Sword Art Online video games are pretty hit-or-miss. You have the not-so-bad ones like Alicization Lycoris and then surprisingly good ones like Fatal Bullet. Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream doesn’t appear to be the greatest game in the series so far but it does offer the most variety out of any game yet from my recent preview at Anime Expo 2024.

I had a short 10-minute preview of the upcoming game where I was able to explore a vast desert region and complete a mission. Right off the bat, Fractured Daydream makes it clear how vast the roster of characters is. I started out as Llenn, the star of Gun Gale Online. But then I soon gained access to three other characters, including Kirito.

These characters don’t normally interact with each other across their respective series. As such, this game feels like a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate-style collection with everyone being here. Perhaps the most fascinating part is how each character feels wildly different from one another.

Llenn plays like a light version of the gameplay from Fatal Bullet, where the player fires away with their guns from afar. The targeting system is messier than the previous shooter-style game in the series, which was annoying, but it got the job done. Then there is Kirito who plays much faster than Llenn with his impressive and powerful sword skills.

The unique gameplay styles didn’t stop there, either, as Leafa was also part of our squad. She played much more like her floaty and flight-based Alfheim Online variant. All three of them felt like they came from different games. This variety does mean some characters will probably be more valuable than others in combat, but I still appreciate the diversity.

Everyone has their basic attacks, plus a ton of skills to use. Some of these might involve dashing forward to attack foes or leaping into the air for a jump attack. Each one is quite flashy and fun to pull off. The main problem I had with the combat in this Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream preview was targeting.

There is a lock-on feature but it doesn’t work too well, especially with lots of enemies onscreen. I felt like the camera didn’t quite keep up with my character. I would be trying to launch a skill on the enemy I’m locked onto and the character would miss completely. This happened even when I started out the skill right in front of the enemy.

The preview culminated in a massive boss fight. It felt pretty easy in terms of difficulty, as I just mashed away with Kirito’s dual swords. Some characters, oddly enough, fared better than others. The scorpion boss resisted Llenn’s gun attacks, for instance. As such, I had to switch to others like Leafa, who had its weakness. While the fight itself was easy, again, the biggest challenge came from the awkward camera and targeting controls.

For the most part, this Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream preview focused on singleplayer. That said, the main purpose of this game is to bring together 21 playable characters for online multiplayer. Up to 20 players will be able to take on actual MMO-like raid battles for the first time.

Unfortunately, this preview didn’t offer any glimpse of that. Considering how singleplayer-focused this demo section was, I’m curious to see if there is a dedicated story mode for solo players. For now, though, we will have to wait and see. While I’m not sold on this being the best SAO video game yet, I at least appreciate its diversity in its roster and gameplay.

Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream will release for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 4, 2024.

The post Preview: Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream Brings Everyone Together appeared first on Siliconera.

Nintendo announced that the first three Densetsu no Starfy GBA games are a part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass. All three are platformers featuring the star prince on various adventures, and they never appeared outside Japan until now.

In each Densetsu no Starfy game, the Pufftop Kingdom prince finds himself in the oceans below on a quest. In the first game, he’s trying to return home following a storm. In the second, he’s trying to save his kidnapped mother. In the third, he and his sister Starfy deal with new and old villains

Here’s the official trailer showing how all three games work. 

There are five Densetsu no Starfy games total. The first three appeared only on the GBA in Japan. The fourth was also a Japanese exclusive, and it mark the first time the series appeared on the DS. The fifth game was released as The Legendary Starfy worldwide. However, there have been references to the character following those releases. A costume and Event Course featuring the character appeared in Super Mario Maker.Starfy is also an Assist Trophy and Spirit in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

Densetsu no Starfy 1-3 are available on the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack on July 12, 2024. All three games are also on the GBA in Japan.

Densetsu no Starfy, Densetsu no Starfy 2, Densetsu no Starfy 3, Nintendo Switch Online, Nintendo, Tose, 

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B-Project Ryusei Fantasia is a fascinating sort of visual novel. It’s not an otome game, though you do get to spend time with and send messages to 14 single young men who seem to adore your character. It’s not like most visual novels, as many of the choices are tied to earning stories for the singers in the group and there aren’t many decisions influencing the endings. Also, while it involves an idol group, there’s no rhythm gameplay like in Jack Jeanne. Add in the fact that you really do need some awareness of B-Project to really enjoy it, and you’re left with one of the most niche games I’ve played in a while.

