There is always an intriguing risk when it comes to adapting an existing movie or TV show into video game. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes an even greater risk with developer MachineGames introducing its own standalone story in the Lucasfilm saga. It certainly captures the cinematic feel of the movies, but it still has question marks regarding gameplay.

My recent Indiana Jones and the Great Circle preview for Gamescom 2024 was notably strictly hands-off. I had the chance to check out 30 minutes of particularly edited gameplay footage across different areas with narration. Since this was totally hands-off, it is hard to say exactly how this first-person action adventure game will play.

That said, I walked away from the hands-off preview impressed by the visuals and spectacular presentation of the Great Circle, but uncertain about its gameplay. If there is one element I am certain about this game, it is the sheer scale and diversity of the various missions players will experience. In the short time, I saw clips of adventures in Vatican City, the Himalayan’s, and Egypt. Every location looks stunning in-engine and grandiose.

If these sections are anything to go by, these iconic and beautiful locales will also have the adventurous nature of the movies as well. Indiana Jones, played by Troy Baker, encountered plenty of traps and thrilling scripted sequences. These were extremely fun to watch, especially from the fascinating first-person perspective.

However, when it comes to the actual gameplay, especially in movement and combat, I am less thrilled. The movement, at times, seemed clunky and a bit too slow. This could be due to the slower nature of the edited footage, emphasizing the detail of the environments. However, I’m not confident in this, mainly because of the combat.

Fights seem to generally happen in a one-on-one nature, at least from what I saw. There are ranged weaponry and fighting, but I mostly saw up close and personal gameplay. Jones would swap blows with enemies but the animations seemed a bit too slow. I wasn’t particularly excited by the slow pace of the fights. There is a chance the actual end result will be smoother or be faster, but I’m not impressed with that part yet.

Even still, I admire the exploration aspect of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. This is where the first-person perspective really shines from my short hands-off demo. MachineGames put a lot of thought into recreating these 1930s settings and, fortunately, it shows. Missions often have large open areas to explore, with merchants and even optional side missions to complete. Seeing the hustle, bustle, and many NPCs roaming around a market had me interested in spending time there. In some ways, these locations remind me of the historical adherence and detail of an Assassin’s Creed title.

This extends the player’s time with the gameplay beyond the typical scripted dungeon delving and crypt exploring main missions. Everything about these massive scripted sequences evoke feelings of watching the movies. I especially enjoyed the pit Jones fell into towards the end of the demo. This led to a creepier moment with scorpions and other creatures in the dark, which teased some thrilling sequences in the title. While I do have some concerns about linearity and lack of player input in these moments, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feels incredibly cinematic.

This movie-like quality and feel comes down to the story and characters. I only have bits and pieces of the story so far, but Troy Baker nails the voice of Indiana Jones as best as one can without getting Harrison Ford himself. In the end, this makes Indiana Jones and the Great Circle seem like a faithful cinematic game adaptation of the beloved movies. While it remains to be seen if it plays as well as it looks, there is some hope for Indiana Jones fans.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will release for Xbox Series X/S and PC on December 9, 2024 and in Spring 2025 for PS5.

The post Preview: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Feels Rightfully Cinematic appeared first on Siliconera.

Zenless Zone Zero is one of the most impressive free-to-play gacha games to release this year so far in 2024. HoYoVerse is back at it again with yet another blockbuster third-person gacha adventure. The action is fantastic and the visual aesthetic is so appealing. This applies to the characters as well. Given how excellent HoYoVerse is at crafting brilliant characters, here are our picks for the best Zenless Zone Zero character based on their gameplay and just general design.

Siliconera Speaks Up: Our Picks for the Best Zenless Zone Zero Characters

I'm a huge fan of Rina in Zenless Zone Zero, and she's probably my best character so far due to her versatility. Yes, she's best with fellow electric and Victoria Housekeeping characters. However, per PEN buff really helps with taking down enemies early on, regardless of her party, and I love how ranged characters work in this game. -- Jenni

Are we talking best in terms of gameplay or looks? Because I usually pick my team based on how they look. Like Jenni, I like Rina a lot. But if I had to pick my favorite, I think Soldier 11 has an excellent design and solid utility as well. Fire is an element I often like in games and I appreciate Soldier 11’s somewhat unique fire-themed attack combo. She is pretty fun to play once you get into the swing of activating her Fire Suppression Core passive. -- Cody

Zenless Zone Zero is available right now for free for Android, iOS, PS5, and PC.

The post Who’s the Best Zenless Zone Zero Character? appeared first on Siliconera.

Attack on Titan follows these soldiers who use their equipment to go soaring through the skies to take down colossal enemies. Seems like a good game premise, right? It’s happened before, and they can be fun! When it comes to an Attack on Titan VR game, it seems like the sort of thing to go into more cautiously due to all the movement and the concerns about VR sickness or handling it right, but the execution Univrs used almost makes it feel like a Spider-Man sort of game.

I just really wish the titans' models weren’t so hideous and weird-looking.

Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable is an early access game, so it isn’t all there yet. The concept is that titans are again attacking the cities and getting inside the walls, just like they did in the iconic opening parts of the manga and anime. In the two chapters you have access to, you can see what it’s like to fight back against them.

