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Today Nippon Ichi Software released a brand new trailer of its upcoming action-JRPG Shoujo Jigoku no Doku Musume. 

This time around we get a handy overview of the gameplay features that we can expect to see in the game.

If you’re wondering, the game is about a human who ends up on hell and possessed by a “poison girl,” having to purify the poison swamps associated with a few ladies representing their regrets in order to earn a ticket back to the world of the living before the poison girl mentioned above takes him over. 

You can enjoy the trailer. 

Shoujo Jigoku no Doku Musume releases in Japan for PS4 and Nintendo Switch on June 25.

At the moment we haven’t heard word from NIS America about a possible western release, so we’ll have to wait and see if we get an announcement at some point down the line. Usually, they bring to North America and Europe almost everything Nippon Ichi Software makes, so the outlook isn’t bad.

Few antagonists in the history of JRPG left as strong an impression as Selvaria Bles from Valkyria Chronicles. That’s why she still gets figures 12 years later.

As a matter of fact, tomorrow will mark the 12th anniversary of the original release of Valkyria Chronicles on PS3, which was launched by Sega on April 24, 2008, and remains one of the best simulation RPGs of all time. 

To celebrate, Toyseiiki made one of its seamless action figures portraying Selvaria available for pre-order. 

You can find it on Ami Ami for 21,780, which translates into approximately $202. The release window si August 2020.

The price will likely clue you into the fact that this isn’t your everyday figma.

One of the biggest complaints you usually hear about action figures is that the joints make them a little less appealing for display compared to static scale figures.

Toyseiiki solves that issue by burying the joints under the surface of a silicone resin body, with the additional feature of adding a pleasant skin-like texture. 

On top of that, the 1/6 scale makes this version of Selvaria rather big, standing at approximately 275 mm.

Within the package we’ll find the following:

• Main figure
• Alternative hand (4 types, total of 8)
• Sword x3 types
• Pistol
• Belt
• Sheath
• Holster
• Base

This isn’t the first time that we cover one of Toiiseki’s seamless action figures. Back in September 2019 we took a look at Noir from Persona 5.

Today Sega released the second trailer of the saga of Sega Shiro designed to commemorate the company’s 60th anniversary. 

This follows another trailer launched back in March, which introduced the character, played by Maito Fujioka.

Sega Shiro is the son of Segata Sanshiro, who was the hilarious protagonist of a legendary advertisement campaign for the Sega Saturn aired between 1997 and 1998. Incidentally, Maito happens to be the actual son of Hiroshi Fujioka, who played Segata Sanshiro.

Funnily, the new trailer shows Shiro’s passion for Sega products which echoes his father’s and includes playing with Game Gear in class, which his classmates mistake for a Switch. 

Things take an interesting turn after he reminisces his father’s death to protect the launch of the Dreamcast, when a villain named Sega Attanshiroo appears and Shiro concludes the ultra-cheesy scene with “father, I will protect Sega!”

I would be extremely surprised if this new villain isn’t eventually revealed to be Segata Sanshiro himself in disguise. Try reading his name quickly.

I guess we’ll learn more when the next episode launches down the line. 

Following the announcement of a port for PS4 of  Doraemon Story of Seasons, Bandai Namco released the first trailer.

The video provides an extensive overview of the game, showing off plenty of gameplay in which Nobita and friends find themselves in a village where they have to make ends meet by growing crops and tending livestock and interact with the local people.

Doraemon Story of Seasons is published by Bandai Namco and co-developed by Marvelous Entertainment and Brownies. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s basically a match made in heaven between the Story of Seasons series by Marvelous and the old and glorious Doraemon anime series.

It was originally released for Nintendo Switch, then ported for PC for the Asian and western markets, and now it-s coming for PS4.

The one missing detail is whether the new port will come to the west or not, with the North American and European branches of Bandai Namco still quiet on the issue at the moment of this writing.

You can enjoy the trailer below.

Crash Bandicoot’s been on quite the hot streak in recent years. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy brought the mad marsupial back to the forefront of the gaming sphere, and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled further emphasized his star power. Now, Crash is taking a spin at a new frontier with the soft-launch of his latest game, Crash Bandicoot Mobile.

