Fuwa Minato of Nijisanji has just passed a million subscribers on his YouTube channel. He held a stream on September 8, 2024 that would last until he reached that number and it took him around forty-five minutes to hit that milestone.

The official Nijisanji X (formerly known as Twitter) account posted a commemorative video for Fuwa Minato. It includes highlights from Fuwa’s streaming career, including his appearances in collaborations with other livers. Fuwa also handwrote a message stating his disbelief that he managed to reach a million subscribers. He said that he was only able to do so thanks to his listeners and that he loves them. At the end of the message, he said that he hopes they stay with him until he gets 10 million subscribers.

Fuwa left another message on his Twitter account. He once again thanks everyone for their support and says that he debuted almost five years ago. He wonders how much longer he can remain as Fuwa Minato. Though he doesn’t know what awaits him in the future, he enjoys his life as it is now. At the end of the message, he asks his fans to continue living on with him.

Fuwa Minato debuted in 2019 as part of Nijisanji’s Yaoukoku trio, which consisted of him, Shirayuki Tomoe, and Gwelu Os Gar. He’s also part of groups like ROF-MAO and Mescher’s. In his lore, he’s a host. As you may expect from a host, he has a very friendly and goofy personality.

The post Fuwa Minato of Nijisanji Passed A Million Subscribers appeared first on Siliconera.

Atlus announced that a collaboration between Seven Knights Idle Adventure and Persona 3 Reload started on September 9, 2024 and will run until September 23, 2024. During the event, you’ll be able to obtain Yuki Makoto (the protagonist), Takeba Yukari, Aigis, and Kirijo Mitsuru.

While the Persona 3 Reload event is live in Seven Knights Idle Adventure, you can obtain a special login bonus award. As well, there is a new Challenge Pass available for you to try and get either Yukari or Mitsuru. Koromaru is also in the crossover as a pet, though you’ll need to clear the Tartaros-themed collaboration dungeon in order to get him as an award. Finally, a new Legend Costume for Aigis will appear in the gacha.

All of the Persona 3 Reload characters will have their default Personas with them. However, they’re wearing modified versions of their usual uniforms. The Challenge Pass for Yukari will start from September 9, 2024 and the one for Mitsuru will be from September 16, 2024. The Legend Costume gacha for Aigis will start from September 16, 2024 as well. It features her in her Gekkoukan High School uniform.

Seven Knights Idle Adventure is a spin-off of Netmarble’s other game, SevenKnights, but an idle game. You can get rewards from battles and such even when you’re not actively in the game. As an idle game, all phones should be able to handle it and it’s easy to pick up and play. It focuses a lot more on collecting and raising the heroes from SevenKnights.

Persona 3 Reload is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Seven Knights Idle Adventure is on mobile devices and the Persona 3 Reload crossover event will run until September 23, 2024.

The post Persona 3 Reload Appears in Seven Knights Idle Adventure Event appeared first on Siliconera.

For the 50th anniversary of Hello Kitty, Sanrio will release a total of 20 different acrylic stands featuring mascots wearing hats of the famous cat girl. These are in blind boxes so there’s no telling which acrylic stand you’ll get until you open them.

These blind boxes are available in convenience stores, supermarkets, hobby shops, and such across Japan. They cost 275 JPY each, which would convert to around $1.95. Like how Bandai releases wafers with collectible cards inside of them, these blind boxes will also come with a little snack. In Sanrio’s case, you can get a piece of chewing gum.

As for the acrylic stands, you have a chance of getting some more minor mascots. Popular characters like Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, Chococat, and Hello Kitty exist, of course. But there’s also the chance of getting Marroncream, My Sweet Piano, Paupipo, and Usahana. For some reason, Chococat and Kirimi come in a pair. Meanwhile, Little Twin Stars do not. If you want both Kiki and Lala, you’ll need to rely on luck.

