Capcom revealed some of the new Baki the Grappler items and emotes inspired by Doppo Orochi that will be available in Street Fighter 6 as part of the latest collaboration with the anime and manga series. The new collaboration will run between August 16 and September 25, 2024.

The first item inspired by Doppo Orochi that will appear on Street Fighter 6 will be a costume inspired by Doppo’s martial arts uniform. This costume will be available for the player avatar in SF6. Additionally, two emotes inspired by the Baki the Grappler series will be available. Finally, 12 in-game stickers featuring Baki the Grappler manga panels will be available.

You can take a better look at the Doppo Orochi costume, emotes, and stickers from Baki the Grappler that will appear on Street Fighter 6 here:

The previous SF6 collaboration with the Baki the Grappler manga and anime series appeared in September 2023 and as part of it Capcom released character creator recipes for Baki Hanma and Kaoru Hanayama.

Street Fighter 6 is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. The new Baki the Grappler collaboration features costumes, emotes, and in-game stickers, and it will run from August 16 to September 25, 2024.

The post Street Fighter 6 Baki the Grappler Doppo Items, Emotes Shown appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix is bringing back 4 of the Kingdom Hearts metallic keyblade keychains. Pre-orders for the keychains are now open from the Square Enix online eStore, and they are expected to release in Japan on September 28, 2024.

Each keychain costs 2,090 yen (or approximately $13.97.) The 4 keyblades that are being restocked are Sora’s signature Kingdom Key, Oathkeeper, Fenrir from KH2, and Flame Liberator, also known as Bond of the Blaze, which is Axel/Lea’s keyblade as it appeared in KH3D and KH3.

You can check out the Kingdom Hearts metal keyblade keychains in more detail here:

As a reminder, back in May 2023 Square Enix released a similar line of keychains inspired by keyblades from the KH series which included Two Become One, the χ-blade, and Bond of Flame, the alternate version of Axel’s keyblade that Sora can obtain in KH2.

The Kingdom Hearts metallic keyblade keychains cost 2,090 yen each (~$13.97,) they will release in Japan on September 28, 2024, and are now available for pre-order from the Square Enix eStore. The Kingdom Hearts series is readily available for the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch via cloud streaming, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

The post Metal Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Keychains Returning appeared first on Siliconera.

The Final Fantasy VII Remake August 2024 calendar images are live and mark a shift in how they are presented, given that FFVII Rebirth versions of Aerith and Barret are the stars this time around. It features the duo in optional costumes they can wear in the game and features their Synergy Ability pose.

In FFVII Rebirth, characters can team up for special moves called Synergy Abilities, and one for Aerith and Barret is called Sweet-and-Sour Salvo. When the two perform it, they first put on matching sunglasses and pose before attacking. The two also appear to be in the Costa del Sol region of the game, based on their attire and the scenery.

Here are the two options for the FFVII Remake Aerith and Barret calendar, which feature a landscape one for PCs and vertical one for mobile devices.

Previously, these calendars tended to focus on single characters. Some of the past ones in 2024 featured Zack Fair, Sephiroth, and Vincent.

While there isn’t a physical FFVII Remake calendar for 2025 yet, there is one coming up for FFXIV. Square Enix already started taking orders for it. It features art from Dawntrail, the latest expansion.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is available for the PS4, PS5, and PC, and FFVII Rebirth is out on the PS5.

The post FFVII Remake August 2024 Calendar Pairs Up Aerith and Barret appeared first on Siliconera.

HoYoVerse offered updates on the Genshin Impact banner for new heroine Emilie and the rerun banner for Yelan. Both start on August 6, 2024 and, when they do, will include Razor, Xiangling, and Yanfei as the focus four-stars.

Emilie is the entirely new Dendro five-star unit in Genshin Impact, and she’s the last new addition in the 4.0 series of updates. She uses a polearm to attack. As she’s a Fontaine character, she also has a Pneuma alignment. Her “Pomum de Ambra Chapter” character quest also debuts once her banner launches.

Here’s a trailer for her:

With Yelan, this is her fourth rerun banner since her Genshin Impact debut in 2.7 back in May 2022. She’s a Hydro archer from Liyue. She typically is used as a sub-DPS in the game.

As for the new focus four-stars, here’s who they are and their elements and weapons.