This new free-to-play title sends Crash Bandicoot on an all-new adventure, traveling across the multiverse to stop Dr. Neo Cortex’s minions and his nefarious plot. Other characters from the series also make appearances, including well-known characters like Coco Bandicoot and Dingodile, alongside deeper pulls such as Scorporilla.

It’s been almost two weeks since eager fans have finally gotten their hands on the beloved and much anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake for the PS4. The love is real for the Avalanche crew, Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and the rest of the squad, so much so that fans have been creating some amazing pieces of fanart to show their affection for the incredible game.

I have been scouring Twiter and Reddit over the last week or so to find the best of the best Final Fantasy VII fanart out there and here are a couple that certainly spoke to me!

The Netflix Castlevania series has been quite a hit over on the popular streaming service, and today, series writer Warren Ellis shared some news regarding just how big of a hit the latest season was. The information comes from a new blog post over at Warren’s personal site.

As it turns out, Castlevania’s third season blew away expectations, both on the part of the showrunners and Netflix. While the exact numbers can’t be shared, Castlevania Season 3 did “shockingly well.” As Warren goes on to mention, shows in their third season tend to falter in terms of views, but Castlevania’s audience actually rose, so much so that Netflix was quoted as saying it was an “unusual” trend.

Castlevania’s success has been so impressive, that it actually managed to chart among Netflix’s top ten shows for multiple weeks in over 40 countries. Warren is quick to point out that those figures are especially impressive, as its top ten spot was not just for animation, or just for TV shows, but was across all of Netflix’s offerings.

Warren also confirms in his post that, due to the success of the latest season, that he’s “on for season 4.” We’d previously received news of Netflix renewing the show for a fourth season, but knowing that the writer responsible for the show’s high-quality script is onboard once again is good news indeed.

Finally, Warren closes out his post by thanking fans of the show for supporting it thus far, saying that he hopes the show’s success can help pave the way for others like it. With numbers that can match those of live-action dramas, Warren hopes that Castlevania can help open the door for more animated “adult-oriented drama narratives.”

Today Sega has made Yakuza Kiwami available on Xbox One, Windows 10, and Xbox Game pass, and the publisher released a launch trailer to celebrate.

For those unfamiliar with the game, Yakuza Kiwami is the full remake of the original Yakuza game, which launched on PlayStation 2 all the way back in 2005.

Not only the game comes with entirely overhauled graphics, but it also includes plenty of new content and gameplay improvements. 

Incidentally, it’s also a lovely time machine of sorts, showcasing Tokyo’s popular red-light district of Kabukicho as it was in 2005. That’s great considering that it has changed a lot over the years. The way the environment changes in the games of the series following the real world is one of the most interesting aspects of the franchise.

You can check out the trailer below.

If you want to hear more, here’s what Sega has to say about the game. 

“A ground-up remake of 2005’s Yakuza, Yakuza Kiwami picks up where Yakuza 0 leaves off, and puts players back in the snakeskin shoes of series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. After facing a 10-year prison sentence for a crime he didn’t commit, he’s released into a world he no longer recognizes, alone and expelled from his former yakuza family. Shortly after his release, he encounters a mysterious girl named Haruka, who may be the key to the answers Kiryu seeks.”

A free update for Motion Twin and Evil Empires’ roguelike-metroidvania game Dead Cells is now live on PC with new enemies, outfits, achievements, and more.

The “Bestiary Update” adds six new enemies with three found in specific biomes and the other three found at different Boss Cells difficulties. Active skills also received new affixes such as ice, poison, bleed, fire, and more spreading on floors and enemies after a skill is used or destroyed.

The update adds two new items with a “portable door” that covers a player’s back and can cause a stun effect, and a crowbar that can cause a critical hit after breaking doors or props.

Alongside the crowbar weapon is a Gordon Freeman outfit that was introduced in the alpha update last month to coincide with the launch of Half-Life: Alyx.

Devolver Digital have given a tease of the powerful auto shotgun in the upcoming Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass, slated for release sometime this year.

The small clip only gives a tiny look at the auto shotgun, but it looks akin to an AA-12 shotgun that exists in reality. As with Devolver Digital’s well known sense of humor, of course they refer to this clip as a leak.

