McDonald’s has managed the difficult task of "mixing friend groups together" to release a series of Happy Meal toys that are Sanrio mascot characters dressed up as Yu-Gi-Oh monsters. You’ll be able to get them for a limited time, but stores in the USA are missing a particular doll.
Here is a commercial for the McDonald’s Yu-Gi-Oh and Sanrio Happy Meal toys:
It shows the Sanrio mascots and the Yu-Gi-Oh monsters hanging out on separate sides of the park. But when a kid grabs a Happy Meal box and starts skipping down the road with it, we see how she inadvertently shakes up their world and cause them to combine. The official Yu-Gi-Oh X (Twitter) account credits Guillaume Huin, a senior marketing director at McDonald’s, for the commercial.
The combination for Sanrio and Yu-Gi-Oh monsters are:
The Yu-Gi-Oh monsters that are part of this crossover all played important roles in the original Duel Monsters cartoons. Over the years, they've been featured in different kinds of goods, such as model kits or figures. As a note, other countries like Japan and Taiwan were able to get these toys earlier this year. Their selection featured the Badtz-Maru wearing the Red-Eyes Black Dragon doll though. So it's unclear why the McDonald's in the United States won't offer that one.
You can get Happy Meal toys of Sanrio mascots wearing Yu-Gi-Oh monster outfits for a limited time from McDonald’s.
A re-release version of Sanctuary, an artbook to celebrate 40 years’ worth of artwork from Inomata Mutsumi, will come out on August 21, 2024. The book will be available via Amazon and will cost 4070 JPY ($27.80). [Thanks, Famitsu!]
The book contains 256 pages and over 2000 pieces of work from various genres that Inomata worked on in her lifetime. This includes anime, games, novels, and magazines. It serves as a chronicle that looks back on her career, which heavily focuses on designs for sci-fi and fantasy characters.
Inomata Mutsumi died on March 10, 2024, though the news broke on March 18, 2024. Her career started in 1979 and lasted until she died. She was known for her work on the Tales series, including Destiny, Graces, Hearts, Innocence, Xillia, Berseria, and Zestiria. She also worked on the animation for Urusei Yatsura and City Hunter, as well as designed for the My-HiME and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED franchise. Her art style included the usage of watercolors, and her characters tended to have large eyes and slender figures, making them look like they came from a shojo manga.
Sanctuary, which collects artwork from Inomata Mutsumi over the past 40 years in a single artbook, will come out on August 21, 2024.
Ever since The Sims 4 came out in 2014 (oh my goodness...), I’ve been adamant that The Sims 2 and 3 remain the superior titles in the series, especially once you start using core mods to improve performance or quality of life. For those who want to get their life simulation fix but The Sims 4 is broken or too boring, I highly suggest playing The Sims 3 instead!
Those who know anything about The Sims 3 may know that Electronic Arts and Maxis did not optimize this game very well. There are a lot of reasons for this. One reason is that it’s an open-world 32-bit game. This can lead to your files bloating up and causing the game to crash to desktop. The Sims 3 is also notorious in that the game does not naturally cap your FPS, which can overheat your graphics card if you’re not careful. Some of these mods are not mere recommendations. They’re straight up essential for the overall health of your computer.
Though not a mod, I recommend using MATY’s FPS Limiter and 3Booter. This will help to keep your frame rate at the game’s default 30. If you’re like me and you’re using a NVIDIA graphics card, you can also go into your control panel and cap The Sims 3’s frame rate at 30 through there.
Here are some of the best mods for The Sims 3 in 2024
Screenshot by Siliconera
NRaas Master Controller NRaas’s entire library of mods is fantastic, but I have a few that I recommend for even people who aren’t too keen on installing mods. Master Controller is exactly as it says on the tin. With this mod, you can control virtually everything in your town, from relationships to careers to ages. It’s a handy tool for little accidents (oops, my Sim is wearing a raincoat at her garden wedding) to more heavy-duty tasks (I need to reset every single object and sim in my neighborhood).
NRaas Story Progression As mentioned earlier, The Sims 3 has an open world for its neighborhood, which means that things can happen in inactive households completely out of your control. You can turn this off if you want, but for those who don’t mind letting Sims live out their own little virtual lives, I recommend Story Progression from NRaas. This replaces EA’s slow and stagnant Story Progression, preventing your neighborhood from devolving into a ghost town over time.
NRaas Overwatch ESSENTIAL MOD; YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD DOWNLOAD THIS FOR YOUR COMPUTER. Overwatch goes through your neighborhood at an interval you set to clean up things like deserted cars. In general, you can think of Overwatch as a garbage truck that throws away junk files which can cause bloating down the line.
NRaas Error Trap ESSENTIAL MOD; YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD DOWNLOAD THIS FOR YOUR COMPUTER. Error Trap is, like Overwatch, a mod that’s for keeping your save file as clean as possible. It catches and corrects data corruption errors that can prevent you from loading up a save. Think of it as insurance. Under ideal circumstances, you won’t need it. But when you need it, man, you’ll be glad to have this thing in your folders.
Screenshot by Siliconera
Simpishly's More Traits for All Ages If you raise a Sim in-game, you’re forced to only pick from limited pools of traits in the earlier life stages, which can get boring after a while. Enabling traits for all ages can lead to some wacky Sims like a toddler who’s Flirty and has Commitment Issues. But if you don’t mind that, this is a great mod for more varied Sims.
LazyDuchess Smooth Patch As a note, the LazyDuchess Smooth Patch does not work with some NRaas mods if you’re using 2.x versions. I recommend using a 1.x build if you want to use it with, say, Master Controller. Smooth Patch alters some of the script in the game to make the game run faster. For example, it’ll load hairs and outfits in CAS as you scroll through rather than making you wait for the game to pull everything out.
LazyDuchess Lot population This is a personal pet peeve, but I don’t like going to a community lot to scope out a joint, only for everyone to be elsewhere in town. In The Sims 2, the game will populate lots after you arrive. However, the open world concept works against that since, again, Sims have their own lives. The Lot Population mod pushes Sims to lots your active Sim is at so you won’t be partying alone. It can also add walkbys like in The Sims 2, making your neighborhood feel more alive.
Retuned Attraction The attraction system in The Sims 3 is ridiculous and can cause more trouble than it’s worth. With this mod, the attraction system is more sane and logical, as well as less indiscriminate. It will also prevent Sims from continuously harassing you for dates or sending you random stuff in the mail.
Screenshot by Siliconera
OMSP, S3DT For people who like to build and decorate fancy houses, OMSP and S3DT are both absolutely essential. OMSP allows you to create more space on surfaces for clutter. This can include beds and sofas (so you can put blankets and cushions), or mini-fridges (if you want to put a radio or something on top). S3DT gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to moving things around a lot, as well as lets you change the height and angle of objects. If you only care about gameplay, these aren't necessary.
Ghost Reaction Remover This is fantastic for people who play legacy style like I do, as you’ll naturally end up with a lot of ghosts in your house. If you’re annoyed by Sims constantly stopping what they’re doing to go “Ew, you’re getting ectoplasm all over the floor, Great-Great-Grandpa,” then this mod can curb that behavior. Other reaction removers from this maker include mods to curb relation loss from the Emperor of Evil and stop sims from freaking out over Bonehilda.
Children Can mods The Children Can series of mods is fantastic for people who want to give their Sim kids more freedom and independence, as well as get them started in life. With this mod, Sim kids will be able to do laundry, make sculptures, call services, and more. It’s really handy for people who are doing challenges like, again, the legacy challenge or the 100 Baby Challenge, since it’ll make playing with kids more fun.
NeuroBlazer Random Genetics I highly recommend the Random Genetics mod for people who want more varied faces around town or in your Sims. However, NeuroBlazer seems to have removed this mod and they’re not hosting it anymore. Fortunately, there is a backup (this link will directly download the file to your computer).
Screenshot by Siliconera
Brntwaffles environment mods Pretty much all of Tumblr user brntwaffles’s default replacement mods (whether environment or genetics) are really good! They make the game really pretty and it looks even better if you install Reshade. My personal recommendations from brntwaffles for eyes are the MS93 and Sarhra default replacements. I also really like their Perfect Day and Dream Dimension lighting mods.
Twinsimming mods Twinswimming’s mods are great for adding flavor to your game. I recommend basically all of them. Some of them can make your game more difficult, such as Pest Control and Utilities adding new things you have to watch out for. Their best mods are Growing Pains and the Level Up! mods, in my opinion.
Velocitygrass No Automatic Memories ESSENTIAL MOD; YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD DOWNLOAD THIS FOR YOUR COMPUTER. As mentioned in the beginning, memories can really bloat your save file, causing the eventual corruption of your neighborhood and mess with your computer. Even if you turn off notifications, the game still accumulates memories, including from inactive families. This mod completely removes the feature.