• Razor: Electro claymore-wielder.
• Xiangling: Pyro polearm-user.
• Yanfei: Pyro catalyst mage.

Both Razor and Xiangling have been a part of Genshin Impact since the game's launch, with the latter being offered up as a free unit for players.

Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, PC, and mobile devices, and the Emilie and Yelan rerun banners start on August 6, 2024.

The post Genshin Impact Emilie Banner and Yelan Rerun Detailed appeared first on Siliconera.

Do you know how long people have been asking for Ace Attorney Investigations 2 to be released in English and show up worldwide? I’m pretty sure since February 4, 2011, one day after it launched on the DS in Japan. It only got worse when Capcom did release a mobile port in Japan in 2017, but then only released the original Ace Attorney Investigations Android and iOS port everywhere. But Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is remedying that injustice, and after playing through some early cases I think it will be a welcome prospect for players. 

Both of the games in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection star prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. They’re also a part of the canon timeline for the Ace Attorney series in general, taking place after Trials and Tribulation. (The first game is immediately after, and the second immediately follows the events of the first.) In each one, Edgeworth may feel a bit more like a detective than lawyer, as he’ll first investigate a scene after a crime, then go through a phase where people and suspects are confronted. The sequel also introduces a Mind Chess element that involves a timed minigame where you talk with your opponent to learn details and eventually beat them to get critical testimony.

When going through the first Ace Attorney Investigations, it was a pleasant homecoming. I really appreciated that spin-off when it first released worldwide, and the remastered graphics, new character sprite, and work put in to bring it to the Switch all made my initial case come together well. I especially liked the history feature, as it is a quality of life option I appreciate in other visual novel and adventure games. Considering what Edgeworth is dealing with here, it’s really helpful to be able to look back. 

As for my experiences with the first episode of Ace Attorney Investigations 2, I can’t express how pleased I was in the initial moments. The consistency with the localization honestly made it feel as though nothing changed and as if there hadn’t been any gap between global releases. The nature of the cases also fit in well, especially with the first picking up with an international incident that ties into the original game.

The one thing I did notice as I went through Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is that the new HD sprites really felt like a marked difference. I attribute this, in part, to the fact that even the original DS game used the more refined type of portraits for characters and, regardless of whether you select the HD or pixel art sprites before choosing a game or loading a save file, everything else features the remastered backgrounds, portraits, and texts. So while having the pixel art sprites is a fun bit of nostalgia, I found they felt rather out of place when actually going through the cases. 

After going through the initial cases in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, I think everyone who has been waiting years for a chance to play this missing Edgeworth game will be pleased with how Capcom chose to honor these spin-offs. I’m not done with my new journey to bring the truth to light, and I’m already impressed with how well it’s been handled. Especially considering how the HD sprites and remastered elements look so far.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection will come to the PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and PC on September 6, 2024. 

The post Preview: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Deserves Attention appeared first on Siliconera.

Nihon Falcom has published the opening movie for The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki -Farewell, O Zemuria. Prospective players of the upcoming RPG can now watch the movie that will also be played in the actual game when they start its story.

Kai no Kiseki will feature a new continuation in the long-running Kiseki / Trails series. This game's story will take place right after the second Trails through Daybreak entry, which is still only available in Japan and Asia as of mid-2024.

The new game will primarily feature characters from the Trails through Daybreak duology like Van Arkride and Agnes Claudel as the main party members. However, it will also have the return of characters from earlier series entries, such as Kevin Graham from Trails in the Sky and Rean Schwarzer from the Trails of Cold Steel sub-series.

The opening movie also showcases the game's theme song "Shiroi Sekai." The Japanese title could be translated to "White World." Falcom jdk Band performed this new song.

The Kai no Kiseki opening movie is also available to watch right below:

The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki -Farewell, O Zemuria- will be available for PlayStation 5 and 4 in Japan on September 26, 2024.

The post Watch The Legend of Heroes: Kai no Kiseki Opening Movie appeared first on Siliconera.

The SteamWorld series of games has been an exploration of disparate genres, with the team always careful about returning to ideas. But it does happen! Like Dig 2 before it, SteamWorld Heist II seeks to iterate upon the original’s mechanics with years of hindsight and extra development expertise.