The series has long been games similar to earlier id Software titles such as Quake and Doom, offering hordes of enemies to shoot down and secrets to find, all while offering an impressive arsenal of weapons from rockets launchers to a cannon. Yes, a cannon. The series, despite the name, is anything but serious.

While the game has been marketed with materials showing off Sam’s motorcycle, the description is quick to shoot down any possibilities of being open-world, saying:

Super Mario Maker 2 is closing in on its first birthday, and other than the Master Sword update, post-launch support for the game has so far been pretty light. Many fans, including myself, had been resigned to the fact that a World Maker likely wasn’t in the cards this time around and would have settled for a new course theme or two. Even that concession was starting to look dicey with impact COVID-19 is having on game development.

Then out of nowhere, Nintendo released a bombshell of a trailer teasing the now live “final major update” to Super Mario Maker 2. And let me tell you, if this is the last one, it’s going out with a bang!

I was up until the wee hours of the evening/morning today trying to get as much work as I could on Super Ed World before I had to go to bed so I could wake up for work on time. I couldn’t help myself as the allure to start putting together my own Super Mario game, something I’ve dreamt about since I was a kid, was too strong.

The highlight is, of course, the World Maker, which will certainly inject a dose of life into a community that was starting to scale down to its most hardcore fans.

While it’s lacking a few features (aspirational goals for future games, I suppose) it’s certainly a quality addition to the suite of features in Super Mario Maker 2.

Today is already April 23 in Japan, and Koei Tecmo and DMM are celebrating Leifang’s birthday on Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation.

I’m fairly confident that many of you you don’t need me to tell you how the birthday is being celebrated by now. 

If you do, the game has introduced the usual paid-only gacha with a new costume for Leifang. By drawing from the gacha you also get a cake that can be turned into experience and a chance to get a ring for our heroine. 

Incidentally, the success chance is absolutely abysmal as usual. By spending your real money, your chance to unlock the new costume is 0.78%. The change to get an SSR costume is a bit higher (1.1% because there are some older costumes thrown into the mix). 

Since one paid-only gacha wasn’t enough, DMM also threw in a second one featuring last year’s costume. Incidentally, the same costume is featured in the celebration of the Steam version in English, which is behind in content by approximately a year. 

You can see whether the new costume is worth your money in the new trailer below. I guarantee it’s not worth mine. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the game, Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation, is a free-to-play version of Dead or Alive Xtreme, available only for PC.

Today’s issue of Weekly Famitsu included a spread on Nihon Falcom’s upcoming JRPG The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari No Kiseki, the next game of the Trails series.

First of all, we get a Japanese release date. The game is coming exclusively for PS4 (at least for now) on August 27.

We also get plenty of screenshots showcasing more characters who will appear in the story and gameplay features.

A new feature is the “Valiant Rage” mechanic which is an advanced command linked to the Combat Link system from the Trails of Cold Steel series.

It’s a powerful attack and recovery technique that can be activated by five or more party members. You can use it by consuming “AG” (Assault Gauge)  and you can use three different options: Valiant Attack, Valiant Heal, and Valiant Arts. The amount of damage or healing depends on the number of party members involved, up to 10.

The Trails of Cold Steel series also includes the use of BP (Brave Points) for Brave Orders. While it’s powerful, players tend to run out of BP easily. This new game mitigates the issue by introducing a Valiant Rage technique with a BP recovery effect.

We also get to see a few characters, most of which will prove familiar among fans of the franchise including Zero no Kiseki, Ao no Kiseki, Trails of Cold Steel, and more

These are Arios Maclaine, Rixia Mao, Zeit, Ilya Platiere, Mateus and Orie Vander (Kurt’s father and mother), and F. Novartis.

You can check out the screenshots below, keeping in mind that they are from magazine scans, so the quality isn’t perfect.

Wizards of the Coast is today celebrating 2019 as the most successful in Dungeons & Dragons’ 46-year history; an infographic that highlights some hugely impressive numbers, including 40 million fans worldwide, increased sales in key regions, and substantial online viewership numbers.

The brand’s success is attributed to appearances across mainstream pop-culture mediums, including TV shows like South Park and Community, as well as the growth of the livestreaming ecosystem, with widely popular liveplay shows like Critical Role, or High Rollers and Oxventure in the UK.