Icarusallsorts's User-Directed Scolding If you don’t have kids in your game, this might be a non-issue. But Generations added a mechanic that lets parents scold and ground their kids when they do something bad. On paper, that sounds really neat. In practice, it’s freakishly annoying. This mod gives you more control over how your sim punishes their kid without turning it into unnecessary drama.
Screenshot by Siliconera
Ultimate Careers The Ultimate Careers mod is a very intensive mod that overhauls how careers work in this game. This makes them a lot more similar to how professions work rather than just pushing your Sims to go to a rabbit hole where you can’t peek in on them. Fortunately, you don’t have to micromanage as much as you do with a profession, so it’s friendly for players with large families too.
TheSweetSimmer mods TheSweetSimmer makes a lot of mods that focus on pregnancy interactions and toddlers, making them more fun to play with. It also frees up your teen or adult Sims, since children and toddlers will be able to perform acts that would usually require an older Sim's help. This is mostly useful for people who play families, but it might incentivize YA and Adult sim players to have a kid or two.
Moar Interactions This is one of those mods that add things you’d figure would have been in the base game. It’s great for group meetings and parties, as you can do so much more with other sims around town.
PhoebeJaySims Social Clubs Mod PhoebeJaySims, like TheSweetSimmer and Twinsimming, has a lot of really cool mods. My favorite of them is the Social Clubs mod. This lets you create a club, but without the objectives that are in The Sims 4 clubs. Clubs with this mod are more chill and are a great way for you to set up regular meetings and playdates, or add a layer of storytelling to your neighborhood.
The Sims 3 is readily available on the Windows PC.
During GamesCom 2024, HoYoVerse released a new trailer for Honkai: Star Rail, teasing new character Feixiao and the upcoming Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works collaboration. More details on both will appear closer to the release date.
You can watch the Honkai: Star Rail GamesCom trailer here:
The trailer starts with Guinaifen describing Feixiao’s exploits on the battlefield, though she can’t really remember everything. Feixiao actually appears to defeat a borisin about to attack, but she’s just asking for directions. Then, the trailer temporarily shifts to an anime style to show Pom-Pom, Caelus, March, and Dan Heng on the Astral Express. They hear a kind of explosion noise and though you can’t see who appeared on the train, it’s most likely to be EMIYA between his voice and the line he says.
The Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Workscollaboration event will come out some time in Summer 2025. At this point in time, we don’t know if the crossover will only be skins, or if we will actually get a playable character like how Aloy appeared in Genshin Impact. As for Feixiao, she will be a 5-star Wind Hunt character. Before her debut though, we have her subordinate Jiaoqiu coming out in the second phase of Version 2.4. He’ll be a 5-star Fire Nihility who specializes in a unique DoT.
Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. Feixiao will appear as a playable character in Honkai: Star Rail Versioin 2.5.
Ever since The Sims 4 came out in 2014 (oh my goodness...), I’ve been adamant that The Sims 2 and 3 remain the superior titles in the series, especially once you start using core mods to improve performance or quality of life. For those who want to get their life simulation fix but The Sims 4 is broken or too boring, I highly suggest playing The Sims 3 instead!
Those who know anything about The Sims 3 may know that Electronic Arts and Maxis did not optimize this game very well. There are a lot of reasons for this. One reason is that it’s an open-world 32-bit game. This can lead to your files bloating up and causing the game to crash to desktop. The Sims 3 is also notorious in that the game does not naturally cap your FPS, which can overheat your graphics card if you’re not careful. Some of these mods are not mere recommendations. They’re straight up essential for the overall health of your computer.
Though not a mod, I recommend using MATY’s FPS Limiter and 3Booter. This will help to keep your frame rate at the game’s default 30. If you’re like me and you’re using a NVIDIA graphics card, you can also go into your control panel and cap The Sims 3’s frame rate at 30 through there.
Here are some of the best mods for The Sims 3 in 2024
Screenshot by Siliconera
NRaas Master Controller NRaas’s entire library of mods is fantastic, but I have a few that I recommend for even people who aren’t too keen on installing mods. Master Controller is exactly as it says on the tin. With this mod, you can control virtually everything in your town, from relationships to careers to ages. It’s a handy tool for little accidents (oops, my Sim is wearing a raincoat at her garden wedding) to more heavy-duty tasks (I need to reset every single object and sim in my neighborhood).
NRaas Story Progression As mentioned earlier, The Sims 3 has an open world for its neighborhood, which means that things can happen in inactive households completely out of your control. You can turn this off if you want, but for those who don’t mind letting Sims live out their own little virtual lives, I recommend Story Progression from NRaas. This replaces EA’s slow and stagnant Story Progression, preventing your neighborhood from devolving into a ghost town over time.
NRaas Overwatch ESSENTIAL MOD; YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD DOWNLOAD THIS FOR YOUR COMPUTER. Overwatch goes through your neighborhood at an interval you set to clean up things like deserted cars. In general, you can think of Overwatch as a garbage truck that throws away junk files which can cause bloating down the line.
NRaas Error Trap ESSENTIAL MOD; YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD DOWNLOAD THIS FOR YOUR COMPUTER. Error Trap is, like Overwatch, a mod that’s for keeping your save file as clean as possible. It catches and corrects data corruption errors that can prevent you from loading up a save. Think of it as insurance. Under ideal circumstances, you won’t need it. But when you need it, man, you’ll be glad to have this thing in your folders.
Screenshot by Siliconera
Simpishly's More Traits for All Ages If you raise a Sim in-game, you’re forced to only pick from limited pools of traits in the earlier life stages, which can get boring after a while. Enabling traits for all ages can lead to some wacky Sims like a toddler who’s Flirty and has Commitment Issues. But if you don’t mind that, this is a great mod for more varied Sims.
LazyDuchess Smooth Patch As a note, the LazyDuchess Smooth Patch does not work with some NRaas mods if you’re using 2.x versions. I recommend using a 1.x build if you want to use it with, say, Master Controller. Smooth Patch alters some of the script in the game to make the game run faster. For example, it’ll load hairs and outfits in CAS as you scroll through rather than making you wait for the game to pull everything out.
LazyDuchess Lot population This is a personal pet peeve, but I don’t like going to a community lot to scope out a joint, only for everyone to be elsewhere in town. In The Sims 2, the game will populate lots after you arrive. However, the open world concept works against that since, again, Sims have their own lives. The Lot Population mod pushes Sims to lots your active Sim is at so you won’t be partying alone. It can also add walkbys like in The Sims 2, making your neighborhood feel more alive.
Retuned Attraction The attraction system in The Sims 3 is ridiculous and can cause more trouble than it’s worth. With this mod, the attraction system is more sane and logical, as well as less indiscriminate. It will also prevent Sims from continuously harassing you for dates or sending you random stuff in the mail.
Screenshot by Siliconera
OMSP, S3DT For people who like to build and decorate fancy houses, OMSP and S3DT are both absolutely essential. OMSP allows you to create more space on surfaces for clutter. This can include beds and sofas (so you can put blankets and cushions), or mini-fridges (if you want to put a radio or something on top). S3DT gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to moving things around a lot, as well as lets you change the height and angle of objects. If you only care about gameplay, these aren't necessary.
Ghost Reaction Remover This is fantastic for people who play legacy style like I do, as you’ll naturally end up with a lot of ghosts in your house. If you’re annoyed by Sims constantly stopping what they’re doing to go “Ew, you’re getting ectoplasm all over the floor, Great-Great-Grandpa,” then this mod can curb that behavior. Other reaction removers from this maker include mods to curb relation loss from the Emperor of Evil and stop sims from freaking out over Bonehilda.
Children Can mods The Children Can series of mods is fantastic for people who want to give their Sim kids more freedom and independence, as well as get them started in life. With this mod, Sim kids will be able to do laundry, make sculptures, call services, and more. It’s really handy for people who are doing challenges like, again, the legacy challenge or the 100 Baby Challenge, since it’ll make playing with kids more fun.
NeuroBlazer Random Genetics I highly recommend the Random Genetics mod for people who want more varied faces around town or in your Sims. However, NeuroBlazer seems to have removed this mod and they’re not hosting it anymore. Fortunately, there is a backup (this link will directly download the file to your computer).
Screenshot by Siliconera
Brntwaffles environment mods Pretty much all of Tumblr user brntwaffles’s default replacement mods (whether environment or genetics) are really good! They make the game really pretty and it looks even better if you install Reshade. My personal recommendations from brntwaffles for eyes are the MS93 and Sarhra default replacements. I also really like their Perfect Day and Dream Dimension lighting mods.