Heist II moves from the first game’s space setting to an ocean one, with players navigating the world in a submarine. Functionally, these are very similar! So it feels a lot like the original. Instead of the menu-based approach of its predecessor, this entry takes a Mario + Rabbids approach, using an adventure overworld with light exploration and naval skirmishes.

This scheme is designed to break up the tactical combat with world-building, and the team at Thunderful tried hard to make it fun to explore the map even if the rewards aren’t always particularly consequential. You’ll find secret passages. You’ll encounter little narrative moments. The water effects as the sub zips around are satisfying. There’s even a diving mechanic that doesn’t really get explored until the late game but serves to give the world dimension.

But the primary attraction of SteamWorld Heist II is definitely the combat missions. In a lot of ways, they’re reminiscent of the first: areas composed of rooms and doors that are regularly re-used and configured, with a variety of obstacles and enemies to aim weapons through. We can forgive a lot of the iterative nature, though, given its role as a sequel and the way this system is distinct from all major tactical alternatives. It’s accurate enough to call it “2D XCOM,” but the 2D part of that does fundamentally set it apart in both presentation and tactics.

The combat is, more than anything, about action economy and finding tricks to take out more enemies at once and keep your head above water against enemy waves. Sidearms and grenades, along with class-specific abilities, allow you to attack more than once in a turn. Weapons with a large blast radius can hit more foes if placed right. Unlockable abilities can cause attacks to not end your turn or give you extra movement to reach objectives faster. This focus, again, feels a lot like Mario + Rabbids! Which is definitely a good thing. We found ourselves emptying our cupboard of extras each turn before finally using the characters’ primary weapons on whatever was left alive.

There are multiple difficulty options in the game and you can change on the fly if needed, but if you’re having trouble with a particular stage, you can also grind for job levels and equipment. This isn’t a huge change to your power or capability, often just giving you slightly more survivability or one more skill. But that can be the difference between staying on top of enemy waves and finding yourself underwater.

The world is broken up into regions, which largely function as the game’s chapters and each feature a bar for resting, shops and narrative moments. Each party member can fight once before resting, which means you’ll eventually be able to fight a few times before returning, but that does build up over the game. Missions earn “renown,” a currency you cash in when you rest for rewards. If you’re able to use the whole team and do a lot in the same day, you’ll be able to redeem for the higher-value rewards. These aren’t necessary, but they’re usually quite nice to have. You also unlock a special passive reward for completing everything in a region. Again, not necessary, but you’ll want them and they’re not too tough to do.

You recruit new party members at these bars, each with the ability to learn any class, but carrying personal skills that could lean them toward particular strategies. You have some player freedom to recruit in different orders, eventually unlocking all ten, but with some choice of who you need first and who you can wait for until later when you have space in the crew. They’ll have little quips during missions to make them feel like a part of the story, but they’re mostly there to support protagonist Captain Leeway through his journey while he largely doesn’t participate in fights himself.

Heist II is, in a technical sense, a very smooth experience, which makes sense for a sequel to a game formulated to work within 3DS specs that’s releasing on all active platforms regardless of capability. We did review the game on PC, for what that’s worth, but it’s the sort of game that doesn’t feel like it’s trying anything that would trip up low-spec devices.

SteamWorld Heist II takes the things that worked in the original Heist and, well, gives players more of them. It’s well-considered in so many ways, making sure you’ll have a good time exploring its ideas for as long as it holds you. It ain’t exciting or revolutionary, really, but it sure is fun.

SteamWorld Heist II launches August 8, 2024 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

The post Review: SteamWorld Heist II Aims to Please appeared first on Siliconera.

Wargaming has revealed that it will start adding new crossover content from Blue Archive to World of Warships. The content will appear in both the original PC version and the console-mobile release Legends in August 2024. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

This crossover will feature three exclusive warships and five characters that players can assign as ship captains. The five characters shown are Hoshino, Serika, Ayane, Shiroko, and Nonomi. As a side note, all of these five characters are affiliated with the Abydos High School's Foreclosure Task Force in the original game.

The Blue Archive crossover will mark a new collaboration between Wargaming and Yostar. While Nexon published the global version of Blue Archive, Yostar handles its Japanese and Chinese releases. The companies have been collaborating multiple times to add crossover content between Azur Lane and World of Warships. The new Japanese press release noted that this will be the first Blue Archive crossover wave, so the companies are also teasing more batches coming later on.