I was incredibly worried going into Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable. All of the early details and videos made it seem like a very active game. After all, it focuses on the Omni-Directional Mobility (ODM) gear and zipping around the map. You’re even, ideally, supposed to be attacking while swinging too. The funny thing is while walking on the ground sometimes did feel a little uncomfortable, I didn’t feel uneasy or ill at all while actually using the ODM to fly around. It is really accommodating! It’s always the main reason why Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable felt like a Spider-Man game.

See, Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable actually gets really in-depth about movement, and the actions used to soar seemed like ones Peter Parker or Miles Morales would use. If you want to quickly scale in one set, defined direction, you aim both the left and right controllers in such a way that their reticles line up together and look like a diamond. Then, you pull back on them. (Like how Parker or Morales would probably pull back on webbing.) After that, you then sort of pull and swing toward areas. Even the nature of swinging the blades that you can pick up, replace with new blades, and use to swipe at the back of titans’ necks or appendages feel like maybe a certain friendly, neighborhood superhero might with a weapon. It’s really neat and feels good.

So the gameplay is strong. But, in some cases, the depictions of characters isn’t? It’s weird. As part of the introduction and tutorial, Levi saves you as you’re being eaten by a titan. (Like as in you actually see yourself going over the lips, past the gums, look out stomach…) It looked like a 3D model, from what I saw, and it was great! But then when story segments with Armin came up, he very clearly looked like an unmoving, 2D figure. Like instead of animated segments setting things up, you’d see him static and flat in one position, the game would cut to black, you’d see him static in another position, things would cut to black again, and so on. I’d have preferred static images like the used for the introductory and expository segments instead. 

But I would take the Paper Mario version of Armin any day over the ugly titans. They look so bad in Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable that they aren’t even scary. They’re just disgusting. It made me appreciate the Koei Tecmo Attack on Titan games more, as at least there these fearsome foes actually seem scary and menacing. In the VR adaptation, they’re too dopey and goofy to feel like a threat. I mean, yes, you will die in only two hits if one manages to actually swat at you before you get in the right position to attack them. But the enemy models and designs just look bad. 

I mean, look! Gross.

I will say that even though these are goofy and abominable, at least it is easy to see the neck for attacks. Also, the arms and legs are easy to swipe at and attack, so there are no hitbox issues when striking at them. 

I am genuinely curious about how the final version of Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable is going to turn out, as the ODM mechanics are surprisingly fun! Like it really offered a sense of freedom, without making me feel queasy. Well, unless I was looking at a titan. Or needing to really quick spin and maneuver in circles to get around a titan to attack it. You know what I mean. There are some rough spots, which honestly could be due to it being an early access title. But it may prove to be an interesting Attack on Titan game, or at least a fun not-Spider-Man game with Spider-Man-like mechanics.

Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable Early Access is live now on the  Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro. 

The post Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable Feels Like a Spider-Man Game appeared first on Siliconera.

It’s an exciting weekend! Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is live, giving us an excuse to head into the Lands Between and to the Land of Shadow. New challenges await, basically. So, as we all prepare to dive back in, let’s each share what we consider our best Elden Ring build. Maybe it can help us with different ideas or to overcome certain bosses!

I'd been trying to move away from sword and board builds in soulslikes, but Elden Ring hit me with the double whammy of timed blocks and the gorgeous looking Sword of Night and Flame. It requires a big investment into a whole spread of stats which isn't ideal, but that's a price I'm willing to pay to shoot lasers AND fire waves. — Elliot

I feel like I need to preface this by apologizing before revealing that I am one of those players that dual wields the Moonveil and the Meteoric Ore Blade katanas. And when not throwing magic lasers from my sword and using gravity to destabilize enemies, I like to use a vast array of magic spells to keep enemies at bay. Or... just simply throw a laser beam for good measure. — Daniel

I am nothing if not predictable. Even in my attempts to play a Souls-esque game in a new way led me back to a Big Sword and Bigger Flips. Between the Ruin Greatsword, the classic Greatsword, the Royal Greatsword, and the Moonlight Greatsword: I found myself holding two colossal greatswords enchanted with ice as extra spice. That, combined with the intense poise damage from the jump attacks, made my journey through The Lands Between less Berserk and more Moe Szyslak. I gotta tell you, it was pretty terrific. — John

The post What’s Your Best Elden Ring Build appeared first on Siliconera.

If there is one element Atlus is becoming really good at lately, it is respecting and preserving older titles in its gigantic library. Most of the modern Persona games and mainline Shin Megami Tensei titles exist on current systems. However, there are two noticeable exceptions that could be used as a solution, such as an SMTIV and Apocalypse remaster collection.

If you want to, it is technically possible to play every single mainline Shin Megami Tensei game right now on a modern system. After all, there is a brilliant remaster of Nocturne on all current systems and PCs. Plus, there is the recent release of SMTV: Vengeance, which makes it available to everyone.

In fact, you can even play the older SMT titles, such as the first game, second game, and even if on Nintendo Switch. That is, if you have a Japanese account. However, it is possible, at least, which can’t be said for two particular games that are left out: Shin Megami Tensei IV and Apocalypse. As of right now, there are the only mainline games not available on current hardware.

