Construct ‘n’ destruct sim Besiege recently got a splashy expansion in The Splintered Sea, which Nic enjoyed a lot in his review while calling it compact, small and brisk. Apparently Nic wasn’t alone in this opinion: its developers now say they’re working on a free update that will expand the expansion and make its campaign 50% longer.
SAO, Dragon Ball, One Piece and much more.
Alongside Anime Expo 2024 this week, Bandai Namco hosted its ‘Summer Showcase’ for 2024. The main show and pre-show were packed with all sorts of anime-related announcements, and many of the games featured are coming to the Switch.
While the majority of games and release dates have already been confirmed for the Switch (and many titles are already out), there were still some new announcements including a DLC reveal for Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream and some Pac-Man content for Gundam Breaker 4. This round up is also a great way to see what updates are currently being rolled out for Bandai Namco’s existing releases.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Personality, passion, profession, play.
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they’ve been chewing over. Today, Nathan considers how his analytical mind and love of data influence his recreation time…
I’m the oldest of four brothers. Over the past four years we’ve used video games as a means for connecting with each other. But not in the way you might expect. We haven’t been playing games together. Instead, we have an annual tradition of holding a weeks-long discussion and debate about games, game music, and most recently, to crown our collective favorite game ever.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
To hell with it.
The working week is over and it’s time to settle in for the weekend. Welcome back to another edition of What Are You Playing!
What’s been going on in the world of Nintendo recently, then? Well, we got a boatload of NSO drops as Nintendo served up a whopping seven additions to the NES library including Donkey Kong Jr. Math, Urban Champion, Golf and more. We also ran down all of the discounted delights in North America’s ‘Recollection Collection’ eShop sale, checked out more Nintendo lawsuits and shared our games of the year so far (because somehow we’re already halfway through 2024).
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Open network test takes place this month.
Bandai Namco is bringing together Gundam Breaker 4 and the Pac-Man series in the ultimate collaboration later this month.
Between 18th July – 20th July 2024, Gundam Breaker 4 will host a special “open network test” featuring a special Pac-Man level filled with appropriately-themed Pac-Man content including ghosts and more. There’ll also be some unlockable decals.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Following last month’s eShop release.
Towards the end of last month, Limited Run Games revealed Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition would be getting a physical release on 12th July 2024. It’s now shared a first look at the standard edition of the game along with a special Collector’s Edition.
The standard edition is priced at $34.99 USD and will come with a copy of the game. Pre-orders will be open until 11th August 2024 and the game is estimated to ship between “Dec 1 – 31”.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Coming ‘early 2025’.
NIS America has announced that The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II will be making its way to the Switch in ‘early 2025’.
The news comes as the first instalment launches, at the time of writing… today! Crikey, NIS doesn’t hang about, does it? It’s part of the much larger ‘Trails’ franchise which started in 2004 with Trails in the Sky for the PC, and comes after an initial Japanese launch on PS4 and PS5 in 2022.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Grab your fanciest parasols and prepare to save the galaxy from an invasion of cute but deadly monsters!
Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III is the third installment of the renowned Taito franchise, Bubble Bobble. It continues the story in Rainbow Islands as its direct sequel, becoming a household name for the most bubbly Bubble Bobble fans. First released in 1991 on PC Engine, Parasol Stars was then ported to a few third gen consoles like Atari ST, Amiga, GameBoy and Nintendo Entertainment System… until finally making its way to modern Xbox consoles.
In this final chapter of the rainbow trilogy, heroic brothers, Bubby and Bobby, set out on a quest to save the galaxy from the clutches of evil! Chaostikhan, the main antagonist, has wrought havoc on the galaxy, stealing color from all the neighboring planets. Play as Bubby and Bobby (also known as our favorite loveable dragons, Bub and Bob, but human) and jump and glide throughout the universe armed with magic parasols, collecting items, propelling enemies and restoring color one planet at a time.
This faithful Xbox port features everything you once loved about the game. A beautifully colorful array of enemies, bountiful power-ups and dazzling parasols with magic powers, while also incorporating a few quality-of-life options to improve the gaming experience.
Go at it alone or grab a friend for some old-fashioned couch co-op action! Hop around from planet to planet and beat all seven rounds of each of the eight base worlds! And surprise! Two additional secret worlds can be unlocked to face Chaostikhan himself and reach the true ending of the game.
Well? What are you waiting for? Everyone’s counting on you to bring back color to the galaxy!
Check out Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III, available for pre-order now, and releasing on July 11, 2024.