Sanrio has been launching a lot of limited products and crossovers for the 50th anniversary of its signature mascot Hello Kitty. For example, there is a special plush you can make at Build-a-Bear, as well as a limited edition necklace on FanFun Market. Bandai Namco also released a newer version of the Hello Kitty Tamagotchi Nano model from 2020.

The Hello Kitty 50th anniversary blind boxes with acrylic stands are available in stores around Japan.

The post Sanrio Mascots Wear Hello Kitty Hats in New Merchandise appeared first on Siliconera.

Bunny Garden Version 1.0.5 is now available and it introduces a new cast member. Since she’s still in her trial period, she won’t be able to actually interact with the player directly.

The new cast member will only appear when Kana, Rin, and Miuka are on their break. Though she won’t come up to serve the player, you can still observe her hard at work with other guests. In the picture on Qureate’s official X (formerly known as Twitter) account, she seems to be the girl behind Rin with the pigtails and gray-pink hair. It’s likely that she will finish her trial period in a future patch and become a new romanceable girl.

Yujiro Usuda, the CEO of Qureate, QRT-ed the announcement post to say that it's thanks to players' support that Bunny Garden grew big enough to hire a new cast member. He hints that there will be more exciting things in the future for the game and that he hopes the new girl will start serving customers soon. Finally, he reveals that Qureate is still working hard on games it announced at the beginning of the year. This list likely includes games like Fantasista Asuka.

Bunny Garden is a dating sim that takes place in the titular gentleman’s club. As you may expect from such a setting, there are plenty of ecchi elements in the game so it’s not suitable for a younger audience. In Bunny Garden, you can pay money to enjoy conversations, drinks and games with the hostesses.

Remembering past conversations with the girls in your answers to them can make you more popular with them. However, if you don’t work hard (or win big in gambling), you won’t have enough funds to go hang out with the girl of your dreams.

Bunny Garden Version 1.0.5 is readily available on the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC via Steam. A physical version will also appear on the Nintendo Switch on December 19, 2024.

The post Bunny Garden Version 1.0.5 Introduces New Girl appeared first on Siliconera.

The 30th anniversary of the Tales series is just around the corner and Bandai Namco has already started preparations with the Remastered Project. For those who would like to take a walk down memory lane, or are curious about what other Tales games they can play while waiting for new (or remastered) releases, here is a full list of the mothership Tales titles.

Tales of Phantasia

Release Date: December 15, 1995

Platforms: Super Famicom, PlayStation, GBA, PSP, iOS, mobile devices

The first Tales title takes place in Aselia and follows Cless Albane, who seeks revenge after his hometown is destroyed. He learns that the culprits behind the attack wish to revive a powerful sorcerer king, Dhaos. Using the power of time travel, Cless and his friends travel to the past and future in order to defeat Dhaos for good.

Tales of Destiny

Release Date: December 23, 1997

Platforms: PlayStation

The original Tales of Destiny came out on the PlayStation and the remake came out in 2006 for the PS2. It follows Stahn, who accidentally finds a sentient sword that calls itself Dymlos. He, along with other wielders of speaking swords, fight for the Eye of Atamoni, which is a powerful relic from an ancient war.

Tales of Destiny Remake is one of the best titles in the Tales series for its story—which expands on the original and includes a redemption arc for popular character Leon—and fighting style. Hopefully, Bandai Namco has plans for a remaster so that it can officially release the game to the west.

Tales of Eternia

Release Date: November 30, 2000

Platforms: PlayStation, PSP

Tales of Eternia, released in the west as Tales of Destiny 2, has nothing to do with Tales of Destiny. Instead, it follows Reid Hershel and his friends, who live together in the world of Inferia. One day, they come across a mysterious foreign girl named Meredy and through their interactions with her, learn of a different world called Celestia. They journey together to stop an ages-old conflict between the two worlds.

Tales of Eternia feels like the turning point for the Tales series in that it propelled the series into its initial popularity. It was popular enough for an anime adaptation and a MMO, though the anime was pretty bad (in that it had little to do with the game) and the MMO didn’t last long. The battle system feels a lot more fluid compared to Phantasia and Destiny, and it holds up to newer 2D Tales games too. 