Twinsimming mods Twinswimming’s mods are great for adding flavor to your game. I recommend basically all of them. Some of them can make your game more difficult, such as Pest Control and Utilities adding new things you have to watch out for. Their best mods are Growing Pains and the Level Up! mods, in my opinion.
Velocitygrass No Automatic Memories ESSENTIAL MOD; YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD DOWNLOAD THIS FOR YOUR COMPUTER. As mentioned in the beginning, memories can really bloat your save file, causing the eventual corruption of your neighborhood and mess with your computer. Even if you turn off notifications, the game still accumulates memories, including from inactive families. This mod completely removes the feature.
Icarusallsorts's User-Directed Scolding If you don’t have kids in your game, this might be a non-issue. But Generations added a mechanic that lets parents scold and ground their kids when they do something bad. On paper, that sounds really neat. In practice, it’s freakishly annoying. This mod gives you more control over how your sim punishes their kid without turning it into unnecessary drama.
Screenshot by Siliconera
Ultimate Careers The Ultimate Careers mod is a very intensive mod that overhauls how careers work in this game. This makes them a lot more similar to how professions work rather than just pushing your Sims to go to a rabbit hole where you can’t peek in on them. Fortunately, you don’t have to micromanage as much as you do with a profession, so it’s friendly for players with large families too.
TheSweetSimmer mods TheSweetSimmer makes a lot of mods that focus on pregnancy interactions and toddlers, making them more fun to play with. It also frees up your teen or adult Sims, since children and toddlers will be able to perform acts that would usually require an older Sim's help. This is mostly useful for people who play families, but it might incentivize YA and Adult sim players to have a kid or two.
Moar Interactions This is one of those mods that add things you’d figure would have been in the base game. It’s great for group meetings and parties, as you can do so much more with other sims around town.
PhoebeJaySims Social Clubs Mod PhoebeJaySims, like TheSweetSimmer and Twinsimming, has a lot of really cool mods. My favorite of them is the Social Clubs mod. This lets you create a club, but without the objectives that are in The Sims 4 clubs. Clubs with this mod are more chill and are a great way for you to set up regular meetings and playdates, or add a layer of storytelling to your neighborhood.
The Sims 3 is readily available on the Windows PC.
During GamesCom 2024, HoYoVerse released a new trailer for Honkai: Star Rail, teasing new character Feixiao and the upcoming Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works collaboration. More details on both will appear closer to the release date.
You can watch the Honkai: Star Rail GamesCom trailer here:
The trailer starts with Guinaifen describing Feixiao’s exploits on the battlefield, though she can’t really remember everything. Feixiao actually appears to defeat a borisin about to attack, but she’s just asking for directions. Then, the trailer temporarily shifts to an anime style to show Pom-Pom, Caelus, March, and Dan Heng on the Astral Express. They hear a kind of explosion noise and though you can’t see who appeared on the train, it’s most likely to be EMIYA between his voice and the line he says.
The Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Workscollaboration event will come out some time in Summer 2025. At this point in time, we don’t know if the crossover will only be skins, or if we will actually get a playable character like how Aloy appeared in Genshin Impact. As for Feixiao, she will be a 5-star Wind Hunt character. Before her debut though, we have her subordinate Jiaoqiu coming out in the second phase of Version 2.4. He’ll be a 5-star Fire Nihility who specializes in a unique DoT.
Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. Feixiao will appear as a playable character in Honkai: Star Rail Versioin 2.5.
During the GamesCom opening night livestream on August 20, 2024, a trailer for Masters of Albion appeared to show what the gameplay is like. You’ll have complete control over a civilization in an open world setting.
Here is the trailer for Masters of Albion, which includes a short interview with Peter Molyneux afterwards:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9ij15VNKMQ
In it, you can see how you can micromanage the town of Oakridge. Everything from the food people eat, to their economic bracket, to their weapon of choice is something you can choose. At night, the horrors of Albion will attack, meaning that you have to fight them off. You’re able to take direct control of villagers as well. When the going gets tough, you can always possess a stronger creature.
Though this is not a new Black & White, it has some similarities with that game. Peter Molyneux, who worked on Masters of Albion, also designed that game during his time at Lionhead Studios. As for the Albion setting for the game, it’s the same world that Fable took place in. Fable was also a game that Peter Molyneux worked on, though that was an action RPG rather than a sandbox.
Masters of Albion will come out on the Windows PC and you can now wishlist it on Steam.
The Zenless Zone Zero Anby Demarra figure is from Apex, which had worked on multiple figures for HoYoVerse games in the past. It costs 22,400 JPY, which is approximately $153.90. AmiAmi has warned that the shipping costs may be on the pricier side for this figure, as it’s quite big and heavy.
Anby is looking like she’s ready for battle in this figure. She’s got a hand on her sword and her other one outstretched. Her expression is her usual neutral one. Apex seems to have put a lot of care into the sculpting, between all the details of her outfit and the way her skirt billows around her thighs. The stand for the figure looks like a film reel, with the welcome slogan for New Eridu on it.
Image via Apx
Anby is the poster girl for Zenless Zone Zero (in that her face is on the icon like Paimon in Genshin Impact and March 7th for Honkai: Star Rail). When you start the game, you can get a copy of her for free. She’s a member of the Cunning Hares along with Billy Kid and Nicole. Though she’s usually very stoic and quiet, she has a bit of a silly side. For example, she sometimes conflates movies with reality.
Zenless Zone Zero is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. The Zenless Zone Zero Anby figure will come out in July 2025.
Massive Monster and Devolver Digital announced The Pilgrim Pack, which is a new piece of DLC for Cult of the Lamb with additional Follower forms and unique quests. It’ll come out on August 12, 2024 alongside the new update.
The Pilgrim Pack will be a bit different from what people expect from Cult of the Lamb. It’ll be an interactive digital comic, through which you can access new secret quests, Follower forms, outfits, and accessories.
You can check out the Cult of the Lamb new DLC trailer below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY1EYzn_5qY
Instead of playing as a cult leader like you do in the main game, it seems like the Pilgrim story will focus on Followers instead. You’ll be helping Jalala and Rinor journeying in search of a new home, only for dangerous cultists to stalk them in hopes of sacrificing them to their gods. As The Pilgrim Pack will include two unique Follower quests, it’s likely that you’ll be able to further explore Jalala and Rinor’s stories outside of the comic as well.
As a reminder, The Pilgrim Pack will be paid DLC. It will come out on the same date as the Unholy Alliance free update, but if you want to experience it, you’ll need to pay some money. The Pilgrim Pack will cost $6.99 on PC and $8.99 on consoles.
Cult of the Lamb is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. The Pilgrim Pack will appear in Cult of the Lamb on August 12, 2024, and it will not be part of the free Unholy Alliance update.
Kadokawa announced that the official NieR Reincarnation art book will come out on November 28, 2024, instead of its expected launch date. The Ebten DX pack, as well as the bonus version of the art book exclusive to Ebten, will also be delayed until November 28, 2024.
When the book comes out later this year, there will be over sixty more pages than the original estimate. In total, the NieR Reincarnation art book will contain 528 pages, as opposed to 464. The price will remain the same at 4,950 JPY ($34.35). Kadokawa apologized for the delay, but promised to aim for more satisfying content in the final product.
The Ebten DX pack will cost 9,350 JPY ($64.90) and contains multiple pieces of merchandise along with the art boo. You’ll be able to get an F3 canvas board, a set of calendar postcards, an acrylic keyholder, and an A6 illustration card. This illustration card is also the exclusive bonus that comes with the art book if you purchase it from Ebten.
The NieR Reincarnation art book was supposed to come out on August 28, 2024 to commemorate the end of the game’s service. Inside of the book, there will be stills and images from the game, as well as behind-the-scenes notes on the design process. NieR Re[in]carnation ended service on April 29, 2024 after around three years.
NieR Reincarnation was available on mobile devices, but you can no longer download it. The art book for NieR Reincarnation will come out in Japan on November 28, 2024.
The Zenless Zone Zero Anby Demarra figure is from Apex, which had worked on multiple figures for HoYoVerse games in the past. It costs 22,400 JPY, which is approximately $153.90. AmiAmi has warned that the shipping costs may be on the pricier side for this figure, as it’s quite big and heavy.
Anby is looking like she’s ready for battle in this figure. She’s got a hand on her sword and her other one outstretched. Her expression is her usual neutral one. Apex seems to have put a lot of care into the sculpting, between all the details of her outfit and the way her skirt billows around her thighs. The stand for the figure looks like a film reel, with the welcome slogan for New Eridu on it.
Image via Apx
Anby is the poster girl for Zenless Zone Zero (in that her face is on the icon like Paimon in Genshin Impact and March 7th for Honkai: Star Rail). When you start the game, you can get a copy of her for free. She’s a member of the Cunning Hares along with Billy Kid and Nicole. Though she’s usually very stoic and quiet, she has a bit of a silly side. For example, she sometimes conflates movies with reality.
