If you played a videogame at all in 2022, I hope it was Roadwarden. A blend of RPG and visual novel from Polish developer Moral Anxiety, it cast you as lonesome wayfarer maintaining the paths and investigating the mysteries or grievances of a thinly populated wilderness setting. It's a game of immense feeling, craft and cleverness, inspired by table-top games, which puts hoarier ideas about videogame role-playing through the wringer. In the world of Roadwarden, there's no grinding for XP or mindless loot-crafting treadmill. Knowledge, empathy and insight are worth far more than material wealth or wielding the shiniest axe. Quests can hinge on something as minute as your ear for dialects or knowing the correct form of address. And each village along the trail is a world in itself.

Moral Anxiety's Windy Meadow - which actually dates back to before development of Roadwarden, but has been substantially remastered since the latter's release - essentially narrows the focus to one of those villages. Out today, it's a quietly gorgeous visual novel in which you follow several characters in different timeframes, building up a layered understanding of one and the same setting, with scene transitions plotted on a beautiful pixelart map screen.

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Twitch has today launched its new Stories feature on the platform's mobile app.

Originally announced at TwitchCon Paris, the feature works a bit like social media posts to allow streamers to create community with their followers even when not live.

The Stories shelf will appear at the top of the Following page. Creating Stories is currently limited to Partners and Affiliates who have streamed at least once in the past 30 days.

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Back in August 2023, Bandai Namco opened pre-orders for its next Gundam mobile game. However, no release date appeared. Now, there is a definite launch window. On October 17, 2023, people will be able to start playing Mobile Suit Gundam: UC Engage in English and worldwide. In addition, Bandai Namco confirmed that over 200,000 people pre-ordered, meaning some in-game currency and a free unit will be given out. 

Essentially, there will be 9,500 Diamonds, the in-game currency for things like the gacha, and a UR Gundam given out to all players. 4,500 of those diamonds and the Gundam are part of the pre-registration bonuses. However, there is also going to be a Release Celebration Campaign. 5,000 Diamonds will be given out as part of that. The announcement image for that launch event also featured an SR Gundam icon, suggesting another free unit will be given to players who opt in at the outset.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the latest 2D platformer from the masters of the form at Nintendo, is due out this week, on October 20. So it’s unfortunate news for both the Japanese gaming giant, and everyone who wants to avoid spoilers, that it’s already leaked online.

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The new Kazuma Kiryu voice actor Yong Yea revealed the Like a Dragon Gaiden English dub for the Yakuza spin-off won’t appear until after the game’s launch. The performer noted it will be a post-launch addition. He also shared a screen capture of the official site that noted people will eventually be able to download a patch that adds the additional audio option. 

Here’s Yea’s statement. In a follow-up tweet, he acknowledged the release date is November 9, 2023. As a note, the Steam product page for the game only shows full audio for Japanese at the moment. 

Yea also pointed out that this Like a Dragon Gaiden English dub situation might not be the case for the other upcoming Yakuza title on his account. He noted that Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Steam product listing already does note full audio in English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese. 

Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, the upcoming spinoff in Sega’s Yakuza series, is set to release on November 9. But unlike several recent games in the franchise, it will not launch with an English dub version. Instead, English audio will come to the game in a post-launch update. Sega has yet to…

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Pokémon Go has now fully detailed Party Play, a major new multiplayer layer coming to the popular monster collection app seven years after its initial release.

Party Play is designed to reward groups of people playing alongside each other in the real world, with gameplay bonuses, extra challenges and the ability to see each others' avatars in-game on Pokémon Go's map.

Perhaps most enticing for players is a new Party Power raid bonus, which will double the damage of Charged Attacks in the game's popular PVE battles.

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Nintendo published a trailer for its Nintendo Kyoto store one day ahead of the grand opening on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. The new physical store will be available on the 7th floor of Kyoto Takashimaya Shopping Center's T8 Zone.

The 20-second trailer shows a sneak peek of what visitors can expect to see when they enter the store. It will feature merchandise like T-shirts and plushes from Super Mario, Splatoon, Pikmin, and other Nintendo franchises. Visitors will also be able to purchase Nintendo Switch consoles, games, and accessories in the store.