Tales of Destiny 2

Release Date: November 28, 2002

Platforms: PS2, PSP

The actual sequel to Tales of Destiny, Tales of Destiny 2 follows Kyle, who’s the son of Stahn and Rutee from the first game. Due to his parents’ heroic past, he’s also obsessed with becoming a hero. One day, he meets a mysterious girl named Reala and embarks on a journey to become a true hero.

Like the above Tales of Destiny Remake, Tales of Destiny 2 is a fantastic game. It’s got a great story, compelling characters, and a difficult battle system that’s rewarding to master. The meme himself, Barbatos, is also from this game. Considering how much trouble he can give you, it can be a little hard to laugh at the jokes Bandai Namco make at his expense.

Tales of Symphonia

Release Date: August 29, 2003

Platforms: Nintendo GameCube, PS2, PS3, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One

Tales of Symphonia was popular in its native Japan, but it’s what really put the franchise on the map for the western audience. While the west had gotten Phantasia and Eternia, they weren’t exactly selling like hotcakes in the way that Symphonia did. The story follows Lloyd, who joins his friend Colette’s pilgrimage to regenerate the world of Sylvarant.

Tales of Rebirth

Release Date: December 16, 2004

Platforms: PS2, PSP

The story of Tales of Rebirth heavily focuses on racism. It takes place in a world where people wield a magical power called Force after King Ladras, in his final moments, uses his power to unleash the potential in people around his kingdom. Veigue lost power of his Force of Ice and froze his childhood friend Claire in a pillar. Even after he manages to free her with the help of new friends Eugene and Mao, soldiers acting on orders from Karegia Kingdom heiress Agarte take her away. His journey to rescue her from the palace morphs into a battle to end racism.

Tales of Legendia

Release Date: August 25, 2005

Platforms: PS2

Tales of Legendia follows the story of Senel and his surrogate little sister Shirley. Shirley is the Merines, a legendary figure among the Ferines, which is a race of people who can live underwater. Because Shirley is the Merines, many different factions want to capture her to use them for their own schemes.

Compared to previous titles (and its successor Abyss), Tales of Legendia looks and plays in a very weird way. This likely has to do with the fact that the developer, Project MelFes, consists of Tales Studio members, along with developers from the Tekken and Soul Calibur series. It’s the first Tales game with Go Shiina as the composer and the soundtrack is objectively the game’s highest point.

Tales of the Abyss

Release Date: December 15, 2005

Platforms: PS2, Nintendo 3DS

Tales of the Abyss is the eighth mothership title, but it’s the commemorative game for the series’s 10th anniversary. It follows Luke fon Fabre, a pampered noble and swordsman who ends up outside of his comfy mansion after heroine Tear appears to assassinate her brother, who’s also Luke’s teacher. The story heavily focuses on Luke’s personal development as he seeks the meaning of his birth. There is also an anime adaptation for Abyss, which you can watch on YouTube.

Tales of the Tempest

Release Date: October 26, 2006

Platforms: Nintendo DS

Tales of the Tempest follows Caius Qualls, who is a Leymon (essentially a werewolf). After the church takes his guardian prisoner and kill the parents of his childhood friend Rubia, the two of them set out for the capital. The adventure then turns into one to overthrow the church.

Tales of the Tempest is the first Tales game for a handheld console. However, the reception to the game was very mixed, with some places giving it a very positive score and others giving it a very negative one. Points of criticism included the story’s short length, lack of content, unappealing relationship between Caius and Rubia, and more.

Tales of Innocence

Release Date: December 6, 2007

Platforms: Nintendo DS, PS Vita

The story of Tales of Innocence follows avatars, human reincarnations of the divine Devalokans who can still use supernatural powers from their past lives. Ruca, a timid boy, is an avatar of the powerful Asura and he awakens to his powers after rescuing fugitive Illia, a fellow avatar. They meet up with other avatars, who then travel to do something about the wars engulfing their world.

