Fishing sim-cross-deep sea exploration game-cross-restaurant management gem Dave the Diver has reeled in a fairly expansive update, with new content updates, performance improvements and various bug fixes.
Albert Wesker is perhaps one of the most recognizable characters in the Resident Evil series, if not one of the most recognizable in Capcom's extensive catalogue of IPs in general. Despite the character's storyline effectively coming to a close in 2009's Resident Evil 5, Wesker is back as Capcom works through remaking games in the series to incredible effect. It comes as a surprise to no one that played the original Resident Evil 4 that Wesker would appear in some capacity given his previous role, or that he would potentially be added to the The Mercenaries in the remake. So when he was eventually added, I absolutely had to see how he handled.
Wesker was my "main" in the original Mercenaries mode. I loved his loadout and his melee moves looked slick, outside of being extremely powerful. Playing as Wesker felt good, and Capcom nailed what it meant to embody him. I could dash from enemy to enemy with ease, and with a snappier precision than how he played in Resident Evil 5.
There is even a "new" melee attack for Wesker that references a cutscene in Resident Evil 5. His melee attacks were powerful, and extremely well motion captured. Much like his melee attacks in the original Resident Evil 4 The Mercenaries, Wesker's melee attacks are probably some of the strongest attacks in the game.
VIZ wants to discover U.S. talent with a new manga one-shot program
In 2006, the iconic Super Mario series celebrated 10 years since its triumphant leap to 3D with Super Mario 64. That seminal entry proved that Nintendo’s iconic plumber could transition to 3D and still be the juggernaut franchise it was in 2D. It also became the blueprint for nearly every 3D platformer for the next several years. Super Mario 64 looked amazing in motion, but more importantly, it played like a dream. To say it revolutionized gaming would be an understatement.
In 2002, Nintendo released Super Mario Sunshine on GameCube to critical and fan acclaim. The visual improvements from the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube were apparent, and Super Mario Sunshine once again proved to be a hit with both fans and critics. While many celebrated the continued success of this 3D evolution for one of gaming’s most important and beloved franchises, some wondered if Mario’s 2D past was just that: the past.
New Super Mario Bros. (2006)
The last 2D Super Mario game was released in 1995 with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island on the Super Nintendo, and the Game Boy Advance received only remakes of previous Mario side-scrollers. As Nintendo worked on the next 3D entry, the now-adored Super Mario Galaxy for its supremely popular Wii console, the company looked towards its even more popular handheld system, the Nintendo DS, as a potential home for a return to 2D Mario.
Halloween is fast approaching, and with it comes a new medley of games for PlayStation Plus subscribers that’ll become available Tuesday, October 17.
Overwatch 2’s newest season is now live and suitably spooky, featuring demons, monsters, Diablo characters, and nipple rings on a hamster. Wait, what?
A new flocked figure based on the Moogle Nektar from Final Fantasy XVI is now available in Japan and will release early 2024 in North America and Europe. The figure costs ¥6,930/$64.99/54.99€ and can be found in the Japanese Square Enix online store. The figure is set to release in January 2024 in North America and February 2024 in Europe. Pre-orders are now open.
The figure of Nektar the Moogle is approximately 9 inches tall, 6 inches wide, and 3.5 inches deep. The figure is also posable in a limited capacity. The head and both arm parts turn, allowing to display the character in different poses. In addition, the white body part has a flocked finish that creates a velvet-like texture. A stand is included with it.
You can take a better look at the new Final Fantasy XVI figure of Nektar in the gallery below.
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Video game commerce firm Xsolla has acquired Lightstream, Rainmaker, and API.Stream.
Creative Solutions, a subsidiary of Videndum Group, previously owned the services.
Overwatch 2 is getting new skins that clothe Moria and Pharah in the outfits of Diablo 4’s Lilith and Inarius. Those skins are part of a new wave of cosmetics incoming for the game’s Season 7: Rise of Darkness, but they’re not part of the standard premium battle pass. Instead, they’ll cost you another $40 - as much as the whole of Overwatch 1 did when it was first released. As you can imagine, people aren’t too chuffed.
Team17's restructuring could end with the publisher laying off one-third of its employees, according to Eurogamer.