The trailer is available to watch on the official X account for Nintendo's Japanese physical stores right below.

October 17, 2023 will also be the opening date for the host building, Kyoto Takashimaya Shopping Center. The T8 Zone will host a total of 51 outlets that cover a variety of categories from modern art, subculture, to local cuisine.

With each passing Mob Vote event, fans have continuously wondered about the lost creatures who didn’t make the cut, especially after the neck-and-neck race of the latest 2023 celebration. Although the armadillo took the top spot this year, Minecraft player Bogiihboi has suggested adding another beloved character based on the design of the new Trial Chambers. This creature is none other than the Copper Golem, who previously lost back in the Mob Vote 2021 event.

If you take a look at the layout of these chambers, you’ll notice just how much Copper lies within this vicinity, so wouldn’t it make sense to have a golem of the same type? Considering that the character can be made with this material similar to the Iron Golem, it seems plausible for it to be located there. Bogiihboi also proposes that the lost mob could be a statue that could be unoxidized to keep it as a companion.

Newly released documents have given us a rare inside look at how gun manufacturers have tried to use videogames to promote their wares to younger people - specifically, players of Activision's original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, released in 2009. The memos and emails in question are from now-defunct US gun company Remington Arms, which was once part of the conglomerate Freedom Group. They've been disclosed by a lawyer as part of legal proceedings launched by the parents of children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, in which 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people using a Remington-made AR15 rifle.

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The deal is done. Activision Blizzard is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft after two years of regulatory investigations and in the face of protests from various corners of the games industry.

With the 'will they/won't they' part of this saga finally over, the pressing question is: What happens next?

"At the risk of hyperbole, I believe we will see a significantly changed video game industry once the two companies are fully integrated," Kantan Games CEO Dr. Serkan Toto tells GamesIndustry.biz. "In the US, we only have two big, publicly traded video game studios left – and even those have been perpetual acquisition targets for several years now, although I personally hope they stay independent as long as possible."

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There is a new kind of Attuned character type in Fire Emblem Heroes, and that also means a new sort of inheritance. These new units have an X skill slot with an additional ability. Like a Rearmed Hero, you can inherit once without losing that person, thus allowing a character who doesn’t have an X skill to get one. The first two units of this type in Fire Emblem Heroes are Peony and Triandra, the Ljósálfar and Dökkálfr. 

Peony is an axe-wielding, flying unit. Her weapon is the axe Flower of Caring. She’s also still a dancer-class unit, with a Tender Dream ability that lets an ally act again. Her X skill is Attack Oath Echo, which boosts her attack by six and lets her move to a space adjacent to an ally if she is within two spaces of an ally. Meanwhile, Triandra is a sword-bearing, flying unit. She holds the Flower of Tribute. Her X skill is Death Blow Echo, which boosts her attack by four if she initiates combat.

As mentioned earlier, the first banner to add them will include two other characters. Rearmed Sonya is an infantry unit who holds a green Arc Caliburnus tome. Mycen is a cavalry unit with a blue lance. 

Here’s the first Fire Emblem Heroes trailer for the Attuned Heroes Peony and Triandra, which also shows Rearmed Sonya and Mycen. 

Silence Of The Siren is a name I'm perpetually going to get mixed up with fellow strategy games Songs Of Silence and Songs Of Conquest over the next couple of years, but there's certainly no mistaking what this sci-fi, tactics explorathon looks and plays like when you see it in the flesh. Made by the same team behind 2018's Project Hospital, Silence Of The Siren is an homage to Heroes Of Might And Magic where several different alien races are fighting to control a distant alien planet. It's a little bit 4X-y, but not massively so, and I had a very fun time indeed with its EGX demo over the weekend, which I think I played for almost a solid hour and completely forgot about the growing queue of folks behind me. Sorry about that…

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Something Wicked Games announced that it has hired Will Shen as its new lead content designer.

He joins the studio that has brought other games industry veterans such as Robert Land, Jessica Sliwinski, and Akil Hooper.

