The new Edens Zero game will appear on PS5, on top of the previously announced Xbox Series X and Windows PC. Konami first unveiled the game during the October 2024 Xbox Partner Preview showcase.

Here’s a trailer for the upcoming Edens Zero game:

This is the same trailer from the showcase. It shows off some of the special moves that the main characters will be able to use, as well as some scenes from the story. In terms of the genre, it’ll be an action RPG. From the trailer, it seems like you’ll be able to chain together combos and play as multiple different characters, and more information on its battle system will likely appear closer to its release date. There will be an original story with lots of exploration. According to a press release, you’ll be able to travel all around Blue Garden.

Hiro Mashima and Kodansha—the original author and the publishing company—supervised the game during its production. This is to maintain accuracy to the source material. Aside from his work on Edens Zero, Mashima’s better known as the manga author and artist of Fairy Tail, which is one of the best-selling manga of all time. He also wrote Rave Master and contributed illustrations to media like Bakemonogatari.

The Edens Zero video game will come out in 2025 for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. There is an official website as well, though it's pretty barebones at the moment.

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Sanrio will release collaboration figures of Ojamajo Doremi, with items appearing from October 22, 2024. There are six potential figures to get and they’re available via online gacha. [Thanks, Hobby Dengeki!]

The characters you can get are Doremi, Hazuki, Aiko, Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Cinnamoroll. They’re a little hard to see, but each human character has ears in the shapes of the mascot they’re paired with. Doremi’s with Hello Kitty, Hazuki’s with My Melody, and Aiko’s with Cinnamoroll. The Sanrio mascots also have elements from their human counterparts. They’re wearing the hats, a very basic form of their costume, and accessories.

It costs 400 JPY ($2.65) per attempt, and you’ll receive your figure some time in late February 2025. Bandai notes that there’s a possibility these toys will appear in physical gacha machines before the ones from online gacha ship out. This means that if you’re willing to hedge your bets, you can wait until they appear in gachapon machines to get them immediately instead of needing to wait until next year.

Ojamajo Doremi is a magical girl anime from Toei Animation that aired from 1999 to 2003. There are several adaptations, such as manga, anime films, and video games. It focuses on the adventures of Doremi, Hazuki, and Aiko, who are elementary schoolgirls who become witch apprentices after Doremi accidentally turns the owner of a magic shop (a witch) into a witch frog. In order to return the witch to her human body, Doremi needs to pass witch tests to become a real witch while keeping her identity secret.

The Ojamajo Doremi Sanrio figures will appear on Bandai’s Gachapon Online from October 22, 2024 and will ship out some time in late February 2025.

The post Ojamajo Doremi Sanrio Figures to Appear in Online Gacha appeared first on Siliconera.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a booming success for Atlus, with plenty of good reviews and sales milestones hit almost immediately after its official release. But with so many things from the game nagging at me, I find it difficult to partake in the celebrations. While the ultimate message is well-meaning, it’s delivered in such a tepid and messy narrative that even now, I struggle to care about or even remember what it has to say.

This article contains heavy spoilers for the entire story of Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Before we begin, I’d like to reiterate that this is my personal opinion on why the story in Metaphor: ReFantazio didn't work. If you enjoyed the story, then great. I’m happy for you, genuinely. I would love to hear why you liked it, because I have no idea what redeeming quality people are finding in the narrative. Nonetheless, lots of people saw what I couldn't, considering the slew of perfect scores other sites gave it. While I gave it an 8—a high score in retrospect, whereas some noted that it was a “low” one—the more I think about it, the more I believe that I was being far too generous as a result of the battle system and music.

For starters, without talking about the themes, the pacing of the story in Metaphor: ReFantazio was awful. It feels like you spend lots of time with Strohl, Hulkenberg, and Heismay. But Junah, Eupha, and Basilio join, and they jump right into business. The story doesn’t dedicate as much time, fluff, or events into giving them depth or showing how they interact with the others. It leads to them feeling a little out of place in the overall party dynamic.

Basilio getting his awakening scene after the grand moment when he and Fidelio protect innocent children and Fidelio dies in his arms was such a weird creative choice. The ghost fist bump was a neat touch though. The revelation of what Rella did to the prince, as well as her death, elicited no emotion from me either. I don’t know this girl, nor do I particularly care about her relationship to Junah. If I felt anything, it was surprise that she was revealing her crimes so quickly. The pacing from Louis’ soiree forth felt insanely rushed and off, and I don’t really understand what could’ve happened behind the scenes for the story to end up this way.