Here’s a summary of Dungeons & Dragons 2019 key figures:

• 6th consecutive year of growth.
• 17.5 billion media impressions.
• Sales of introductory boxed products rose by 300 percent.
• Viewers watched 4.3 Billion minutes of D&D content on Twitch.
• 2 Million people tuned in to D&D Live 2019.
• 39 percent of players identify as female and this percentage is growing.
• Sales in Europe increased 65% year-on-year, and have more than quadrupled since 2014.

Dan Barrett, EU senior brand manager for Dungeons & Dragons commented on today’s infographic in a press release:

“On the back of our biggest year in franchise history, Dungeons & Dragons is more popular than ever, with over 40 million fans globally. Our accelerating strong growth here in Europe contributes to that and is set to progress in 2020.

With ongoing expansion into tabletop products, streaming entertainment, and digital games, we’re going to continue introducing new fans to our legendary world of fantasy storytelling for years to come.”

SuperData’s monthly report on worldwide digital video game spending is in for March, which turned out to be a record-breaker for a number of AAA franchises. Most notably, Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold five million digital copies in a single month, the most for a console game ever — a record previously held by Call of Duty: Black Ops III.

To put the numbers into perspective, five million digital copies “roughly matches” the first-month digital sales of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokémon Sword and Shield put together.”

SuperData cites the game’s “combination of social features and a relaxing setting likely appealed to individuals stuck at home,” as a key factor driving its success. Further, “closures of brick and mortar stores also meant that a higher share of consumers purchased the game digitally compared to past Switch titles.”

According to a report from Variety, the Disney+ television series, Star Wars: The Mandalorian, is already starting production on season three. The sci-fi series first premiered back in late 2019 on Disney’s streaming platform and the second season has already finished production and is planning to premiere later this year.

Apparently, sources told Variety that series creator Jon Favreau has been “writing season 3 for a while,” and that the art department has been making concepts for the new season “for the past few weeks.”

The show was a phenomenal success for Disney, mostly thanks to the popularity of the newly introduced character known as The Child, nicknamed Baby Yoda.

Disney has yet to officially confirm when season two will start streaming, but it’s slated for sometime in October.

If you loved watching Star Wars: The Mandalorian, then you will be happy to know that a documentary series all about the making of the Star Wars show will be premiering on May 4.

For more on The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda, check out this Baby Yoda-themed Operation game from Hasbro and a Battlefront mod that puts The Mandalorian into the game.

Doraemon Story of Seasons was released last year for Nintendo Switch and PC. Bandai Namco announced that it’s coming to PS4, at least in Japan.

The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu included the reveal of the PS4 port, which will be released in Japan on July 30 priced at 6,100 yen plus taxes.

At the moment the western branches of Bandai Namco did not reveal whether it’s coming to the west as well or not.

The article included comments from the developers, who mention that the launch in the west of the Switch and PC version prevented them from porting the game to PS4 earlier. They also teased the release of a free update for all platforms (including the Switch) after the launch of the PlayStation version.

They’re happy that more gamers will be able to enjoy the game, and they also teased that something new for the Story of Seasons series is being worked on following the latest release “Friends of Mineral Town.” They hope fans of the franchise will look forward to it.

Lastly, we hear that while the port to new hardware created a few hurdles, they already overcome the big ones and only a few remain to be tackled. Development is 85% complete.

If you’re unfamiliar with Doraemon Story of Seasons you can read our review. You can also take a look at the launch trailer of the Switch and PC versions.

The post Doraemon Story of Seasons Announced for PS4 appeared first on Twinfinite.

Polyphony Digital has today confirmed that GT Sport’s Patch 1.57 will be available later today following a brief closure of servers. Full patch notes haven’t yet been made available, but thanks to a new post over on the PS Blog from the developer, we do know it’s set to add the Toyota GR Supra RZ’ 20.

As per the description included in the president of Polyphony Digital Kazunori Yamauchi’s message:

Optimally balanced with a 50:50 weight distribution and a low center of gravity, it provides powerful acceleration with a twin-scroll turbo. The quick handling enabled by the wide-body and short wheelbase is a result of a pursuit to achieve an ideal sports car, and its glamorous and elegant form and straight-six engine sound combine to give it an aura that is unrivaled by others. 