Zenless Zone Zero is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. The Zenless Zone Zero Anby figure will come out in July 2025.
Massive Monster and Devolver Digital announced The Pilgrim Pack, which is a new piece of DLC for Cult of the Lamb with additional Follower forms and unique quests. It’ll come out on August 12, 2024 alongside the new update.
The Pilgrim Pack will be a bit different from what people expect from Cult of the Lamb. It’ll be an interactive digital comic, through which you can access new secret quests, Follower forms, outfits, and accessories.
You can check out the Cult of the Lamb new DLC trailer below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY1EYzn_5qY
Instead of playing as a cult leader like you do in the main game, it seems like the Pilgrim story will focus on Followers instead. You’ll be helping Jalala and Rinor journeying in search of a new home, only for dangerous cultists to stalk them in hopes of sacrificing them to their gods. As The Pilgrim Pack will include two unique Follower quests, it’s likely that you’ll be able to further explore Jalala and Rinor’s stories outside of the comic as well.
As a reminder, The Pilgrim Pack will be paid DLC. It will come out on the same date as the Unholy Alliance free update, but if you want to experience it, you’ll need to pay some money. The Pilgrim Pack will cost $6.99 on PC and $8.99 on consoles.
Cult of the Lamb is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. The Pilgrim Pack will appear in Cult of the Lamb on August 12, 2024, and it will not be part of the free Unholy Alliance update.
Avail will start selling Persona 5 Royal merchandise and outfits in Shimamura from August 10, 2024. You’ll be able to get them in both brick-and-mortar and online storefronts.
The items that will be available, as well as the prices, are:
Barrettes: 790 JPY
Face towel: 1200 JPY
Garbage box: 1200 JPY
Hairband: 1200 JPY
Keyholder: 790 JPY
Loungewear: 3300 JPY
Mat: 1800 JPY
Morgana parka: 2300 JPY
Rubber bracelet: 790 JPY
Scrunchie: 790 JPY
Seat cushion: 2300 JPY
Socks: 390 JPY
Sun visor pouch: 900 JPY
Tissue box: 1200 JPY
T-shirts: 1800 JPY
Waist cushion: 1800 JPY
Zip-up hoodies: 3300 JPY
As a note, all of the clothing items are mens’ sizes. So when you’re buying them, if you don’t normally wear clothing for men, you might need to buy a size smaller than your usual.
Image via Avail, Shimamura
Some of these items have been around in the past. The Morgana parka in particular must be a very popular item. This marks the third time Avail and Shimamura have offered it during a Persona 5 or Persona 5 Royal collaboration.
Though the game came out in 2019 for Japan, it remains very popular today. Kotobukiya recently announced a re-run of a scale figure of Kasumi Yoshizawa in her Phantom Thief outfit, with this figure’s initial release being in 2020. Meanwhile, NetEase is currently re-running its Persona 5 crossover event in Identity V.
Persona 5 Royal is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Windows PC, and Nintendo Switch.
The Bokeh Game Studio developers revealed they drew inspiration from seinen manga like Tokyo Ghoul when working on Slitterhead. This information comes from an interview with Game Watch. [Thanks, Game Watch!]
The three Bokeh Game Studio members who participated in the interview are Keiichiro Toyama (CEO and founder), Akira Yamaoka (composer, sound director, and game designer), and Tatsuya Yoshikawa (character designer). During the interview, they reveal that they used seinen manga to try and bridge the gap between horror fans and players who avoid a game because of its horror elements. Some seinen manga series show the characters facing off against a powerful foe, which has the same entertainment value as an action series. However, seinen manga also tend not to shy away from killing off its characters, which raises the tensions and stakes.
Toyama noted that shonen manga is more popular in foreign countries, so a seinen-inspired work may feel novel. Like our coverage of the SGF 2024 trailer, the Game Watch interviewer noted that the character designs feel like they’re from Parasyte. Toyama acknowledges that Parasyte was an inspiration, but Slitterhead actually takes more cues from Tokyo Ghoul. To be more specific, he drew reference from the uncertainty of when characters would die—calling it a “thrilling” survival horror experience—and the charm of battles in which the characters use superpowers.
Slitterhead will come out on November 8, 2024 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC.
A new series of Final Fantasy XIV commercials starring Hikakin will start playing on TV in Japan until July 7, 2024. It’ll feature real footage of Hikakin and his friend Hajime Syacho playing the MMORPG. [Thanks, PR Times!]
For reference, Hikakin is one of the top YouTubers in Japan. Hikakin is also a businessman, releasing products such as the Misokin instant ramen, which was a collaboration product with Nissin. He has multiple channels and his main channel HikakinTV has over 18.8 million subscribers. As for Hajime Syacho, he is also a very popular YouTuber. Like Hikakin, he has multiple YouTube channels, and his main one has over 14.2 million subscribers. Both of them are part of the UUUM network.
You can check out the Hikakin Final Fantasy XIV commercials here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH37ag5Nr-g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCZ-9p0nsO0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwrp95XKjsI
As a note, the Japanese version of Warrior of Light is "Hikari no Senshi," or "Hikasen" for short. It sounds quite similar to Hikakin. So the title of this series is "Hikakin Becomes a Hikasen," aka "Hikakin Becomes a WoL."
Hikakin commented that he and Hajime Syacho had so much time playing for the commercials that recorded ended really quickly. He’s also amazed and emotional about how he’s able to do something for Final Fantasy as part of his job as a YouTuber, since he’s been a fan of the series since he was a student. As for Hajime Syacho, he said that he felt like a parent and cried when his cute avatar appeared in the commercials. This is the avatar he actually uses in game, which he started playing this year. He adds that he wants people to play Final Fantasy XIV, which he likes so much that he prioritizes it over sleep.
Final Fantasy XIV is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. Dawntrail, the newest expansion for the game, will come out on July 2, 2024.
On June 21, 2024, X (Twitter) user nightshademagia released a Hardcore Mode mod for Stardew Valley that’ll delete your save file if you open up the Wiki for the game. This was based off a joke article from Hard Drive.
You can find the source code via Github here. There’s also a clip showing how it works. In the clip, they load up their file as per usual. Then, in another window, they open up the Stardew Valley Wiki. As soon as they do so, the game forces them back to the title screen and when they try to load up a game, their save file is gone.
The original article was from satire website Hard Drive, stating that the new default Hardcore Mode erases your save file if you open the official wiki. The article includes false quotes from players expressing their outrage, including a fake quote from ConcernedApe, the creator of Stardew Valley. Some players tend to use the Wiki to help them optimize their farm or game. For example, you can look up what gifts certain characters prefer or how to catch certain fish.
Stardew Valley is readily available for the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, macOS, and mobile devices. It is one of the best-selling games of all time, selling over 30 million copies by February 2024.
The official Sonic the Hedgehog X (Twitter) account has revealed the Shadow the Hedgehog collaboration outfit for Korone. There will be merchandise of her, including an A4 clear folder of her posing with Shadow.
Like Korone’s past Sonic outfit where she’s wearing a hoodie that resembles the blue hedgehog, the Shadow the Hedgehog outfit puts Korone in a black hooded jacket and red sneakers. Her hair is black as well, and she has red eyes. She’s wearing asymmetrical socks in the Shadow outfit, but that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Shadow and is more a fashion choice from her designer.
If you pre-order Sonic X Shadow Generations from certain vendors, you’ll be able to get exclusive goods of Korone in her Shadow the Hedgehog outfit. Amazon will offer an acrylic keyholder. Hanekoto, who was the main artist for Minato Aqua’s game Aquarium, drew this Korone. Meanwhile, if you purchase from Geo, you’ll be able to get a clear folder of her posing with Shadow. The Sonic Team from Sega drew this one.
The trailer stats with a scared-looking Bangboo wandering around a facility before Rina informs it of how it’s in a forbidden area. As she lists off the rules about the area, she scares it so much that it passes out. Then, it shows off how Rina fights by puppeteering two little robots. It then ends with her acting like a normal maid to the Bangboo. However, despite her profession, she’s a horrible cook.
Like other members of the Victoria Housekeeping faction, Rina is based on a combination between a normal housekeeper and a Western horror trope. In Rina’s case, she appears to be a combination of ghosts and the idea of haunted puppets. Other members of Victoria Housekeeping include Corin, Ellen, and Von Lycaon. Of the housekeepers within this faction, it seems that Ellen is the only one who’s willing to give Rina’s cooking a try.
Zenless Zone Zero will come out on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices from July 4, 2024.
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.
Screenshot by Siliconera
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.
Image via HoYoVerse
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.