Louis remaining the sole main antagonist was also a bit of a surprise. He really felt like someone who would be a first act boss and then disappear to make room for a more dangerous foe. Nothing really wrong with Louis being a constant antagonist, outside of the fact that for the most part, he wasn't very interesting. As per usual with Atlus games, story beats and themes are introduced and then discarded without much time on them. The Protagonist turning into a monster, the Protagonist merging with the prince, and Louis being elda are some major revelations in the last act that the game glosses over. They don't get anywhere near the appropriate narrative weight.

In my review, I mentioned that it reminded me of Zootopia. This was due to similarities in how if you spend even a second thinking about the world, the allegory falls apart. As well, the Japanese audience ate it up as a “perfect” analogy of real-world politics but still dolled up in a fun family-friendly film. The more I think about Metaphor: ReFantazio, the more I realize how apt I was with that comparison because under even a little scrutiny, it’s easy to see just how shallow the world of Metaphor is. In fact, I’m willing to say that Zootopia presented a more interesting world than Metaphor did.

Euchronia is not a compelling setting at all. The world of Metaphor is akin to a cardboard cutout. It exists solely as a backdrop to discuss racism and discrimination, yet there's no real structure or depth to it to make said racism or discrimination work. Look at Zootopia and try to picture the titular city beyond what was in the film. There’s enough lore and thought put into it that you can imagine how the animals live, how the city works, and how the society functions. The same goes with other fantasy worlds, even in gacha games like Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail. The fiction feels alive, even when you turn off the screen. While I praised the individual cities of Euchronia for how distinct they felt, the entire country itself feels like nothing more than a convenient prop.

Now let's delve a little deeper into the narrative Atlus gives us. The game presents us with two favorites for the crown: Sanctifex Forden and Count Louis. The Protagonist is one too, thanks to the visions of a united world under the prince’s rule, but the people don’t really give him the time of day until the halfway point. Under Forden, the system would remain the same as it’s always been, with preferential treatment for nobles and devout Sanctists.

Meanwhile, Louis means to set up a meritocracy in which those with strength—and only those with strength—deserve to live. Neither of them are trying to bring about a world or society that seems genuinely helpful for the people, thus leaving no real moral quandary as to whether or not they’re in the right. The Protagonist’s vision of a fair and united world, free of discrimination based on your birth, is very idealistic and all. But at no point does he or the party members actually say how they’re going to do bring that about.

It seems that for most of the game, those kinds of logistics will come later, after they restore the prince to the throne. Unfortunately, the prince never wakes up, technically speaking, and he simply merges back with the Protagonist. This means that we never get to actually hear how the Protagonist will solve any of the ongoing issues in the game. Him being a silent protagonist contributes to this problem, but I'll touch on that later.

I personally prefer stories, if they’re going to tackle such difficult themes, to present a real trolley problem of sorts. In Persona 5 Royal—which I no longer have qualms about comparing Metaphor: ReFantazio to since Atlus was pulling our legs when it said that Metaphor: ReFantazio would be different—Maruki presented a really interesting choice. Stay in a dream world where all the bad things in your life didn’t happen, or choose to face the more bitter and painful reality? While the game presents the latter as the right one, it’s hard to argue against the former. If such a choice existed, would you be so quick to discard it?

There’s never any question in the game in regards to Forden or Louis. Forden ruling the country would be bad, but Louis ruling the country would be bad too. Ergo, the only one who can and should rule it is you, or the prince. Well, let’s look at how the Protagonist interacts with people to see how they'd better the world. Whenever you talk to an NPC in the game, they start out quite hostile and prejudiced. But if you're nice, the NPC gives some excuse for their bad behavior and then becomes much friendlier. Perhaps Atlus wanted to use this to show that not everyone is a bad person at heart. But it just feels lazy. Do I want the characters to be mean and racist to me? No. However, if that’s going to be in the game in the first place, why resolve it this quickly?

