The Callisto Protocol will be getting its first and only bit of story DLC next week, which Striking Distance are describing as the game’s “heart-pounding final chapter”. Entitled Final Transmission, a short teaser trailer has been released giving us a look at what protagonist Jacob Lee will be getting up to, but it doesn’t really show us all that much. There seems to be some kind of fleshy robot monster that says he’ll “never escape,” but that’s all we’ve got to go off right now.
Final Fantasy 16 may not be available yet but fans who’ve played its two-hour demo have latched on to one new feature in particular: Active Time Lore.
This lets players pause the game at any moment, whether they’re in the midst of normal gameplay, combat, or cutscenes, to see what is essentially a mind map of relevant lore.
“Active Time Lore is the best implementation of an in-game journal I’ve seen in an action-adventure title,” said Reddit user beholdthebean. “It is such a small thing but really made a difference in guiding me through the game’s lore without being too clunky and overwhelming.”
Games typically build up what’s more like an encyoclopaedia of background information as players progress through, leaving those who aren’t checking it consistently with an often overwhelming amount of journal entries to catch up on.
Active Time Lore, however, “provides only the bits that are relevant to and concurrent with the in-game scenery and even cutscenes, meaning I can catch up quick and learn the context of certain information or dialogue in a pinch,” added beholdthebean.
Duke_Silver1987 agreed: “Not many games these days try to implement features that should be included in every game,” they said. “However, Active Time Lore should be industry standard from here on out.
“For someone who loves lore but does switch off from time to time, this feature has been amazing. Stopping a cutscene to get some lore on a side character really adds some depth. Better yet, the text changes on the fly when the story changes.”
That seems to be the intention behind Active Time Lore: it lets players catch up on which of the dozen handsome, spikey-haired characters they’re currently talking to and why it matters.
Final Fantasy 16 launches on June 22 but Square Enix has warned spoilers may have already leaked online due to the “illegitimate acquisition” of physical copies. Fans looking to spoil the first couple of hours themselves can jump into the aforementioned demo though, with progress carrying over to the main game.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
But it would be “difficult”, says Square Enix VP.
We’ve already got Final Fantasy VI on modern consoles thanks to the Pixel Remaster, but what if Square Enix decided to remake its beloved 1994 RPG? Apparently, some staff at the studio want to see it, according to vice president and Final Fantasy VII Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase (via @Genki_JPN).
To celebrate the Final Fantasy series’ 35th anniversary, Square Enix hosted a roundtable discussion (on YouTube) on the Pixel Remasters and the franchise, featuring Kitase alongside the “father of Final Fantasy” Hironobu Sakaguchi and artist Kazuko Shibuya. During the chat, Kitase addresses the question of a Final Fantasy VI remake, which has been kindly translated by Genki on Twitter:
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Ahead of the game’s release in August, Baldur’s Gate 3 has received a prequel murder mystery game that lets you vote on how things unfold. Playable for free in your browser, it’s titled Blood in Baldur’s Gate, and is set 15 years before the events of Baldur’s Gate 3. Developer Larian Studios revealed the project yesterday. In it, you play as a detective tasked with solving a murder, and by you, I quite literally mean all of you, as this one will take a bit of collaboration.
Following the removal of the “Lite” version & Mythril Shop.
At the end of last year, Square Enix announced its racing title Chocobo GP would receive “no further large scale updates” and that it would discontinue sales of the paid currency Mythril in January 2023, which allowed players to spend real money to unlock additional content.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Here’s what you can expect.
After another teaser for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope – The Last Spark Hunter at Ubisoft Forward last week, new details have surfaced about this second DLC update.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Greetings, Wanderers! Get ready to immerse yourself in a world of boundless exploration and adrenaline-pumping battles. Tower of Fantasy, the immersive open-world RPG brought to you by Perfect World Games, is making its grand debut on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on August 8th (UTC+0), and pre-order is officially open today. Brace yourselves as you craft your very own one-of-a-kind character and embark on an unforgettable journey, either alone or alongside your friends. This world awaits your arrival.
Let’s dive into some of the amazing features that will make your journey truly extraordinary.
After the release on PlayStation, all wanderers can take an adventure in the map called Domain 9, filled with eastern aesthetics. You’ll also encounter an intriguing character named Liu Huo—a spirited and formidable girl with an undeniable passion for martial arts. She loves to wear a vibrant red dress reflecting her prowess in combat and her role as the guardian of Farewellville. However, there’s more to Liu Huo than meets the eye. Beyond her rough exterior lies a burning passion for the arts, particularly painting, and calligraphy. Join Liu Huo as she strives to balance her pursuit of elegance with her spirited nature, and witness firsthand the extraordinary journey that awaits her.
To reflect Liu Huo’s personality, we put a lot of thought into designing her appearance, combat actions, and skill effects. There are many eastern elements can be found in Liu Huo’s appearance. Her outer garment is made of silk with embroidered golden patterns on the collar. Her weapon is a giant brush called Pine Comet, which suits her refined taste. Additionally, the character “霸” is written on her legs, symbolizing her dominant personality.
When designing her combat moves, we fused calligraphy and martial arts, capturing the essence of ink painting. We utilized vibrant blue and orange flames to intensify the visual impact, employing brushstrokes to convey varying levels of intensity. As Liu Huo unleashes her weapon “Pine Comet” in battle, it’s as if she wields a brush, evoking a formidable presence. However, keen-eyed observers familiar with Chinese characters might catch a stroke error. It appears that Liu Huo still has room to grow on her path to be a real artist.