In order to really understand how big of a deal B-Project Ryusei Fantasia is in a way, you have to understand exactly how big the whole property is. It’s been running since 2016, after all, with Mages starting it with an anime and manga. Since then, there have been CDs, multiple games, and stage shows. A lot of it hasn’t been localized! Though if someone wants to prepare and get familiarized with the world and its characters, Crunchyroll does have B-Project: Zeccho Emotion and Passion Love Call streaming on the service.

Simply put, it’s a lot to take in. The best advice I can recommend going in, if you aren’t familiar, is to know the general premise. Haruhi and Yuduki Teramitsu, Akane Fudo, and Miroku Shingari were in a group called Killer King. Ryuji Korekuni and Tomohisa Kitakado performed as a duo called KitaKore. The group Moons consisted of Hikaru Osari, Kazuna Masunaga, Mikado Sekimura, Momotaro Onzai, and Tatsuhiro Nome. Finally, Thrive was a trio made up of Goshi Kaneshiro, Kento Aizome, and Yuta Ashu. Gandara Music decided to bring them all together as one big group, and the player character is essentially in charge of them. The visual novel follows you helping them prepare for more shows, while also offering a brief flashback at the start to help familiarize players with the situation.

You’re going to know in the first hour of playing B-Project Ryusei Fantasia if it is for you or not, which makes it a blessing that a PC demo is available on Steam. I’m not the biggest fan of the execution, but feel like it might work better for fans. Basically, it begins in the thick of things. You watch as four boy band idol groups called Killer King, Kitakore, Moon, and Thrive perform as the supergroup B-Project. As you celebrate with a number of young men who all are praising you, an artist & repertoire expert who worked with them come together, you flash back to the beginnings. It’s honestly throwing a lot at you at once, with no introductions to the characters or groups immediately, which may put off people unfamiliar with it. I watched some of the anime on Crunchyroll ahead of time to prepare, and I had trouble following and recognizing some people. 

I will admit that there are some minor production decisions for B-Project Ryusei Fantasia that started to get to me the more I played and added to the issue, with some being on Mages part and the other a result of a means needed to make the game work. While in the CGs and certain segments, you can really see how each member of the cast stands out, there are times when the portraits for characters have this uniformity that feels a little off-putting. Like if someone dragged and dropped pair of eyes A and hairstyle B in certain colors onto a sprite to create one person, and then pair of eyes A with hairstyle D for another. Characters are distinct, but when dealing with such a large cast I started to notice commonalities.

The other involves the text boxes. There are times when the font is a perfect size and there are two or three lines in a box. Things look fine! But then, there will be an especially wordy explanation or long-winded response. Since PQube is working within certain confines, it means getting three lines in a box and it gets difficult to read. 

However, aside from that, the execution of B-Project Ryusei Fantasia is quite fun. Using the heroine’s cell phone as the UI works well. Especially when you get Join text messages, calls, and voice mails. It helps with the immersion in the moment. The general art direction is very crisp. While some music can feel a bit generic, actual B-Pro songs sound great. The pacing of the story, once you get past the introduction and flashbacks, is also good. I’d even say once you get to personal stories, it feels a lot stronger.

B-Project Ryusei Fantasia is one of those games that is ideal for what it is for those who are aware of B-Pro and the many projects tied to the series. If you “get” it, you’ll love how it handles things and the chance to more closely interact with your favorite characters. For those who aren’t aware of this Mages project, the entry barrier is pretty high! Not impossibly so. I think it feels like PQube was aware of this and released the demo so early ahead of launch as a result to help people prepare. For those who love the series, it’s a lot of fun. I do think people curious about it should give the free trial and anime a chance, as both would really help you when it comes to deciding to pick it up.

B-Project Ryusei Fantasia will come to the Nintendo Switch and PC on July 15, 2024. 