The GR Supra RZ was developed for not only real motorsports but also with competition in Gran Turismo Sport in mind. The further refined 2020 model will also come in highly anticipated new body colors.

I always had the feeling that War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius’ FF Tactics-esque character design by Cydesignation would look great in anime form, and today Square Enix proved me right.

The publisher released two TV commercials for the Japanese version of the game. The first showcases the original characters of the game with anime visuals.

You can check it out below.

The second TV commercial showcases once more the upcoming Final Fantasy Tactics collaboration coming to the Japanese version of the game. 

It’ll include Delita Heiral, Agrias Oaks, and Mustadio Bunansa.

The ports of the three mainline games of the Danganronpa series for mobile platforms are coming in English as well.

Spike Chunsoft sent a press release yesterday about the upcoming ports announced for Japan during a livestream on Saturday, but it didn’t explicitly mention that they would be available in English.

Twinfinite reached out to the publisher to clarify this point, and we heard back that the games will indeed include the English localization.

The titles will be Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition, and all three are coming for iOS and Android. Pricing and release dates have not been revealed yet.

All ports will include the following enhancements:

A trademark listing spotted over on Reddit has revealed the Xbox Series X logo design for the first time.

As per its description:

“The mark consists of the word SERIES in a vertical formation to the right of which appears a stylized letter X.”

Notably, it doesn’t actually feature the name “Xbox” anywhere, unlike the logos that have so far been used by Microsoft in recent trailers and promotional material.

There’s an alternate white color version, too, which can be seen below.

For comparison’s sake, you can check out the PS5 logo revealed by Sony earlier this year here. The image went on to become the most-liked Instagram image ever by a gaming company.

We all thought that the final Splatfest in Splatoon 2 had been determined: Team Chaos triumphed over Team Order last year in July. But as it turns out, that wasn’t really the final Splatfest.

The Nintendo Versus Twitter account announced that there will be a bonus one-off Splatfest next month, bringing back a matchup we’ve seen once before.

The theme is the same as it was during the very first Splatfest in Splatoon 2. Players can join either Team Mayo or Team Ketchup to decide which condiment is the best.

The first time that mayo and ketchup lovers battled it out in a Splatfest was back in August 2017. Team Mayo was the champion, winning 2-1. It lost the popularity vote, but it won both the solo and team categories. Will history repeat itself, or will it finally be Team Ketchup’s time to shine?

This one-off Splatfest will begin on May 22 at 3:00 p.m. PT and will last until May 24 at 3:00 p.m. PT. It will work the same way as all previous Splatfests: choose a side and participate in Turf War battles to earn clout for your chosen team.

This news comes directly after the announcement that Splatoon 2 will be receiving a free demo event at the end of this month. From April 29 through May 6, players can participate in Turf War battles, Ranked Battles, Salmon Run, and more for free by downloading the demo.

Valorant, Riot Games’ competitive multiplayer tactical shooter, received its first update today since launching into closed beta earlier this month.

The biggest changes in the update concern two of the game’s characters, Raze and Sage, that have been frustrating to fight against for players.

Raze’s Paint Shells cluster grenade ability has been reduced from two to one, and now must require two kills before the ability can refresh cooldown. The audio for Paint Shells, Blast Pack, and Showstopper abilities were also adjusted so opposing players will be able to hear it better.

Sage also received a nerf to its Barrier ability, since the update doubles the melee damage to destructible walls and doors, and players can walk through Sage’s Slow Orb ability without making any noise. Although, the ability does slow the air speed to curb bunny hopping through it.

The Valorant update also reduces the outbound network traffic for palyers with high FPS and ISPs throttling game traffic, and fixes several out-of-map exploits on Bind, Haven, and Split.

Check out the full patch notes for update .47 on the official website. Riot Games said it will continue to run the closed beta until Valorant’s official launch scheduled for sometime in Summer 2020.

The post Valorant Nerfs Two of its Characters in First Update appeared first on Twinfinite.

Developer Dischan Media and publisher Sekai Project announced that the character-action hack and slash game Mahou Arms is coming to Steam.

More precisely, the game will launch on Steam early access next week, on april 29.

Fans of games like Devil May Cry and NieR: Automata should probably keep an eye on this one, because it appears to be right up their alley, and very promising.

You can check out a trailer and a few screenshots below.