I feel like a huge part of why the discrimination thing doesn’t work for me personally is that it doesn’t feel real. It feels very forced and informed. In my review, I chalked this feeling up to everyone being really humanoid save for the eugiefs, but now that I’ve had more time to compile my thoughts, I think I know why. It doesn’t feel organic. Think about the cultures and races in real life that have a bad reputation. There should be some stereotype that gets repeated a lot, right? Whether it has to do with bad apples, cuisine, or a physical characteristic, there’s some reason as to why they’re viewed with a lot more disdain than others.

As a Chinese person, I’ll list a few: we eat anything and everything, we’re loud, we’re cheap, we’re colorist, and so on and so forth. Is there real grounds for all of that? I mean, yeah, kind of. Some Chinese people practically yell at each other in public, and everyone uses the “HoYoVerse is a Chinese company and the beauty standards favor pale skin!” excuse when people want to discuss the lack of darker-skinned characters. The historical bad blood between nations like China and Japan can also lead to prejudice among the population. There’s a distinct lack of that kind of stuff in Metaphor: ReFantazio, outside of some mean-spirited comments about physical appearance. The one time I opened up the memorandum in game was to look at the races and see why certain races are “lesser” than others, because the story made it impossible to understand. That's not great.

The themes of prejudice and racism never feel impactful because you see it in such an artificial setting. That it never evolves beyond racism and religious fervor is kind of ridiculous too. So there’s no ageism or sexism? No discrimination against people with disabilities? It’s not as if the game is solely about racism either; it’s technically about anxiety. There are so many things they could’ve done to add onto it and still keep the themes of injustice though. For example, Maria is half-blooded, and while she deals with people calling her a weirdo, the issue of her not being ishkian or rhoag enough doesn’t come up. This is a very common struggle that people from two heritages face. Her being ousted as a “freak” feels so similar to all of the other stories in Metaphor that it would be nice if Maria’s social link introduced yet another angle.

Another thing that makes the setting seem thoughtless is that there’s no one even attempting to pass, yet prejudice is such a large part of it. You mean to tell me that Louis is the only person in the entire course of history who thought to fake clemar heritage? No paripus thought to simply wear a shawl and baggy clothing, put on some face make-up, and pretend they're a prudish rhoag? The Protagonist is an elda—a tribe so rare some don't believe they exist yet somehow everyone recognizes you as one. Elda also have no defining racial traits, making them quite the blank canvas. Gallica tells you to keep your head down in Grand Trad, but the thought of using fake horns or ears never crossed her mind?

These are topics and questions that might’ve or should've come up during the conceptual stage. This game was in development for so long, but I wonder how much of it Atlus had to scrap and cut away. I also wonder how much of it was executive meddling forcing the development team to keep a lot of these Persona elements. It certainly doesn’t feel like they spent as much time as they needed to create a whole new fantasy setting. How can I care about a world and characters that hardly feel like a world and characters? 

It’s clear from all angles that a writer who is in his country’s majority wrote the story. That’s not anything Hashino can fix, but he could’ve certainly done more research. Foreigners, citizens of non-Japanese descent, and multiracial people all deal with prejudice. Considering Japan’s culture of conformity, I’m sure that Hashino or someone else could’ve found some people talking about their experiences online in order to add some grounded nuance to the tale. The racism in the game is either allegorical in nature (intentional or not) or cartoonishly blatant. I'm glad that it included more realistic scenes like how one's race affects their job prospects, at least.

During the last act of the game, the narrative shifts slightly to focus on themes of anxiety. Anxiety and fear in real life can manifest as prejudice and racism, for sure, but it feels like it came out of nowhere. The ultimate theme of how anxiety is the cause of all the problems feels really incongruent with the set-up thus far. I don’t believe that the party came together because the Protagonist soothed their anxieties. It feels like they all unite behind the Protagonist because he’s open to listening to them and understanding them.

In my opinion, the awakening sequence, in which characters rip out their heart and it’s a mic and they give a speech into it, plays really well with that idea. Eupha’s and Maria’s social links, while a little heavy-handed with the writing, also work well in that it presents the usual discrimination problem, but the way they go about overcoming it and befriending their neighbor feels a lot more realistic than what was in the main story. It might be a little cheesy with how overly sincere it is. But considering how heavy-handed Metaphor: ReFantazio is as a whole, that’s not a bad thing.