The Blue Archive crossover content will appear first in the console and mobile entry World of Warships: Legends, available on the PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, iOS, and Android, on August 5, 2024. Wargaming will also add the content to the original PC version ten days later on August 15, 2024.

The post World of Warships Will Get Blue Archive Crossover Content appeared first on Siliconera.

Kotobukiya will re-run the ARTFX figure of Kasumi Yoshizawa in her Phantom Thieves outfit in Persona 5 Royal. Pre-orders are open until September 24, 2024.

The figure costs 17,380 JPY ($128.20) and will ship out some time in February 2025. As a note, you’ll be able to buy the figure even after the pre-order period ends. However, there will no longer be a guarantee that you’ll be able to get it, since Kotobukiya will cut off orders after a certain amount. Incidentally, AmiAmi (which usually sells Kotobukiya items) has closed off its orders for this figure.

The scale figure of Kasumi Yoshizawa as she appears in Persona 5 Royal has a dynamic pose on a corridor with roses along the edges. She’s also holding a gymnastics ribbon in one hand and her mask in the other. The figure originally came out in November 2020 and at the time, it was available for 17,380 JPY. Her pose makes it look like she’s running, while looking off to the side, which is actually a direct parallel to the ARTFX Persona 5 Joker figure.

Persona 5 Royal is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. The ARTFX figure of Kasumi Yoshizawa from Persona 5 Royal is open for pre-order until September 24, 2024 and then it’ll come out in February 2025.

The post Kotobukiya to Sell Persona 5 Royal Kasumi Figure Again appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix opened pre-orders for a new Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail 2025 calendar featuring concept art and renders from the game that can be reused as posters. The calendar costs 3,000 yen (or approximately $19.88) and will release in Japan on September 26, 2024.

The Square Enix e-store page for the calendar has only revealed the artworks on display for the months of February, April, and July 2025. These include a CG render of the Warrior of Light in his Viper job outfit standing on a cliff overseeing the city of Tuliyollal, a concept art of the new Pictomancer job, and a dual artwork of a street of Tuliyollal and the Nexus Arcade area of Solution Nine, respectively.

The pages in the new FFXIV Dawntrail calendar are B4-size, and each one includes a perforated line dividing the artwork and the dates for each month, which allows for the calendar to be reused as a hanging wall poster collection. You can check out the artworks and CG renders revealed so far in the upcoming FFXIV Dawntrail 2025 calendar below.

The Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail 2025 calendar costs 3,000 yen (~$19.88) and will release on September 26, 2025. Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. You can read the latest 7.05 patch notes here.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail 2025 Calendar Lets You Reuse Its Art appeared first on Siliconera.

On July 31, 2024, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons announced layoffs occurred at the studio responsible for Destiny, Destiny 2, and the upcoming Marathon extraction shooter. Roughly 220 roles, accounting for 17% of the workforce, will be eliminated.

The full statement, released on the official company news site, detailed that Bungie will shift the remaining work force entirely to focus on Destiny 2 and Marathon development. In addition, Parsons stated that a sizable portion of the team would be more deeply integrated into Sony Interactive Entertainment. Approximately 155 Bungie roles will be moved to Sony Interactive Entertainment directly over the next few quarters.

These new layoffs hit members of Bungie staff both in upper levels and lower levels of the company. Robert Brookes, a senior narrative designer who worked on Destiny 2 for five years and covered releases from 2020's Season of the Hunt to 2024's The Final Shape is one of the 220 individuals affected. The reason for the dismissals, according to Parsons, is that the company overstretched financial safety margins associated with spreading talent too thin and the "quality miss" of Destiny 2: Lightfall.

This announcement arrived midway through the newest Destiny 2 story chapter called Echoes, which followed The Final Shape. Parsons noted in the statement that 850 team members remain. This is the second round of layoffs in recent memory at Bungie, with the other occurring in October of 2023.

No statements were made as to what this means for the current plans for Destiny 2's future content. Parsons said, "There will be a time to talk about our goals and projects, but today is not that day."

Destiny 2 is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.

The post Bungie Announces New Round of Layoffs appeared first on Siliconera.

A Persona art book book is on the way, as Udon is publishing the Atlus and Shigenori Soejima Persona 5 + Persona 5 Royal: Official Design Works outside Japan. Pre-orders are now already open on Amazon ahead of its November 26, 2024, with the hardcover book costing $73.40.