They were also only ever released on the Nintendo 3DS and nowhere else. So, unless you use unsavory means, it isn’t possible to play them if you don’t have a 3DS handheld. This is why it is so crucial a remaster collection happens. I could see a situation where the two connected games come together into a remastered collection on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

It wouldn’t be too difficult to modernize them, either. Though these games had a second screen, removing it isn’t too big of an issue. The bottom screen with your demons would just need to move to the top screen in some way. The 3D visuals still look solid on 3DS, so you only need some light brushing up there. Of course, some quality-of-life features might be welcome, but that’s pretty much it.

For me, personally, SMTIV: Apocalypse is my favorite game in the series. It perfectly balances story, characters, and a twisted world to explore so excellently. SMTIV is also fantastic, though the two are quite similar in some regards. With how solid these games are — even better than the recent SMTV, in my opinion — it is a shame they are stuck elsewhere. In fact, Atlus now has a pretty open slate for the Shin Megami Tensei series. With the release of Vengeance, no other games are coming for the franchise.

An SMTIV and Apocalypse remaster collection could be the perfect next title to satiate fans. They would be fairly easy to put out and a simple success for the company. Better yet, an SMTIV and Apocalypse remaster collection could tie fans over until Shin Megami Tensei VI, Persona 6, or whatever is next from Atlus. It is possible those games are a couple of years away still, so this would be a great way to keep players occupied.

I would be happy if they included Strange Journey as well. It also falls into the unfortunate portable-exclusive dilemma. It might be too soon after Vengeance for an SMTIV and Apocalypse remaster collection, but it needs to happen eventually. A release of these two brilliant 3DS JRPGs for modern consoles and PC would be a welcome release in 2025 or 2026. Regardless, I hope Atlus doesn’t let these games remain exclusive to the 3DS.

Shin Megami Tensei IV and Apocalypse are only available right now for Nintendo 3DS.

The post Atlus Needs to Remaster SMT IV and Apocalypse appeared first on Siliconera.

The Ruan Mei re-run banner appeared in the first phase of Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.3. While I’m sure lots of people want to pull for the game-designated girlfriend Firefly, I highly suggest that players who don’t have Ruan Mei pull for her instead. She is one of the best characters in the game (in terms of her kit) and can make all the difference in the world when it comes to your ability to clear difficult content.

Let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room first. Ruan Mei is, objectively, kind of an awful person. One could go as far as to call her a monster. In our first meeting with her, she drugs us against our will and we see all of her adorable little creations crying for her to give them even a scrap of acknowledgement. Though she’s not completely emotionless, her inability to comprehend love and her pursuit of knowledge have her abandoning the creations on Herta Space Station. My friend jokingly calls her a cat abuser and refuses to get her for this exact reason. As a character, she is very interesting! But I can also understand people feeling uncomfortable with her due to her neglect of the Creations and her almost sociopathic behavior.

Some people may only want to pull for and use characters they like. That’s fair! It’s not fun playing gacha if you don’t like the characters, after all. But for players who care about the meta and who want to have an easier time clearing endgame content such as the higher difficulties of Simulated Universe, Ruan Mei is almost a must-pull. Your quality of life post-Ruan Mei will never compare to what it was like pre-Ruan Mei. If I have to name one thing that is bad about Ruan Mei, it’s that for all of her genius, she wasn’t able to clone a second Ruan Mei to use in Forgotten Hall. Robin exists though, so at least you can use her.

In order to understand why Ruan Mei is such a must-pull, we need to look at her kit and how she compares to similar characters. Her passive Talent increases the party’s SPD and her Skill increases the party’s DMG and Weakness Break Efficiency. This Weakness Break Efficiency buff is one of the best parts of Ruan Mei’s kit, as no other character is capable of this as of Version 2.2. Her Ultimate also increases the party’s All-Type RES PEN and delays their action after a Weakness Break. Ruan Mei’s buffs are so universal she can run on all teams, including DoT teams. She can also fit on either a hyper-carry or a double attacker team. While other limited 5-star Harmony characters like Sparkle and Robin are fantastic, they’re far more Crit DMG focused, which can limit their usage.

That’s not to say that they’re bad. In fact, part of Ruan Mei’s initial appeal is that you can run her with another Harmony or support character. Back when she debuted, one of the best Harmony units was Bronya. But Bronya has a glaring issue with SP. Aside from her and your attacker, your team has to be SP positive or neutral. You can run her with Asta, who only needs her Ultimate. But Tingyun and Yukong are out of the question because you need to conserve your SP for Bronya and your attacker. Of course, depending on the battle, you might want to leave some for your sustain as well. Ruan Mei’s buffs last for three of her turns and they affect the whole party, meaning that she can run with more SP-hungry Harmony or Nihility characters without affecting the way they play.

