identities. Other series from Crunchyroll that will come out on DVD or Blu-Ray in June 2023 are My Senpai is Annoying - The Complete Season (limited edition box set and standard edition), Platinum End 2, Skeleton Knight in Another World - The Complete Season, and Aoashi.

Spy x Family is available for streaming on Crunchyroll. You can purchase the Spy x Family DVD and Blu-Ray from June 13, 2023.

A new Attack on Titan x Karaoke no Tetsujin collaboration campaign to promote the anime’s final season features new illustrations of the protagonists of the series dressing in white formal suits, while carrying flowers. Exclusive drinks and merchandise will be offered at the Karaoke no Tetsujin stores participating in the campaign. The campaign is available now, and it will last until May 7, 2023. The Attack on Titan characters' merchandise will also be available after the campaign from Animate Japan, between May 8, 2023 and June 7, 2023. [Thanks, Natalie!]

Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Levi, and Hange are the characters featured in the collaboration. The stores that will take part in the campaign include the Ikebukuro East Exit Store, Akihabara Showa Street Exit Store, and Shinjuku O-guard Store in Tokyo, in addition to the Sakuragi-cho Store in Kanagawa, and the Funabashi Store in Chiba.

All Karaoke no Tetsujin stores participating in the campaign will sell collaboration drinks inspired by the five characters. Each drink will cost 612 JPY (roughly $4). With the purchase of each drink, people will receive a random novelty coaster as a special gift, with up to 12 different coasters available. For purchases of 3,000 yen (roughly $30) or more, customers will receive a postcard featuring all of the characters in the collaboration in specific stores.

The e-book version of the FFXI play diary, titled Final Fantasy XI Journal: My time in Vana’diel will release on March 31, 2023. The book was written by Yasuhiro Nagata, former editor of the Japanese magazine Famitsu, under the pen name “Nagata like the Wind.” The new e-book edition includes some extras that are not found in the paperback edition. The Final Fantasy XI play diary is available now for pre-order from Amazon Japan. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

Final Fantasy XI Journal: My time in Vana’diel was serialized on the Famitsu website approximately 20 years ago, and it quickly garnered a lot of popularity. The new e-book edition includes a series of four-panel comics by manga artist Takayuki Mizushina, alongside the 20th issue of the serialization, which was omitted from the original paperback version.

The diary begins from the moment the player logs into the net, and it covers a wide array of topics that were very present during the beginning FFXI, such as the basics of adventuring, game slang and etiquette, among others.

The book is written from the perspective of a beginner in the world of Vana’diel, so that people that are unaware of the MMORPG’s origins and its internet culture can see how the environment has changed since the beginning of its serialization, and to serve as a reminder of those days.

Leaks indicate that the anime adaptation of Mashle could release on April 7, 2023 at midnight in Japan. Officially titled Mashle: Magic and Muscles, the previous release date window for the anime was April 2023. Mashle is an upcoming anime series based on the manga of the same name, written by Hajime Komoto. [Thanks, ryokutya2089!]

Mashle is a fantasy comedy that explores what it would be like if a magical society encountered a person possessing no magical ability, but who is able to get by on brute strength only.

Studio A-1 Pictures will be in charge of producing the Mashle anime, with Tomonari Tanaka acting as the director. A teaser trailer for the anime was shown during Jump Festa 2023, held on December 2022.

You can check out the Mashle anime teaser below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbz4shbCPCA

The teaser trailer recreates the first chapter of the manga, with an added twist. The first chapter of the manga explains that magic is the foundation of the world of Mashle. Meanwhile, the teaser replaces the word “magic” with “cream puff.” This is a reference to protagonist Mash Burnedead, who loves cream puff snacks above anything else in the world.

The Mashle: Magic and Muscles anime could premiere on April 7, 2023 at midnight in Japan. At the time of writing this this story, there are no confirmed plans for an international release.

Uniqlo posted its Attack on Titan UT t-shirt collection on its global website. This collection had previously been presented as something exclusively for Japan. However, this listing confirms its availability overseas starting on March 30, 2023.

The online store showed the products from the collection as part of their UT Graphic Tees line. They also localized the special collaboration page in English, showing all eight available designs along with small pieces of context.

The release date for the global public is March 30, 2023. This means about two weeks after its launch in Japan. Also, for people outside Japan, all t-shirts will cost $24.90.

