Enshrouded updates will expand the building tools, speed up resource respawning and fix progress loss

Now see here Ollie Toms, supposed guides editor of this supposed videogames website – if Enshrouded really does have “the best building system in the survival genre” then why does the floor of my hovel look like a petrified sneeze? I was innocently carving myself a nice stone foundation last night when the Devil jogged my elbow and I dug a massive, raggedy trench straight through it. I’ve spent an hour now trying to fill in the trench and flatten it out, to no avail. There’s always a jaggedy bit right in the middle, and I’m getting displaced trypophobia from the awareness that my efforts have seeded the terrain beneath with random cavities.

What’s worse, there is no mention of enhancing the floor-levelling functionality in this Keen Games forum post on Enshrouded’s various launch issues, which they are even now racing to fix. Instead, it’s all talk of frame rates, multiplayer stability and dedicated servers not appearing. Somebody rush me a cement mixer, stat, or I’m moving back to Valheim.

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My Nintendo Store Reveals Princess Peach: Showtime! Pre-Order Bonuses (UK)

Notebooks and tote bags and pins, oh my!

It’s full steam ahead for Nintendo’s upcoming 2024 releases and while Mario vs. Donkey Kong is technically next on the schedule, that doesn’t mean that Princess Peach: Showtime! is shrouded in the mysteries of the future.

Just this week, we got a look at a brand-new trailer and some tie-in pastel pink Joy-Con, so it seems only right that Nintendo would start to advertise the upcoming game’s pre-order bonuses now too.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Has an Entire Pokémon Game Inside It

Spoiler Warning: The following article contains spoilers surrounding a type of side quest which becomes available in Chapter 4 of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, but doesn’t feature any major story spoilers.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth may be a turn-based RPG already, but the latest Yakuza also has an entirely separate turn based RPG minigame inside it that mimics (and parodies) a Pokémon game.

Infinite Wealth doubles down on the Pokémon references of its predecessor, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, expanding that game’s Sujimon concept from a fun collection mechanic to a full-on game of its own.

Though players will add Sujimon, which are just the game’s regular enemies, to their Sujidex as before, an entirely new side quest parodies both Pokémon Go and the mainline Pokémon games by having players engage in raids to catch Sujimon, battle gyms, and eventually take on the Sujimon League King.

Players will meet the previous game’s Sujimon Sensei early on, who bestows upon them the Sujidex and the promise of a whole new region of monsters to catch in Hawaii. Though this is already very Pokémon, as new regions were added to introduce new Pokémon in each game, the Sujimon Sensei drops another reference. “One could call it an entirely different region of Sujimon. A tropical dreamscape, yet a land of shadows — blessed by the sun and the moon,” he says, referencing Pokémon Sun and Moon, which take place in the fictional Alola region, based on Hawaii.

Before the extent of the Sujimon League unfolds, an NPC can also be spotted talking about how he took a week off from work “to come catch that rare Hawaiian exclusive”, a reference to Pokémon Go’s regional exclusive Pokémon.

These mild connections are blown out the water when Ichiban encounters the Sujimon Sensei in Hawaii again though. “Hawaii hosts a Sujimon tournament of some magnitude,” he says. “It’s a professional obligation I investigate.”

The pair then walk through a technology shop before giving a secret code to the man behind the counter: “Who’s that Sujimon?”, which is a callback to the Pokémon expression made popular through the original anime.

A secret door emerges and Ichiban enters a very Pokémon-looking Sujimon Stadium where trainers are battling. Though we described Sujimon as Infinite Wealth’s “regular” enemies, that term is a bit of an understatement. While the Yakuza games are relatively grounded in reality, the overactive imagination of Ichiban means he sees every regular hooligan as a fantastic monster. Some merely have glowing eyes, but others turn into giant basketballs, futuristic robots, or demonic chickens. It’s these versions of the enemies players must collect and battle with.

Sujimon battles work differently to Infinite Wealth’s main turn-based combat, taking more inspiration from the likes of Pokémon Go, where trainers take it turns dealing damage depending on how quickly their SP bar fills up. Sujimon also have different types — Blaze, Frost, Nature, Light, and Shadow — and these work with the same rock, paper, scissors mechanics that Pokémon does. Frost beats Blaze, Blaze beats Nature, and so on.

Ichiban’s Sujimon adventure is set up once his initial battle is complete. There are four Sujimon Gyms he must conquer before taking on the Sujimon King. Just like Pokémon, each one has a couple of trainers to fight first before taking on the main baddie: a member of the Discreet Four. This is another Pokémon reference, parodying the Elite Four which players take on before the Pokémon League Champion.

Following this introduction, the Sujimon Sensei sends Ichiban off with a message of hope: “You must travel across the land, searching far and wide. Catch Sujimon, become a man, I’ll wait here, inside.” This is another throwback to the Pokémon anime and its iconic opening credits song.

It’s not just the story that mimics Pokémon though, but gameplay too. Beyond battles, players must also catch Sujimon, and can do so in a couple of ways. Pokémon Go style raids are one method, as various locations around the map have countdowns that spawn Sujimon Raids when complete. Ichiban battles these Sujimon with regular Infinite Wealth mechanics, but once complete will have a chance to catch them. An opportunity to catch a Sujimon is also offered occasionally after beating one of the Sujimon trainers who are also dotted around the map.

