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.

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.

Many mobile games offer hundreds and even thousands of hours of game time without requiring players to spend a dime on it, unless they want to. The 10 best free mobile games players can play right now in 2024 on Android and iOS devices offer content, quality, and worlds worth experiencing without the necessity to pay to enjoy them.

With a focus on games across various genres and styles, these are the 10 best free mobile games worth your attention in 2024.

Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact shows the true potential of mobile gaming in 2024 with its continuous updates that improve and expand upon the massive world of Teyvat. There is always a new character to collect, region to explore, and events to partake in. And the best part is most of this is totally free to pursue. The gameplay feels a step above most mobile games, with each playable character having unique powers and the gorgeous cel-shaded, anime-style world.

Pokémon Go

Many years after its unmatched released, Pokémon Go is still going strong with new seasons and frequent releases of new Pokémon to collect. The formula remains the same of walking around the real world to find, catch, and evolve Pokémon. However, raids, various limited-time events, new shiny Pokémon, and more mean this is the best time to check out this game.

Among Us

There is still nothing quite like the mobile game phenomenon that is Among Us. The eternal battle between the crew mates and completing their tasks versus the shadowy imposters is a simple but timeless formula. Whether it is investigating to figure out who the killers are or trying your best to cover your bloody tracks, this is one of the best mobile multiplayer experiences available today.

Marvel Snap

Marvel Snap blends together two of the most compelling ideas for a mobile game: Marvel superheroes and card-battling. Each match only lasts a few minutes with some of the fastest pacing in the genre, which ensures there is the right mix of challenge and excitement. It is just accessible enough, too, to welcome anyone even if you've never played a card game like this before.

Honkai: Star Rail

The other main free mobile game from HoYoVerse is certainly worth a look, even if you aren’t into Genshin Impact. While the style and characters feel quite similar, Honkai: Star Rail trades whimsical fantasy for widespread galactic exploration. In addition, the strategic turn-based RPG combat might be more appealing to those looking for a mobile game with depth but not nearly as demanding.

Roblox

No mobile game in 2024 carries the level of freedom and content as Roblox. Think of any genre or gameplay experience and Roblox likely has it with surprising quality at the same time. Classic games like Murder Mystery 2 let players sus out and defeat the murderer alongside games like Natural Disaster Survival tasks players with staying alive amidst tsunamis and wildfires. There are also newer Roblox experiences these days, such as the incredible Ancient Egypt Roleplay where players start as a peasant and work their way up to pharaoh.

Brawl Stars

Brawl Stars is the latest creation from the makers of Clash of Clans. While it carries the lovable, colorful art style of the studio’s other games, this particular mobile title has a compelling blend of a top-down shooter with the gameplay hook of a MOBA. There are seven different game modes to choose from, including Team Deathmatch-like experiences, objective-based modes, and more.

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile

The beauty of Warzone Mobile is how it sacrifices almost nothing to bring a pure Call of Duty battle royale experience to Android and iOS. Out of all of the various first-person shooters on mobile, this is the one that feels the closest to console and PC FPS gameplay. Besides its connection to the other games in the franchise with shared progression, it also includes the return of the beloved Verdansk battle royale map.

Wuthering Waves

The newest contender in the open-world mobile action RPG genre may look like Genshin Impact and carry the same gacha-style mechanics, but Wuthering Waves sets itself apart in terms of its gameplay. The combat centers around Echoes, which players collect from enemies around the world to unlock unique skills and temporary transformations. While it had a rough launch, its movement and combat remain exceptional.

Old School RuneScape

Yes, an entire MMORPG exists on mobile for players to check out for free on Android and iOS. This is the exact same RuneScape fans may remember from their childhood but revamped to work with a mobile control scheme. Moving your character around the world and engaging in the slow-paced but methodical combat feels great. Plus, it offers some of the best gameplay variety from its quests to PvP to just sitting around hacking at the same trees all day.