Image via HoYoVerse
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.
Version 1.1 of Wuthering Waves will go live on June 28, 2024 and the official Twitter (X) account has teased what to expect from the upcoming patch. New 5-star characters will be Jinhsi and Changli.
Aside from new characters, there will be new weapons and areas to explore as well. Wuthering Waves Version 1.1 will introduce Mt. Firmament to explore. Meanwhile, the first character on banner will be Jinhsi, followed by Changli. Jinhsi will be a Spectro Broadblade Resonator and Changli will be Fusion Sword. Jinhsi’s signature weapon will be the Ages of Harvest and Changli’s will be Blazing Brilliance.
As well, the main story will continue with Main Quest Chapter 1 Act 7. We already know from Kuro Games’s previous communications that Jue will appear as a boss fight in the upcoming chapter. Like Scar, you’ll be able to challenge Jue again multiple times. Jue will also be available as an Echo to collect and use. Other new Echoes include Clang Bang, Dwarf Cassowary, and Lightcurhser. There will also be a new Companion Quest focusing on Changli. Finally, there will be several events both permanent and limited-time.
Wuthering Waves is readily available on the Windows PC and mobile devices. Version 1.1 of Wuthering Waves will go live on June 28, 2024.
In a now deleted tweet, GameStop potentially revealed the release date for Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater, which could be on November 17, 2024. As the tweet, which included a trailer, is now gone, this seems to have been an accidental reveal on the part of the GameStop Twitter account’s administrator. [Thanks, Wario64!]
The tweet also included a link to pre-order it. Unless there are any hiccups in the development process, which could lead to a delay, it seems that Konami will release the game later this year. You can watch the announcement trailer for Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNX8QCeymFM
Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater will be a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It follows Naked Snake, a FOX operative, whose mission is to sabotage a Soviet nuclear superweapon during the Cold War. Most of the main gameplay mechanics from the original game remain, but there will be some new additions from the latter entries. For example, you’ll be able to walk while crouching. A new mechanic also focuses on recording the player’s individual journey in the game. Physical injuries Snake sustains will remain on him as scars for the rest of the playthrough.
Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater will come out on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. If the GameStop Tweet was accurate, then the release date for Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater will be November 17, 2024.
Hololive VTuber Inugami Korone has shared on her X (Twitter) account the boss character she designed for Lords of Exile. Many of her fans have expressed happiness that they guessed right due to the monster having many design aesthetics Korone likes.
Korone revealed the monster in a QRT of her original Tweet from February 2024, when she announced that Lords of Exile is available to purchase. She revealed that she'd secretly backed this game's Kickstarter and that she also designed one of the bosses in it. Korone then ended the Tweet, inviting players to guess which one she had made. On May 31, 2024, she acknowledged that she was late with the reveal and then showed the correct answer.
Lords of Exile is a retro-looking game that uses an 8-bit aesthetic and a linear-level design. It’s an action and platforming game in which you play as a cursed knight who seeks revenge. There are eight levels in total, with various items and skills you can obtain in order to make your journey easier. Korone tends to play retro games on stream, so her backing of Lords of Exile on its Kickstarter may not have been a surprise.
Lords of Exile is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC via Steam.
Metaphor: ReFantazio will have three different modes in its playable demo at Atlus Fes, with each mode having a different difficulty rank. You’ll only have about fifteen minutes to play when it’s your turn, so choose wisely.
Atlus Fes will run on June 8 and 9, 2024. You don’t have to pay for a ticket, so you can just walk in and check it out. However, there will probably be a line-up at the Metaphor: ReFantazio demo booth, so there’s no guarantee everyone will be able to play it. You can check out Atlus Fes in Bellesalle Akihabara.
The three different modes are Scenario Mode, Dungeon Mode, and Boss Challenge Mode. Atlus recommends Dungeon Mode for players. Scenario Mode lets you play the first little bit of the story and learn the basic controls. You will also be able to experience your Archetype awakening scene.
Dungeon Mode lets you play through a dungeon from the early hours of the game. Your goal is to complete a subquest while using your Archetype-wielding companions in turn-based combat. Finally, Boss Challenge Mode pits you against a boss from the middle section of the game. You’ll also be able to operate a mount that can move around on the ocean.
Metaphor: ReFantazio will come out on October 11, 2024, for the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
HoYoVerse shared a June 2024 calendar wallpaper for Honkai: Star Rail, and for this month the calendar stars Himeko and Pom-Pom. It is designed to work with mobile devices.
Here's the latest Himeko and Pom-Pom calendar for Honkai: Star Rail for June 2024.
You can download the Honkai: Star Rail June 2024 calenadr from the Pom-Pom Twitter (X) account. Its size makes it easy to use on devices like your phone. In the picture, we can see Himeko and Pom-Pom admiring some hydrangeas. Pom-Pom even has a magnifying glass that they’re using to observe the flowers. There’s also a rainbow in the background, looking like it just finished raining. Like how people tend to admire sakura blossoms during hanami season (usually April), June is the time of hydrangeas. There are quite a few tourist sites that focus on introducing the best locations and gardens to check out these colorful flowers.
When HoYoVerse releases calendars for Genshin Impact, they usually choose who the featured character is based on who has a birthday in that month. For example, Wanderer and Thoma appeared on the January calendar, and they both have birthdays in January. Zhongli and Ganyu, who have December birthdays, starred in the December one. However, the Honkai: Star Rail characters do not have birthdays and the calendar doesn’t seem to use their debut date either. Himeko was in the game since launch, which was in late April 2023.
Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.
NetEase announced that Knives Out will feature another Nijisanji collaboration that will start on May 31, 2024, then end on June 13, 2024. You’ll be able to get collaboration items based on Kuzuha, Sasaki Saku, and Tsukino Mito.
This is the third collaboration between Knives Out and Nijisanji. During this event, the gacha for the first two collaborations will re-run. Aside from collaboration items, you’ll be able to get different skins, weapons, parachutes, objects, and cars based on the three VTubers. The designs for the cars take motifs and aesthetics from the different livers. Kuzuha’s is red and black to reflect his vampiric heritage, while Sasaki’s is pink and cute with lots of pandas. Mito’s is bright and flamboyant.
During the collaboration event, you can join the fan club of your favorite VTuber from the three. By completing certain missions, you can win limited items for your fan club. Depending on your rank in the fan club, you can also receive prizes like collaboration items and in-game currency.
All three of the VTubers in this collaboration are quite well-known and popular. Kuzuha is the second most subscribed male VTuber in the world with over 1.70 million subscribers on YouTube. Tsukino Mito is part of the first generation of Nijisanji and one of the VTubers who propelled Anycolor into the juggernaut it is today. She currently has 1.21 million subscribers on YouTube. Finally, Sasaki Saku debuted as part of Nijisanji Gamers before retiring. Then, she returned two months later in 2019 and has remained at Anycolor ever since. She has over 854k subscribers on YouTube.
Knives Out is readily available on the Windows PC and mobile devices.
Good Smile Company will release yet another Nendoroid of Dan Heng from Honkai: Star Rail. This time, he’ll be a Nendoroid Doll and he wears his modern outfit from past promotional material when he arrives worldwide in 2025.
Pre-orders will close on June 26, 2024. Those in Japan will have to pay 11,000 JPY for the Dan Heng Nendoroid Doll (Express Travel Version) and he’ll come out in April 2025. Meanwhile, those in North America will have to pay $64.99 and he’ll come out some time in Q3 2025. Due to geographical licensing restrictions, Good Smile Company only ships to Canada and the United States.
Image via Good Smile CompanyImage via Good Smile CompanyImage via Good Smile CompanyImage via Good Smile CompanyImage via Good Smile CompanyImage via Good Smile CompanyImage via Good Smile CompanyImage via Good Smile CompanyImage via Good Smile CompanyImage via Good Smile Company
If you don’t want to purchase the Dan Heng Nendoroid Doll but like his outfit, you can also purchase it separately. The doll will come with a black t-shirt, pants, his outerwear, his camera (with a strap), a necklace, bracelets, a socks, shoes, hand parts, and a dragon horns hair band. Purchasing from Good Smile Company will also give you a button of Dan Heng’s key visual and a fabric version of the dragon horns hair band. Because he’s a Nendoroid Doll, if you have other Nendoroid Dolls or outfits, you can also dress him up for photoshoots or special occasions.
Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. The original Dan Heng Nendoroid from Good Smile Company will come out soon, with Japan getting him in June 2024 and Q4 2024 for North America.
Bliss Brain has released some new pictures of Princess Maker 2 Regeneration, including comparing old screenshots to new ones. However, there will also be a few changes to the contents of the game (to match with modern sensibilities), as well as a delay for the PS4 and PS5 versions. [Thanks, PR Times!]