So why in the world is the game like this? What could be the cause? To give a short answer, I think the longer Atlus spends on a game, the more the story suffers for it in exchange for sheer “fun” value. Honestly though, I think part of the issue is the Persona gameplay loop. The calendar system naturally limits what you can do with the narrative. Not only is this due to player freedom, but it also sets an arbitrary limit on patience. It can be frustrating when the game eats away at your "time" with too many days that railroad you into doing the main plot. This works in, say, Persona, because the world in Persona is our own. But in a fantasy world like Metaphor: ReFantazio and with a story that’s so reliant on worldbuilding, it’s a double-edged sword.

The player simultaneously has too much and not enough control. The social links also work against it because there’s a lot of important information in them that someone might not get to. The paripus igniter experiments, for example, seems like a major incident in the history of the world and is a very interesting bit of lore. The effects it had on paripus may have also contributed to the overarching in-game reception of the race. But because the details and aftereffects are stuck behind Basilio’s story, some players may not see it in their first playthrough. Junah's past as a slave is something that seems important to her character and how she grew up with Rella after that would be a great way to make you care about them both. Yet this is trapped behind Junah's social link, which barely gets into that anyway.

Metaphor: ReFantazio should’ve done away with the Persona gameplay loop of story, then a long objective with a deadline, and then more story. It should’ve just stuck with a more conventional JRPG narrative structure. This way, they can make sure all players are on the same schedule, receiving the same information and experiencing the same story. It also leaves Atlus free to add more if it pleased, since there's no longer the worry that players would be scrambling to meet deadlines. This is an interesting attempt, for sure. But with so much going on and so much that it needed to convey to the player, it should’ve exercised more control rather than letting people do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. Yes, there are some segments when the game railroads you into certain activities, but that’s only a fraction of the story.

Speaking of Junah and Basilio, the final three party members feel like glorified tagalongs in the main story half the time. Everything interesting about them are behind their links. While Heismay, Strohl, and Hulkenberg also have their own separate arcs, the story does enough to present them in an endearing way. My favorite scene is when the Protagonist, Strohl, and Hulkenberg are banging their pots and pans, and they’re yelling their frustrations at each other and the situation, much to Strohl and Hulkenberg’s chagrin. Then, Heismay comes wobbling out more like an annoyed neighbor than a wanted criminal. His behavior as a captive made me like him a lot too. It makes sense that they’d hang around with the Protagonist, and they get enough scenes or dialogue that they feel like well-rounded characters even if you don’t do their links.

On the other hand, Junah, Eupha, and Basilio felt like Haru in Persona 5 where they join after the story accelerates to the point that's the only thing we focus on. I already mentioned how little I cared about Junah and Rella, as well as what could've been done to ameliorate that. Basilio gets it better because we got to know him and Fidelio prior. Meanwhile, Eupha’s entire experience outside of the island is behind her social link, making her feel like an accomplice who exists only for the Louis assassination. Again, a simple fix to this is to make their social links part of the main story or as optional side quests, and without a calendar system that may lock you out. The paripus stuff, as well as Junah’s past, all feel important to the themes and world, so why risk people missing them?

Yet another culprit that ties into the Persona gameplay loop is the lack of meaningful side quests. There are a lot of side quests that boil down to people being in trouble because of X monster in Y dungeon, so you have to go and slay said creature. They're similar to Mementos requests from Persona 5, which would be fine if the world wasn't a fantasy world separate from ours. Side quests could flesh out the characters, the setting, and the themes some more. Think about all the side quests from Nier Automata that do exactly that. It's one more element of the game that, through under-utilization, lends to the entire world lacking any interesting depth. And if the world isn't interesting, the story and characters that take place in that setting naturally feel pretty bland as well.

Finally, the Protagonist being a silent protagonist doesn't really work in Metaphor. I've mentioned my distaste for this trope before, but I really mean it this time. Characters like Maria, Eupha, and Catherina all present a way in which the people can work together to overcome social inequality and injustice. It's nice to see. The problem is that their scenes are, again, trapped behind social links. The main story does little in presenting an alternative to solely relying on a monarch to enact change. The Protagonist provides no solutions to any of the issues the game poses outside of referencing More's novel. He's a cute little airhead, but he can be a cute airhead and still be his own character. Considering the themes the game wants to tackle, the protagonist lacking any ideals of his own, serving more like a yes-man to others, is really unfortunate.