As the title notes, this art book covers both Persona 5 and the updated Royal release. The product listing noted that concept art and other types of illustrations of characters, enemies, and other game elements will be present. There will also be an interview with Soejima, the character designer for the entry. 

Here’s how the English cover art will look for this Official Design Works art book will look:

Udon’s been behind a number of Persona 5 book releases. It released three Persona 5: Mementos Mission manga volumes. It also handled the localization and publication duties for Persona 5: Comic a la Carte outside Japan. Its been behind some merchandise like pin sets too. Other entries in the series’ manga lines also are handled by the company, such as ones based on Persona 3 and 4.

The Persona 5 + Persona 5 Royal: Official Design Works art book will launch on November 26, 2024, according to the Amazon listing. Persona 5 is on the PS3 and PS4, while Royal is on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.

The post Udon Persona 5 + Persona 5 Royal: Official Design Works Art Book Orders Open appeared first on Siliconera.

In most dating sim games I’ve played, I’m used to a slow burn, “will they, won’t they” romance, with the eventual love confession and relationship being the final reward of the game. With The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You however, the game starts you after you’re already in a relationship. This is an interesting approach to dating sims, as it’s not often that you get to actually witness your protagonist and romance option learning the steps to make the relationship succeed.

The game takes place six months after the school festival where protagonist Futaro Uesugi confessed his love to one of the Nakano sisters. Futaro, his sister Raiha, and the five Nakano sisters Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki take a final trip to Okinawa together to celebrate the sisters graduating high school. In game, the player selects the character that Futaro confesses to at the festival during the very beginning. In practical terms, this means you're choosing the route for your current playthrough from the start, instead of locking it during gameplay. The main strength of this method is the number of unique routes and scenarios available with each of the five Nakano girls as Futaro’s girlfriend.

By making the most appropriate dialogue choices for your partner, you obtain “Futaro Points.” Depending on the number of points obtained by the end, you can get a Normal or Good Ending for each girl, and after watching any of the endings for the five girls you unlock a final "All Route." Because of how The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You works and the position it takes in the overarching narrative of the series, this game feels as a sort of epilogue, with the beginning of the game —the confession— acting as what would be the ending for any other dating sim game. Since this game was localized and released alongside The Quintessential Quintuplets: Memories of a Quintessential Summer it fits nicely as a sequel to it.

Perhaps the most interesting factor of starting with the confession is that the game jumps straight into developing the relationship, with the focus of the stories present being Futaro and his partner learning to coexist in this new partnership. However, this also means that you need to have a familiarity with the series prior to playing the game, or you might be choosing a romance path with no context other than how the character looks and the vibe you get from them. At the same time, the game really seems to want the player to consider playing each confession route and eventually get to the "All Route." In a way, this game feels like a "what if" scenario for the original manga and anime series, which in itself is a creative way of writing more material for the fun and well fleshed out cast of characters.

The five Nakano sisters are really fun characters, and together they form quite a formidable and hectic team. It’s always fun seeing the sisters on sync and seeing Futaro struggle to keep up with their antics. Considering that they are the main cast of characters you will be interacting I appreciate that they’re more than one note characters and you get to see different sides of them in different routes. I chose Miku as my first route and I was quite happy to see how her experience with relationship expectations, anxiety, and communication was handled.

I realy enjoyed Futaro as a protagonist. I think that having the main point of view character have a marked personality is a great choice, as it makes it feel more about the romance between the two characters, rather than have him be as a stand in for the player. Futaro is very outspoken and his personality allowed me to enjoy the characters bouncing off of each other. He's also a dork and really endearing at that. The only caveat I have about him is that, after the tutorial, Futaro’s voice actor stops voicing lines. I would have much rather have him continue to speak, like it happens with the rest of the cast of characters.

While The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You is a follow-up to Memories of a Quintessential Summer, the game doesn't contain the stat management and tutoring elements of the latter. While this makes sense due to the game taking place during a holiday trip, this also means that this game is mechanically less interesting than its predecessor and a more straightforward visual novel. At the same time, if you play them in a row, Five Memories Spent With You can be a rewarding experience as an epilogue and a window into the future of Futaro and the Nakano sisters.