The catching mechanic is very similar to Pokémon Go too, but instead of catching pocket monsters in a Poké Ball, Ichiban offers Sujimon a Suji Gift. These mimic Pokémon items too, ranging from common to super to hyper and eventually master. Players must then time the release of the gift to ensure maximum effectiveness, before tapping on the Sujimon to increase the chances further. Naturally, Ichiban is given a starter Sujimon to begin his journey, and can choose from Blaze, Frost, or Nature.

Suji Spots (yes, like PokéStops) are also present around the world, and just like Pokémon Go grant players items for passing through them. Players can use these locations to strengthen and evolve their Sujimon too, plus engage in practice battles and buy things from the Sujimon shop.

Infinite Wealth is available today, January 26, for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X and S, and PC. It features the Yakuza series’ biggest map to date and lets players become a samurai, surfer, and housekeeper as it continues the unique blend of dramatic crime thriller and completely wacky shenanigans.

Publisher Sega has caused some frustration, however, as Infinite Wealth’s New Game Plus mode is exclusive to the Deluxe and Ultimate versions of the game, which come in at $15 and $40 more expensive respectfully.

In our 9/10 review, IGN said: “Sprawling, enthralling, and packed with dynamic brawling, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth isn’t just the best turn-based Like a Dragon game, it’s one of the greatest games in the entire series.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Former Stardew Valley dev reveals urban life sim Sunkissed City

What do you do after running away from the big city to start a new life in the country? You run away from the country to start a new life in the big city, obviously. Former Stardew Valley developer Arthur “Mr. Podunkian” Lee has announced Sunkissed City, a life simulation game set in a delightful coastal burb that’s reportedly “pumping with funky vibes and quirky characters”, together with migraines, stretches of dead water and horrible sewer monsters.

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Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s PC performance and modernised settings make it a mostly smooth trip

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth isn’t exactly spawned from the most hardware-bothering of game series. Most previous LADs, be they Kiryu’s Adventures in Punching or the more turn-based reboot have all been technically gentle affairs, and Infinite Wealth is ultimately another one. At the same time, it shares with Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name a newfound interest in PC-specific tricks. That means a full selection of DLSS, FSR and XeSS upscalers, plus DLSS 3 frame generation. Real yakuza might use a gamepad, but it seems real fuzz-haired RPG fantasists use graphics cards.

Let’s take a closer look, then, at how RGG’s latest crime caper performs on PC. We’ll also work out its best settings, to keep it running smoother than a legally distinct Segway.

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Microsoft Lays Off 1,900 Xbox, Bethesda And Activision Blizzard Employees

It’s been a rough start for the industry in 2024.

Some more industry news has broken this week, and this time it relates to Microsoft’s Xbox division, which last year finalised its acquisition of Activision Blizzard and has in recent times reiterated its support for Nintendo platforms.

In a message from the Xbox and Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer (via IGN), it’s been revealed 1,900 roles out of 22,000 in total across the team have been axed.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

‘Switch 2’ Launching This Year With 8-Inch LCD Screen, According To New Analyst Rumour

Just imagine.

Another analyst has reportedly shared new information about the rumoured system dubbed ‘Switch 2’, claiming Nintendo’s next device will come with an 8-inch LCD screen and will arrive at some point in 2024.

This information was shared in a new story by Bloomberg, with the source being Omdia analyst Hiroshi Hayase, an individual who conducts research based on company supply chains of “small and medium displays”.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Pokémon Scarlet And Violet New Tera Raid Battle & Mass Outbreak Now Live

Here are the featured Pokémon.

If you’re still enjoying Pokémon Scarlet & Violet on a regular basis there’s been an update to Tera Raid Battles and mass outbreaks in the game.

Starting this week, Flutter Mane and Iron Jugulis are now appearing Tera Raid Battles through the Paldea region. You can check out more details about the Pokémon in this new event raid on Serebii.net. These are 5 Star Raids and both Pokémon start at Level 75, can drop a bunch of different items and have varied Tera Types.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Pick Up a 1TB Nintendo Switch Memory Card for Only $53.99 on Amazon

Amazon currently has a TEAMGROUP GO 1TB Micro SDXC card for only $53.99. This is currently least expensive 1TB Micro SDXC card available from a well-known retailer, and it’s fully compatible with the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and ASUS ROG Ally portable handhelds.

1TB Micro SDXC Card (Switch Compatible) for $53.99

If you’ve started compiling a collection of digital games, you probably already know just how limited the Switch’s base storage capacity. The Switch and Switch OLED consoles have 32GB and 64GB of internal storage, respectively, with some of it reserved for the OS. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom uses up 16GB and Breath of the Wild about 13.5GB. If bought digitally, those two games alone would take up all of your internal storage on the OG Switch console. There’s only one expansion slot in the Switch console so you want to make sure you get the biggest card you can afford.

The TEAMGROUP Micro SDXC card is compatible with virtually any device that accepts the Micro SDXC card standard. That includes the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, any recently released smartphone that supports expandable memory, GoPros, cameras and much more.

Despite its low price, the TEAMGROUP is faster than your average Micro SDXC card. It has a U3 A1 rating and boasts transfer speeds of up to 100MB/s read and 50MB/s write.

Need a faster speed? There’s another Micro SDXC card for you.

The TEAMGROUP PRO PLUS 1TB Micro SDXC card is rated U3 A2 with transfer speeds up to 160MB/s read and 110MB/s write. This extra speed can’t be exploited in a Nintendo Switch, but this is a better Micro SDXC card for mobile electronics that often handle bitrate heavy files like GoPros, smartphones with 4K video recording, DSLR cameras, and PCs with an available Micro SD or SD card slot (an adapter is included).