The outlet said the formal consultation for the cuts is expected to conclude next month, with up to 91 people's jobs at risk in the process.
Eurogamer had previously reported Team17 was planning to unload more than half of its QA staff, with up to 50 roles at risk.
Ubisoft has revealed some details about the debut of Assassin's Creed Mirage, saying its player count is "in line" with the previous launches like Assassin's Creed Origins and Odyssey.
In a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Ubisoft released a statement thanking players for their support for the new release and that the developer's "back to the roots experience" has paid off.
Thank you all for joining us on Basim's journey in 9th Century Baghdad!
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) October 11, 2023
We are thrilled by the response from the community and for embracing our homage to the roots of the AC franchise. #AssassinsCreed pic.twitter.com/KnL2YxGION
"With the number of players being in line with past successful launches such as Assassin's Creed Origins and Assassin's Creed Odyssey, we are humbled by the positive reception," Ubisoft wrote. The company also says Mirage is the biggest new-generation launch game in terms of unit sales in Ubisoft's history.
From Squishmallows to Lego sets and more
Destiny 2 has been cracking down on cheating in recent years, and the sci-fi shooter is now riddled with players who claim they were banned by mistake. However, it seems at least some of them may have been telling the truth: Bungie recently contacted a few players to apologize for banning them by mistake, offering…
VShojo dropped yet another new Vtuber teaser, this time with a distinctly Horror-like vibe just in time for Halloween. The precise details of what is being teased are unknown, though another member debut seems likely. There's no invitation envelope shown, as in past announcements,
The video features the current roster of VShojo standing against a wall and displaying varying levels of distress. This includes Zentreya, Froot, Henya, Kuro, Kson, Hime Hajime, Ironmouse, Projekt Melody, GEEGA, Nazuna and Haruka Karibu. As the screen flickers, a bat-like shadow looms over them with a crooked grin.
You can watch the teaser in full below:
Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery - which bundles together all three entries in developer Worm Club's endearingly silly sleuthing series - will be launching for PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox (including Game Pass) on 27th October.
Fire up Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery, and you'll be able to play The Haunted Island - the 2018 adventure that started it all, wherein our sleuthing lead travels to exotic climes to solve the mystery of a sloth-bothering ghost - alongside its fairly self-explanatory 2019 sequel, The Case of the Invisible Wizard, and Frog Detective's final case, the wild-west-themed Corruption at Cowboy County, which released earlier this year.
These are not particularly lengthy games, each lasting an hour or two (Worm Club's official estimate for the whole Entire Mystery is "the four best hours of your life"), but Frog Detective's warm, silly demeanour still makes for a wonderfully entertaining time. And there's even a scooter in part three so, really, what's not to like?
If you've been hankering for a Lovecraftian game that avoids open depictions of literal tentacle monsters, Forgive Me Father 2 probably isn't one for you. If, on the other hand, you'd like to run around a rancid Victorian asylum, listening out for monster growls, dodging big glowy projectiles and firing a shotgun like The DOOM that Came To Sarnath, this could be your cup of Nyarlathotep offal.
Bandai Namco revealed the release date for Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash in a new trailer for the game. The anime arena fighter will appear worldwide on February 2, 2024. Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash is an arena fighting game that focuses on 2v2 Cursed Technique Battles with a variety of popular characters from the Jujutsu Kaisen anime and manga series.
In addition, the trailer showcases some of the game’s features, like a story mode that covers the events of the anime from "Cursed Womb Must Die" to "The Origin of Blind Obedience", as well as the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 anime movie prequel. The game will include online co-op and competitive battles, as well as plenty of customization option for characters.
You can check out the new trailer for Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash here:
Video game concerts are some of my favourite things in the world. Final Fantasy’s Distant Worlds, the NieR:Orchestra concerts, the Sonic Symphony - whatever particular series is your personal earworm, hearing music you’ve spent dozens or hours of hours listening to performed by a live orchestra can be incredibly moving and transformative. For those who feel that kind of connection with Stardew Valley, the engrossing farming-slash-romance-slash-dungeon-crawling sim is taking its OST on the road next year.
