A new Grisaia game will appear on PC browsers in Japan. Frontwing and Exnoa have confirmed the launch date for Grisaia: Barcarolle of the Battlefield. It will appear on DMM Games on April 5, 2022.

The Japanese official website shows the browser game's features. Players will collect multiple characters—including different costume versions of the same character. Together with the heroines, they will fight against waves of enemies to win in-game rewards.

Barcarolle of the Battlefield will also have an extensive visual novel storyline spanning more than a million Japanese letters. Additionally, DMM Games confirmed that this game's story will take place after The Eden of Grisaia. It has published a Prologue trailer for the browser game on its YouTube channel.

[tnm_video layout="mnmd-post-media"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rstNUrCiwUg[/tnm_video]

The Grisaia series comprises many visual novel titles. The original trilogy—Fruit, Labyrinth, and Eden—appeared on PCs in Japan from 2011 to 2013. Frontwing also released the Grisaia Phantom Trigger spinoff series between 2017 and 2022. It concluded with the final Volume 8 released in February 2022.

Portable monitors have become increasingly popular over the last few years. The slim form factor makes for an easy-to-pack travel monitor that slides in right alongside your laptop, but these screens have potential as a on-the-go gaming display as well. There's just one issue - these monitors are almost universally built using LCD technology which, as anyone familiar with DF might know, is not our first choice when it comes to gaming displays. That's why I was fascinated by the sudden appearance of new OLED-based portable monitors such as the Innocn 15K1F we're discussing today.

Compared to LCD, OLED technology offers vastly superior contrast with inky blacks, excellent colour and faster motion response - I simply had to check it out to see if this is a worthy purchase or if it runs into some unforeseen pitfalls. I've spent the last month tinkering with this monitor in a variety of scenarios and walked away mostly impressed. So how does it stack up?

For starters, like its LCD brethren, the 15K1F is slim and lightweight (just 1.6lbs/0.7kg) with a form factor resembling an over-sized tablet in its design. It features a nice aluminium casing surrounding the screen itself and feels reasonably durable. The package includes a protection cover with rubber sides that grip onto the unit which also doubles as a foldable stand. The side of the monitor features power and volume buttons in addition to a pair of USB-C connectors and one mini-HDMI input - two of which can function as sources for video input.

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Portable monitors have become increasingly popular over the last few years. The slim form factor makes for an easy-to-pack travel monitor that slides in right alongside your laptop, but these screens have potential as a on-the-go gaming display as well. There's just one issue - these monitors are almost universally built using LCD technology which, as anyone familiar with DF might know, is not our first choice when it comes to gaming displays. That's why I was fascinated by the sudden appearance of new OLED-based portable monitors such as the Innocn 15K1F we're discussing today.

Compared to LCD, OLED technology offers vastly superior contrast with inky blacks, excellent colour and faster motion response - I simply had to check it out to see if this is a worthy purchase or if it runs into some unforeseen pitfalls. I've spent the last month tinkering with this monitor in a variety of scenarios and walked away mostly impressed. So how does it stack up?

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It feels like just yesterday FromSoftware fans were worried they were going to die before Elden Ring arrived, and now we’re an entire month removed from its launch. In that time, dedicated players have eagerly explored every inch of this massive game, resulting in a lot of great coverage here on Kotaku dot com.

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Swedish publisher Kinda Brave is opening its doors, as the company revealed in an announcement earlier today that it would be working toward creating an environment that would incubate new studios, diversify the industry, and reduce carbon emissions.

You can check out the official announcement trailer and core values statement below:

Bill Clinton has been immortalised in Guilty Gear Strive, after remarks against the series made in 1999.

As reported by Gamespot, then President of the United States Bill Clinton gave a speech condemning violence in video games, specifically violent messaging in advertisements.

He held up a number of examples, which included "kill your friends, guilt free" from Guilty Gear, the 1998 first instalment in the fighting game series.

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Bill Clinton has been immortalised in Guilty Gear Strive, after remarks against the series made in 1999.

As reported by Gamespot, then President of the United States Bill Clinton gave a speech condemning violence in video games, specifically violent messaging in advertisements.

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The Tales of Arise and Scarlet Nexus crossover items are available in each respective game in Japan. This means they should appear worldwide on March 30, 2022 as well. Alongside the addition of cosmetic items and weapons, players will also have access to battle music. For example, Scarlet Nexus players will now have access to the battle music from Tales of Arise, and vice versa. [Thanks, 4Gamer and Gamer!]