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World

Release Date: June 26, 2008

Platforms: Wii, PS3

Though the sequel of Tales of Symphonia, Dawn of the New World introduces a lot of lore and elements that weren’t in the original game. It follows Emil, a timid boy who survived a massacre that Lloyd from the first game perpetrated. After meeting with Marta, a girl with Ratatosk’s Core on her forehead, the two of them set out on a journey to fix the meteorological problems occurring around the world and escape from Marta’s pursuers.

Tales of Vesperia

Release Date: August 7, 2008

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Windows PC, Xbox One

Tales of Vesperia is a very popular and successful entry in the Tales franchise, selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide. It also has a prequel film, though Flynn in particular is so out-of-character it might as well be fanfiction. The story follows Yuri Lowell, a former soldier who’s now doing odd jobs around his neighborhood. After meeting a noble named Estelle and fleeing from the capital with her, he forms a guild called Brave Vesperia.

Tales of Hearts

Release Date: December 18, 2008

Platforms: Nintendo DS, PS Vita, iOS

Tales of Hearts follows Kor Meteor (Shing Meteoryte) who meets siblings Kohaku and Hisui Hearts. A monster infects Kohaku and in an attempt to save her, Kor accidentally destroys her Spiria (her heart and emotions). The three of them set off on a journey to restore Kohaku’s Spiria.

People don’t talk about the CG Movie Edition, but I definitely remember that one. People were comparing the models to the Evil Goddess MOCCOS, an old 2ch meme about the ugly KOS-MOS figure that came with the Xenosaga Episode 2 Premium Box Set.

Tales of Graces

Release Date: December 10, 2009

Platforms: Wii, PS3, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Windows PC

Tales of Graces follows the story of Asbel Lhant, who is the future heir of the Lhant village. As a child, he befriends an amnesiac girl named Sophie and the prince of Windsor, Richard. Witnessing Sophie’s death traumatizes him and he runs away from home to become a knight. Seven years later, he reunites with Sophie, setting into motion an adventure that takes him all across the world of Ephinea.

Tales of Xillia

Release Date: September 8, 2011

Platforms: PS3

Tales of Xillia is the first Tales game that combines character designs from Kosuke Fujishima (Phantasia, Symphonia, Abyss) and Mutsumi Inomata (Destiny, Eternia, Rebirth). Like Tales of the Abyss, it’s a celebratory mothership title. In Xillia's case, it was for the 15th anniversary. It follows Jude Mathis, a medical student who encounters Milla Maxwell after she breaks into a military research facility in an attempt to destroy a secret weapon. Now that they’re on the run from the military, Jude and Milla, along with their companions, journey to help Milla with her mission to save the world.

Tales of Xillia 2

Release Date: November 1, 2012

Platforms: PS3

Tales of Xillia 2, like Dawn of the New World, is a sequel of its predecessor while introducing elements and lore that the original game never really mentioned. It takes place a year after Xillia and follows Ludger Will Kresnik, a guy who just wants to cook. It turns out he’s not just a good cook, as he possesses the Chromatus. He and the cast from the first Xillia need to go into parallel worlds—essentially what-if scenarios from the first game—and destroy them to prevent their own world’s destruction. He also has to pay off a huge medical debt. Ah, adult life.

Tales of Zestiria

Release Date: January 22, 2015

Platforms: PS3, PS4, Windows PC

Tales of Zestiria was, like Abyss and Xillia, an anniversary title and this time, it was for the 20th anniversary. It draws inspiration from Arthurian legends and it follows the story of Sorey, a young human who can see the mystical spirits Seraphim. He leaves the village of Elysia with his best friend Mikleo and, after forming a pact with the Seraph Lailah, he becomes the Shepherd whose job is to purify the Hellion rampaging throughout Glenwood.