Since the beginning of the game, I’ve been adamant that you can skip attackers, but you can’t skip support characters. While some must-pulls like Luocha and Silver Wolf have fallen behind in the ever-shifting meta (Huohuo and Aventurine made Luocha obsolete if you have them, and Silver Wolf’s niche is no longer as necessary due to most people having more character variety). Ruan Mei’s universal buffs make her a staple on any team. She came out during the Destruction era but remained relevant even during the DoT renaissance (Black Swan), the follow-up attack era (IP3, Robin), and the current Break Effect (Firefly, Boothill) era. And she’s sure to remain a top-tier support no matter what meta changes the future brings.

Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. You can only pull for Ruan Mei in Honkai: Star Rail when the “Floral Triptych” banner is up.

The post Ruan Mei Is a Must Pull for Any Honkai: Star Rail Player appeared first on Siliconera.

I love the aesthetic of classic Game Boy Color games. The minimalistic tones, as well as the creativity of developers working within the system’s limitations, meant we got to see some strikingly stylish titles. While Cicada Games didn’t have that kind of hardware limitations, Isles of Sea and Sky has the same sort of atmosphere and really pays tribute to that retro approach.

A good way to think of Isles of Sea and Sky is as a Sokobon sort of block-pushing game with a little more ambiance and meet to it. I liked to think of it as being like The Witness in a small way, due to the cohesiveness. You wash up on the shores of an island without any memory of who you are or why you’re there. (I got some serious The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening vibes from the introduction.) After an encounter with a young woman, you gradually go from one island to another in the chain to learn more about their history and what’s going on.

Now, you’ll notice I mentioned The Witness up there, rather than continuing to focus on The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. There’s some LOZ elements there! Especially in that as you get to different islands and meet the masters living there, you gain new abilities. Some come from items, others from creatures. However, there is also an open-world approach. So you are getting the freedom to choose where you go and what you try to do, even though some progression is limited until you find the right abilities to complete the puzzles there. 

Also, there is no combat whatsoever. Isles of Sea and Sky is all about exploring and using your brain to overcome challenges. Brawn? I mean, it takes some serious muscles to move blocks around. But really, it is about challenging how you think about the space and move items around to proceed. Coupled with a capability to rewind, it really becomes about seeing how you best approach situations in the way you feel most comfortable.

It’s really quite brilliant. Especially since some of the puzzles in Isles of Sea and Sky can be truly confounding. I’ll admit sometimes I felt a bit bad or even stupid when I didn’t realize certain other abilities were tied to progress, and that would be what was keeping me from success. Also, even though it is an open world game, I did sometimes feel like the nature of some requiring certain abilities keep it from truly being a “go anywhere, solve puzzles at any time” adventure. I appreciate the notion, but the actual execution means I’m about seven hours into it and having trouble enjoying myself sometimes because I need certain skills I lack to progress.

I appreciate what Isles of Sea and Sky does. I love the ambiance, and I enjoy looking for puzzles to solve. I’m not the biggest fan of sometimes finding ones that are impossible to complete at the moment because of the need to eventually head certain ways and earn certain means to make headway. But I do applaud the ideas in play and think it can be quite fun. 

Isles of Sea and Sky is available for PCs. 

The post Isles of Sea and Sky Packs Puzzles into a LOZ Style Aesthetic appeared first on Siliconera.

Now, when I talk about “the future” of the Gears of War series, I don’t necessarily mean the newly announced Gears of War: E-Day game. Going back in time to seeing the world of Sera in peace and witnessing young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago become friends through the crucible of a new war against an incomprehensible enemy sounds fascinating, and I totally understand why The Coalition took this opportunity. However, I worry about about the future of the series when we eventually get to continue the plot threads left hanging in Gears 5.

In a recent interview with The Coalition, the developers reassured fans of the series that they are "not retreating” from the storylines that started in the series games Gears of War 4 and continued in Gears 5. While this can sound comforting, I can’t help but think that it will be a really long time until we see or even hear about a hypothetical Gears of War 6. When you consider how long video games take to develop and how expensive they are nowadays, I fear we might not see a resolution to the events and cliffhangers left in Gears 5, at least not in the way fans expect. The latest game in the Gears franchise shipped in September 2019, almost 5 years ago. With no announced date for Gears of War: E-Day, it could take a while for this new title to appear.

If things go swimmingly for The Coalition, a direct continuation of Gears 5 could take another four to five years to get greenlit and released. Unless the team is magically working on two titles at the same time (something which could be catastrophic when taking in account the massive financial risk), we could be talking about a direct sequel appearing sometime around 2030. That would be well over a decade after Gears 5. Of course, this is all hypothetical. But no matter the result, by the time we get to experience a direct sequel, it will have been way too long for audiences to keep the same level of interest than they had when the game originally came out.

Don’t get me wrong, I am actually very excited to experience Gears of War: E-Day. I completely understand the allure of going back to the very origin of the series. Showing the overwhelming and terrifying threat of the Locust Horde in its heyday, when humanity had no tools to fight back against a never-before-seen enemy, is promising. I can’t help but imagine how different it would be to play this game, compared to the action-focused romps of the original trilogy. The idea of combat encounters being more threatening than ever before for the series, a lower number of Locust drones feeling overpowering, compared to the hordes of enemies Marcus and the COG mowed down in the original trilogy could truly breathe new life into the franchise.