It’s common knowledge among writers that one of the worst things a reader can think is: “I don’t care what happens to these people.” I hate to say it, but for half of the time I was playing Metaphor, I was thinking that word for word. The people in Euchronia, outside of the misfits you hang out with in social links, are wishy-washy sheeple who spend more time complaining than they do thinking. Hmm, kind of like the citizens in Persona 5. Half of my party consists of people I don’t really know. Louis’s motivations for wanting to rule the kingdom under Darwinian laws aren’t very compelling. Heck, even Thanos had a more interesting reason than he did. Did I still like the game? I mean, yeah, it’s a fun game. But an RPG is more than just its battle system.

I admit that I’m quite critical of Atlus writing, and director Hashino in particular. However, I never scrutinized, say, Persona 3 with the same vigor I did Persona 5. It’s because of the difference in thematic scope. Persona 5, like Metaphor: ReFantazio, wants to commentate on the world and society as a whole. And the problem is that Hashino’s takes are simply not that good or revolutionary. So many story beats and themes in Metaphor derived from ground Persona 5 already tread. The setting was what Atlus needed to really draw a line between the two and unfortunately, the writers dropped the ball. Metaphor: ReFantazio was at its best when it focused entirely on the fantasy epic and while I’m not denying real-world politics’ place in fiction, it’s more effective when the creator presents something substantial, rather than repeating empty ideals and platitudes.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

The post The Metaphor: ReFantazio Story Fell Flat for Me appeared first on Siliconera.

Razer revealed the Pokemon Gengar model of its Razer Kraken Kitty V2 headset on October 16, 2024. However, the product is still limited to China. [Thanks, Inside Games!]

The announcement Tweet in question asked where it should sell the Gengar headset next. So there’s a chance that those outside of China will be able to get their hands on it as well. The headset is a modified version of the Kraken Kitty V2, featuring differently-shaped ears, a dark purple color scheme, and the tufts of fur that are between Gengar’s ears. Unlike the normal Kraken Kitty headset, there aren’t any RGB lights in the ears. This decision is likely so that the headset better resembles the Pokemon.

Back in July 2024, Razer released several Gengar PC accessories in China. There was a mouse, a mat, keycaps, and a keyboard wrist rest. The headset would complete the collection for any Gengar fan.

This isn’t the first time that Razer has sold Pokemon merchandise and made it exclusive to China. In the past, it released Orochi V2 gaming mice featuring Gengar, Charizard, Sylveon, and Jigglypuff. These were limited to China as well, though they appeared in countries like Malaysia as well.

The Pokemon Gengar headset from Razer is available in China. It’s unknown if Razer plans to sell it outside of the country.

The post Pokemon Gengar Headset From Razer Only Available in China appeared first on Siliconera.

Christmas is coming early this year, as the online Pokemon Center in Japan will start selling Christmas-themed Pokemon merchandise from October 26, 2024. These items, which are part of the Pokemon Heartwarming Christmas collection, include some ugly Christmas sweaters and warm-looking plushes.

The main visual for the collection features lots of different Pokemon wearing warm scarves and hats. Species include Pikachu, Mimikyu, Wooloo, and Espurr. Stantler serve as reindeer, and Poke Balls hang from garlands like Christmas tree ornaments. As mentioned earlier, items include plushes and Christmas sweaters. You’ll also be able to get ornaments for your Christmas tree, a reusable bag you can use to wrap gifts, greeting cards, stickers, and an advent calendar.

These items will appear in the physical stores from October 26, 2024. However, you can get them a little earlier from the online stores. They’ll appear on October 24, 2024. Since they’re limited to the Japanese store, and the Japanese store doesn’t offer international delivery, those who live outside of Japan and want to buy these Pokemon Christmas 2024 merchandise will need to use a proxy service.

For those who want to buy things for the upcoming spooky season, The Pokemon Center has Halloween plushes of Pokemon looking scared or surprised. The Halloween event recently launched in Pokemon Unite as well. Darkrai is a new addition to the game, and he went live on October 17, 2024.

The latest mainline entry to the series, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, is readily available on the Nintendo Switch.