You can see all of the available shirts on the official Attack on Titan and Uniqlo collaboration page, and here below:

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Each shirt features original designs that reference various memorable scenes from the manga. For instance, the "dedicate your heart" salute and the image of the titan inside the wall will be included. All shirts will be available from size XXS to size XXXL.

Kotobukiya’s Kurosu took to MyFigureCollection to explain the inspiration behind the first Star Trek Bishoujo figure and noted that Spock did inspire the character. While the finished product is based on a general science officer from the original series, the different renditions of one of the most famous Vulcan’s in the show influenced her.

Specifically, a handful of the Kotobukiya Star Trek Vulcan Bishoujo figure are designed to be callbacks to Spock. In the article, Kurosu cited the makeup referencing that of Leonard Nimoy’s in the original TV show. Her hair color is also black, referencing the various portrayals of the character over the years. At one point during the design process, it almost ended up being “light gray.”

Kurosu also noted the haircut in another point in the piece. Shunya Yamashita, the designer for the Bishoujo series, maintained the “signature five-point cut” that Star Trek Vulcans tend to have. However, the sculptor did need to redo the prototype’s hair and ears.

The article from Kurosu also hinted at some additional Star Trek Bishoujo figures that could appear. Kotobukiya picked generic crew members to go with different officers. Kurosu noted, “We’re hoping to make other officers, such as an operations officer, command officer, and explore a variety of options in this series.”

Japanese apparel company Cospa will be releasing a new series of merchandise inspired by Bayonetta 3. This new line of merchandise includes a variety of T-shirts inspired by the hack and slash franchise. Some of them are based on Viola’s different in-game costumes available in Bayonetta 3. There is also a rocks glass with The Gates of Hell logo, a keychain of Cheshire, and a sticker of Bayonetta’s iconic “Let’s dance, boys.” Pre-orders will open on the Cospla online store from April 27, 2023, and they are estimated to release on early July 2023. The company does not ship outside Japan and recommends using a third-party service to purchase from the store.

As you can see below, the Bayonetta 3 Cospa long sleeved T-shirt features an illustration of Gomorrah, one of Bayonetta’s iconic Infernal Demons. The Gomorrah long sleeved T-shirt is available on L and XL sizes. It costs 4,620 JPY or roughly $34 USD. The Bayonetta logo T-shirt costs is again available in L and XL sizes, and it costs 3,850 JPY (~$29 USD.) Meanwhile, The Gates of Hell T-shirt is available on multiple sizes, ranging from S to XL. It costs 3,300 JPY (~$25 USD.)

Hidekazu Tanaka, the composer for series such as Uma Musume Pretty Derby and The Idolm@ster, pleaded guilty to several indecent crimes. He'd attempted to solicit sex from a 15-year-old girl. As well, the court found him guilty of exposing himself on trains and sneaking pictures of girls’ underwear. We do not yet know what his sentence will be. [Thanks, Livedoor!]

The incident that lead to Tanaka’s initial arrest took place in August 2022. He forcibly grabbed a girl in a bicycle parking area while saying “sexual things” at her. At the time, it was unclear how old she was, but it turns out she was 15. As a reminder, Tanaka was 35 at the time. He'd told her that he would give her money in exchange for sexual favors. From September to October 2022, Tanaka used his phone to take pictures of girls’ underwear from beneath their skirts at the JR Ebisu Station. He had also exposed his sexual organs in the train from JR Yurakucho Station to Tokyo Station.

Touhou: New World will be getting an official Western release, according to XSEED Games. The publisher confirmed they would be bringing the game to North America and Europe for the Nintendo Switch and PC, with a PlayStation release following at a later date.

Billed as a fan-made entry in the Touhou Project universe, Touhou: New World sees shrine maiden Reimu and magician Marisa battling enemies invading Gensokyo. The game is being developed by Ankake Spa, developers of Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity. Just like that game, Touhou: New World is an action RPG featuring the franchise’s trademark bullet hell design at the core of its gameplay.

https://twitter.com/XSEEDGames/status/1635989783921979393

XSEED are promising the game will be heavily customizable, with skill trees and equipment offering a wide selection of options. There will also be side quests as players explore Gensokyo, rewarding players with upgrades and tips to turn the tide in their favor.

Touhou: New World is the latest of several fan-games set in the universe, the most recent release being the farming sim Harvest Yuuka for Nintendo Switch.

Touhou: New World will be releasing sometime in North America and Europe in Summer 2023. It will be releasing digitally for Nintendo Switch and on PC via Steam. A PlayStation 4 and 5 release will follow sometime later in 2023.