Of course, I’m not expecting the game to completely change genres into survival horror, although I wouldn’t really mind it, but I keep wondering what new ideas this new scenario could bring. Seeing Marcus and Dom fight a single enemy in the reveal trailer and barely survive the encounter really fascinates me. From a narrative standpoint, seeing their relationship flourish in real time after both experienced unspeakable loss sounds right up my alley. Even seeing the creation of the iconic Lancer or Hammer of Dawn, among other memorable tools in the franchise, to successfully face the Locust excites me. But there’s only so much The Coalition can do before they run out of material to cover for this prequel.

Once all it’s said and done, I just can’t imagine the future of the Gears of War franchise after E-Day. Once it’s time to go back to the present, there will be a whole new generation of players to bring into the fold. Maybe revisiting the past with E-Day, and with the release of the rumored remaster of the original Gears of War trilogy, could bring a renewed interest into the franchise for old and new audiences alike. But that’s hedging on too many bets at that point. And even if we end up seeing a continuation of the story of Gears 5, by that point it will be a completely different story from the one that started all the way back in 2016 with Gears of War 4.

The long development cycles, hyperinflated budgets, expectations for triple-A games, and constant layoffs are keeping the industry stagnant. Taking any type of risk is untenable for big name developers. That’s why remakes, remasters, and looking at the past of once-popular series is safer and easier. There’s no window for risk or experimentation in the triple-A market. And I worry that, with how long it takes to ship a game nowadays, the Gears of War franchise might not have much of a future after this detour to its past with E-Day.

Gears of War: E-Day is currently in development for the Xbox Series X and PC via Steam. There is no announced release date for the game yet.

The post I Worry About the Future of Gears of War Series After E-Day appeared first on Siliconera.

Now that MultiVersus launched and we’ve had a chance to get comfortable, it’s time to talk about the characters we like the best. The game has its issues, for sure. But there’s also some fun to be had if you can deal with quirks like finding lives up for sale that is apparently a “bug.” Let’s talk about our mains.

Sadly, I found MultiVersus to be Very Bad and dropped it after about a day of playing around with the beta. However, if I must pick a character I had some enjoyment out of, it's easily Bugs Bunny. I've always been a Looney Tunes nerd since I was a kid and that trickster god of a rabbit is my favorite cartoon character of all time. And despite the problems I had with the game overall, I did feel he was represented well. He had all the Acme props you'd expect plus a sneaky burrow move which you could mess with other players with. If the relaunch improves the game, he would be a strong candidate for a personal main. — Leigh

I also didn’t stick with MultiVersus, so my opinion may not be the best for those looking for a character to pick. I really liked Wonder Woman! She’s always been one of my favorite DC heroes and she’s easy enough to get. She’s a Tank type fighter, so it meant I didn’t have to worry about being defeated too quickly before I figured things out. Plus I really found her Sword of Ares and Amazon Shout attacks. — Jenni

MultiVersus is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.

The post Which MultiVersus Character Is the Best? appeared first on Siliconera.

Anyone who has been a Final Fantasy XIV player for a couple of expansions likely knows Square Enix isn’t immune to mistakes. Though the game is nearly MMORPG perfection, its biggest issues come from the strange and often unwarranted job changes. Thankfully for Dawntrail, it looks like the FFXIV job changes could be much more welcome, especially for Sage and Red Mage.

I am personally invested in both the changes to the Red Mage and Sage, as they are both my two main jobs in FFXIV. Red Mage is the one I often use for endgame content when I don’t want to be a healer, while Sage is the role I main during story content. Fortunately, it doesn’t look like that will be changing in the new expansion.

Back in the day, I used Summoner between launch and for several expansions, until it was ruined by job changes. Fortunately, Red Mage and Sage are seemingly all the better going into FFXIV Dawntrail. Take the Red Mage, which has two key changes. The first is to make Manafication work better for the player. Instead of granting 50 Black and White Mana, it now just lets the player use the three-step enchanted sword combo for free.

This means being able to use the Verholy or Verflare combo for free as always, but not at the cost of mana. In addition, one of the most useless parts of the Red Mage — Enchanted Moulinet — is now viable. It uses 50 mana, so it is more possible to use as an AOE attack. Overall, it seems these changes enhance the Red Mage in FFXIV, all without taking away what makes it great.

I am still curious to see if Manafication comes with its buff, but I am confident nonetheless. The skill rotation for Red Mage should be even smoother now. After all, you don’t have to obsess as much about having a perfect 50 and 50 Black and White Mana gauge before using Manafication. In addition, if you’re like me, you don’t have to ignore Enchanted Moulinet due to its uselessness. This makes Red Mage a much better class at both single targets and mobs alike.

When it comes to Sage, this is my favorite healer job for a reason. It is the perfect blend of DPS and healing, and its FFXIV Dawntrail changes further that idea. For starters, Eukrasia now properly enhances the damage over time Dyskrasia. This new version acts as an AOE damage over time, affecting multiple enemies at once.