The post 10 best free mobile games to play in 2024 appeared first on Destructoid.

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.

Epic Games is teasing a surprising, timely crossover seemingly coming to Fortnite Battle Royale in the near future. It looks like the two massive franchises Fortnite and Fallout will be coming together for an event, though there is no release window or date for the crossover just yet.

The Fortnite and Fallout tease began with a short tweet from Epic Games with an image. The image appears to showcase one of the Brotherhood of Steel members from the Fallout series, but in the Fortnite style. This looks to be hinting at a likely skin players will be able to get in the near future.

In addition to that, the image showcases a factory-like location of some kind underneath the Brotherhood of Steel member. This spot could be a brand new location in the upcoming Chapter 5 Season 3 Wrecked. As a result, it is possible this upcoming post-apocalyptic-themed season will feature a massive crossover with Fallout.

Here is the official teaser. It also features emojis that recreate the Vault Boy expression of a person winking while giving a thumbs-up sign.

https://twitter.com/fortnitegame/status/1791499072789979575?s=61&t=9YBio6l0V75AlnyR8nX7jQ

This possible Fortnite and Fallout crossover season could feature Wasteland-themed locations from the Bethesda series, plus a Brotherhood of Steel skin possibly in the new Battle Pass. This timing makes a lot of sense, too, with the recent Fallout Prime Video TV series. Fortunately, it won’t take long for players to find out if this is the case, since the new season is coming out in the near future.

Fans can look forward to the release of Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3 Wrecked on May 24, 2024. Fortnite and Fallout fans alike should wait until then for more info on how this teased crossover event will work.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3 is coming to Android, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

The post Fallout Looks to Be Coming to Fortnite Season 3 Wrecked 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.

Blue Lock is reaching a fever pitch with its upcoming weekly manga chapter. Fans of the manga and anime alike will be happy to know the Blue Lock Chapter 259 release date is coming up quite soon. It is a bit harder to find the official places to read this manga legally, but we have your back on this and what to expect from Chapter 259.

Blue Lock Chapter 259 release date and time, explained

Fans don’t have to wait too much longer to check out the next chapter of this beloved soccer manga series, as the Blue Lock Chapter 259 release is currently set for Tuesday, April 23, 2024 in North America. This is because the new chapter will launch in Japan on April 24, 2024, but the time difference means most fans worldwide will be able to check it out the day before.

As for the exact time the manga chapter will release, it is expected to come out around 11 a.m. EDT (8 a.m. PDT) in North America. This is because the manga chapters usually drop each week at around midnight in Japan, and the official English version follows right around the same time. Fortunately, fans don’t have to worry about spoilers spreading too much before the translated version releases.

Where to read Blue Lock Chapter 259

Since Blue Lock is a Kodansha manga series, there is only one place where fans of the soccer manga are able to read it: K Manga. This is a lesser-known service, but it is the only official way to read the latest weekly chapters of the series and some other ones. Thankfully, the translations are quite good and the chapters drop very soon after their release in Japan.

The only problem with K Manga, compared to other, more popular services like MangaPlus or Viz, is you have to pay for the latest chapters. Fortunately, they are cheap but it can quickly add up with the many chapters of the series. Each new weekly chapter costs 99 points, which is equal to around $1. Those who wait a few weeks after its release can also usually get chapters for a discounted price of 69 points.

What to expect from the latest chapter

Keep in mind there are some slight spoilers ahead for Chapter 258 of Blue Lock. The most recent chapter saw Isagi and the group in the midst of one of their toughest soccer matches yet. Fortunately, Isagi was able to unlock a new skill and score a goal. Chapter 259 will likely see the soccer match reach its peak and potential conclusion.

It is Isagi’s hope to become the number one soccer player in the world, and a victory against Kaiser in this match would likely cement his placement at the top, even above Rin in the leaderboard. Chapter 259 should bring him one step closer to his dream.

The post Blue Lock Chapter 259 release date, time, and what to expect appeared first on Destructoid.