The items Scarlet Nexus players can obtain include Alphen's fragmented Iron Mask and the Flaming Sword. Conversely, Tales of Arise players will have access to Yuito’s Myoho Muramasa and a Baki Chan cosmetic item. However, Bandai Namco didn't mentioned the inclusion of battle music until the crossover items appeared.

You can watch the Scarlet Nexus Version 1.08 trailer below to get a look at the collaboration items.

[embed]https://youtu.be/IrGRDnYji1w[/embed]

The first Intel Arc GPUs are finally here, and they are… for laptops. That might not please anyone hoping for relief from ongoing stock woes in the desktop graphics card market, but the mobile Arc A-Series chips are built for gaming all the same – and the first Arc laptops are launching today. That’s all via the livestreamed launch event that finished mere minutes ago, and that you can find liveblogged below.

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SuperGroupies revealed "Part 2" of its Berserk model merchandise collection. These SuperGroupies items continue to focus on the characters Guts and Griffith. This time, the Berserk merchandise includes a Guts backpack, a Griffith messenger bag, and two pairs of boots styled after Guts and Griffith, respectively. The new items are available to pre-order through April 17, 2022.

The Berserk Guts backpack uses brown synthetic leather to evoke the style of shoulder strap Guts wears. The backpack includes lots of little references to the character and the series, such as a metal plate that contains the quote, “If you see God, you tell him this… Leave me the hell alone!!!” Side pockets are embossed and studded to replicate Guts' shoulder pads, and an original lining design featuring the Beast of Darkness is hidden threateningly inside the bag. The Guts backpack is 18.11" in height and costs $148.

Meanwhile, the Berserk Griffith messenger bag uses an asymmetric flap and striking colors to evoke Griffith's grace as the Hawk of Light. A golden metal plate contains the quote, “Iʼll not... ...Betray my dream. That is all.” The lining design inside the bag contains the Hill of Swords, representing a tragic sacrifice that occurred. The Griffith messenger bag is 11.81" and makes space for things like a 500 mL bottle and long wallet. The bag costs $148.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was shared over the scream of a high-revving V10 engine. The summer before I headed into my GCSEs, my work experience took me to the British GP in 1996 where I was lucky enough to shadow the brilliant motorsport journalist David Tremayne who at the time was The Independent's F1 correspondent.

We were standing at the back of a garage watching Martin Brundle's car being fired up, the Jordan liveried in the same thin gold of the B&H cartons I'd started sneakily smoking on the walk back from school. The engine note - a shrill, banshee scream that got louder and louder as it bounced off the concrete walls - was what we games journalists might call visceral, an all-encompassing thing that visibly moved me.

My mentor saw that wide-eyed excitement, the same look that's struck me whenever I go to a race track and first hear an engine striking a note of fury, and recognised it; it was pretty much the same one he had on his face as we were being blasted by a V10, some years into his career and having heard that same note over countless race weekends. 'Hold onto that', he said. 'When it's gone you might as well walk away'.

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Last week, I reported on a data mine suggesting that Fortnite’s ‘No Build’ modes were set to become a permanent feature. Or, at least, a semi-permanent feature in the form of a Limited-Time Mode (LTM). Today, Epic Games doubled down on the removal of the mechanic, officially announcing the no-build modes as Fortnite Zero Build.

Having been the only way to play Fortnite outside of its competitive modes since the beginning of the season on March 20th, it’s become a bit of a divisive topic. Some have thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay change, seeing the removal of the mechanic as the reason they needed to return to the fray, while others feel that it has essentially made Fortnite like any other Battle Royale experience.

To an extent, the latter is right, Fortnite’s big unique selling point (USP) from the offset was the fact players could build towers, ramps, and walkways high in the sky — a mechanic ported over from the ‘Save the World‘ PvE mode the game originally took the form of prior to PUBG’s meteoric rise to fame, which caused Epic to hop into the Battle Royale hype. In reality, though, Fortnite has already evolved way beyond the buildathon BR experience it started out life as.

It only takes a few button presses from the lobby screen to see the way Fortnite has diversified. The ‘Discover’ screen highlights all of the various game modes that are now housed inside it.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was shared over the scream of a high-revving V10 engine. The summer before I headed into my GCSEs, my work experience took me to the British GP in 1996 where I was lucky enough to shadow the brilliant motorsport journalist David Tremayne who at the time was The Independent's F1 correspondent.