The post Review: B-Project Ryusei Fantasia Is for Fans appeared first on Siliconera.

Koei Tecmo confirmed the full release date for Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake. The company will release the remake simultaneously worldwide on October 24, 2024.

This game will be a remake of Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII, which originally appeared for PCs in Japan in 2001. VIII was the second entry in the series after VII to feature individual playthroughs as opposed to only faction rulers.

Koei Tecmo will bring the graphical and art quality up to modern standards as seen in more recent iterations like XIII and XIV while retaining most of the features from the original VIII entry. The company will also add new features, such as a relationship chart that will show characters with both the most intimate and the most hostile connections with the player's character.

Following its initial reveal in September 2023, Koei Tecmo originally planned to release the remake in early 2024. However, the company delayed the game's release by removing the "early" part.

The newly confirmed release date of October 24, 2024, maintained Koei Tecmo's commitment to release the remake within the year. However, it will also mark the first time ever for an entry in the series to have a simultaneous worldwide release in all regions and platforms. Prior series entries, including XIII and XIV, used to be released first in Japan with the Western English releases following suit months later.

Koei Tecmo has also uploaded the first formal trailer for Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake on YouTube:

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake will be available for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch simultaneously worldwide on October 24, 2024.

The post Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake Arrives in October appeared first on Siliconera.

Bushiroad confirmed Feitan Portor will be a part of the Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact playable character roster. Players will be able to include him in their team in the upcoming 3v3 fighting game.

The company also shared a new trailer showcasing the character, who will primarily fight with the sword he usually hides inside his umbrella. Kappei Yamaguchi, who voiced Feitan in the 2011 anime adaptation, will reprise his role in this game.

Here is the official trailer confirming the addition of Feitan Portor in Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact:

A total of twelve playable characters have been known as of Feitan's reveal. Bushiroad has so far revealed Gon, Killua, Leorio, Kurapika, Hisoka, Netero, Bisky, Machi, Uvogin, and Chrollo. The official site has sixteen character slots, with five of them still unfilled. However, an early stream by Justin Wong has indirectly confirmed that Genthru will fill one of them.

Even though Bushiroad has been increasing its pace in revealing characters for its anime-based fighting game, it has still yet to confirm the release date within a broad window in the year 2024. However, publishers of fighting games often make major reveals like release date announcements during the annual Evolution Championship Series tournament, and Evo 2024 will take place on July 19-21, 2024.

Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact will be available worldwide on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam in 2024.

The post Feitan Portor Will Appear in Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact appeared first on Siliconera.

Persona 5 Royal keyboard accessories are now available for pre-order on Infinikey. Pre-orders are open until August 12, 2024 and the items are on a discount right now.

Here are the prices for everything:

• Bundle: $145
• Deskmat: $40
• Keycap set: $110
• Keychain: $7.50

The bundle contains everything. Meanwhile, the keycaps use font that resembles the one in-game. A picture of Joker is on the spacebar and one of the larger keys. Since it’s MX-compatible and Cherry-profile, they should fit in any mechanical keyboard. The keychain also contains a MX-compatible, Cherry-profile keyboard for people to click and fidget with. Finally, the deskmat contains art of the Phantom Thieves’ all-out attacks.

As mentioned earlier, all of the Persona 5 Royal keyboard accessories are available for pre-order until August 12, 2024. They’ll ship out in November 2024. Infinikey does offer international shipping, so you don’t necessarily have to be in the US to purchase these products. As a note, the image for the bundle includes a keyboard. It won't come with that. You'll need to buy or own your own hotswappable keyboard and switches to use those keycaps.

Though not Infinikey, Persona 5 Royal isn’t the only Persona game you can get computer accessories for. Hyte and Atlus revealed a Persona 3 Reload collection in late November 2023. The collection consists of a Y60 PC case, a keycap set, and a deskmat. As of the time of writing, the Y60 bundle is not available for purchase on Hyte’s website.

Persona 5 Royal is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

The post Infinikey Reveals Persona 5 Royal Keyboard Accessories appeared first on Siliconera.