Here are some of the screenshots, along with their comparisons to the previous games. Some of the screenshots don’t have a comparison. This is due to "certain reasons," which likely have to do with suggestive content.
Bottom is original. Image via Bliss BrainBottom is original. Image via Bliss BrainRight is original. Image via Bliss BrainRight is original. Image via Bliss BrainImage via Bliss BrainImage via Bliss Brain
Takami Akai, who drew for the original Princess Maker 2 Refine, also redrew these pictures to make them closer to the original PC-98 version’s style. They’re also much more HD to reflect the current gaming devices people use. Aside from improving the overall quality (as in resolution and whatnot), some of the expressions are different. This can impart a different atmosphere or mood.
Finally, the PS4 and PS5 version will remove items or endings, which is why they will come out later than the PC and Switch versions. You will no longer be able to buy items to make your daughter’s breasts bigger. The marriage endings where the daughter marries the father or the butler are also gone. These changes are due to ethical reasons. As a reminder, the items and endings are still present in the PC and Switch releases.
Princess Maker 2 Regeneration will come out on the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC on July 11, 2024. The PS4 and PS5 versions will come out on August 8, 2024.
Bucket and Shovel have opened up pre-orders for a resin statue of Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae from Honkai: Star Rail. The figure costs $60 to pre-order and will ship out in Q4 2024, and there is a limited (188) supply.
The statue is a 1/6 figure, and it’ll come with a base as well. It depicts him in his Imbibitor Lunae form while holding Cloud-Piercer. The stand is a lotus and he has the Long-like dragon he creates surrounding him. The $60 is the pre-order price and the statue itself is much more expensive. It costs $499.86 for the standard version, which is what you see below. There is also a "nude" variant for $171.43. There is no prototype yet but we can see from the art that it shows what Dan Heng might have looked like during his time in the Shackling Prison.
Image via YY Studio, Bucket and ShovelImage via YY Studio, Bucket and ShovelImage via YY Image via YY Studio, Bucket and Shovel
There are instructions on the website as to how to pre-order and purchase the statue. Bucket and Shovel does not offer refunds. However, there is a replacement service should you received a damaged statue.
Though not from YY Studio, Bucket and Shovel has other Honkai: Star Rail figures for sale as well. There is an Acheron resin statue from Jigenworld and a Robin resin statue from LoveHolic Studio. As a reminder, these are not official pieces of merchandise from HoYoVerse.
Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.
Picking up Lorelei and the Laser Eyes feels like taking a step into a cryptic past, when rumors of Polybius were flitting among arcade goers and a night of entertainment meant a crossword puzzle or two. Unique and addicting, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes provides a fun and rewarding experience for either a single person or group of gamers.
Like Lorelei and the Laser Eyes itself, the story does not immediately reveal itself to you. It takes a bit of time and sleuthing before the yarn starts to unravel. When the game starts, you know very little about your character, a smartly-dressed woman who looks like she’d fit right in a noir spy film. As you piece together clues from dialogue and readable items, you learn that an eccentric man invited you to a secluded hotel, which houses strange puzzles, art exhibits, magic shows, and plenty of mysteries. And a dog too, which you can pet.
I could not get a nice picture of the dog, but it's cute. Screenshot by Siliconera.
The puzzles range between pleasantly easy and surprisingly difficult, but none of them feel like cop-outs. You truly have almost everything you need at your fingertips, or they’re a few steps away. Some of them are incredibly easy, such as one requiring basic knowledge of Roman numerals or our English alphabet. But then you’d encounter one that makes you stare at it, feeling like you’re rubbing every single brain cell you have and getting nothing in return.
I felt SO dumb when I realized the answer to this puzzle because of how long it took me to solve it. Screenshot by Siliconera.
I vividly remember realizing the solution to a puzzle as I was falling asleep and then shooting up, wide awake, just to turn on Lorelei and the Laser Eyes and rush to the location to input my answer. I was right, and that rush of serotonin was so strong that I continued to play until the sun was in the sky.
Part of the appeal lies in its more old school way of doing things. It brought me back to when I was a child, sitting in the waiting room of my piano teacher’s house and hunched over a book of riddles and whodunnits with a pen and notebook in hand. The Discord server I have for myself was full of pictures, notes, equations, and scribbles. I called on my roommate for help, as well as provided the puzzles without any context to my friends when I was stuck. Some of the puzzles prompted pretty lively discussion and I found it fascinating that this game, which can feel so isolating as you wander around the dreary hotel on your own, could bring so many people together without even being in my friends’ hands.
This puzzle is easy with context, but the secret society-like feeling of being privy to hidden clues elevates it. Screenshot by Siliconera.
“Beautiful” might not be the first word that pops to mind when you see Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. Indeed, according to Simogo’s development blog, that wasn’t the goal. But there’s something gripping about the retro aesthetic. I loved how clean and crisp the black-and-white color scheme is, with everything easily visible despite the grainy filter and odd textures. When colors appear, they pop, and they’re so eerie against the dark backdrop that they really stick in your mind. For a game that seems to do so little with its appearance, its blend of its many inspirations make for a singularly unique experience.
Image via Annapurna, Simogo
This is one of those games that I’ll think about even after I finish it. As of the time of writing, I still have quite a few mysteries to uncover, as there are some puzzles that just well and truly stumped me. The world it presents is a cryptic one, reminding me of old conspiracy theories from before my time, but it keeps you coming back for more, hankering to pull back the curtains and unlock the doors to discover the secrets behind them.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes will come out on the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC via Steam on May 16, 2024. Nintendo Switch version reviewed.
HoYoVerse has uploaded a new EP for Honkai: Star Rail, with the song this time being “Hope Is the Thing With Feathers” featuring vocals by Chevy. As a note, both this article and the video itself contain major spoilers for the Version 2.2 Trailblaze Mission.
You can watch the “Hope Is the Thing With Feathers” Honkai: Star Rail EP here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8-v7ZnNB_c
The video shows scenes from the latter half of the Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.2 Trailblaze Mission. This includes the Watchmaker’s death, the showdown against Sunday, and the final shot of Robin giving Sunday a hug. In-game, “Hope Is the Thing With Feathers” plays in the third phase of the fight against Sunday. You can hear it from Echo of War: Salutations of Ashen Dreams as well.
Chevy is the singing voice for Robin in all four languages of the game. Earlier this week, HoYoVerse released an EP for “If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking,” which was one of the first Chevy songs we heard in Honkai: Star Rail. You can also now stream “Inside,” which is the ninth soundtrack album featuring the three Chevy songs for Honkai: Star Rail.
Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.
HoYoVerse uploaded the EP of “If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking” from Honkai: Star Rail. The video itself features some spoilers from the Penacony story quests.
You can watch the EP here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDcPpQHAEro
It features the full version of “If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking” from Honkai: Star Rail, with singer Chevy providing the vocals. You can hear the entire song in-game if you have the track for the Phonograph and you set your parlor car's coach music as it. No matter which YouTube account you watch it from, the song will be in English and with multiple subtitle tracks. Because 2.2 came out only a day or so ago (as of the time of writing), the EP does not feature any scenes from there. But if you’re behind on the 2.0 and 2.1 story quests, you might not want to watch the video, as it includes key scenes from those patches.
Chevy sang all of the songs Robin sings in Honkai: Star Rail. You can hear her singing in all versions of the game. She performs all of Robin's songs, including “Sway to My Beat,” which what she performs in-game when you use her Ultimate. You could also hear this song in one of the trailers HoYoVerse released prior to the official playable debut of Robin.
Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.
KFC in China will have yet another collaboration with Honkai: Star Rail. The crossover event will start on May 2 and end on May 4, 2024.
The last time KFC had an Honkai: Star Rail event was back in 2023. This time, the event will be at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. You’ll be able to find it in Building 6.1. There will be a KFC stand designed to look like it was from the Luofu, with an illuminated maple tree to its side. Dan Heng and March, wearing the collaboration outfits, are next to it.
During the event, you’ll be able to get various prizes or participate in some activities. If you order the collaboration meals, you’ll be able to get a KFC collaboration Pom-Pom fan. If you make a Weibo post using the #HelpMeColonelSanders or #StarRailCarnival and then perform the Crazy Thursday commercial song, you’ll be able to get an acrylic stand featuring Dan Heng and March. If you don’t want to sing, you can also get the stand if you can catch the KFC promoter, pick a card, and then strike a pose like the character’s Skill and yell, “Help me, Colonel Sanders!” Finally, a mysterious guest may show up.
Honkai: Star Rail is now available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. Version 2.2 will go live in Honkai: Star Rail on May 8, 2024.
The Early Access build of Penny Blood: Hellhound is now available on Steam. This version of the game will have several new features, as well as improvements based off feedback from the closed beta.