Lauded for its story, characters, and density of quality fantasy narrative, BioWare’s 2000 RPG Baldur’s Gate II is one of the most celebrated computer games of all time. An adaptation of the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, it aspired to digitize the rich experience of playing at a table among friends,…
The FIFA franchise may have only just been rebranded as EA Sports FC 24 but it's already expanding with a turn-based strategy game coming to mobile called EA Sports FC Tactical.
Arriving in early 2024, Tactical will feature "interactive simulation" and give players access to more than 5,000 authentic football stars from more than ten leagues such as the Premier League, LALIGA EA SPORTS, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and Serie A. This isn't to be confused with EA Sports FC Mobile, however, which was a free update to FIFA Mobile.
"EA Sports FC Tactical embraces strategic gameplay to create an all-new football experience that immerses players in the world’s game like never before,” said EA Sports FC senior vice president and general manager Nick Wlodyka.
"We’re excited to welcome fans of turn-based strategy games to join the club as part of the EA Sports FC player community, and look forward to sharing more on EA SPORTS FC Tactical soon."
Tactical will emphasise in-game strategies such as stamina and power-play management. Matches across several modes will play out with turn-based gameplay, letting players attack, defend, perform skill moves, and more. EA promises "authentic football action like never before".
Modes will include online friendly matches to online competitions, including Rank matches, Leagues, and Guilds. Players can train their stars to master high-skill moves, unlock perfect traits for deeper progression, and customise their team with various items like stadium designs, kits, and balls.
The Last Exterminator might not be an official Duke Nukem 3D sequel, but its crunchy combat, interactive environments, and retro visuals provide a much better alternative to the actual Duke Nukem sequel we got back in 2011.
For over 20 years, the Total War franchise has been a leader in the world of turn-based strategy, real-time tactics, and resource management video games. Total War has taken fans around the world and throughout time with games like Shogun: Total War, Rome: Total War, and A Total War SAGA: TROY, and to other universes in games like Total War: WARHAMMER and its two sequels. Now, Creative Assembly Sofia is taking fans to ancient Egypt with Total War:PHARAOH and we’re here to break down the biggest reasons why it’s a trip RTS fans won’t want to miss.
Total War: PHARAOH releases on October 11, 2023, on PC, and the game takes place during the 12th century BC as Egypt and other great civilisations face the looming threat of the Bronze Age Collapse. The reign of Pharaoh Merneptah is near its end, and the people of Egypt are crying out for a new leader that will guide them to prosperity. That is where you come in, you’ll need to step up and become Egypt’s last great Pharaoh.
Bandai Namco released a Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 roadmap for the 2023 and 2024 DLC and updates while teasing “a step toward the future.” On October 12, 2023, there will be a free update alongside the game’s seventh anniversary. This will include a Welcome Campaign login bonus and DLC character free trial. However, in the future more DLC and the PS5 and Xbox Series X ports are on the way.
First, there’s the actual roadmap. It shows that for the roadmap, people can take part in the Festival of Universes event or face others in the Cross Versus battle mode. We can also level up our avatars further, as the cap was unlocked, and et Awoken Skill Ultra Instinct. People can log in for a one-week period between October 12-19, 2023 to get bonuses.
As for the DLC character trial period running until October 19, 2023, people can test the following folks out without buying them:
Listen up, Switch owners. We're currently in the second and final day of Amazon’s Big Deal Days, which is live until 9 PM PDT. As with all Prime Day-style sale events, it’s exclusively for Prime members. But if you’ve got a subscription, you can get some excellent discounts on Nintendo Switch games. If not, you can sign up here to get a one-week membership for just $1.99 to access to these exclusive offers.
Below are some of the best Nintendo Switch deals available for Amazon's October Prime Day. You can take a look at our guide to Nintendo Switch games for more options.
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on (long inhale) Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, and the social network formerly known as Twitter.
XCOM-y pulp strategy adventure The Lamplighters League has been written off as a ‘disappointing’ flop costing publishers Paradox almost $23 million, a mere week after the game’s launch.
I've recommended the Logitech G305 Lightspeed a few times on RPS before, but I've also bought it myself multiple times - so I think that means I can mention it one more time at least. This wireless mouse is an all-time favourite for me, as it combines a simple and relatively lightweight design with bulletproof wireless and an incredible modding community that have turned this mouse into the basis for hundreds of other designs.