For an anniversary title, Zestiria had its fair share of controversies. Before the game came out, Japanese fans were ticked off about how prominent advertising for Alisha was, yet she was a mere guest party member in the actual game. After it came out, fans seemed split on the story, battle system, and tutorials.

Tales of Berseria

Release Date: August 18, 2016

Platforms: PS3, PS4, Windows PC

Tales of Berseria technically serves as the prequel to Tales of Zestiria. However, you don’t have to play Zestiria to understand Berseria. It follows Velvet Crowe, a normal village girl who lost her pregnant sister after a daemon attack. One day, tragedy strikes the village and Velvet comes across her brother-in-law Artorius killing her younger brother Laphicet in a ritual. She transforms into a daemon and Artorius tosses her into jail. Once she wakes, she swears vengeance on the man who used to be her family.

Tales of Arise

Release Date: September 10, 2021

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

Tales of Arise follows the story of Dahnan slave Alphen, or “Iron Mask,” and a Renan girl named Shionne. A curse on Shionne hurts anyone who touches her but since Alphen can’t feel pain, he’s the only person who can pull a sword from the Master Core she has. Like Rebirth and Eternia, it deals with themes of racism and oppression.

The post All Mothership Titles in the Tales Series in Release Order appeared first on Siliconera.

2bro, a duo of Japanese YouTubers, streamed themselves playing Silent Hill 2 Remake for about an hour and a half. You can check out their archive on YouTube to see how the game is.

The stream starts with a description of the original Silent Hill 2, as well a clip from when the pair played it in the past. Then, they start to play the remake. We get a good look at the new models and control style, as well as listen to the music. As a reminder, Akira Yamaoka, who worked on the original Silent Hill 2, worked on the remake as well. They explore Silent Hill and stop soon after James recalls a memory of himself and Mary on the lake.

Here is the Silent Hill 2 Remake stream archive from the 2bro YouTube channel:

Silent Hill 2 Remake is the upcoming remake of Silent Hill 2, as it says in the title. Konami and Bloober Team worked together on the game, and they’ve said that it will be a faithful recreation of the original story. While the story should remain the same, there are some changes to the visuals of the characters and town, as well as the play style.

Silent Hill 2 Remake will come out on October 8, 2024 for the PS5 and Windows PC.

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Adult Swim has uploaded a new trailer for Uzumaki, focusing on the titular spirals cursing Kuruozu-cho. The show will start on September 28, 2024.

You can watch the official Uzumaki trailer here:

It’s shorter than the first trailer that appeared at the 2023 San Diego Comic Con, which gave a lot more information about the story. This new trailer focuses on how horrific the spirals that are infecting, killing, and driving insane the hapless citizens of Kurouzu-cho are. Main characters like Kirie and Shuichi appear in the trailer as well. If you’re in the States, then you can watch Uzumaki on Toonami and it’ll start streaming the next day on Max.

Uzumaki by Junji Ito originally ran from 1998 to 1999. Compilations of the manga have appeared since then from various publishers. The story follows Kurouzu-cho, which falls victim to a curse involving spirals. English critics have been very positive of it, and it even received a nomination for an Eisner Award in 2003. The Japanese have been very fond of the manga as well. Even in the 2020s, there are still pop-up shops, merchandise, and collaborations with the series.

Uzumaki will have its Japanese premiere from September 28, 2024 on Toonami.

The post New Uzumaki Trailer Focuses on Horrors of Spirals appeared first on Siliconera.

Alesion is collaborating with hololive on an allergy campaign focusing on hay fever. It’ll feature Usada Pekora, Yukihana Lamy, and La+ Darkness.

The collaboration will start from September 20, 2024 with a commercial. It’ll feature the three hololive VTubers sneezing, and you’ll have to guess which sneeze is due to a cold and which sneeze is due to an allergy. Standees of the talents will also appear at select drug stores across Japan. Finally, the three talents will hold a stream on October 10, 2024 and there will be lots of fun activities in store. As a note, the reason Alesion is collaborating with these three in particular is because they have really bad allergies.