The DualSense wireless controller allows us to provide an immersive experience through haptic feedback. During intense battles, when hitting enemies or facing moments of crisis with significant blood loss, the controller’s haptics help you accurately assess the current combat environment. Outside of combat, appropriate haptics during key story moments create a thrilling experience. When racing, the controller’s vibrations accompany intense collisions, making it feel like a steering wheel and immersing you in the excitement of high-speed racing.
Moreover, you can communicate with teammates through the controller’s built-in microphone, making the vast world less lonely.
At the same time, the stunning 4K graphics and visual effects of the PS5 provide players with a high-resolution gaming experience. Currently, Tower of Fantasy features diverse map styles, including the sci-fi wasteland style of Aesperia, the cyberpunk metropolis of Mirroria, the deep underwater world of Innars, and the upcoming magical eastern world of Domain 9. In the 4K mode on PlayStation, the neon lights of Mirroria become mesmerizing, the Grand Sea undergoes dynamic changes, and the clouds and red maple of Domain 9 exhibit a mysterious eastern charm, further enhancing the visual experience.
Tower of Fantasy is now available for pre-order at PS Store. Get all the details on what’s included in each version of the game, as well as the pre-order bonuses, below.
The standard edition of Tower of Fantasy contains the base game and comes with the following pre-order bonus contents:
The Tower of Fantasy Deluxe Edition contains the base game as well as:
![48-Hour Early Access
Simulacrum Deluxe Box x1
Outfit [Move Planes] for PS4/PS5.
Avatar [Smarty Housekeeper (2nd Gen.)] for PS4/PS5.
Avatar Frame [Playtime] for PS4/PS5.
Chat Frame [Game Master] for PS4/PS5.
Monthly Pass x1
Tanium x2000
Gold Nucleus x10
Black Nucleus x10
Weapon Augmentation Box II x20
Fried Chicken x10
Crispy Grilled Fish x10
Sizzling Meat x10
Nut tea x10](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52974629352_bc5ff54ed0_h.jpg)
The Tower of Fantasy Ultimate Edition contains the base game as well as:
![48-Hour Early Access
Simulacrum Premium Box x1
Race Car [Icy Blue Blooming] for PS4/PS5.
Jetpack Skin [White-Tailed Meteor] for PS4/PS5.
Outfit [Move Planes] for PS4/PS5.
Avatar [Smarty Housekeeper (2nd Gen.)] for PS4/PS5.
Avatar Frame [Playtime] for PS4/PS5.
Chat Frame [Game Master] for PS4/PS5.
Monthly Pass x1
Tanium x3000
Red Nucleus x10
Gold Nucleus x10
Black Nucleus x10
Random SR Relic Shard Box x20
Weapon Augmentation Box II x20
Fried Chicken x10
Crispy Grilled Fish x10
Sizzling Meat x10
Nut tea x10](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52975679003_9d5581c083_h.jpg)
During the development of the Tower of Fantasy PlayStation version, we have learned and accumulated valuable experience. Open-world games have infinite potential for exploration, and we will continue to bring more enriching and enjoyable content. We hope you enjoy it.
Ready to unleash your inner wanderer on PlayStation?
Square Enix quietly updated the Final Fantasy racing game Chocobo GP a few days ago and it now allows players to unlock all in-game items without spending any money as the game no longer features any microtransactions.
Spotted by Nintendeal, the game’s eShop listing was updated to say “Release date: June 15, 2023.” There were two versions of the game – its free-to-play Chocobo GP Lite and Chocobo GP – and both of them were filled with microtransactions, despite the latter being priced at $50.
Square Enix re-released Chocobo GP on June 15 — it now includes all unlockables in-game and no longer has microtransactions https://t.co/w6P55n6S4v
If you previously played Chocobo GP Lite, you can purchase the upgrade to transfer your save: https://t.co/vgyObWutJr pic.twitter.com/2HZ9bzhXxK
— Nintendeal (@Nintendeal) June 19, 2023
While it seems like the game has been free of microtransactions for a while, this new version makes all of the timed-exclusive content readily available to unlock, including new vehicle colors that were tied to certain seasons. Players can now also simply grind to unlock characters and costumes.
On the eShop, the new download is actually just the Chocobo GP Lite version with an upgrade to receive the full version. Those who already downloaded Lite should just purchase the “upgrade to the full game” DLC instead.
Back in May, Square Enix announced that it would be discontinuing Chocobo GP Lite in all regions on June 1. The Mythril currency would lose its value on May 31, but those who already downloaded the game could still continue playing as well as upgrade to the full version.
While it’s exciting that players turned off by the microtransactions and free-to-play mechanics of Chocobo GP may now have a reason to check out the game, Square Enix did announce back in December 2022 that there will be “no further large scale updates (e.g. new characters or new maps) to the game after the Season 5 update on Wednesday, December 21, 2022.”
That being said, there is still a lot of content in the game and may be worth a look for those who need a little more Final Fantasy in their lives before Final Fantasy 16 arrives.
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey
Castle’s in the air.
Something very mysterious is going on with a sadly obscure but fondly remembered gem from the Famicom era. It was built on the same game engine as the original Legend of Zelda, but unlike Link who decades on remains at the vaunted heights of gaming’s all-time greats, the protagonist of this bygone classic never even got a proper international release in its day, never mind a sequel.
Spare a thought, then, for the lone samurai Takamaru.
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