We were standing at the back of a garage watching Martin Brundle's car being fired up, the Jordan liveried in the same thin gold of the B&H cartons I'd started sneakily smoking on the walk back from school. The engine note - a shrill, banshee scream that got louder and louder as it bounced off the concrete walls - was what we games journalists might call visceral, an all-encompassing thing that visibly moved me.

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One month after announcing Street Fighter 6, Capcom have waved goodbye to Street Fighter V with a big patch they're caling the 'Definitive Update'. It sets what I guess is the final meta, overhauling balance by tweaking characters and even giving some whole new moves. It also spruces the place up a bit with new graphical filters and music.

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The Sonic the Hedgehog film series won't follow the chronological order of the games.

Speaking to IGN, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 director Jeff Fowler stated the films will be a melting pot of ideas rather than directly paralleling the game series.

"It's not always going to be a linear progression of like 'Oh, this was in Sonic 2 so it's going to be in the Sonic 2 film'," he said. "It's going to be a little bit of a cherry picking, a little bit of a melting pot. There's so much great, inspiring imagery to pull from the 30 years of games. So if we didn't get it in one film, there's always the chance that we'll revisit it somewhere else."

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The Sonic the Hedgehog film series won't follow the chronological order of the games.

Speaking to IGN, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 director Jeff Fowler stated the films will be a melting pot of ideas rather than directly paralleling the game series.

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Steam payments to Ukrainian developers have been suspended, though Valve has confirmed this is for technical reasons.

"Due to the current environment, we are unable to send bank payments to Belarus, Russia and Ukraine," reads an email sent by Valve to developers affected two weeks ago.

Following criticism, this was followed up by a further email apologising for the lack of information and offering more detail on the issue.

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Steam payments to Ukrainian developers have been suspended, though Valve has confirmed this is for technical reasons.

"Due to the current environment, we are unable to send bank payments to Belarus, Russia and Ukraine," reads an email sent by Valve to developers affected two weeks ago.

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Indie game studio Funomena, best known for working on Wattam and Luna, could close by the end of this month if they don't find investment. This is the same studio that featured in People Make Games' recent investigation into abuses at Funomena, Mountains, and Fullbright.

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miHoYo released a Genshin Impact chibi wallpaper featuring Venti, Paimon, and the Traveler. Similar to the Raiden Shogun chibi wallpaper, the versions of these characters are highly stylized. The Genshin Impact Venti, Paimon, and Traveler chibi wallpaper has the trio hanging out in Mondstadt. Venti and the Traveler are seen holding drinks, whereas Paimon is holding an apple. Behind them is one of the fountains players can find in Mondstadt. The wallpaper is available for mobile devices and desktops. It can be downloaded through the HoYoLAB Japanese website.

You can take a look at the wallpaper below.

[embed]https://twitter.com/Genshin_7/status/1509021347829235718[/embed]

Venti will appear in Genshin Impact once again through a rerun banner. This means that players will have another window of opportunity to obtain the Anemo bard. However, he won't be the only character to receive a rerun banner. Ayaka Kamisato will also appear through a rerun banner sometime in the future. Players can obtain her brother, Ayato Kamisato, through a limited-time banner. This banner appeared through the Genshin Impact Version 2.6 update.

The lead writer on Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has claimed her work has been "erased" following a GDC talk by Insomniac lead designer Mark Stuart.

As reported yesterday, Stuart discussed the development of Rivet, including gameplay elements and the character's name.

However, lead writer Sam Maggs has responded to IGN's coverage stating "it's pretty upsetting and frankly offensive" that she wasn't included in Stuart's talk, adding "sucks to have my work erased".

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The lead writer on Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has claimed her work has been "erased" following a GDC talk by Insomniac lead designer Mark Stuart.

As reported yesterday, Stuart discussed the development of Rivet, including gameplay elements and the character's name.

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Bandai Namco will soon release a Scarlet Nexus "Story Demo" that allows players to carry save data over into the full game. Players will have the opportunity to play as both protagonist characters in the demo. Additionally, a "Very Easy" difficulty is being added to the game through the version 1.08 update. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

While a previous demo was available for Scarlet Nexus, players could not carry over their progress into the full release of the game. This new story demo will allow for that. Players can play Kasane Randall and Yuito Sumeragi, the dual protagonists of Scarlet Nexus. The demo allows for access to the beginning of the game. This means players will have the opportunity to test out the combat system. They will get to meet a handful of the cast as well.