Of course, you will also be able to buy merchandise of the three. The Alesion collaboration has them in white clothing that have their signature colors as an accent. The outfits look like spring dresses, which may be a reference to when most people really start suffering from hay fever.

Usada Pekora, Yukihana Lamy, and La+ Darkness are all popular VTubers from hololive, though from different generations. Pekora debuted in 2019, Lamy in 2020, and La+ in 2021. Though it’s not because of hay fever, both La+ and Lamy have taken breaks in the past due to poor health.

The Alesion and hololive collaboration will start on September 20, 2024.

The post Hololive Vtubers With Hay Fever Participating in Allergy Campaign appeared first on Siliconera.

Kazama Iroha of hololive has returned from her hiatus. She might not be as active as before, as she will continue to consult with her manager about her schedule.

Iroha went on hiatus on August 15, 2024. She stated at the time that this was due to family issues and that it would be difficult to stream for a while. During the announcement back then, she’d already set September 6, 2024 as her return date. In her Tweet, Iroha stated that things have settled down around her and that she would take her time with getting back in the swing of things.

Her return stream lasted a little over forty minutes. During it, she stated that she would appear in all of the events she’d been announced in, as well as do all of the planned contents she had for the summer. However, since she only has one body, she wants to prioritize her physical condition shen streaming.

Kazama Iroha is a sixth generation hololive VTuber who debuted alongside talents like Sakamata Chloe and La+ Darkness. She is a member of Secret Society holoX and is the bodyguard to the group. As of the time of writing, she has over 961,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel. Apart from streaming video games, she also does song covers.

Hololive VTuber Kazama Iroha has returned from his hiatus and will slowly return to her normal streaming activities.

The post Kazama Iroha of hololive Has Returned From Hiatus appeared first on Siliconera.

Usada Pekora opened up a Minecraft server for her fans on September 2, 2024 and then revealed that it costs her over a million JPY to maintain. That would equate to around $7026 (likely per month). [Thanks, Inside Games!]

Pekora’s Minecraft server is part of an event she’s organizing where she plays on a server of up to a hundred people. You need a membership in her channel, as well as a Discord account, to join. People can do whatever they want in the game, such as adventuring or crafting buildings. Pekora held a stream on the night of September 2, 2024 to check it out and saw that in half a day, fans have already built quite a bit.

At the end of that stream, someone asked how much it costs Pekora to maintain it. She didn’t give an exact number, but she hints that it costs her over a million JPY. Then, she said that the price doesn’t matter because she wanted to play games with everyone. She also stated that as long as everyone has fun, she’s not upset about paying that amount of money.

You can watch her streaming her server here:

Usada Pekora is a popular VTuber with hololive who debuted as part of its third generation. Fellow VTubers from that generation include Houshou Marine and Shirogane Noel. As of the time of writing, she has over 2.6 million subscribers on her YouTube channel.

The post Usada Pekora Minecraft Server Costs Her Over a Million JPY appeared first on Siliconera.

At a Japanese press event for Asian journalists to get the latest scoop on Kai no Kiseki: Farewell O Zemuria, Toshihiro Kondo discussed the Trails in the Sky the 1st remake and how it appeared at Nintendo Direct. According to Kondo, he wasn’t aware that Nintendo would reveal the game. [Thanks, GNN!]

Most of GNN’s article focuses on information for Kai no Kiseki, including characters, battle system, and the story. After introducing the game, Kondo noted that Kai no Kiseki serves as the climax for the overall narrative. So there will be a lot of surprises in the story. Afterwards, he explained why the Trails in the Sky 1st teaser trailer suddenly appeared at the Nintendo Direct rather than at a Trails-specific event. Apparently, Kondo didn’t know that Nintendo planned on holding a stream on that date, nor that it would choose to reveal Trails in the Sky the 1st then. If the announcement took anyone by surprise (like it did Mitsuki Saiga, Joshua's voice actress), it wasn't his intention.