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Analogue, maker of retro consoles for games from the SNES to the Game Boy, are back with their most ambitious project yet: a Nintendo 64-compatible machine called the Analogue 3D.

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Following the ascension of Edders into his new role as Reviews Ed, RPS is now looking for a Staff Writer to fill his vacant boots and join our excellent editorial team. Applications are open now, so read on below to find out how to apply.

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The Analogue Pocket is a retro handheld marvel, capable of playing your favorite Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games on its beautiful screen with modern sensibilities and technology – simply put, it's the best way to play a Game Boy game, assuming you can get your hands on the always-sold-out device. Now, Analogue is targeting the Nintendo 64 catalog with its next device, the Analogue 3D. 

Analogue has shared an image of what appears to be the device, although the full look at it is obscured. You can view it at the top of the article, but it's below as well:

An image released alongside today's news teases what appears to be a sleek, black, and faithful recreation of the Nintendo 64 controller. You can check it out below: 

Spike Chunsoft and Kei Mochizuki teamed up for a new Super Danganronpa 2 1/7 scale figure release of Nagito Komaeda. The character is portrayed in Mochizuki’s signature art style. Pre-orders are being taken until November 13, 2023. It is expected to be released in late May 2024 and will cost 23,100 yen ($154.56). It is currently available on the Algernon Product online shop. You can also find it on AmiAmi, which ships internationally.

To prepare for the production of the figure, Kei Mochizuki provided an entirely new illustration of Nagito Komaeda to use as a base for the design. The figure was supervised by him and Spike Chunsoft, the developer of the Danganronpa titles.

Get a detailed look at the new Nagito Komaeda figure in the gallery below:

[gallery link="file" size="full" ids="991529,991530,991531,991532,991533,991534"]

Kei Mochizuki drew characters from all three of the mainline Danganronpa games in the past for limited merchandise. You may also recognize Mochizuki’s art style from the game LOOPERS. Additionally, he illustrated the servant Baobhan Sith (also known as Fairy Knight Tristan) for Fate/Grand Order.

Bethesda publishing head Pete Hines is retiring from the Starfield developer after 24 years, he announced on Twitter (or X) on October 16. Hines’ decision comes only a few days after Microsoft, which owns Bethesda Game Studios, was rubber-stamped to complete its $69 billion Activision Blizzard buy.

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Pete Hines is leaving Bethesda after 24 years.

With last month's launch of the long-awaited Starfield finally in the rear-view mirror, Bethesda's head of publishing announced his departure on social media.

"I am retiring and will begin an exciting new chapter of my life exploring interests and passions, donating my time where I can, and taking more time to enjoy life," Hines said.

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SIDE, an audio services provider and PTW subsidiary has reached a deal to acquire music and sound studio Vibe Avenue.

The acquisition aims to expand the company's sound design, music, and soundtrack production services; Vibe Avenue will be rebranded as SIDE Montreal.

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Bethesda exec Pete Hines has announced his retirement after 24 years at the company, just weeks after Starfield's launch.

In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), the now-former head of publishing said he would begin an "exciting new chapter", which will include "exploring interests and passions, donating my time where I can, and taking more time to enjoy life".

Hines said this was not a decision he came to easily, but "after an amazing career, culminating in the incredible launch of Starfield, it feels like the time is right."

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A replica of Pod 042 from the NieR: Automata Ver1.1a anime will act as a weapon shop manager in Japan. The collaboration will happen at Takumi Armory's pop-up store in Laforet Harajuku on October 21-22, 2023. The Japanese press release provided more details on how the studio made the replica of 2B and A2's companion pod. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

Takumi Armory created a 1/1 replica of Pod 042 after NieR: Automata Ver1.1a's director Ryouji Masuyama requested to see a life-sized model as a reference. The studio created the replica from scratch at its own workshop in Takasago City in Japan's Hyogo prefecture. This replica cannot float in the air, so staff members will put it on a tripod during the showcase.

Other than Pod 042, Takumi Armory will display life-sized weapon replicas of the Virtuous Contract and Virtuous Treaty. It will also place seven posters of the NieR: Automata Ver1.1a anime around the shop.