As you might have guessed from the category and the title of this post, the G305 Lightspeed normally costs $50, but today it's down to $35 at Amazon for Prime Big Deal Days.
Keychron makes some of the very best mechanical keyboards in the world, combining premium components, mature aesthetics and extremely aggressive pricing. Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days kicks that tendency into overdrive, with Keychron's V3 TKL keyboard dropping from $90 to $60.
That's a fantastic price for a keyboard that sports features normally seen on custom keyboards: hot-swappable switches, QMK/VIA programmable firmware and gorgeous double-shot PBT keycaps.
Bandai Namco offered a better look at the Tales of Arise Beyond the Dawn DLC both via a gameplay trailer and key art of characters. The trailer specifically shows off some of the quests we’ll encounter. As for the new art, it seems to suggest both Alphen and new heroine Nazamil will be pivotal to this new adventure.
First, the Beyond the Dawn DLC trailer begins with Alphen and Shionne going to reunite with the rest of the former party. From there, we see the quest “Zepher’s Ring” begin. Rinwell and Law are in front of a memorial for Zephyr and Calaglia. As Law “speaks” to his father, he wonders why a ring was left behind for him. From there, we see a teaser for “Where an Unforeseen Encounter.” That shows Alphen and Shionne reminiscing about their past experiences, and Shionne then talking about how a child they met reminds her of her past. The “Path of the Potter” quest teased shows Dohalim taking an interest in pottery.
A number of developers behind the now-cancelled Hyenas have commented on the project's failure, and shared some of their frustrations towards management at both Creative Assembly and Sega.
Last week, YouTuber Volound issued a well-sourced report on Hyenas' downfall, including the detail that it had been Sega's "biggest budget game ever". That report stated Hyenas had been plagued with a lack of direction before it was ultimately canned.
Now, a further video by Volound has shared further quotes on Hyenas from anonymous sources who worked on its development. "I'm paralysed with a mixture of upset and anger over what's happening to my friends there," one person said.
Overwatch 2’s Halloween-infused seventh season, Rise of Darkness, went live on Monday, bringing with it a swath of creepy new skins for its heroes, including a hotly anticipated skin based on Diablo IV’s Lilith for sardonic healer Moira. Unfortunately, players who eagerly dived into the season for a chance to acquire…
Once you've finished screaming, let me re-emphasise that this story is one of those "according to report" stories. It comes from unnamed sources at Activision-Blizzard, describing a recent all-hands meeting during which CEO Bobby Kotick laid out his vision for the company and gaming at large following Activison's acquisition by Microsoft, which is tipped to finally conclude this week. Amongst other things, Kotick allegedly discussed machine learning, Guitar Hero and the apocalyptic power of Microsoft R&D. Activision hired James Corden to host the meeting, the sources claim. It sounds like a David Lynch fever dream.
Two months after PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers began receiving invites to a PlayStation 5 cloud streaming beta, Sony has announced the feature will be getting its full launch on on 23rd October in Europe and 30th October in the US.
Cloud streaming has been included with PlayStation Plus Premium membership since Sony's revised subscription service launched last year. However, it was previously restricted to streaming PS4 Game Catalogue titles and PS3 and PS2 games from the Classics Catalogue.
Starting this month, though, Premium subscribers can play PlayStation 5 Game Catalogue titles, PlayStation 5 Game Trials, and digital PlayStation 5 titles they've purchased (including associated DLC and in-game purchases) via cloud streaming on their PS5.
Sony has revealed the full line-up of PlayStation Plus Games Catalog additions for October 2023 and it's a full-on spookapalooza.
Announced on the PlayStation Blog, a total of 15 games are joining the library: 11 in the Games Catalogue available to Extra and Premium members and four in the Classic Games Catalogue only available to Premium members.
Though many of the titles bring scares to the service just in time for halloween on October 17, perhaps the biggest game this month is Batman-based co-op action game Gotham Knights. Smash hit Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is also on offer though, bringing what IGN called a "masterpiece" to Extra and Premium members.