United Games Entertainment GmbH
In this critically acclaimed Taito classic, available on modern consoles for the first time, the now-transformed Bubby and Bobby embark on a mission to save their neighboring planets. But this time, instead of blowing bubbles, our favorite duo swings colorful parasols filled with magical powers. Use parasols as a shield against enemy projectiles or to stun, pick up and throw foes as projectiles themselves!
Parasol Stars released in 1991 as the sequel to Rainbow Islands, marks the third installment in Taito’s massively successful Bubble Bobble series of action platformers and has lost none of its colorful charm throughout the years.
High-score hunters can rejoice because just like in the bubble-filled predecessor skillful play will quickly fill the levels with sweet and fruity collectibles that can be gathered to climb the leaderboard.
Look out for a variety of pick-ups to be found granting you all sorts of special powers from bouncing energy balls to screen-clearing magic.
Play on your own or bring a friend and take on the challenging levels together! Just like using enemies as projectiles, flinging your buddy against the enemies could be a good strategy. But be careful, as you won’t only stun the enemy you hit but your buddy-turned projectile as well. In the 2-player co-op mode, tactical teamwork is key to clearing the levels and getting the highest scores.
Parasol Stars is a retro gem brought back for modern consoles whose bright and beautifully crafted worlds will draw you in, and its simple but addictive 1- or 2-player gameplay will make you want to come back again and again to reach the top of the leaderboard.
The post Bubby and Bobby Finally Glide Back into Action After 33 Years with Parasol Stars July 11 appeared first on Xbox Wire.
For today only (July 5), Best Buy is offering a 2TB Samsung 980 Pro PS5-compatible solid state drive (SSD) for only $134.99 shipped. SSD prices are still trending upwards for 2024, so it’s much more difficult to find a PS5 compatible 2TB M.2 SSD for the same low prices we saw last year. This is the best deal we’ve found so far on one of the most popular and reliable brands around.
The PS5 is an outstanding gaming console, but the 1TB SSD is a real bottleneck. Games like Gran Turismo 7, Elden Ring, Call of Duty, Final Fantasy 16, and NBA 2K24 each take up 100GB or more all by themselves. If you buy a lot of AAA titles, your drive will fill up very quickly. In addition, if you want to expand the PS5’s internal storage without compromising on speed, any old SSD just won’t cut it. You’ll want to pick up an PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 solid state drive with a minimum rated 5,500MB/s read speed.
Samsung SSDs need no introduction. They’ve made some of the most popular and reliable PS5 SSDs on the market. The 980 Pro has been out for a while now and has vetted many times over as an excellent candidate for your PlayStation 5’s storage expansion. It is fully PS5 compatible in terms of form factor and performance, with speeds of up to 7,100MB/s. This particular model is preinstaslled with a rugged heatsink that’s a lot better than the flimsy paper-thin graphene “heatsinks” you’ll find on some other SSDs at the same price.
If you have a gaming PC instead of a PS5 console, this SSD would also make a great boot drive. There are faster drives out there, but for OS and general app performance, you won’t notice any real world performance difference compared to this drive, which is already far faster than any traditional platter hard drive. The capacity is also ideal. For most people, a 2TB SSD should be enough to cover your OS, apps, and games. Sure a 4TB SSD would be even better, but they’re very, very expensive.
If you want more options, check out our picks for the best SSDs of 2024.
EA is looking to usher in a new era of soccer gaming with an EA Sports FC 25 release date of September 27, 2024, according to a recent leak.
Information on the FC 25 launch plans comes from Dealabs and reliable leaker Billbil-kun. A report from the site reveals the apparent release date alongside a handful of other details about its price and purchase options. Sports gaming fans are said to have two purchase options: Standard and Ultimate. It appears the former comes with the base experience for $69.99, while the latter offers seven days of early access starting on September 20 for $99.99. EA Play subscribers can also take advantage of early access thanks to a 10-hour trial.
FC 25 hasn’t been officially revealed yet, but Dealabs expects to see it announced within the next 10 days. No platforms have been promised yet either, though X/Twitter account PlayStation Game Size says it will at least come to PlayStation 4, which would mean that an Xbox One version is likely if that information is accurate. For reference, last year’s FC 24 launched for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X | S on September 22, 2023.
EA’s soccer outings were previously known as FIFA but saw a shift following the expiration of a nearly 30-year partnership with the FIFA brand. The fallout has resulted in the name change to EA Sports FC and a new logo as the series has moved to kick off a new beginning. It got its start with FC 24 last year.
EA has yet to confirm a release date, pricing information, or any details about FC 25. While we wait for a potential announcement, you can read our 7/10 review of last year’s installment. At the time, we said, “It might have a new name, but EA Sports FC 24 is just about the same, frustrating but beautiful game that FIFA’s been for many years.”
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