We talk about retro and throwback game releases being a "blast from the past", but in this case, it's more like you're strolling down a sunny path amid soothing birdsong, and then one particular, innocent-looking paving stone swivels underfoot with a rustle of gears, dropping you into a dingy, yellow-panelled room. There are vacuum tubes mounted on one wall, doors to either side, and a ladder leading further down into darkness.

You click one of the doors and the perspective switches over slide-projector style to a second room with identical proportions. There are pipes emerging from the floor, here, and some kind of antique radio on a pedastel in the centre. Hang on, I know this place. I know this formless sense of dread. I know these machinations. The last time I set foot here, it was 2009 and I was running a Flash game blog, writing up choice submissions to sites like Kongregate. This is Submachine, a 14-part escape puzzle series from Mateusz Skutnik, which Skutnik has now compiled, polished-up and re-released as Submachine: Legacy.

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Avalanche Studios Group has announced that it will launch a new office in Montreal, Canada.

The studio will be Avalanche's fifth studio as it joins locations in Stockholm, New York City, Malmö, and Liverpool.

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Spider-Man's always been a busy guy. He's got classes to attend - or in this slightly older Peter Parker's case now, teach. He's got a girlfriend to see, friends to check in on, past-due bills to pay, a job to fail to hold down, and in between it all an apparently limitless sense of duty to do the right thing. A large part of his charm - and Spidey, of all the superheroes, is nothing without charm - is in the fallibility that comes from his quest to balance an impossible schedule.

It's also, by far, the deepest well of good material that any Spider-Man writer worth their salt knows to plunge. It's the source of some of Sam Raimi's best scenes in the noughties era movies: grumpy landlord Mr. Ditkovich, and his gangly daughter Ursula's peace offering of chocolate cake; Willem Dafoe's much-memed "I'm something of a scientist myself" on a campus tour; or in Miles Morales' college essays or Rio Morales' cooking; or back to the games, that wonderful golden hour moment where Peter texts MJ while hanging upside down above the city.

In Marvel's Spider-Man 2, this stuff can get a little squashed. Bringing Peter Parker and Miles Morales together, both Spideys here are relentlessly busy, but these quieter moments, the deep breaths between the action, are occasionally swallowed up by the sheer volume of noise coming from everything else. With double the power comes double the responsibilities, which in Spider-Man 2's case largely means double the phone calls, double the radio shows, double the side activities, emergent crimes, collectible resources and general interruptions.

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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PlayStation 5

Sequels outdoing their predecessors is far from a new phenomenon. Throughout gaming’s history, follow-ups to even the most successful of titles have managed to raise the bar and offer gamers something even better than what they saw before. And I’m happy to say that Marvel’s Spider-Man is no exception to this phenomenon, as Spider-Man 2 outdoes both the first game and Miles Morales to provide one of the best PlayStation exclusives in recent memory.

Of course, this shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise. Taking place after some substantial preparation and setup on the part of developer Insomniac Games, it serves as the culmination of an interconnected narrative focused on Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and their relationships with the responsibilities that are inherent to being Spider-Man. Each has experienced hardship and loss, and this shaped them into who they are once the game kicks off.

Square Enix announced the release of room sprays based on characters from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, which means Aqua, Terra, and Ventus will inspire their own room fragrances. Each spray costs 5,940 yen (or about $40,) and their expected release date is February 3, 2024. They are available for pre-order from the Japanese Square Enix online e-store.

Terra’s room spray will be inspired by clove, cinnamon, rose, amber, and woodsy aromas. Meanwhile, Aqua’s room spray will include citrusy fragrances, mainly bergamot, as well as water lily, and musk. Ventus’ spray will also be focused on citrus, with aquatic notes and a floral bouquet, and a focus on the smell of patchouli.