If you are like me, you have spent way too much time trying to apply damage over time to multiple enemies and not enough time doing what you’re supposed to be. This fixes that issue so us Sages can focus on what really matters. The other key change is a new action that gives Kardion for everyone in the party. It seems to be limited in how it works with likely a long cooldown if I had to guess. That said, it is nice to be able to temporarily extend all of the healing capabilities of Kardion to everyone.

These FFXIV Sage job changes in Dawntrail will ensure it is the most flexible healer around. You can focus purely on DPS at times since the new action will heal everyone for all the damage you do. In addition, the new AOE damage over time skill means you deal damage more often and much faster.

While there are other great job changes for the new expansion, I am comfortable in saying Red Mage and Sage got some of the best ones. These FFXIV Red Mage and Sage changes in Dawntrail may not be as drastic as others. However, they don’t have to be. They enhance the existing strengths of both jobs while fixing their few weaknesses. If you’re looking for a DPS or healer to main in Dawntrail, I certainly suggest Red Mage and Sage.

Final Fantasy XIV is available right now for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Dawntrail will release on July 2, 2024.

The post FFXIV Red Mage and Sage Dawntrail Changes Are Exceptional appeared first on Siliconera.

I love Little Kitty, Big City. Even though it is probably a four or five hour game, I’m at double that due to enjoying messing around in its world. Which is why I can’t help but hope for more. It feels like Little Kitty, Big City would be even better if Double Dagger Studios decided to make DLC. 

The first reason I feel like DLC would be fantastic for Little Kitty, Big City is that it could fit in pretty much at any time. Open up new areas? You could enjoy it right away or in the post-game. It’s the sort of game that feels like it lends itself to perhaps more to-do items being added to the cat’s list. Especially since there are opportunities for them to or not to include additional NPCs. Maybe have a task that involves getting characters to photograph you. Perhaps add challenges tied to already present elements like the little putting green.

The fact that there are also places in the city now that look like they could lead to new places in a Little Kitty, Big City expansion are also perfect excuses to say, “The DLC could go here.” There are a lot of puddles around. Some of it seems like it is due to rain or people using hoses. Others look like they are tied to construction. Well, maybe if Double Dagger wanted to explore work on an add-on, remove the water or make it possible for the kitty to jump or sneak past those spots to access a new neighborhood. 

Not to mention, there’s an awkward number of cat hats currently present in Little Kitty, Big City. There are 42 available. This means there are even two gaps in the in-game menu with “space” for two more. Even if there wouldn’t be an expansion that makes the Big City even bigger, some add-ons that bumped the number up 44 to eliminate the game would be great. Or, I mean, just give us more hats and bump that number up to 48 or 60. Kitty deserves a big wardrobe.

I suppose it all comes down to my loving Little Kitty, Big City so much that I want DLC so I can send the cat out on the town again. Yes, I could always replay it. Going into my cleared save to explore for fun is an option too. However, I can’t help but want to make more fun animal friends and experience more of these lighthearted adventures in an expansion.

Little Kitty, Big City is available for the Nintendo Switch , Xbox Series X, and PC, and no DLC has been announced.

The post I’m Desperate for Little Kitty, Big City DLC   appeared first on Siliconera.

The stunning and lengthy Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes does a solid job of capturing the feel and style of Konami’s Suikoden series. Well, at least on PC that is. With the high likelihood of a sequel in the future — sadly without Yoshitaka Murayama — here is what I want to see in the possible Eiyuden Chronicle 2 sequel.

For all that the first game gets right, it has some major issues. To be honest, most of these come from too much emphasis on nostalgia, and less inclusion of modern features we expect from a JRPG in 2024. As such, most of the changes and improvements that need to happen come from this lack of quality-of-life. Making those adjustments could improve the experience on all platforms.

For instance, I’d love to see fast travel unlock much more quickly in Eiyuden Chronicle 2. It took me roughly 15 hours in-game to unlock fast travel. It felt way too late at that point. Even a major character joked about its absence. A huge chunk of that time up until that point was spent backtracking, and that wasn’t necessary. Rather, it pointlessly padded out the experience. Fast travel should always be reserved for places you’ve already been to, so adding it in after the prologue wouldn’t hurt the game’s progression.

In the same vein, it is high time for a proper quest log in a possible Eiyuden Chronicle sequel. Despite having more than 100 heroes to collect, there is no reliable way to keep track of their sidequests. For example, someone might ask you to collect 10 of a certain material for them. But if you happen to walk away and forget what they asked for or where to get it, you’d have to search online. It’s this type of frustrating system that makes the game less fun than it should be.

At the same time, it would be nice to see legitimate side quests. The only quests in the first game stem from the recruitments. There are no proper additional missions outside of these. Give the player the chance to get to know some of the heroes on a deeper level. Heck, give us a proper relationship and bonding system. This could lead to romance options, optional dungeons, and exclusive rewards. While it isn’t necessary to romance every character in Eiyuden Chronicle 2, having a dozen or so with their own separate storylines would be nice.

The best part about the first game is it laid a fantastic foundation. The combat, world, visual style, and everything already exists. It is now time to just build upon that with features speeding up fights. In this first game, things can take quite some time. A little more efficiency, or even just a 2x speed, would make a world of difference.