Kondo also noted that with the remake, he wanted to highlight Estelle’s charm and cheeriness. So he wanted the remake to be a happy Trails game. He wants the remake to have a modern play style to invite newcomers to start the series while preserving what made the series enjoyable in the first place for returning ones. He ended it by reiterating that Nihon Falcom is 100% the company behind both the trailer and the game. This is due to suspicions from players, who seemed to think the quality of the trailer was too good for Nihon Falcom.

Kai no Kiseki: Farewell O Zemuria will come out for the PS4 and PS5 on September 26, 2024 for Japan and Asia.

The post Nihon Falcom Was Surprised Trails in the Sky Was in Nintendo Direct appeared first on Siliconera.

After literal decades, the original Fate/stay night is available on modern consoles in English, and it serves as a fantastic introduction to the grand (but not that complicated) world of Fate. Outside of very minor technical issues that were more than likely my own fault rather than the game’s, it’s a smooth and gripping experience for both veterans and novices of the series.

The overall premise of Fate/stay night is one that even non-fans should be familiar with at this point, considering how many adaptations and spin-offs there are. It follows Shirou Emiya, a deceptively ordinary high school student who finds himself wrapped up in the Holy Grail War. The Holy Grail War is a war between mages, fought by summoning historical or mythological heroes as Servants in order to obtain the titular Holy Grail. As Saber’s Master, Shirou somewhat reluctantly joins the war in order to prevent tragedies that may occur as a result of it.

There are three routes: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven’s Feel. Each route feels wildly different in terms of themes, main characters, and storyline, yet the game still meshes together in a cohesive manner. As for the actual gameplay, it’s similar to previous Type-Moon titles like Witch on the Holy Night and Tsukihime where you mostly make decisions at key junctures in the plot. Outside of those occasional key inputs, you can sit back and enjoy the show. I personally enjoyed the Unlimited Blade Works route a bit more than the other two, but they’re all very interesting stories with their own unique motifs and themes.

It’s actually very interesting reading Fate/stay night so soon after the Tsukihime remake because I can see how Nasu improved as a writer. However, I will also note that it can be hard to compare since as the introduction to the Fate franchise, Fate/stay night naturally had to be a bit heavy on the exposition. Things that we Fate fans think are common knowledge—True Name, Holy Grail War, Bounded Field, et cetera—were probably really confusing back when the game first came out.

Nonetheless, the narrative can feel a bit slow at times due to Nasu’s focus on either explaining the magic system or delving really deep into internal monologue. The second thing isn’t bad, since it provides insight on characters in a way that animated adaptations could never. Speaking of the narrative, I realized how much of my disinterest in the Fate route was from the Studio DEEN anime. Sure, ufotable has its problems when it comes to adapting Fate works but I still hope it decides to make a new anime for the Fate route one day.

I played the game after the issues with the English version were patched out. So I didn’t get the authentic experience of playing a Japanese visual novel. Though I did run into some performance issues, I’m pretty sure they’re avoidable if you don’t do what I did (thus it won’t affect the score). For one thing, playing the game on a second monitor doesn’t work in fullscreen. It keeps minimizing. I played Ace Attorney Investigations on a second monitor in fullscreen and it ran fine, so this is unique to Fate/stay night. Even windowed, issues cropped up. Letters would be missing or entire lines would run into each other. I know this is a problem with the monitor rather than the game because if I took a screenshot or dragged the window to my main screen, it looked fine. Moral of the story? Fate doesn’t like playing second fiddle.

Fate/stay night is a great read and introduction to the Fate franchise, and all three routes maintain the same quality in terms of the plot and themes. Personally, I don’t think any route was bad. It just falls to personal preference. Compared to Type-Moon’s newer games or stories, yes, it can be overly wordy. And yes, it looks dated in both Takeuchi’s art style and in the Powerpoint-like transitions. I honestly found it charming though, and it works in the context of such a classic game. So rejoice, Fate fans. Our wish has finally come true.