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From October 31 to November 20, 2024, a Junji Ito pop-up shop will appear at the Moriguchi branch of Keihan Department Store. These items are from Hakaba no Garou, and you can also purchase them via its online shop, as it delivers internationally. [Thanks, PR Times!]

Here are the prices of all the items that’ll be at the Junji Ito pop-up shop:

• Acrylic chibi charms (5 variations): 770 JPY
• Bucket hat: 5830 JPY
• Can badges (blind box; 12 variations): 550 JPY
• Clear keychain pouch: 1320 JPY
• Collapsible umbrella: 4400 JPY
• Croquis journal: 1100 JPY
• Fan: 5500 JPY
• Long-sleeved t-shirts: 7480 JPY
• Manga panel sticker (blind box, 15 variations): 495 JPY
• Reversible eye mask: 1320 JPY
• Shampoo: 1540 JPY
• Short-sleeved t-shirts: 5500 JPY (3 variations)

Most of these items all derive from Tomie, featuring her design or panels from her series. You can also get goods featuring characters like Gallon or The Beautiful Boy at the Crossroads.

Here are some images of the items:

While none of the items feature this series specifically, Uzumaki started in late September 2024. This is an anime adaptation of Uzumaki, which was a very well-received and popular manga from Junji Ito. It follows the Japanese town of Kurouzu-cho, which befalls a spiral-related curse that drives the residents insane and kills them. Despite fan anticipation from the first episode, many have commented on the poor quality of the later ones.

The Junji Ito pop-up shop at the Moriguchi branch of Keihan Department Store will appear from October 31 to November 20, 2024.

The post Junji Ito Pop Up Store Returns for Halloween in Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

The final character in the Persona 5 Royal collaboration in Identity V will be Kasumi Yoshizawa, or Violet. You’ll be able to claim her for free by participating in the crossover event.

In order to get her, you’ll need to collect seals. This will likely be currency you obtain in the game after completing in-game quests.You’ll also be able to get emotes, a portrait, and Inspirations. With 1388 Echoes (premium currency), you’ll be able to unlock the Path of Investigation.

“Faro Lady” is the character who will get the Persona 5 Royal Kasumi Yoshizawa skin in Identity V. She’s a Survivor who specializes as a decoder, and she has the passive skill to disappear when the hunter is close, leaving behind a different kind of trail. Her unique item lets her shoot out paths similar to the trail she leaves behind, with tricking the hunter making up part of her strategy. As for why NetEase chose to give “Faro Lady” the Kasumi skin, it likely has to do with the fact that Kasumi wields a rapier and “Faro Lady” has a stick. Identity disguise is also a core part of Kasumi’s backstory, which is the same with “Faro Lady.”

Identity V is readily available on mobile devices and Windows PC. The second part of the Persona 5 Royal collaboration will start sometime soon.

The post Persona 5 Royal Kasumi Is a Free Skin in Identity V appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco in China will release PotePotte plush dolls of the characters Jing Yuan, Jingliu, Kafka, and Blade from Honkai: Star Rail. These folks are part of the first batch to come out. [Thanks, Genshin Goods!]

These Honkai: Star Rail PotePotte plush dolls are about 35 centimeters in height and have a unique design that lets them sit up without you needing to prop something behind them. They were originally something you could only get in China. However, Animate has them available for pre-order now. Each doll costs 6380 JPY ($42.55) and will come out on January 28, 2025. When you purchase one, you can also get a card featuring the character’s splash art. As well, you can get a rubber charm that displays the character’s chibi art, along with a battle quote.

As a note, you can also purchase these items via the miHoYo flagship store on TMall. Other Honkai: Star Rail goods you can get include apparel that draw inspiration from characters like Silver Wolf. You can also get gift boxes of Aventurine-themed items. The miHoYo flagship store also features items from games like Genshin Impact, such as a recent Zhongli set of clothes and items.

Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. The next patch, 2.6, will come out on October 23, 2024 with Rappa as the sole new playable character to debut.

The post Honkai: Star Rail PotePotte Plush Appear Outside China appeared first on Siliconera.

The official Tekken X (formerly known as Twitter) account put out a message apologizing for the Playable Character Year 1 Pass and Genmaji Temple DLC release method. In the tweet, Bandai Namco revealed two measures that it would take in response to player feedback.