You can watch the Early Access trailer for Penny Blood: Hellhound here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e_Hp0V-zuY
You’ll be able to play as the Axeman for the first time, which means that there will be five playable characters now. The Daidouji Temple area will also become accessible, which means a new boss, as well as new enemies, to fight. There will also be several new NPCs, with two of them being specific to the dungeon. Once you befriend them, they will fight alongside you in the dungeon. The Early Access build also has the Accessory System, as well as the Gambling System (Psycho Hanafuda). This system has the potential of netting you a lot of currency, but of course, there’s always the chance of losing it all.
Penny Blood: Hellhound is the roguelike hack ‘n’ slash spin-off of Penny Blood, which is still in development. It serves as a prequel, and gives players a sneak peek at some of the enemies they’ll be fighting against in Penny Blood proper. Previously, Hellhound was only available as a closed beta, and you can read our review of it here.
Penny Blood: Hellhound is readily available on Windows PC via Steam and it’s Early Access.
Kazuhisa Wada, the producer for Persona 3 Reload, uploaded a developer message discussing the Episode Aigis: The Answer DLC. You can watch the message, with English subtitles via the official Atlus Twitter (X) account.
In his statement, Wada explained that Episode Aigis takes place after the main game, as well as gives context on the history of The Answer. The Answer first appeared in Persona 3 FES, which was an expanded and enhanced version of Persona 3 similar to Persona 4 Golden or Persona 5 Royal. Because Persona 3 Reload is a faithful remake of Persona 3, he felt that the game would not be complete with Episode Aigis, which concludes the entire story.
According to Wada, the development team intended on including Episode Aigis as part of the base game. However, they were unable to do that for “challenging reasons,” and so gave it up. However, after Atlus announced Persona 3 Reload, many people around the world requested for The Answer to return. He is sure that The Answer will satisfy people who already played it, and those who will be experiencing it for the first time.
Persona 3 Reload is readily available for the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One. Episode Aigis: The Answer will appear as DLC in Persona 3 Reload as part of the Expansion Pass in September 2024.
In an interview with 4Gamer, Itsuno revealed that the scenes of cook meating in Dragon’s Dogma 2 were real. The team decided against using CGI for these scenes, but not for the reason you might think. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]
This information came up halfway through the interview, when the 4Gamer interviewer commented on how they got hungry just from looking at the meat. Hideaki Itsuno, the director of Dragon’s Dogma 2, revealed that the scenes of the meat cooking over the campfire were real. They’d gathered all the camping enthusiasts on the team and held meetings for months discussing what they liked about camping. One of them mentioned that they could look at meat cooking all day, which the team then implemented into the game.
According to Itsuno, “We could have spent money on CGI for the meat, but we figured that if we were going to spend money anyway, we might as well spent it on real, god meat.” The images change depending on what kind of meat you’re cooking in Dragon's Dogma 2. Because of the sheer variety in camping types, they could not fit everything that the staff said in the game. All that they kept from the discussions were cooking meat and collecting wood.
While collecting wood has no real meaning from a game point of view, the team considered it something fun about camping. Itsuno said in the 4Gamer interview that he wants the player to say, “Man, the Dragon’s Dogma 2 team is full of idiots,” before he started to laugh. He added that since Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a fantasy world simulator, he wanted to include all of the details that would make it like a life sim of sorts.
Dragon’s Dogma 2 will come out on March 22, 2024 for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. You can check out our preview for the game here.
Atlus has updated the PSN Store description for Metaphor: ReFantazio, giving an idea of the gameplay loop. This information is from the PlayStation Stores from regions like Japan and Hong Kong. [Thanks, Persona Central!]
Here is the full description from PSN, in regards to what Metaphor: ReFantazio will play like:
From the creative minds behind Persona 3, 4, and 5 comes Metaphor: ReFantazio, a unique fantasy world, where your protagonist will journey alongside his fairy companion, Gallica, to lift the curse from the kingdom’s lost prince. Control your destiny, face your fears, and awaken magical “Archetype” powers that lie dormant in your heart. By awakening to an “Archetype,” you will unlock the power to channel and combine the abilities of unique job classes. Strengthen your bonds and build your party tot ake down powerful foes and discover the kingdom’s true nature.
Key Features:
Go on quests, dungeon dive, & hunt for treasures by day. Strengthen relationships, build bonds, & increase virtues by night. Choose your actions wisely, time management is key to achieving your goal.
Rie your “gauntlet runner” to faraway dungeons & towns across an expansive word. Discover beautiful landscapes accompanied by captivating music, immersive UI, & anime cutscenes.
A unique battle system combining turn based & real time action grants strategy & exhilaration at every turn. Party customization through “Archetypes” provides freedom to personalize your adventure.
A mysterious & exciting story unfolds in a world where people must fight their own anxiety. Join the high-stakes Royal Tournament that promises hours of captivating exploration and discovery.
We can see from the description that it will play in a similar way to the Persona games. There will be a day-time mechanic, as well as something like the Social Links and Social Stats. We also know that the game has a Cero C rating in Japan due to its depictions of crime and violence. This means that it’s suitable for players who are 15 and older.
Cospa opened up pre-orders for cosplay uniforms of Gekkoukan High School from Persona 3 Reload. You’ll be able to use these outfits as part of a costume.
Atlus helped to supervise the outfits’ creations, so you can be sure that they’re authentic recreations. All of the details of the designs are on the uniforms. There is a boy version, as well as a girl version. As a note, Cospa does not offer the top and the bottom as a set. You’ll need to purchase them separately. As another note, the male uniform is cheaper than the female one for whatever reason. The male top costs 52,800 JPY ($351.20) and the bottom costs 17,600 JPY ($117.05). Meanwhile, the female top costs 61,600 JPY ($409.70) and the bottom costs $20,350 ($135.35).
The Gekkoukan High School uniform in Persona 3 Reload is on the plain side, much like the uniform for Yasogami High School. It features a black blazer jacket over a white shirt, with the school’s crest over the chest. The guys have a black ribbon and the girls have a larger red one. You can also personalize the way that you wear the uniforms, much like the characters in the game. For example, Fuuka wears a different shirt underneath the blazer and Yukari wears a pink sweater instead of her blazer.
Persona 3 Reload is readily available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. Cospa does not offer international shipping.
With only a few hours left before Sparkle appears in Honkai: Star Rail for her debut banner, HoYoVerse has put out a short trailer and a Keeping up with Star Rail tutorial on her kit. Owlbert seems to have forgotten to fix the title of the Keeping up with Star Rail video though.
For starters, the “A Moment Among the Stars - Sparkling Tricks” is very short, at under a minute long. It uses traditional 2D animation, featuring Sparkle in Penacony. It seems to give a hint as to what role Sparkle will play in the overall Penacony story arc, as she implies that she plans on jumping in at the climax of the “performance” and messing things up.
You can watch the "Sparkling Tricks" trailer for Sparkle here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRcAoPrw1R0
As for Keeping up with Star Rail, Sampo and Owlbert help to introduce how Sparkle will work in-game. HoYoVerse has already given us a lot of information about her kit though. She will be a Quantum Harmony character who specializes in SP management. Not only can she give an extra SP with her passive Talent and restore it with her Ultimate, but she can also boost characters’ Crit DMG and such when they use SP in battle.
You can watch the "Sparkle Ability Intro Vid" for "Keeping up with Star Rail" here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC-kqoR7lUE
Honkai: Star Rail is readily available for the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. Sparkle and Jing Yuan will appear in the gacha from February 29 to March 26, 2024.
A Guilty Gear StriveEpos Visa credit card will debut in Japan on March 15, 2024. If you fulfill certain conditions when you sign up for a card, you’ll be able to receive a canvas board of he art on the card. [Thanks, Marui Anime!]
There are two versions of the Guilty Gear Strive Epos card. One of them has a close-up of Sol Badguy. The other one has the Guilty Gear 25th Anniversary logo on it. If you already have an Epos card, but you want to switch to one of these designs, you’ll need to pay an additional 1000 JPY fee.
Kenta Asano, a 2D illustrator for the game, was the one who drew the Sol art that’s on the card and the canvas board. If you want to be able to get it, you’ll need to either sign up for a Guilty Gear Epos card or switch to it from your current Epos card. After that, you need to make purchases totalling over 10,000 JPY within three months. This is the only way to legitimately obtain the canvas board, since it’s not for sale.
Guilty Gear Strive first came out in 2021 as the next mainline title for the Guilty Gear series. It plays somewhat differently than previous games in the entry, such as adding in the Wall Break feature. In August 2022, about a year after its initial release, Arc System Works announced that it sold over 1 million units of Guilty Gear Strive, which was a first for the company.
