Megami Tensei — also known as Shin Megami Tensei — is one of the longest-running RPG franchises in the world. But most of us wouldn’t know it. Making its debut in 1987 on the Famicom, it wouldn’t be until the Virtual Boy that Nintendo gamers (well, a few of them) would find out about the demon-summoning series. And now, the series boasts multiple sub-series, revivals, remakes, and enhanced editions. It’s a pretty big hole to dive down.
Since gaining popularity in the West — thanks to Shin Megami Tensei III and Persona 3 on the PS2 — Atlus’ star has only risen, with the latter sub-series becoming its own beast. But in terms of the more traditional, hardcore, and games you can get in the West, what is the best Shin Megami Tensei game?
Released just one month ago, Hypercharge: Unboxed is a chaotic first-and-third-person shooter that places you in a world of sentient childhood toys, brought to life by the ancient power of the Hypercore. Your task is to defend the Hypercore from total destruction by taking down the waves of rogue toys sent to destroy it.
Speaking to Xbox Wire, Hypercharge: Unboxed Creative Gameplay & Marketing Director Joe Henson shares that they’re “overwhelmed with emotions” about the response to the game on Xbox. “It feels almost surreal – like living in a dream. Sometimes, I wake up and wonder if it’s all real!
“To have poured our hearts into this project and to see it embraced so warmly by our players is incredibly fulfilling.”
Henson shares that reaching this milestone on Xbox has been transformative for the studio’s small team of six. The success has not only changed their lives, but has also altered the dynamic of their indie studio and what it can focus on next.
“We now have the ability to allocate a decent budget towards marketing and invest in areas of the game that we previously couldn’t afford to enhance,” Henson says. “Additionally, the support from Xbox has been phenomenal, helping us get the game in front of as many players as possible. Their support has been invaluable, and we are truly grateful for it.”
Hypercharge: Unboxed itself harks back to the simple shooters of old, and Henson cites both Halo and Goldeneye as examples of similar games with easy to pick up but highly engaging mechanics. It’s these characteristics that make Hypercharge: Unboxed feel incredibly at home on Xbox, and for Digital Cybercherries, the choice to bring their exciting new shooter to the platform felt like a no brainer.
“This kind of nostalgic gameplay really resonates with Xbox players, plus the inclusion of split-screen play enhances that old-school feel,” Henson adds.
Thinking Outside the Box
The idea of Hypercharge: Unboxed stemmed from a simple but compelling curiosity – what would the world look like from a miniature perspective? Taking inspiration from the likes of seminal ’80s and ’90s movies such as “Toy Story”, “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids,” and – most importantly for the team – “Small Soldiers”, the studio found themselves enamoured with the concept of bringing these nostalgic, childhood memories to life.
“While brainstorming ideas for our first game, someone mentioned ‘Small Soldiers’ and a lightbulb went off,” Henson says. “We couldn’t believe we’d almost forgotten such a pivotal film from our childhoods! We watched it there and then, and were mesmerized by the animations, the whimsical story, and how it made action figures feel alive.”
Many of us are joined by those same nostalgic memories, and Henson believes that is what makes Hypercharge: Unboxed’s setting feel truly unique.
“Hypercharge isn’t just a game; it’s an experience that strengthens bonds and spans generations,” Henson says. “For parents who grew up in the late ’80s and early ’90s, it’s a trip down memory lane – a chance to relive the excitement of their childhood. But more importantly, it allows them to share this joy with their children.”
With several multiplayer modes – including 1-4 player online and local co-op – and an offline PvE story campaign, there are tons of ways for friends and families to gather and relive the nostalgia coursing through Hypercharge: Unboxed together.
And the game is only just getting started on Xbox. While the small team is hard at working to ensure the smoothest possible experience on Xbox consoles, Henson shares that with us that the they’re also exploring an ‘Endless Game Mode’ – where you’ll test your mettle against endless waves of enemies. There’s no building, just pure, plastic chaos that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s early days for the idea, but the studio is extremely excited about the potential.
“The Xbox community has provided a wealth of positive feedback, which has been invaluable,” Henson adds. “We already have our next update planned, but with the excitement and support we’ve received, who knows, there might even be a Hypercharge 2 in the future!”
Hypercharge: Unboxed is out now for Xbox Series X|S.
HELP SGT. MAX AMMO TO DEFEAT MAJOR EVIL AND SAVE THE HYPERCORE!
There was once an ancient line of action figures, who created a magical power source that would allow humans to keep their favourite childhood memories of their toys. This ancient power source is known as the Hypercore.
Inside the Hypercore are the beloved memories of our favorite toys. If Major Evil destroys it, these memories will disappear forever. Defend it with everything you’ve got, or see our cherished toys turn into lost treasures of the past!
Hypercharge is a first and third-person shooter action figure game you’ve always dreamed of! Grab your friends, complete objectives, defend the Hypercore against waves of weaponized toys, and defeat Major Evil together in the story campaign!
PLAY CO-OP WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Work together as a team to defend the Hypercore. Grab a friend, break out of your toy packaging, and get ready to fight waves of classic toys. Prepare for each wave by searching for weapons, resources, and even hidden secrets.