In addition, terrible launch state of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes should never happen again. The state of some platforms at release, such as Nintendo Switch, is downright unacceptable. I get not wanting to make backers wait longer, but a few more months is a better outcome than shipping a broken game. Ideally with this Eiyuden Chronicle sequel, more focus can, hopefully, be spent on tightening up the experience. The overwhelming number of bugs, performance issues, and more don’t need to be as prevalent. Instead, the Rabbit & Bear Studios can focus on providing an optimal gameplay experience.

After all, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is far from a bad game. It has a solid cinematic prologue sequence. The story is pretty decent if you get far enough into it. But little changes here and there will make the potential Eiyuden Chronicle 2 a significantly more memorable experience. One, in fact, that could be truly worthy of succeeding Suikoden.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is available right now for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

The post What I’d Like to See in Eiyuden Chronicle 2 appeared first on Siliconera.

Given it is a farming sim, we’ve always been able to cook in Stardew Valley. Making meals to eat ourselves, give as gifts, or ship out for money is a critical part of the gameplay experience. Since it is based upon actual farming and cooking, many of these look familiar and, well, like things we can accomplish ourselves. So now, we’re about to see Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone and Ryan Novak release an actual Official Stardew Valley Cookbook that taps into all that on May 14, 2024, and it does so in a way that keeps cooking accessible.

So the first thing I really liked about the Official Stardew Valley Cookbook is that instead of being divided into things like appetizers, main courses, sides, and desserts, it is split into seasons. Given we’re just about to head into spring and the farmer’s market near me is about to be open every week, I was really excited to see how I could take advantage of that. The Cheese Cauliflower was the first thing I made. The instructions were easy to follow, it didn’t require too many ingredients, and I felt like when it was done that someone could have easily adjusted the recipe to omit the garlic or thyme if they aren’t a fan. 

There’s a nice balance of recipes I recognized from Stardew Valley as well. So this isn’t a situation where there will be meals or items “inspired” by the game, but that I actually remembered making when in the game. So you aren’t going to see Algae Soup, but things like Lucky Lunch, Maki Roll, and Survival Burger are all there. I didn’t make the Survival Burger myself, just because the number of items needed was a lot and eggplant isn’t my thing, but it’s there and seemed really accurate! Not to mention, it’s also one of many dishes that could be made vegatarian or vegan-friendly with a few minor alterations during the preparation process.

What’s also a nice touch is that even though everything is arranged by season, I didn’t feel like it was too restrictive when reading through the recipes. While The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook version of Stir Fry includes shiitake mushrooms, purple carrots, and yellow onions, I substituted in traditional orange carrots and opted for broccoli instead of mushrooms. It was still great. And like, I still made the Banana Pudding that was in there, and it being a “Summer” recipe didn’t make it any more difficult to complete even though it is April. 

Plus, The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook maintains the right atmosphere. Recipes are attributed to characters from the game, like Linus or Pam. Other characters from the game will offer “comments” on each one. The art for each one is inspired by the actual game, with photos of actual food photographs scattered throughout.

I really like what Concerned Ape and Novak accomplished with The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook. There are a lot of matter of fact, fairly simple recipes here clearly taken from the game. All involve food you would eat on a regular basis, so it’s genuinely practical. Plus the vibes are impeccable and really capture the spirit of the game. It feels like a fun complement to the game. 

The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook will appear on May 14, 2024. It will be available digitally or physically. Stardew Valley is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PCs, mobile devices, and the PlayStation Vita. Stardew Valley is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PCs, mobile devices, and the PlayStation Vita. 

The post Official Stardew Valley Cookbook Makes It Easy to Cook Homey Meals appeared first on Siliconera.

I don’t own a house. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to own a house, given the state of the economy, the volatility of the industry and job market, and the fact that AI and venture capitalists make me wonder if I’ll be working in an Aldi or Costco in the next five to ten years. I suppose that’s why I like Summerhouse, a relaxed Friedemann and Future Friends Games “game” that is basically a house-building wish simulator. I don’t know if I’ll ever have this kind of tranquility, but I can pretend!

If you played the sandbox building simulator Townscaper, then a game like Summerhouse should feel quite familiar. There are no scores. No requirements. A few building restrictions, due to limitations of blocks available and control. No one tells you what to do. You choose bits and pieces and assembles houses, neighborhoods, and anything you can manage to fit in the handful of vistas available to you.

Now, there are limitations to this. An array of items are available, but there aren’t a ton of different options. The ones that are there are available in a single color. There’s no resizing that I can see, but given there is no tutorial or explanation of how to start building, it is possible I just haven’t happened upon it. Some items are locked, requiring a person to do things like place duplicates of the same item right next to each other to trigger the appearance of new customization options. Some sort of introduction, or even a note saying, “Here’s what you can do and how to do it” would have been great.

While it isn’t a perfect toybox or game, I do find quite a bit of value in Summerhouse. Sometimes, I like to approach it as a zen experience. I click the random box repeatedly and make do with what I’m given. I create a home or building and appreciate what comes of my self-imposed guidelines. I’d try building a small neighborhood that would fit the ambiance. It’s a playground, to be certain, with the goal seeming to be to relax and enjoy the moment.