Long gone are the days of the top-down, RPG Maker-style Corpse Party horror games. While the series has flirted with 3D in the past, it stuck with its the traditional viewpoint and gameplay style. This is all changing with Corpse Party 2: Darkness Distortion, a bold new take for the series based on my recent hands-on experience.

It is uncertain if Corpse Party 2: Darkness Distortion is related to Dead Patient, but it does also take place in a haunted hospital. During the 15-minute play session I experienced at Anime Expo 2024, I played as Haruka. Haruka and her two classmates, Nemu and Maria, are looking for a way out of the hospital and to safety.

Right out of the gate, I noticed two intriguing parts about this game. The first is the third-person point of view. Instead of a top-down perspective, this game takes place behind the shoulders of Haruka. This gives a it a more Silent Hill-like approach. I felt this throughout the game, and the gameplay supported it as well.

You wander the floors of the hospital with a few movement options at your disposal, such as a dash and interact button. The third-person perspective gives this game a different vibe compared to past games, making it feel even scarier in my initial session. It didn’t help that the game had a tiny draw distance, at least on Switch, so I barely saw a few feet in front of me.

Corpse Party 2: Darkness Distortion also has a much more mature art style to it. This especially came through in actual 3D character models and environments, from what I saw. The removal of the more chibi-like aspects of past games made this instantly much more terrifying. It almost felt like it is in the vein of other Japanese horror titles like Fatal Frame.

The other key change I immediately noticed in Corpse Party 2 involved the character designs. Within the more visual novel-like cutscenes, the 2D character portraits look plucked from an anime. The characters pop much more with color, especially in the case of Nemu. This helps the characters to stand out a bit more, making them more memorable.

While I adore the visual style of Corpse Party 2: Darkness Distortion, I’m not quite sure about the gameplay yet. Sure, it has some similarities to Silent Hill and other likeminded horror games. However, this particular title is quite confusing, especially when it comes to exploring the hospital.

The hallways and rooms are quite empty most of the time and look exactly the same no matter the location. It became hard to tell the difference from one gray concrete hallway to the next. I got lost pretty early in the demo and this continued all the way through. It doesn’t help that the interact button was pretty unresponsive. I had to perfectly stand in front of an object, such as a door, and aim at it just right for the game to register my input.

This became pretty annoying quite fast, especially since it took up precious time in the preview. Since I wandered around the hospital quite a lot, I didn’t get to experience much of the story or action. The bulk of the plot I experienced had to do with a mysterious phone call. On a side note, the audio design in this game is quite impressive at least. Though I had no idea of my location, the smart use of the phone ringing and its audio guided me to its location with ease.

Answering the phone revealed a tease of a certain character’s possible fate in the near future. This added some ominous possibilities for what will happen in the main story. In addition, I saw one gruesome part regarding maggots but the game refrained from showing too much there.

Unfortunately, I missed out on running into any monsters or ghosts. This meant I missed out on seeing how running away, hiding, and surviving works in this new gameplay style.

That said, there is a lot of potential for exploration and puzzles from what I saw. I still have a lot of questions about this game but I appreciate what I previewed. The cast looks to have some solid characters I want to know more about. In addition, Corpse Party 2: Darkness Distortion’s new 3D style already feels much scarier than any past game. I just hope the full experience isn’t as confusing to navigate as this short demo.

Corpse Party 2: Darkness Distortion will release for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC in Fall 2024.

The post Preview: Corpse Party 2: Darkness Distortion Terrifies and Confuses appeared first on Siliconera.

Mages announced that it’s working on a game for Rent-A-Girlfriend. The game’s title is Rent-A-Girlfriend: The Horizon and the Girl in the Swimsuit, and it’ll come out for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

You can watch the teaser movie here:

More information on it will appear on August 5, 2024. That’s also when pre-orders will open. While we don’t know a lot about the game, we do know that it’ll be a visual novel or text-based adventure game.

Rent-A-Girlfriend is a Japanese manga and anime series that started serialization in 2017. The anime for it started airing in 2020 and it has three seasons thus far. As of March 2024, there are over 13 million copies of the manga in circulation, making it a fairly popular work. The story of Rent-A-Girlfriend follows Kazuya Kinoshita, who rents a girlfriend named Chizuru Mizuhara after his girlfriend dumps him. As time passes and he meets other rental girlfriends, he falls in love with Chizuru and works to make their rental relationship a real one.