You can watch the Scarlet Nexus version 1.08 update trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlcAji1jlKs

As mentioned previously, a new difficulty will be added to the game. A "Very Easy" option will be available to select after players have updated their game. Other updates include various bug fixes and the Tales of Arise collaboration content previously reported upon.

In the late 19th century, Nintendo got its start making another type of game: playing cards. The company continues to make cards, and whether it’s the ones from past or today, the decks show off the beauty of Japan.

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If you’ve been jonesing for a creepy horror title to keep you up at night, then Endflame and PM Studios’ first-person horror-adventure game, Ikai, may fit the bill nicely. Released just yesterday on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch, the unsettling spook-’em-up has just received a brand new launch trailer.

Feel free to check out said launch footage down below:

As you can see above, Ikai appears to be a pretty horrifying experience inspired by the rich traditions and history of Japanese folklore. While elements of the gameplay will see you slinking in the shadows using stealth techniques, you’ll also be able to implement “mystical kanji” to help protect yourself from the evil nasties that await you.

Rounding out the stealth gameplay are some light puzzle mechanics, exploration, and a disturbing narrative that takes place in a feudal Shinto shrine brimming with supernatural spirits.

For more information, here’s a general overview via an official press release we received recently:

Xbox Games with Gold is a service that allows you to download fan favourite Xbox games for as part of your subscription.

Typically, there are four new games available each month - two Xbox One titles and two Xbox 360 titles. Though there may be the occasional classic Xbox title as well.

We'll update this page every month, so that you don't miss out on any exciting titles.

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miHoYo released a Genshin Impact Collected Miscellany video, which showcases the strengths and skills of Ayato Kamisato. The video breaks down how players can best utilize his skills to create powerful bursts of Hydro attacks. Additionally, it provides a bit of flavor to Ayato's character as it touches on his sub-par cooking skills. Whenever Ayato cooks a "Perfect" dish, there is also the opportunity to obtain a "Suspicious" dish of the same kind.

Through the use of his Elemental Skill, Kyouka, Ayato can shift into the Takimeguri Kanka state, which will allow for him to create a clone of himself made out of Hydro energy. The clone will explode upon close proximity to an enemy or once a certain period of time has passed. This explosion will deal AoE Hydro damage.

Additionally, while in this state Ayato can perform rapid Shunsuiken attacks. This converts all normal attack damage into AoE Hydro damage. Upon hitting an enemy with a Shunsuiken attack, Ayato will receive the Namisen effect, which increases the potency of Shunsuiken attacks based on his current max HP. Players can increase the amount of Namisen stacks by performing Shunsuiken attacks.

Cursed to Golf is a pretty good game of golf. It's 2D and side-on, so aiming is simplified, and once you've selected your club from a limited range, it's one click for power and then another for the angle and you're off!

But that's not the entirety of it. Really it's just the start. Because in Cursed to Golf you're dead - is it a spoiler to say you die halfway through the tutorial? - and your mission is to play your way out of golfing purgatory.

This is a clever game, I reckon. A spin on a platformer that feels nothing like a platformer. It turns out that purgatory golf holes are tough. They zig-zag up and down, so the fairway you want to land on with your first shot might be below you. Or it might be blocked off by TNT. Or a fan might push the ball out of the way.

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Cursed to Golf is a pretty good game of golf. It's 2D and side-on, so aiming is simplified, and once you've selected your club from a limited range, it's one click for power and then another for the angle and you're off!

But that's not the entirety of it. Really it's just the start. Because in Cursed to Golf you're dead - is it a spoiler to say you die halfway through the tutorial? - and your mission is to play your way out of golfing purgatory.

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The Spotlight Hour in Pokémon Go is a weekly event that will highlight one, special, surprise Pokémon and a special bonus effect.

Originally this bonus took place during the Mystery Bonus Hour, but this mini-event was merged with Spotlight hour at the beginning of April 2020.

For one hour, the chosen Pokemon will appear more frequently in the wild, allowing you to catch as many as you can. This could help you fill in a missing entry in the Pokédex or find a strong Pokémon for raiding.

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UPDATE 30/3/22: Following reports of Funomena's closure last night the studio has tweeted to say it's still actively working on closing an investment round.