You can check out the new Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep room sprays based on Aqua, Terra, and Ventus here:

Being Spider-Man never gets old. The rush of swinging like a pendulum through Times Square, the thrill of pirouetting through a high-stakes crime bust, the satisfaction of watching a chorus of tiny Spidey gizmos wrap up another band of bad guys with elegant ease—even after completing everything there is to do in Marvel…

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On the eve of PlayStation 5's three-year anniversary, Insomniac Games has returned with a new Spider-Man adventure. Built for PlayStation 5, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 expands on the Insomniac's in-house technology, delivering a game with a larger scope and a brand-new spider plot to follow. The title in this case couldn't be more apt with players swapping between the two Spider-Men seamlessly over the course of the story as you explore a greatly expanded game world. In DF tradition then, I wanted to break down this game's new visual and gameplay features highlighting the positives and negatives along the way. At first glance it may feel familiar but, trust me, there is a lot here to unpack.

The release of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 marks Insomniac's fourth game shipped on PS5, following Miles Morales, Spider-Man Remastered and Ratchet and Clank. It's a level of production efficiency that continues to impress and Spider-Man 2 is perhaps the largest production of the four, expanding the size and scope of the world while doubling down on granular detail. With Miles, there were two major innovations brought to the table on PS5 back at launch: fast loading and ray-traced reflections. Both of these features return in Spider-Man 2 and each have received numerous improvements, allowing scenarios to exist which were not possible in prior entries.

Like Miles before it, Spider-Man 2 loads quickly. Fire up the game from the PS5's home menu and you're dropped back into the game world within seconds. It almost feels as if the game was simply suspended in the background, yet it loads with minimal delay. They've also leveraged these technologies in additional ways to enhance the experience beyond what was possible in the cross-gen prequels.

Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
Platform: PlayStation 5
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Insomniac Games
Release: October 20, 2023

Being the sequel to two excellent games is not a guarantee of success. But it does set strong expectations. Thankfully, Spider-Man 2 meets and exceeds those expectations, providing uniformly stellar superhero action characterized by blazing-fast combat, smart mission design, and regular injections of thrilling set-pieces. Behind all that excitement, it also houses a fervent and heartfelt commentary on second chances, rehabilitation, and redemption. As a result, even in its dark moments, Spider-Man 2 delivers a wholesome and optimistic adventure rooted in joy.

After two preceding games establishing the two leads on their own, Spider-Man 2 weaves back and forth between the two wall-crawlers, with unique relationship threads and powers that set them apart, but core story beats and central abilities that unite the experience. Rather than a distraction, the switching dynamic (sometimes dictated by story, and sometimes by player choice) keeps things fresh and often provides exciting cliffhangers or action change-ups at critical moments. The tag-team dynamic is rewarding, and both heroes get the chance to shine.

Taylor Swift’s music has evolved over the years, mirroring different stages of life, emotions, and experiences. From the young and hopeful tones of her debut album to the introspective lyrics of Midnights, each era encapsulates a unique essence. Much like life’s varied chapters, Taylor’s albums have their distinct moods and stories.

Remember dancing to the lively beats of 1989 or reflecting on past loves with Red? Each album and song might remind you of a moment, a feeling, or a phase in your own life. Swift’s albums are more than just music—they’re like life’s milestones set to tune.

Atlus released the third main trailer for Persona 5 Tactica. The new 4-minute-long trailer showcased lots of new gameplay, as well as reveal a new school location, new robot and Buddha-inspired villains, as well as foreshadow some events that might unfold in later parts of the game. In addition, the trailer teased the Repaint Your Heart DLC and showed Akechi and Kasumi.

Editor’s Note: The following insight might include spoilers for the plot of Persona 5 Tactica, Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal.

The trailer starts with Erina sinking into water and thinking about Toshiro. The trailer continues to highlight both characters, hinting to a possible past connection between both of them. In addition, later parts of the trailer show The Phantom Thieves facing Toshiro, who is teased to awaken his own Persona.

The Velvet Room attendant Lavenza was also confirmed to appear. A new school location was also shown, and the gameplay segments revealed new environments for The Phantom Thieves to fight on.

You can take a better look at the third trailer for Persona 5 Tactica below. It is currently available in Japanese only.

On September 28, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam opened its doors with an exciting new display inside. That day, visitors would delight in new, featured artwork based on Vincent Van Gogh’s iconic paintings, but with a Pokémon twist. Or at least, that was the idea. However, rather than fans happily enjoying the…

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