The Rent-A-Girlfriend: The Horizon and the Swimsuit game is in development for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Pre-orders will open on August 5, 2024.

You can watch the show on Crunchyroll and Kodansha has licensed the manga for North America.

The post Rent-A-Girlfriend Game Announced For PS4, Switch appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco released the Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition for Nintendo Switch on July 11, 2024. The modern flight shooting game has thus become available to play on Nintendo's latest console to date in both docked and portable modes.

The Nintendo Switch release comes included with content that prior platform releases used to have as Season Pass or pre-order bonuses, such as the Music Player mode. Players can also access the three additional missions featuring the gigantic submarine Alicorn and five extra aircraft: ADF-01 FALKEN, ADFX-01 Morgan, ADF-11F Raven, F-4E Phantom II, and Avril's F-4E Phantom II.

The remaining DLC aircraft sets that add units like FB-22 Strike Raptor and MiG-35D Super Fulcrum are also available for the Switch version. However, Bandai Namco put them separately on the Nintendo eShop so players will have to make additional purchases to add them. This includes the collaboration pack from the Top Gun: Maverick movie.

Bandai Namco has also uploaded a new Japanese launch trailer to mark the release of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition for Nintendo Switch on the game series' YouTube channel:

Ace Combat 7 originally came out on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in January 2019, with the PC version following shortly after in February 2019. The game set a new sales record with over 5 million units sold as of November 2023. Bandai Namco first revealed the Nintendo Switch port right around the time it celebrates the game's fifth anniversary in January 2024.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is now available on Nintendo Switch in addition to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Bandai Namco is working on the next entry as it prepares for the series' 30th anniversary in 2025.

The post Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Switch Version Available Now appeared first on Siliconera.

Build-a-Bear announced it is now selling the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet starter Fuecoco as part of its plush collection for the series. The online-exclusive bundle costs $69 on the US storefront, and the UK one is £55. Should you happen to see the plush at a store, it will be $34/£26.

The Fuecoco Build-a-Bear stuffed animal will be a fairly standard size. It is about 12 inches tall. When purchased in the online bundle, you also get a five-in-one sound chip with the cries it would make from the anime series. It also comes with a black Fuecoco shirt that features flames and Poke Balls on it. A purple Fuecoco sleeper, which also has a Poke Ball pattern and white accents, rounds out the bundle.

Here’s how all of those new Build-a-Bear items look:

This is the second Pokemon Scarlet and Violet starter to show up at Build-a-Bear as a plush. The first was Sprigatito. That appeared at the store back in July 2023. This means Quaxly is the only one of those three to not appear in the collection at the retailer.

The Fuecoco Pokemon plush is now available at Build-a-Bear in the US and UK. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available on the Nintendo Switch. 

The post Build-a-Bear Fuecoco Pokemon Plush Can Wear a Fiery Shirt appeared first on Siliconera.

Following in the footsteps of other visual novels like VA-11 HALL-A and Coffee Talk, Tavern Talk places you behind the counter of a medieval fantasy inn where you'll meet and serve a gaggle of adventuring customers. You'll hand out quests, as well as advice and drinks, influencing how various stories will play out from behind the counter of your cozy bar. While the tropes and motifs are well worn, they're also fairly well-executed and the game as a whole avoids slipping from "wholesome" to "cloying" as some of its fellow travelers do, even if it can play it a bit too safe at times.

Tavern Talk is primarily a visual novel during which you also have to serve drinks to your patrons, brewed from a number of stat-boosting ingredients. These start out simple enough. A patron asks for something to boost their strength, and you make the drink with a lot of the strength ingredient. Naturally the difficulty increases as you unlock more recipes and the requests get less obvious, but the game also mixes things up with the quest system. As the natural hub for adventurers in the region, your tavern also serves as a place for people to post missions (or for you to post ones pieced together from a the ramblings or rumors you pick up). Other patrons can then pick up these quests, but before they go they will often ask for a drink for the road. Whichever drink you serve can alter how they go about completing the quest and whether they succeed.