For starters, if you have the Playable Character Year 1 Pass, you will not need to get the winter Battle Stage DLC as a separate purchase. This means that the Playable Character Year 1 Pass now contains a Battle Stage DLC, along with 72-hour early access to DLC characters Eddy, Lidia, Heihachi, and one more. You’ll also be able to get the Kinjin avatar skin. As well, to acknowledge its past mistake and to make it up for the players, the Tekken team will offer 500 Tekken Coins. In order to get your coins, you will need to log into Tekken 8 online between October 29 and November 26, 2024. As a note, 500 Tekken Coins is how much the Genmaji Temple DLC costs.

The reason why there was controversy over this is due to the prevalence of microtransactions in the game. Microtransactions have always been a controversial choice in video games, as some players see it as developers gutting people for money, as well as its similarities to real-world gambling. Tekken 8’s hefty price tag only adds to the ire. The fact that players who paid for the game on top of a Year 1 Pass would have to pay a separate fee for a DLC stage was what caused such outrage. In the aftermath though, many players are commenting how surprised and happy they are at Bandai Namco listening to the players and trying to do better by them.

Tekken 8 is readily available on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC.

The post Tekken 8 Genmaji Temple Stage DLC Compensation Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

Hyte will be holding a launch party on November 2, 2024 to celebrate the release of its limited edition Honkai: Star Rail Silver Wolf case bundle. You’ll be able to attend it at the Micro Center in Tustin, California.

An event is on Eventbrite for those who want to go. It’ll start at 12:00 PM on November 2 and end at 6:00 PM of November 3. Doors will open at 11:30 AM, and the event itself is free for everyone. You’ll be able to get prizes like bags and stickers, as well as some special boba drinks from Boba Street. The names of the drinks are from the game, so you’ll be able to get Immortal’s Delight and Startaro Bubble. Other activities include a scavenger hunt and meeting HoYoCreators.

The Silver Wolf Y70 bundle from Hyte is a limited edition collaboration with HoYoVerse’s Honkai: Star Rail. On the PC tower, you’ll see pictures of Silver Wolf, along with the Quantum symbol from the game. It’ll also come with fan shrouds. Hyte also has pre-orders open for a desk mat and desk mat bundle, also featuring Silver Wolf. You can pre-order these via its website, and they’ll ship out some time in Q4 2024.

Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.

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Since it came out on October 8, 2024, the Silent Hill 2 remake passed a million sales worldwide. Capcom confirmed his number includes all platforms, as well as digital and physical copies.

The new version of Silent Hill 2 is designed revitalizes the horror classic with updated graphics, a new combat system, and different character designs. It keeps the same story, though additional scenes are included to expand on elements. Some encounters also involve different takes than in the original. The story follows James Sunderland, a man whose wife died three years prior. Despite that, he receives a letter from her telling him to go to Silent Hill, a vacation spot the two of them visited in the past. There, he meets Angela and Eddie, who also traveled to the town for their own reasons, as he searches for his wife that he thought deceased. However, as this is Silent Hill, nothing is as it seems and the town is a far different place than it was before.

There are currently no sales on Silent Hill 2 just yet. The PC version is available on Steam and the PS5 for $69.99. There is also a $79.99 Deluxe Edition. That gives us a Pyramid Head pizza box mask for James, a digital art book, and a digital soundtrack.

The Silent Hill 2 remake is readily available on the PS5 and Windows PC.

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A new simulation and strategy game, Worshippers of Cthulhu, will come out soon for those who love Lovecraftian horror and games like Cult of the Lamb. The early access version will come out on Steam on October 21, 2024, though you can get the demo to test it out first.

In the game, you play as the leader of a cult dedicated to Cthulhu. You’ll be able to perform various rituals and build cities. The description also asks if your mind will be able to endure the horrors you inevitably unleash upon the world, though it’s unclear from this whether or not there’s a sanity meter mechanic. In the description for why the game is in early access, it also stated that there’ll be battle features, demon summoning, and island conquering. Like in the Civilization games and such, you’ll also need to balance productivity and citizen happiness.

The developer Crazy Goat Games previously released Republic of Pirates, The Dragoness: Command of the Flame, and Brave Furries. For the most part though, it has released games that combine city building and strategic combat, so Worshippers of Cthulhu isn’t too far from its normal comfort zone.