GameStop announced plans to manage its business affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through temporary pay cuts, employee furloughs, and reopening stores in specific regions.

In a press release, GameStop said it would be temporarily reducing the base salaries of Chief Executive Officer George Sherman by 50% and Chief Financial Officer Jim Bell alongside the remainder of the executive leadership team by 30%.

The company’s board of directors will have their cash compensation reduced by 50%. Also, “certain other employees across the company’s worldwide operating units” will have their pay temporarily reduced between 10% and 30%, while support staff can choose between a temporary furlough or reduced workweek/reduced pay program.

As for the retail stores, one-third of the U.S. locations will remain closed, while the other two-thirds are closed to customers but still offer curbside pick-up.

The company said it has begun to reopen stores in South Carolina and Georgia alongside Italy, Austria, and Germany with the “potential” to reopen in other states and countries in the coming weeks.

The post GameStop Reduces Executive Pay; Will Reopen Stores in Some States and Countries appeared first on Twinfinite.

Sony Pictures has announced that it will be developing a live-action adaptation of the popular comedic superhero manga/anime, One-Punch Man. The film will be written by Venom co-writers, Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner; Avi Arad and Ari Arad of Arad Productions are acting as producers, and a director has yet to be hired.

According to the exclusive story from Variety, Sony is apparently “very high on the property given the popularity and the possibility of adding another franchise to the pipeline.”

One-Punch Man was born into the world in 2009 as a webcomic and then was later translated into a manga series, selling over 30 million copies. The anime’s first season aired in Japan in 2015 and then was dubbed the next year for Western audiences –there are now two seasons of the show with 12 episodes each.

The synopsis of the One-Punch Man anime is as follows:

“Nothing about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem—he just can’t seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on!”

No other details have been revealed about the live-action adaptation but check back here for more news in the future.

A Modern Warfare playlist update is rolling out across all platforms currently. Among the changes is a new playlist that features a rotation of the Modern Warfare smaller maps called Cabin Fever 24/7.

The Modern Warfare maps you will see in Cabin Fever 24/7 are Shipment, Rust, Shoot House, Hackney Yard, and Hideout. This is a mode for those who love getting in close, so beware of players who use shotguns and only shotguns.

In more game mode rotation, Drop Zone is being replaced by Cranked. If you haven’t heard of this game mode until right this second and immediately thought of the Jason Statham movie where he has to keep moving or he dies? Good job being awesome.

Cranked (no, the connection to the movie wasn’t a joke) is a team deathmatch game mode new to Modern Warfare where once you get a kill you have 30 seconds to get another kill or you explode. While Jason Statham didn’t have to shoot dude after dude to survive, you do. He just chose to. The idea is to keep the kill chain moving as while it is active, you are bringing in more points for the team.

This playlist update has also removed Stir Crazy and Realism Ground War game modes. The other Ground War change comes with the removal of Aniyah Palance from Ground War map rotation.

For tips and tricks on making your way through multiplayer is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, head on over to Twinfinite’s Guide Wiki.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Despite current COVID-19 concerns, Penny Arcade has posted a blog update today to confirm that the yearly video game convention, PAX West, is still on for the first week of September.

Here’s the post in full:

Hey there! We hope you’re staying safe and healthy in these uncertain times.

We tend to be pretty quiet this time of year, but since we’ve had some questions from fans and exhibitors we wanted to let everyone know that as of this moment, we’re still planning on putting together a great PAX West this coming Labor Day Weekend (September 4th – 7th) for you, and we will be updating our website with more information on badges and hotel registration in the coming months.

Our first priority is always your safety, and that extends to issues of public health. As the year progresses, we will continue to monitor the situation and work with health officials at all levels of government, and intend to follow all CDC and WHO guidelines as they are released. That said, actions already taken by our convention center and local government have left us optimistic, and we will continue working with them to make sure we take the correct steps throughout the summer. 

We look forward to welcoming you home as we always have, but until then – may you give Tom Nook a run for his money, and may Sephiroth stand defeated in your wake.

PAX West takes place in Seattle, Washington and features a bustling expo hall over the course of four days that is packed with video game developers/publishers showing off their new titles to fans.

There are also plenty of panels each day with rooms that can fit hundreds of people inside of them, along with performances, tournaments, game rooms, and much more.