It's serviceable, but rarely challenging. Even with the addition of infusions, you rarely need to make more than the odd adjustment to a recipe. The entire time, I kept thinking back to a Honkai: Star Rail event called "Vignettes in a Cup," which had a similar, but slightly more involved, drink-mixing minigame that served as a more substantial puzzle. That said, you could make a good argument that a more complex system would only slow this game down and keep players from getting to the real draw: the characters.

Tavern Talk features a robust gallery of rogues (or fighters, or clerics, or... detectives), and each feels like they could be someone's player character. There's a grumpy dwarf that has no time for worldbuilding and wants to get on with the game, the stuffy cleric that rigidly obeys their alignment, and a changeling with the most rancid vibes I've ever seen. They bounce off each other well too, and sometimes buddy-up with interesting results. The edgy rogue and the optimistic kitten were a fun pair, as was the anxious elf taking charge of the imposing warrior woman. Their interactions also helped sell me on the setting, which I otherwise found to be fairly typical high fantasy fluff. The more I saw of how they talked about the world at large, the more lived in it felt.

Patrons can even bring back decorations they find on quests to spruce up your bar, though you don't get to place or customize them yourself. It's also a nice touch that Tavern Talk lets you open up a logbook at any time to read a bio on all your regulars, including their class and alignment. That last part was actually interesting to observe in the dialogue, as there were more than a few times I found characters agreeing (or perhaps, aligning) on certain topics despite having vastly different personalities. I usually despise the Dungeons and Dragons alignment system as limited and limiting, but here it felt less obtrusive and more like a consistency.

My biggest criticism of Tavern Talk is just that it doesn't really step too far outside that cozy comfort zone to re-evaluate things. To bring back a previous reference, VA-11 HALL-A (for all its problematic elements) used its 'worms-eye view' to show a different side of its cyberpunk setting, where you rarely have all the answers about whats going on and can do precious little when something happens to your friends and colleagues. It made the rapport you built with your regulars more meaningful, and in the end it felt like you had fostered a community that could mutually assist each other against the horrors of corporate dystopia. I never quite got that same feeling with Tavern Talk despite it hitting similar notes, or perhaps even because you have that little bit more agency in the story.

That's not to say the game fails, in fact Tavern Talk accomplishes everything it sets out to do: it has coziness in spades and plenty of entertaining characters to encounter. If you enjoy a gentle ride and the odd tabletop RPG, Tavern Talk will feel like ordering a favorite drink from your regular watering hole. It won't challenge you, but it might be just what you need to refresh after a long day.

Tavern Talk is immediately available on PC and Nintendo Switch.

The post Review: Tavern Talk Is Comfy, But Not Very Adventurous appeared first on Siliconera.

Nintendo teased a new game with a trailer called “Emio” on July 10, 2024, and the Australian video’s rating mentioned suicide and violence as being in the project. This came up in that teaser, rather than in others, due to the ratings and descriptors showing up before the footage appeared on YouTube.

The ratings at the bottom of the image both note that the Nintendo game that the “Emio” teaser is hinting at is a “Mature” rated title, with the recommendation being for over 13 and 15. Both of the boxes note that violence is present They also both note suicide, with one mentioning “suicide references” and the other “suicide themes.” The OFLC one, which mentions it being restricted to people ages 13 and up, also cited cruelty and domestic abuse. 

Nintendo still hasn’t mentioned anything more about “Emio” yet. The Japanese teaser site for the game is live. If you leave it up for a while, the background will change. When it does, the expression on the person in the background’s paper bag mask will change. 

The new “Emio” game or project is currently in development. Nintendo hasn’t revealed any more details about it, beyond the latest Australian ratings that suggest some of its expected themes.

The post Nintendo Emio Australian Rating Mentions Suicide, Violence appeared first on Siliconera.

Live Wire announced that the Switch version of the Cave shmup Mushihimesama will be delisted from the eShop on August 10, 2024. The reason for it being removed is due to the licensing agreement Live Wire had expiring.

There is no notice about the delisting in the Switch eShop just yet. Also, the price remains at $19.99 as usual. It is unknown if it will be discounted ahead of the removal. It appeared during June 2021 as an E3 shadowdrop.