OFFLINE PLAY FOR SOLO PLAYERS
Not everybody likes to play online. Hypercharge supports Offline, Split-Screen and Local play. You can progress and unlock everything in-game while playing solo.
PLAYER BOTS
Don’t have a team to play with? Don’t worry, we’ve got you solo players covered. Player bots listen to your commands, collect resources, and even help to build defences.
UNLOCK ACTION FIGURES
In Hypercharge, hundreds of unlocks are available, all of which can be earned directly in-game without any microtransactions.
PLAYER VERSUS PLAYER MODES
Go head-to-head against other action figures as you fight to become top of the scoreboard! Classic PvP modes include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Battery, Infection, and King of the Hill.
Last week, we asked you to soak up the gaming sun and share gaming moments inspired by summer using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
supersaturnnshares Astro wading in the pool with Kratos and Atreus in Astro’s Playroom
wingsforsmilesshares the beach and boardwalk rollercoaster from Cyberpunk 2077
CaGamer_07shares Ichiban Kasuga swimming with a dolphin in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
NemesisNat shares a woman surfing near a vintage van in GTA Online
Diesmo16 shares Aloy sitting and smiling on a beach in Horizon Forbidden West
clerence_1993 shares Tifa, Aerith, and Cloud in swimsuits on the beach in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Fireworks SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on July 3, 2024
Next week, we’re watching the gaming skies for bursts of color. Share in-game fireworks, sparks, or laser lights using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
Hideo Kojima left Konami and the Metal Gear series he created nine years ago, but for the person now producing the franchise it would be a “dream” to have the legendary developer back in the fold.
As reported by VGC, Konami’s Metal Gear series producer Noriaki Okamura said on a recent livestream published to YouTube that, personally speaking, he’d love to work with Kojima again on Metal Gear.
“But just speaking for myself, personally, I’d like nothing better than to work with Mr. Kojima and the rest of the team again,” Okamura said. “If that could happen, that would be the dream.
“But people have moved on to new things and new commitments, and that’s just our current reality. We can’t just take it for granted that everyone would work with us again, or let ourselves be completely dependent on them.”
Of course, it seems extremely unlikely that Hideo Kojima will work on Metal Gear again after his high-profile exit from Konami amid the launch of Metal Gear Solid 5 in September 2015. Kojima went on to take his studio, Kojima Productions, into new intellectual property territory with the release of Death Stranding, and is now working on a sequel among a number of other projects. There’s even a Death Stranding movie in the works.
Perhaps mindful of that, Okamura said it was up to Konami’s in-house Metal Gear team to do a good job with new entries in the series, including the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, which was the focus of the livestream.
Meanwhile, Okamura confirmed Kojima and the original staff will be credited in the Unreal Engine 5-powered remake, as they were in last year’s Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1.
Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pictures
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Mika and The Witch’s Mountain appears to be an unofficial video game adaptation of Kiki’s Delivery Service, which is a Studio Ghibli film about a witch who decides to go postal, but not in the Running with Scissors sense. Created by developers Chibig and Nukefist, it’s a “mini open world” game about carrying packages by broomstick while investigating the titular mountain, flying through hoops a la Pilotwings, and savouring the balmy inconsequentiality of an island that reminds me of Super Mario Sunshine. It also now has an early access release date, 21st August, and a charming new trailer.
EA Sports has officially revealed the best overall teams available in College Football 25.
In the latest announcement regarding the highly anticipated return of College Football video games, EA Sports revealed the top 25 overall teams. The overall rating number represents the quality of the entire team, using both offensive and defensive parameters to determine it.
College Football 25’s top-rated team is the University of Georgia (UGA), which has an overall team rating of 95. UGA’s overall team rating should not be entirely surprising to some, as we learned yesterday that UGA was ranked the top offensive team and the second-best defensive team in College Football 25. Additionally, we learned earlier this week that UGA’s Sanford Stadium was ranked number five in the top 25 toughest places to play in College Football 25.
Alongside UGA, seven additional teams have a team overall rating of 90 or higher, including Ohio State (93 overall), Texas (92 overall), and LSU (90 overall). The full list is available below.
College Football 25 is the first game in the college football gaming franchise since 2013’s NCAA Football 14. Most notably, College Football 25 marks the first time real-life student-athletes are being used, with all 134 FBS schools confirmed to be featured in the game in some capacity, such as stadium traditions and mascots. Additionally, college bowl games, awards such as the Heisman Trophy, and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals are featured in College Football 25.
College Football 25 will be released on July 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more, check out our hands-on preview, where I explain why it is more than just a clone of the Madden NFL football games.