It’s very good at evoking a feeling. There is no stress. There is nothing you need to do. You don’t have to worry about anything. Just enjoy lo-fi music, place some bits and pieces around, and see if you like what you come up with. If you don’t, that’s fine too. Once you feel like maybe you're done, turn the UI off and just watch the breeze blow. Maybe see how it looks at night or in the rain, to be certain this is the right house for the moment.

With Summerhouse, it feels like I’m encouraged to live in the moment and play with what I’ve been given. If someone is a creative kind of person who enjoys playing around with things like Picrews or the more aesthetic elements of building homes in The Sims, I could see this being a low-key diversion to cool down after a busy day or when you want to do something simple. But if you want endless opportunities and a packed array of building blocks, it isn’t it.

Summerhouse is available on PCs via Steam.

The post Summerhouse Is a Wish Simulator Sandbox, Not a Game appeared first on Siliconera.

It's Lantern Rite season yet again in Genshin Impact, bringing with it yet another batch of outfits to collect and buy. Considering we got three outfits for this year’s Lantern Rite, are we even going to get any outfits for the summer? Like it or hate it, Genshin Impact has been a juggernaut game for HoYoVerse, raking in close to $60 million since its launch in 2020 from banner revenues alone. But in comparison to other gacha games, and even non-live-service games, it seems woefully bereft of ways to dress up your beloved characters.

The Lantern Rite 2024 event introduced three new outfits—Ganyu’s, Shenhe’s, and Xingqiu’s. While Xingqiu’s outfit is free from completing mini-games during the Version 4.4 flagship event, you have to pay real world money to obtain Ganyu and Shenhe’s. Personally, I like these skins. Since I still bring Ganyu and Shenhe around me for a lot of content, I thought it was worth shelling out the money to make them look nice. In my opinion, Ganyu's hair in her default look was odd from the back so her Lantern Rite outfit was a major upgrade. The same goes for Shenhe’s new look, which has a very cool aesthetic in my opinion. These are really pretty outfits, just like most of the previous ones HoYoVerse released for Genshin Impact. I’m sure that lots of people bought them. So now the question is: why not more?

This is something that I’ve asked myself every time they announce a new skin. I know I’m not the only one either. Twitter (X) is, to put it lightly, a cesspool on the best of days, especially when it comes to discourse. While I generally don’t enjoy looking at a lot of the more irrational criticisms that people level towards Genshin Impact, I do have to admit that I agree with the confusion when it comes to character outfits. “Why doesn’t HoYoVerse like money?” is a common question I see people throw about, and I’m inclined to ask the same myself.

Since the game came out in September 2020, HoYoVerse has only released a total of thirteen skins. This number jumps to seventeen if you include the government-mandated outfits for Jean, Amber, Mona, and Rosaria. That still seems like a fairly low number, especially for a gacha game like Genshin Impact where the characters’ charm is as much a selling point as their place in the meta. Now, I’ve never been a game dev so I don’t feel comfortable saying what’s easy and difficult to code or design. But one would think that it wouldn’t take up too much time or resources to introduce a skin every patch or so. Barring some exceptions, the outfits don't change anything in voice lines, animations, or effects. So are they really that difficult to make?

I’ve purchased quite a few of the outfits in the game and most of the time when I see someone posting a video or screenshot on social media, they’ve dressed up their character as well. The problem is that all of that is just anecdotal evidence. While we have an idea of how popular each character is based on the revenue their banner generates, it’s a lot harder with character outfits. It’s not as if HoYoVerse has published how much money it earned just from outfits, after all. Perhaps the return is simply not worth the time and effort that its designers and modelers need to put into a skin. Or perhaps the infrequent release schedule is a strategy, making them seem more valuable so you covet them when they appear in the shop.

Outfits are useful for other reasons too, especially when it comes to the older character models. Just compare Itto’s physique to Wriothesley’s. Or take a look at Albedo and Diluc, and then compare their models to Alhaitham or Navia’s. Even if these characters’ default designs are great, their 3D models drastically differ from their key visual or splash art. It was a little disappointing when Diluc got a new outfit but his face still looks quite bizarre compared to other characters. Another disappointment is in the lack of variety in skins. I don't mind necessarily mind only getting outfits for summer and Lantern Rite. But how come more than half of the outfits default to the same black-and-blue color scheme? They’re not even colors that one normally associates with Lunar New Year! But I digress.

“Genshin Impact needs more outfits!” is hardly the most pressing issue in the game. I’m pretty sure that if the game started putting out ten outfits per patch, people would be frothing at the mouths and demanding that HoYoVerse put its efforts towards something more substantial. But it’s certainly been a question that I ask myself every time new drip appears for the characters. At the very least, let’s get some more (varied) seasonal outfits or collaboration outfits with other HoYoVerse games! The possibilities are endless and I’m sure if it’s an outfit for a fan favorite character like Kaveh or Raiden Shogun, people will just eat it all up.

Genshin Impact is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.

The post I’m Still Surprised at How Few Outfits Genshin Impact Has appeared first on Siliconera.