Worshippers of Cthulhu will be available on PC from October 21, 2024. There will be support in nine different languages, but will only include English audio.

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We live in a timeline where not only does the gelbana exist, but it actually tastes good?! M.G.K. will release a Steins;Gate gelbana drink on October 28, 2024. [Thanks, Famitsu!]

The drink depicts a bunch of bananas, ripped apart at a molecular level and turned into a green gelatinous substance, on the label. According to it, it is a soft drink with about 150 mg of caffeine in it. It costs 540 JPY ($3.60) per bottle, and each bottle is around 50 ml. The Steins;Gate gelbana drink contains soft-shelled turtle extract (not exactly an uncommon ingredient in Japan), sugar, honey, carrot extract, and more. Because of the caffeine, you should only drink a bottle a day.

This is part of the 15th anniversary campaign for Steins;Gate. Other products include acrylic keychains and thirteen different kinds of whipping cream. These products appeared in stores on October 15, 2024. There are thirteen different flavors of whipping cream and thirteen different acrylic keychains for all of the characters and mascots in the series. Each can costs 2500 JPY or roughly $16.70.

Steins;Gate is readily available on the PS4, Windows PC, and mobile devices. You can also watch the show on streaming services like Netflix. MAGES has confirmed that the video game series will continue in the future.

The post The Gelbana From Steins;Gate is Available as a Drink appeared first on Siliconera.

Starting on October 17, 2024, 7-Eleven in Japan will run a Mobile Suit Gundam campaign for the series’ 45th anniversary. You’ll be able to get an original clear sheet when you buy a certain brand of chocolate.

There are four variations of sheets to collect: Kira, Athrun, Suletta, and Miorine. The sheets show the visuals of the characters as they appear for the campaign, along with some key scenes from their respective properties. The website suggests several ways you can use them, as they’re more akin to cards than anything else. For example, you can use them as a bookmark or stick them into a clear phone case to show your love for the character. In order to get one, you’ll need to buy three chocolates that are part of the campaign, and you can mix and match which brand. The website lists the items that are part of this.

This promotion will last until October 30, 2024. However, there’s a chance it’ll end early if the stores run out of sheets. From October 29, 2024, you’ll be able to get other pieces of merchandise from the Seven Net Shopping site. The limited edition merchandise again uses the visuals for the 7-Eleven Gundam campaign, and you can get them on acrylic stands and can badges.

The Mobile Suit Gundam 45th anniversary campaign at 7-11 will run from October 17 to October 29, 2024. You can catch up with the escapades of Kira and Athrun in particular in Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom, which is available on Netflix.

The post Mobile Suit Gundam 7-Eleven Collab Stars 4 Characters appeared first on Siliconera.

Hyte has launched its Honkai: Star Rail Silver Wolf Y70 character case, with the keycap set and desk pad bundle open for pre-order as well. These items will be available both from Hyte’s website, as well as through retailers like Micro Center.

Hyte first unveiled the items in the Honkai: Star Rail Silver Wolf set back in June 2024, with prices available back then as well. As a refresher, here are the prices and items that are part of this collaboration:

• “Contract Zero” Desk Pad: $29.99
• Official Y70 Silver Wolf Case Bundle - Early Bird Bundle: $299.99
• Official Silver Wolf Keycap Set and Desk Pad Bundle: $129.99

The case bundle will come with the Y70 case, complete with Silver Wolf and the Quantum symbol on the panels. It’ll also come with fan shrouds. The Y70 is a pretty large case, with the exterior dimensions measuring 470 x 320 x 470 mm. Not only does this mean you can fit a large and powerful graphics card in there, but it also helps with cooling capacity.

Meanwhile, the desk pad and keycap set are available for pre-order and will come out in Q4 2024. The desk pad depicts Silver Wolf with “You Lose” next to her, and it measures at 900 x 400 mm. As for the keycaps, they’re cherry profile and are made of dye-sublimated PBT plastic. They’re compatible with UK/ISO, ANSI, JIS, and AZERTY layouts, and there are enough for keyboards of all sizes and shapes.

The limited edition Honkai: Star Rail Silver Wolf Y70 case is immediately available for purchase via the Hyte website. Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.

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