Guilty Gear Strive is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
LeaF, the composer of “Marenol” and “Ka,” made a statement in regards to the Honkai: Star Rail Sparkle trailer. This is due to many similarities between the trailer and LeaF’s music videos.
It seems that many people reached out to LeaF about the "Monodrama" trailer after HoYoVerse uploaded it. According to LeaF, they had no involvement at all with the trailer. Neither did Optie or Fiz, who were the designers of the original music video for Marenol. However, LeaF states that there’s absolutely no problem with HoYoVerse paying homage to it in the trailer. It seems that this is because it wasn’t a one-to-one recreation.
In the tweet, they even encourage more of this kind of content. However, they also stated that everyone, including HoYoVerse, should take the opportunity to advertise them, and added a link to their YouTube channel in the tweet.
In LeaF’s tweet, they posted a comparison video between the MV for “Marenol” and Sparkle’s “Monodrama” trailer. The scene in question takes place close to the end of the trailer. Psychedelic shots appear one after the other as if you’re going through doors. While this idea isn’t exactly new—Gekidan Inucurry used this method in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which is a work many netizens have compared the Honkai: Star Rail Sparkle trailer to—the eye, hands, flower, and such are clear references to “Marenol.”
“Marenol” is a song that you can play on Sound Voltex Vivid Wave. LeaF is the artist, with Optie and Fiz working on the music video. The music video itself has some rather disturbing scenes, and a viewer discretion warning even pops up before you can watch it.
Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.
Between its haunting and beautiful art, intriguing story, and easy play style, I’m honestly surprised that I didn’t know about the Spirit Hunter series until the recent English release of Death Mark II. Though not very long, the tight pacing and collection of scares make for a satisfying experience.
The story of Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II follows protagonist Kazuo Yashiki. He is a specialist when it comes to dealing with hauntings. The headmaster of the esteemed Konoehara Academy hires him to investigate recurring rumors about a ghost called The Departed. The Departed leaves notices around the school, warning students that a spirit will target them. Those notices usually come true, with the warned student disappearing the next day. Yashiki, along with some of the student body and his Mark Bearer friends from the previous games, investigate these spirits. But just as he is pursuing The Departed, so too is The Departed pursuing him.
Screenshot by Siliconera
While this is a direct sequel to the previous games in the series, I never felt lost while playing it. It explains past events and characters in a concise way, giving me enough information without bogging down the pacing. Since most of the game is a visual novel, with side-scrolling adventure elements when exploring, the plot is more important than the actual gameplay. Fortunately, the story is fairly interesting. All of the ghosts that The Departed warns about are based off of famous Japanese folk tales. For example, we've got Hanako-san and Kokkuri-san. I personally really liked that! I enjoyed seeing how the game puts its own spin on these stories and breathes new life into them.
When I say that Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II breathes new life into these classic horror stories, I mean it in multiple ways. For example, the first case focusing on Hanako-san really humanizes her. Who wasHanako, and why did she hate the world enough to linger as a spirit? Hanako-san is so ingrained in Japanese culture that most people likely aren't scared of her. In Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II, though, Hanako-san isn't just a girl in a toilet who'll drag you down to hell, or make a lizard eat you. You find one of her victims in the toilet who died after Hanako made rubber hoses sprout from his eyes, pushing out his eyeballs (which you can still see clinging via the optic nerve).
Screenshot by Siliconera
Now, I’ve read and written my fair share of horror stories with that level of body horror. It’s one thing to read about it and imagine it in your head. It's a whole other thing to see that image rendered with loving care on your Switch. I was really surprised! I had been under the impression that games on Nintendo devices are usually fairly family-friendly. Because of that preconception, you can imagine my surprise when I saw just how disgusting the bodies in this game look.
The art for the game is really something, between the beautiful shading and how visceral it is. The artist went hard on depicting the gruesome deaths, making you feel sorry for the victims even if some of them really deserved it. The balance of gore to body horror is fantastic. There isn't a lot of blood, which could serve to censor the injuries. The art explains this way with items stuck inside the victims to staunch the flow of it. As someone who does enjoy body horror and guro, I found this balance to be artistic and I genuinely enjoyed feeling the initial rush of disgust. If you’re not someone who enjoys gore or body horror you can turn off a lot of the gore and jump scares from the settings. I myself turned off the jump scares because I’m not a fan of them.
Screenshot by Siliconera
While Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II was a great experience overall, I have to say that the exploration for the game sometimes was lacking. The environments aren’t too interesting to look at, which can make exploration a slog. I do have to say that I appreciate how the game lets you teleport back to the infirmary. That's where you save or switch companions. I highly recommend going back every time you make progress! This is so that you don't have to backtrack too much if you need to switch companions for a Suspensive Act. As well, for all I praised the story, I noticed that it dips in quality later on. The beginning chapters were just too strong. Part of this comes from pacing. It definitely feels like it should be a longer game and that they had to cut some stuff out.
Over the course of seven chapters, Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II spins a terrifying and intriguing yarn that leaves you wanting more. Even if you use its accessibility features to remove the gore or jump scare, it remains a suspenseful read. As a new fan of the series, I’d love to go back and see Yashiki and the other Mark Bearers’ previous adventures as I wait for the next installment.
Bandai Namco has announced that sales for Tales of Arise have passed 3 million copies. There is a new visual to commemorate this milestone, with all the party members (including Nazamil) thanking the player.
The art has a light, pastel aesthetic and shows “3M copies sold. Thank you!” at the bottom. It shows all of the main playable characters, including Alphen without his mask. Nazamil is at the back between Dohalim and Rinwell. She is a major character who appeared in the Beyond the Dawn postgame DLC.
Bandai Namco reached this sales milestone for Tales of Arise in the span of about 3 years. The game first came out in early September 2021 and it was a worldwide release. It reached 1.5 million sales in October 2021, about 48 days after its initial September 10, 2021 release. Then, less than a year later in April 2022, Bandai Namco announced that the game sold 2 million copies. We can see that sales significantly slowed down in between 2022 and 2024, even though the DLC for the game came out in November 2023.
Nonetheless, Tales of Arise is still the best-selling Tales game. It beat out Tales of Symphonia, which has 2.4 million sales, and Tales of Vesperia, which has 2.37 million sales. These numbers are from 2021.
Tales of Arise is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One.
Bandai Namco has lifted the streaming restrictions that were in place for Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn. Players will be able to upload content from all parts of the game now.
The rule regarding streaming and content creation based on the Beyond the Dawn DLC for Tales of Arise went into place on February 21, 2024. However, people should still put some sort of spoiler warning either in the thumbnail, the beginning of the video, or in the video description. This goes for screenshots as well. Companies usually ask this from fans even after they lift streaming bans so that players who are starting the game later or haven’t gotten as far yet will not spoil themselves on accident.
Beyond the Dawn is the post-game DLC for Tales of Arise. It introduces new character Nazamil, though she is not a playable character. While the DLC content takes place after the game, players are free to start it before they beat the main Tales of Arise story. Since you can’t use your own characters from the base game for the DLC, you won’t have to worry about their level or equipment.
Tales of Arise and the Beyond the Dawn DLC are readily available on the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One.
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.
Screenshot by Siliconera
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 onesHoYoVerse 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.
Image via HoYoVerse
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?
Screenshot by Siliconera
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.
Image via HoYoVerse
“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.
Sushiro revealed more information on its upcoming collaboration with Genshin Impact and the merchandise that will appear. You’ll be able to enjoy exclusive menu items, as well as have the chance to get some limited items, between February 21, 2024 and March 24, 2024.
There will be four different kinds of items on the collaboration menu. The first one is a platter of three nigiri sushi (tamago, maguro, ebi), and the second one is a platter of tuna nigiri (with takuan pickle). You’ll also be able to order shoyu ramen and a soda milk parfait from the menu. The ramen will come with a little Gorou picture and the parfait will come with a Kokomi one. Meanwhile, if you order the sushi, you’ll have a random chance of getting either a Yae Miko, Ayato, Ayaka, or Thoma pick.
You’ll also be able to get in-game rewards like Mora and a sushi recipe when you scan a serial code. This serial code will be valid no matter what server you play on. In order to scan the serial code, you’ll need to keep one of the above picks, since it’s on the back. There are also real-world items you can collect too. Three hundred people will get a chance to obtain a set of six sushi plates, with the six Inazuma characters on them. Finally, if you put in an online order for a take-out set (containing 12 nigiri sushi), you’ll be able to choose between either a Gorou or a Kokomi acrylic stand.
Here's a gallery showing some of the Genshin Impact menu items and merchandise.
Image via SushiroImage via SushiroImage via SushiroImage via SushiroImage via Sushiro
Genshin Impact is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. The Genshin Impact collaboration event at Sushiro in Japan will run from February 21 to March 24, 2024.
Přihlásit se