Mushihimesama is a shmup for between oen and two people. Princess Reco finds herself flying out on her Kiniro beetle to meet God of the Koju and save her people from an illness as she shoots her way through five stages. The Switch version features multiple modes and difficulty levels.

Live Wire handles publishing duties for multiple Cave shmup titles on the Switch eShop in addition to Mushihimesama. It is behind the platform’s versions of DoDonPachi Resurrection and Espgaluda II as well. It released both of them on the eShop in 2021 as well, with Espgaluda II appearing in September 2021 and DoDonPachi Resurrection in November 2021. 

The most recent game Live Wire published on the eShop is the Treasure shmup Radiant Silvergun. That version launched in September 2022.

Mushihimesama can be found on the Switch, PC, and iOS devices, and it also showed up on the PS2, Xbox 360 , and in arcades in Japan. Depending on your local arcade, however, you may find a cabinet near you.

The post Cave Shmup Mushihimesama Being Delisted on Switch appeared first on Siliconera.

Nintendo seems to be hinting at a new game, as it shared a teaser video on its social media and YouTube channels called “Emio.” It features a person in a trench coat wearing a paper bag with a smiling face drawn on it. 

Here’s the full video. It’s quite short, only coming in at 15 seconds. Initially, there is a blank wall with a spotlight on it. Then, at the 4 second mark, the lighting shift and the individual appears. The person doesn’t really move, though the video does focus on the the hands and bag mask after a bit. Japanese text appears after he vanishes again, and it suggests this is the smiling man. On social media, the Nintendo of America account uses the #WhoIsEmio hashtag with the post about it.

The imagery doesn’t seem connected to any recent or upcoming known Nintendo releases. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HDshowed up at the end of June 2024. The next title showing up is Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition on July 18, 2024. The company hasn’t revealed any game for August 2024, however. There’s basically a one-month gap between the release of Nintendo World Championships and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom on September 26, 2024. 

There’s no word on when we could hear more about the possible new Nintendo game tied to this Emio teaser. 

The post Nintendo May Be Teasing New Game With Emio Video appeared first on Siliconera.

As part of the regular July sale events, Walmart kicked off its July Deals and included systems like the Switch, the Meta Quest 3 VR headset, and games. All sales are now temporarily live, with discounts available for people who shop online, following a brief period on July 8, 2024 when Walmart+ members had early access.

Two of the bigger and most substantial deals involve the aforementioned Switch and Meta Quest 3 VR ones. The Switch Lite Timmy and Tommy’s Aloha Edition model that includes a copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons costs $159, instead of $200. The Meta Quest 3 128GB model is also $429, rather than the standard $500. There’s also a PS5 Digital Slim system with DualSense Charging Station for $456.99, though the system alone is normally $429.99 and the station is typically $9.99. 

As for the game sales in the Walmart July Deals sale, here are some of the more notable discounts during the event:

• Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon (Xbox One/Series X, PS5) - $39.99 on Xbox, $44.95 on PS5
• Demon’s Souls (PS5) - $42.89
• Diablo IV (PS5) - $20
• Fire Emblem Engage (Switch) - $49.94
• God of War Ragnarok (PS5) - $39.99
• The Last of Us, Part 1 (PS5) - $45.99
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Switch) - $39.99
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch) - $54.85
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (PS5) - $39.95
• The Nioh Collection (PS5) - $37.99
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) - $48
• Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope (Switch) - $19.93
• Nintendo Switch Sports (Switch) - $34.99
• Persona 3 Reload (PS5) - $39.88
• Red Dead Redemption (PS4) - $39.99
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (PS5) - $29.83
• Super Mario Bros Wonder (Switch) - $44.99
• Super Mario Party with Red and Blue Joy-Cons (Switch) - $69
• Super Mario RPG (Switch) - $39.75
• Unicorn Overlord (PS5, Switch) - $49.95 on PS5, $43.99 on Switch

This also comes ahead of the Amazon Prime sale. That runs July 16-17, 2024. Ahead of that, the retailer kicked off its early Prime Day deals. 

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