Thinking about the art of Bleach and the recent Sakura Wars game, many would likely remember the name of mangaka Tite Kubo, but there is another prominent artist the two have in common, Masashi Kudo.

Kudo-sensei is responsible for the character design of the Bleach anime and he worked on Sakura Wars translating Kubo-sensei’s drawings into the characters we see on screen.

Recently, he opened his own YouTube channel, on which he’s mostly posting some charming timelapse of his drawings on iPad.

At the moment,  we can see drawings from Bleach featuring Orihime Inoue, Renji Abarai, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. We also see a drawing of Kenpachi Zaraki done live at the Middle East Film and Comic Con almost exactly one year ago.

You can check them out below.

While most younger MMORPG fans are likely more familiar with Final Fantasy XIV, us gaming boomers (30 years and up) likely were exposed to Final Fantasy XI as our first foray into an online Final Fantasy world.

With a little bit under 500 days of playing time, you could say that Final Fantasy XI captured my attention at the very least. I stuck with it from launch and I’m still subscribed in 2020.

In May, Final Fantasy XI is going to be celebrating its 19th birthday, a major accomplishment in the hyper-competitive MMORPG space. There’s so much, both good and bad, to reflect on over 19 years and a lot to look forward to as well with the 20th anniversary surprise around the corner. Even in the short term, Final Fantasy XI continues to receive regular monthly updates featuring content such as new battle areas and summons.

I was looking forward to meeting with producer Akihiko Matsui and director Yoji Fujito at PAX East this year to talk about 19 years of Final Fantasy XI.

Unfortunately, the outbreak of COVID-19 forced us to cancel our previously scheduled face to face interview. However, Matsui-san and Fujito-san were kind enough to still answer a few of the questions that I had planned. Hopefully, when we are all through the other end of this pandemic, we can have another opportunity to meet.

For now though, please enjoy the insight into the earlier years of Final Fantasy XI from two of the key developers that helped make it such a huge success.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake reimagines one of gaming’s most beloved RPGs in astounding beauty. From character models to the sprawling dystopia of Midgar, the level of detail is often breathtaking.

20 years after the release of Final Fantasy 7, the remake’s stunning graphics are in stark contrast to the 1997 classic. Still, we love that clever little nods to the original game tugged on our nostalgia strings all throughout.

So it’s time to celebrate a game that diehard fans have waited so many years to experience! Here we’ve compiled 10 of our favorite wallpapers from across the internet which we think would be a good fit for your next desktop background.

If you click on the below download links you should find HD and 4K resolutions for all the images, though some are just HD.

Today Xseed Games released a new trailer of Granblue Fantasy Versus focusing on the upcoming DLC character Zooey. 

The trailer showcases Zooey in action, and not only it’s in English, but it’s also different from the one released by Japanese developer Cygames a few days ago, giving us a chance to see more of Zooey and her flashy moves.

Zooey will release at the same time for PS4 and PC next week, on April 28.

You can check it out below.

We also already know that the second character pass for the game will come this fall. Things will be kicked off by Belial, with five more characters to follow. 

Granblue Fantasy Versus  is currently available for PS4 and PC. If you want to read more about the game (and the upcoming action JRPG Granblue Fantasy Relink) you can also read our recent review with director Tetsuya Fukuhara alongside our review.

Today Spike Chunsoft announced a North American release date for the Science Adventure visual novels Robotics;Notes Elite and Robotics;Notes DaSH.

The popular visual novels will be released for PS4 and Nintendo Switch on October 13, 2020 with a double pack including both games. There will also be a day one edition including four pin badges featuring main characters from both games. Pre-orders are already available on Amazon (Switch, PS4) for $59.99.

It’s worth mentioning that the release date is only for North America and one for Europe will be “coming soon.”

The games are also coming to Steam, but they will be sold separately. The listings are already up on Valve’s storefront (Elite, DaSH). 

Below you can enjoy a new trailer and a batch of screenshots.

The Pokemon Company has released a brand-new episode of Pokemon: Twilight Wings to its official YouTube channel. This fourth episode focuses on the Water-type Gym Leader and model from the Galar region, Nessa.

If you didn’t know, Twilight Wings is a new seven-episode limited anime series with each episode having a different story arc and characters from the Galar region that were introduced in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield late last year.