"Funomena was in the process of closing an investment round just before GDC, and we are still actively working to do so," reads the tweet. "Last week we let everyone know that if we do not successfully finish the fundraise, we will be forced to close the studio.

"We love game development, we love making games and we love bringing people into the community. It is our sincere hope that we can continue to do so, together."

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UPDATE 30/3/22: Following reports of Funomena's closure last night the studio has tweeted to say it's still actively working on closing an investment round.

"Funomena was in the process of closing an investment round just before GDC, and we are still actively working to do so," reads the tweet. "Last week we let everyone know that if we do not successfully finish the fundraise, we will be forced to close the studio.

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It’s no secret that trying to buy a house or a plot of land in Final Fantasy XIV has always been a bit of a headache, and that’s a major understatement. With FFXIV finally getting a new housing district in Ishgard, you can expect there to be a mad rush for those new housing plots once the update goes live as well.

Square Enix is aiming to alleviate some of those issues with the new housing lottery system, however, which should give all players a much fairer chance of buying a plot instead of waking up at godforsaken hours to try to beat the queue and dash to a plot.

The company has since offered up more details regarding how the housing lottery system will actually work. The system operates around a nine-day cycle, where players will have five days to submit their lottery entries via a placard next to a plot, and the results of the lottery will be revealed over the next four days.

In order to enter the lottery, you’ll need to pay 3 million Gil upfront. You’ll also need to have a class at level 50 or above, and have the rank of Second Lieutenant or above in any of the Grand Companies. For Free Company reps, your FC must be rank 6 or above, have at least four members, and you must have been in the FC for at least 30 days.

If you don’t get in via the lottery, you’ll receive a full refund of your 3 million Gil, and you have 90 days to do so. You can read up on the finer details of FFXIV’s lottery system and sale of land in the blog post here.

Final Fantasy XIV is now available on PC and PS5.

Today Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse released version 2.6 of its popular online RPG Genshin Impact and released a new trailer to celebrate.

The trailer focuses on the new character Kamisato Ayato, and unlike the previous two trailers, this one focuses on his gameplay, showing his dignified moves.

You can check it out below.

“Kamisato Ayato’s swordsmanship is a study on the perception of reality. It is difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is perceived, and this often lulls his adversaries into a false sense of security. But this dream of theirs is only an illusion in a mirror of water, shattering at the lightest touch.”

Disney is known for putting out some seriously high quality animated movies, but there are only a select few that really take over the cultural zeitgeist from time to time. Frozen was one of them, but 2021’s Encanto has given it a run for its money.

Encanto isn’t exactly your typical Disney movie with a main antagonist to root against; it’s much more focused on family relationships and dynamics, which makes it feel more unique and distinct as a result. It also has a killer soundtrack, which definitely helps.

If you consider yourself a big fan of the movie, it’s time to put your knowledge to the test. We’ve prepared a short trivia quiz to see just how well you really know the ins and outs of the movie, and how much attention you’ve been paying to the little details.

(Image credit: Disney)

Today Atlus released another trailer of its upcoming JRPG Soul Hackers 2, revealing another demon that will appear in the game.

This time around it’s about Leanan Sidhe, which has been around pretty much forever since she debuted in Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, which is the predecessor of the original Soul Hackers.

As usual, we also get the daily horoscope, with Gemini at the top of the fortune ranking, while Sagittarius languishes at the bottom.

You can watch the trailer below.

Soul Hackers 2 releases for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (Steam and Windows Store) on August 26, just one day after the Japanese launch on August 25.

Over the past few years, Bandai Namco started supporting some of its games for a really long time, and apparently Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is no exception

Over a year and a half after the game’s release, a new DLC has been announced, bringing new story content.

First of all, we’re getting a new Episode New hero, this time focusing on Hirado Middle School, prompting the player to interact with well-known characters like Hiroshi Jito and Mitsuru Sano.

This episode will be free and it’ll be made available today with an update that will also bring a new gameplay mode.

On top of that, a paid DLC titled “Episode Rising Stars” will be released on March 31. It’ll include three characters letting you play through their story and form your dream team.

The three characters included are Taro Misaki, Hikaru Matsuyama, and Karl Heinz Schneider.

Even more exciting is the fact that more DLCs are planned, with 6 more protagonists incoming.

You can watch the trailers below, which appear to be leaked early by the Taiwanese arm of Bandai Namco.

Louis Laurent is an artist at Framestore, a studio that has worked on movies like No Time To Die, the upcoming Dr Strange sequel and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

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