I found the localization to be pretty spotty. Some sentences can read a bit awkward and too literal, and at times I heard some voice lines in Japanese that didn’t match the translated English lines. In addition, the UI for the PC version of the game is a mixed bag. Considering that the game is a visual novel I played with mouse and keyboard. However, the game will sometimes show controller prompts even when playing with mouse and keyboard. Additionally, the mouse cursor will disappear when using the arrow keys, which the game seems very intent being used.

Furthermore, I wasn’t able to make my controller work with the game when I tried, which left me a bit puzzled. I eventually got around the odd control scheme, but not after tampering with it for a bit. The text formatting quirks also remain from the previous game Five Memories Spent With You. While the UI elements can get a pass, the localization problems remained throughout my playthrough and tainted my experience with the game a bit.

The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You is a nice cherry on top of the cake for fans of the series. It is very rewarding being able to play a Quintessential Quintuplets story that focuses on seeing the relationship between Futaro and the chosen Nakano sister flourish. While the game doesn’t present original mechanics or ideas like its predecessor does, there is a lot to enjoy here, and a lot of content and attention given to each character.

The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You is available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC via Steam.

The post Review: Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You Feels Like a Sweet Epilogue appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix announced its FFXIV PAX West 2024 plans, which include a UI panel, a Dawntrail Valigarmanda Challenge, and things like photo ops, experiences, and merchandise. It will be at the entire event starting on August 30, 2024, and the panel will be held on August 31, 2024. 

The panel is called “Putting the 'U' in UI: Tailoring the Final Fantasy XIV Experience,” and it will be held at 11am PT/2pm ET/8pm CET on August 31, 2024. People actually at PAX West can attend in-person if they go to the Blue Dragon Theatre. They will also get a Dawntrail mini poster. However, it will also be streamed on the FFXIV Twitch and PAX West Twitch channels as well. Lead UI Designer Kei Odagiri will host the presentation. In addition to UI, menus, and general development, the panel will discuss the Group Pose photo option.

The FFXIV Valigarmanda Challenge will involve the Trial boss from Dawntrail. Square Enix noted people attending will be able to team up to get a Dawntrail tote bag with a Tour Tural design. As a reminder, the Worqor Lar Dor (Extreme) Trial appeared alongside the expansion and is an eight person fight.

The other elements of the FFXIV booth experience involve typical convention affair. There will be photo ops, including cosplay gatherings. People new to the game can try it out and win a FFXIV Online Starter Edition PC copy for beating Garuda, Ifrit, or Titan. FFXIV Dawntrail bucket hats and lanyards will be given away, and there will be merchandise on hand too.

Here are the two photos Square Enix shared with us to show the Urianger photo spot and Valigarmanda Challenge tote bag that will be at the FFXIV PAX West 2024 booth. 

Final Fantasy XIV and the Dawntrail expansion are available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. PAX West 2024 will run August 30, 2024 through September 2, 2024. 

The post FFXIV PAX West 2024 Plans Include Panel, Valigarmanda appeared first on Siliconera.

The first update for The First Descendant is live. It brings new characters, a new boss fight and new equipment, along with fixes and other improvements.

The highlight of the first update is the introduction of two new characters for The First Descendant. The first of these is Luna, a Support character whose weapon utilises rhythm game mechanics, allowing her to deal damage by shooting in time with the music. Her musical accompaniment also provides bonuses for teammates, increasing their Skill Power and MP Recovery and decreasing cooldowns. A full character trailer for her has also been released.

The other new character addition is Ultimate Valby, a version of the game’s aquatic environmentalist Valby, with boosted stats and a new look. She also gains two unique Modification Modules.

The first update also adds a new Void Intercept Battle to The First Descendant. This sees players going up against Gluttony, a giant mech. Defeating it rewards players with the Hungry Sonic External Components Set and a blueprint for the new Ultimate Weapon, Peace Maker. This new weapon comes with an effect that allows for burst shots while aiming.

The update has also had a huge list of improvements, the full details of which can be viewed on the official site. In addition, director Minseok Joo discussed plans for future updates. These include balance changes to allow for a wider diversity of character builds, plus improvements to drop rates. The team is also working on a method to dispose of unwanted items in response to community criticism.

The First Descendant is available now for PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

The post The First Descendant First Update Adds New Character Luna appeared first on Siliconera.