The show premieres every month or so on the official Pokemon YouTube channel and on Pokemon TV.

You can watch the latest episode down below and find out if she decides to take advice from Rose when it comes to following her dreams:

Today Annapurna Interactive announced the release date on consoles of Sam Barlow’s latest game Telling Lies.

It’ll hit PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One on April 28. 

The game originally launched on PC and iOS last year, winning critical acclaim from several outlets as you can see in the trailer below.

If you’re unfamiliar with Telling Lies, you can read a quick descripètion below directly from the press release.

“Featuring a star-studded live-action cast including Logan Marshall-Green, Alexandra Shipp, Kerry Bishé and Angela Sarafyan, Telling Lies sits the player in front of an anonymous laptop loaded with a stolen NSA database full of footage. The footage covers two years in the intimate lives of four people whose stories are linked by a shocking incident. Explore the database by typing search terms, watch the clips where those words are spoken and piece together the story. “

You’ll soon have the option to become a railway tycoon from the palm of your hands as Railway Empire steams over to Nintendo Switch later this summer, June 19. It’s a three-month delay from the March release date (itself a delay from an original February date), which was caused by logistical issues brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kalypso Media and developer Independent Arts Software today confirmed both a physical and digital edition, which will include the main game (with all added content and improvements since its initial launch), alongside the Mexico DLC, Crossing the Andes DLC, and The Great Lakes DLC.

The Germany DLC, France DLC, and Great Britain & Ireland DLC will also be available as additional purchases via Nintendo eShop.

For those not up to speed, Railway Empire players are able to create a huge railway network, on which 40 different train models can roam. That includes establishing the infrastructure in its entirety, such as railway stations, maintenance buildings, factories, and tourist attractions.

You’ll also administer the network and manage its workforce, making use of 300 technological improvements that can be researched to improve efficiency.

Of course, other companies vying for a slice of the pie are never far behind, and that’s where a little industrial espionage comes in handy!

You can check out Railway Empire’s Nintendo Switch announcement trailer below.

Cyberpunk 2077, the upcoming sci-fi open-world RPG from CD Projekt RED, is on schedule to release in Septemeber of 2020 and if you’ve been holding out on pre-ordering one of the most anticipated games of the year, now is the time to do so.

The physical PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions of Cyberpunk 2077 are discounted by $10 right now on Amazon, bringing its price to $49.99 once you throw it in your digital shopping cart.

According to Amazon, the pre-order will net you several physical and digital bonuses at no extra charge:

• The game comes with the following physical items: case with game code and soundtrack CDs, World Compendium detailing the game’s setting and lore, postcards from Night City, map of Night City, and stickers.
• Digital goodies included: game soundtrack, art booklet featuring a selection of art from the game, Cyberpunk 2020 sourcebook, wallpapers for desktop and mobile.

Here the shopping links for all three versions of the game:

It’s that time of the month again, which means that the NPD released its data about the U.S. gaming market related to March 2019.

Once more analyst Mat Piscatella delivers the news via Twitter.

Animal Crossing: New Horizon is the best-selling game of the month, surprising basically no one. It also becomes the second best-selling game of the year behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

On top of that, ACNH also became the third best-selling Nintendo-published game in the U.S. during a launch month in recorded history. Its dollar sales in March alone are higher than the lifetime sales of any other game in the Animal Crossing franchise.

MLB The Show 20 debuted in third place for the month and is now the fifth best-selling game of the year. It also set a franchise record for first-month sales, performing “significantly” better than MLB The Show 19.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare also set a franchise record for sales in March, beating the previous best-selling entry from 2010.

The Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console for the month, doubling its sales from March last year. PS4 and Xbox One also grew by over 25% year-on-year.

Switch sales are also the new record for hardware unit sales in March in the U.S, selling more than it did in its launch month (which was also the previous record).

Below you can check out all the relevant charts. If you want to compare, you can check out last month’s report.

If you’re a fan of the Resident Evil series, you probably already know that these are really good speed games. Most of them have short campaigns, feature decent replay value, and they generally just lend themselves well to speedruns. The newly released Resident Evil 3 remake is no exception.

If you’re looking to get into the speedrunning community for Resident Evil 3, here are a few tips to get you started.