Fate/stay night Remastered is readily available on the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC.

The post Review: Fate/stay night Provides a Sturdy Foundation appeared first on Siliconera.

Undead Labs announced that Update 38 will be the final update for State of Decay 2, and it will no longer create new content for the game. This is so that it can focus all of its resources on making State of Decay 3.

Since the game came out in 2018, Undead Labs has released close to 40 updates and expansions for State of Decay 2. This includes new modes, maps, stories, characters, and more. However, it’s time for Undead Labs to set its sight on newer horizons and create something new for both the community and the franchise.

Update 38, which will be the final update of the game, will come out some time later in 2024. This update will fix longstanding issues, as well as permanently unlock previously-gated content. Seasonal content will also be unlocked. As well, Update 38 will have some quality of life improvements. With this update, the game should be in its final form.

There are some Q&A on the page to answer some questions players may have. Most concerns seem to be on whether State of Decay 2 will remain available after updates end. Undead Labs assures players that it will be and it doesn’t plan on sunsetting the game. Bounties will continue to cycle and you can check out the schedule here. Even if you find a bug in the game, Undead Labs won’t accept any support tickets, since it’s really done working on the game. At most, it may release a hotfix afterwards for pressing issues.

State of Decay 2 is readily available on the Windows PC and Xbox One. The release dates for Update 38 for State of Decay, as well as news on State of Decay 3, will appear some time in the future.

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Sony Interactive Entertainment has opened up pre-orders for Shapes of Play: Battle, which is a board game from the team that designed the PlayStation console. This game is a piece of commemorative merchandise for the 30th anniversary of the PlayStation.

The board game costs $44.99. It’ll come with a storage box, 16 black and white game pieces, and a game board. The pieces look like the circle, square, X, and triangle that make up the four buttons on a PlayStation controller. As for the goal of the game, it’s similar to Connect 4 or Tic-Tac-Toe. Whoever lines up four different shapes (of the same color) first wins.

The color of the board is a kind of slate gray, making it resemble the original PlayStation. While the black-and-white pieces look stylish and enhance the game board’s aesthetics, the color choice might also have to do with the fact that the PS5 (the latest console in the PlayStation family) is black-and-white. The pieces are also quite pretty on their own, and they fit well inside of the board. This makes the game quite easy to store.

Sony released the PlayStation (later known as the PS1 or PSX) in late 1994 for the Japanese audience. Its competitors included the SEga Saturn and the Nintendo 64, and achieved popularity with the sheer amount of games available. Many popular franchises got their start on the PlayStation as well, such as the Final Fantasy and Tekken series. That also got many people to start playing it.

Shapes of Play: Battle is available for pre-order and will come out on December 9, 2024. You can also get Shapes of Play: Create (multicolored wooden blocks) and State of Play: Recharge (silicone shapes to “recharge your hands” in between gaming session) for the anniversary. 

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Lovisia will release Kirby lip gloss in stores across Japan from September 12, 2024. You’ll also be able to purchase it from its online store. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

The concept for this line of Kirby lip gloss is a “hearty tea time,” which explains all the teapots, teacups, and hearts. This concept also extends to the flavors. You can get lip gloss that smells like green tea, peach tea, or milk tea. Each one features Kirby and a Waddle Dee hanging out and enjoying some nice tea. The lip gloss itself has no color to it and can double as a chapstick. In terms of price, it’ll cost 880 JPY ($6.15) per stick.

Last month, Lovisia released some Kirby items too. You could get lip balms that were in little Kirby-looking compacts. The fragrances back then are actually similar to the ones here. You could get milk, peach, or mango. The August 2024 line also had hairbands that you could use to keep hair out of your face. This is useful when you’re washing up in the morning or before bed.

The Kirby lip gloss will appear in stores across Japan, as well as from the Lovisia online shop, from September 12, 2024.

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