PlayStation Plus Games Catalog Additions for October 2023
Sony is leveling up its perks for PlayStation Plus Premium members as it launches cloud streaming for the PS5 this month.
In a new post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony Interactive Entertainment's SVP of Platform Experience Hideaki Nishino reveals that it is launching cloud streaming on its ninth-generation home gaming console throughout October. Premium tier members will be able to stream some of the most popular PS5 games available in the PlayStation Plus catalog, including Horizon Forbidden West, Ghost of Tsushima, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, to name a few.
The service will also allow Premium subscribers to stream games available in the Game Trials catalog and stream digital PS5 titles Premium members own in their game library, such as Resident Evil 4 and Dead Island 2.
The blog post notes that players will have four resolution options to choose from: 720p, 1080pm 1440p, and 4K resolution with 60 frames per second and SDR or HDR output. However, it also reveals that you need a minimum internet speed of 38mbps or more if you want to stream these games at the highest resolution.
You can practically set your watch to it: each year, as Black Friday pokes its head over the horizon, Nintendo releases the same Nintendo Switch bundle. This time it's ready for Prime Day 2, but it will surpass that and still be a great deal all the way through to Black Friday on November 24. It includes an original Switch (not OLED, unfortunately), a digital copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and a three-month individual Nintendo Switch Online subscription. It costs $299, and you can order it now at Amazon.
Don't let my apparent lack of enthusiasm spoil this for you, though. If you’re going to buy a standard Switch and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe anyway, this is definitely a good deal. The bundle costs the same price of a Switch alone, so buying the bundle saves you roughly $65 over purchasing the items individually. And if you’re buying your first Switch, you’re definitely going to want to pick up Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, because it rules. An NSO subscription is also pretty great, because it gets you access to a bunch of classic NES and SNES games.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s accommodation of players’ more esoteric choices continues to astound me, two months after it launched. Players have recently found a way to rescue and recruit Minthara—a secret companion character who you can normally only team up with by murdering a group of Tieflings and going down the “evil” path—w…
“The tastiest drink in the world is coffee, or nothing!” says Azucena, Tekken’s newest character, when she runs into Lili. “I’ll teach you of the majesty that is tea!” Lili shoots back. It’s a dialogue exchange that only happens when these two characters go head-to-head, and in this case, it’s appropriate. Tekken producer Michael Murray is drinking coffee and playing Azucena. I’m drinking tea and playing Lili. Michael destroys me. I don’t often play Lili, and Michael is, unsurprisingly, a very good Tekken player. But even though I lost that match, I was having an absolute blast. We were laughing, complimenting strong moments in each other’s play, sharing surprise at certain interactions, and generally having a great time.
Naturally, I switched to Azucena the next match. I’ll never give up on tea, but there’s nothing wrong with switching characters, right? Like every other character I played in Tekken 8, she was a lot of fun. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back up a little.
I was at Bandai Namco’s office in Irvine, California for two days last week, and much of that time was spent playing Tekken 8, talking to Michael Murray about Tekken 8, and playing Tekken 8 while talking to Michael Murray about Tekken 8. We were throwing down in an early version of the Tekken 8 Closed Beta Test that folks can get their hands on from October 20th to 23rd. That dialogue exchange between Lili and Azucena is just one of many examples of the defining quality that seems to run through Tekken 8: attention to detail.
Prolific Japanese voice actress Masako Nozawa received the 71st Kikuchi Kan Prize for her cultural contributions and long-standing career in the anime industry. Nozawa is well known for her roles as Son Goku, Son Gohan, and Son Goten in the Dragon Ball anime franchise, as well as Tetsurō Hoshino in Galaxy Express 999, and Kitarō in the GeGeGe no Kitaro and Hakaba Kitarō anime series.
Nozawa made her debut as a voice actor providing support voices in the original 1963 Astro Boy anime, and has been a recurring figure in the industry ever since. The actress, aged 86, continues to work in the anime industry to this day. Her most recent work is the 2022 anime movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
The Kikuchi Kan Prize is one of the many awards that Masako Nozawa has received, as the actress also holds two Guinness World Records, one for the longest time voicing a character in video games, as well as for the longest voice acting career in video games. Both of are for her work voicing Goku in video games.