College Football 25’s Best Overall TeamsGeorgia – (95 OVR)
Georgia – (95 OVR)
Ohio State – (93 OVR)
Oregon – (93 OVR)
Alabama – (92 OVR)
Texas – (92 OVR)
Clemson – (90 OVR)
Notre Dame – (90 OVR)
LSU – (90 OVR)
Penn State – (88 OVR)
Utah – (88 OVR)
Michigan – (88 OVR)
Florida State – (88 OVR)
Miami – (88 OVR)
Texas A&M – (88 OVR)
Ole Miss – (88 OVR)
Colorado – (87 OVR)
Oklahoma – (87 OVR)
Wisconsin – (87 OVR)
USC – (87 OVR)
Virginia Tech – (87 OVR)
NC State – (87 OVR)
Kansas – (87 OVR)
Arizona – (87 OVR)
Oklahoma State – (87 OVR)
Iowa – (87 OVR)
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
We didn’t get to Sandfall and Kepler Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 while covering Microsoft’s summer showcase a couple of weeks ago. If memory serves, when they ran that particular trailer I was busy sponging swampwater out my eyes after writing up South Of Midnight, while Nic had become so vociferously agitated over the debut of Doom: Dark Ages that he was no longer solid and tangible enough to operate a keyboard. Graham, meanwhile, had absconded with Joanna Dark to Immersive Sim Land and Matt, poor Matt, had fallen into a Locust sinkhole while “omnimanouevring” around Black Ops 6. But if one of us had been free and willing we might have had enthusiastic thoughts about this “evolution of JRPGs”, in which you are trying to thwart a self-serious artist who is about to magically murder everybody over the age of 32. It is, alas, too late for me.
Cardy, Matt, and Emma have all been playing Elden Ring’s new DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, and give an update on their (mostly spoiler-free) journeys so far, including all of the new weapons, places, and fingers they’ve seen so far. They’ve also been watching the new season of The Bear with a range of thoughts shared on the opening episodes of the restaurant drama. And finally, Emma has been getting to grips with M. Bison in the latest Street Fighter update. Plus, there’s a new Spotify-based Endless Search game to play.
Be sure to send us your thoughts about all the new games, films, and TV shows to ign_ukfeedback@ign.com.
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
Blue seas, clear skies, and boundless possibilities await in Dawntrail, the newest expansion pack for the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy XIV Online! Explore uncharted territories with familiar faces as you discover new tribes, confront formidable threats, and expand your horizons as hope’s light dawns once more.
Combat the alien Vulgus and protect the planet Albion and the continent of Ingris! The First Descendant is a free-to-play third-person co-op action RPG looter shooter with high-quality graphics powered by Unreal Engine 5. Featuring a wide variety of characters with unique concepts and combat styles, massive boss battles, four player co-op, a variety of weapons, and more!
Imagine a cardboard box. Is it shaped to fit one to two fluffy felines? What about five? What about twenty? Fit My Cat presents you with many cute kitties that all wish to sit where they deem fit. Test your skills and show the world that herding cats is where fun begins!
Welcome to Parkitect: Deluxe Edition, a modern take on classic park tycoons where you build and manage the theme parks of your dreams. Construct your own coasters, design an efficiently operating park that fully immerses your guests in its theme, and play through the campaign.
Shy Cats Hidden Orchestra is a hidden object game where you need to find musician kittens that are embarrassed to play their music. When you find them, they will play songs for you.
The ABC Murders is an adventure and investigation game adapted from the classic Agatha Christie novel. The player embodies the famous Hercule Poirot in a 3rd person perspective adventure game packed with mysteries. Once again, the private detective will find himself up against a mysterious opponent who goes by the name of ABC.
An immersive first-person horror experience that puts you in the shoes of Judith, a young woman who wakes up in the gloomy facilities of a psychiatric hospital. You must escape from this macabre place by solving mysteries while avoiding capture by Eddie, your sinister hunter.
Explore the last remnants of civilization in this vast, unforgiving, and interconnected world. Learn what is left of its history. Discover pockets of civilization in the perpetually expanding Omnistructure. Lose yourself in a journey unlike any other.
It’s time for some fun on the farm in whimsical action puzzler Bouncy Chicken! Master single-screen challenges in top-down 3D style as you take aim at fire your feathered projectile around the chicken pen to gather cobs of corn. The objective is to collect every cob of corn on screen before your shot chances run out.
A new mysterious enemy threatens the world once again! Only one hero can save the world… Shockman! Join bionic heroes Raita and Azuki as they face all kinds of dangerous enemies to save humanity. Is this heroic task too much for you? Then join forces with a friend for some classic-style action!
Find yourself in a future city full of gangs, mafias, and other shady people. Become a vigilante who works during the day and gets into a killing frenzy at night. Hop in the car, select a destination, and explore every corner of Crimson Tide. If you want to feel an adrenaline rush, you can explore the city on foot but watch your back and don’t ask too many questions.
In this retro-style arcade game, you must shoot monsters to gather their colored spheres! Get three of the same color in a row to get an update; get all three colors to win.
Paint the map in your own color, eliminate your opponents, get the highest score and take over the Paper io world. Use your strategic skills and power-ups to attack and claim all of the white space that was previously owned by other players.
![[Pre-Order] FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail](https://store-images.s-microsoft.com/image/apps.36555.14590082540545246.a4e1b352-ab5f-40d7-a774-28475b11ac45.47c7411b-c00c-493e-a834-9026f49abccc?w=400&h=600)
