Shueisha announced we will be able to read the Metaphor: ReFantazio manga in English via MangaPlus. The series, which will also appear in V-Jump in Japan, will begin running in English on January 1, 2025. 

The company shared the announcement on social media. In the reveal, it noted that chapters of the Metaphor: ReFantazio manga will release simultaneously worldwide. The image included also showed how the main character and Gallica will look in this adaptation. 

When the run was first announced, we also got some details about what the first chapter will entail. It will be longer than usual and come in at 58 pages. It will also be in color, though that won’t be true of all episodes. On MangaPlus, typically the first three chapters and three most recent ones are all free for visitors to read, so everyone should be able to constantly have access to the first chapter of Metaphor: ReFantazio as long as Shueisha makes it available. We don't know how much of the story will be covered in this introduction, but presumably we'll see the hero and Gallica meet Strohl and perhaps Grius.

The Metaphor: ReFantazio manga English run will begin on January 21, 2025 on MangaPlus. The game is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC worldwide.

The post Read Metaphor: ReFantazio Manga in English on MangaPlus appeared first on Siliconera.

SNK announced we can now pre-order Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and the company also shared details about the digital Special and physical Deluxe Editions that will be available. In each case, those additional additions include the Season 1 Pass. SNK also shared another look at the Terry Bogard pre-order bonus costume.

First, here’s how the Terry costume will look if you pre-order Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. While it is his classic look, it is more specifically inspired by Fatal Fury 2. 

The Special Edition is $59.99. It will be available for every platform. That only nets you a copy of the new entry in the fighting game series and the Season Pass 1. That means when all five of the initial DLC characters are released throughout 2025 and 2026, buyers would be guaranteed access. We already know this will include Street Fighter staples Chun-Li and Ken. The first character in the pass will be out in Summer 2025, just like Ken, but we don’t know who that will be.

The Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Deluxe Edition is more limited. It is $79.99 and only available for the PS5. Like the Deluxe Edition, you get the game and first season pass. You also get an over 100 page art book with designs from the game, a set of stickers with logos, a poster that has a relationship chart on one side and map on the other, the soundtrack on two CDs, and a Steelbook case. Photos of all of the items already appeared.

You can see how that collector’s edition looks below:

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will come to the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on April 24, 2025. 

The post Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Pre-Order and Editions Appear appeared first on Siliconera.

My experiences with the Civilization series are more recent, tracing back to playing the mobile version of Civilization V, to the sci-fi Beyond Earth, before finally obsessing over Civilization VI with my family in multiplayer matches for hundreds of hours. This is one of the only strategy series I’ve enjoyed and my time with the Civilization VII preview build continued this trend, outside of frustrations with the new Age system.

To start, Civilization VII seems to be a stunning game so far. I encountered only one minor crash so far, while it looked and performed well. As mentioned, this is all subject to change since it is an early build, but I generally enjoyed my time with it so far on the platform and saw no real issues of note yet.

The level of detail is a noticeable improvement over the previous mainline entry in the series. There is so much to see on each individual tile in the world. From the soldiers standing atop pieces of farmland or how each building has its own intricate design, there is so much to appreciate about the beauty of the experience.

Better yet, the build I played also made it feel like Civilization VII could be one of the best in the series at easing players into the overall strategy experience. The general idea is to play as a certain famous person from history and rule over a civilization to win against the rival civilizations in the world. This is done through a number of victory methods, such as Culture, Science, and War. These methods all have their own style, such as researching various categories like Mathematics and building a Library on the Science side or going all-out conquest if you prefer to win via War. Thankfully, the tutorials worked quite well in the time I’ve spent with the game so far in two of the three Ages.

There are even aspects I feel like I understand better now than I did with the hundreds of hours I put into Civilization VII. For instance, each troop you have in your civilization has different functions. They can move around the map, attack others, or even fortify their defenses. I feel like I better understand more specific troops, like the Army Commander. The game makes it more clear the possibilities troops like this one have, such as gathering together other troops for army-sized invasion squads.

Civilization VII is also quite speedy for a tactical game in this genre. Sure, you can take a long time each turn to figure out what you want to do, but everything is silky smooth. Completing actions is near-instantaneous, and the game guides you well on what to do next. This even includes the best quest routes for your particular victory preference.

Perhaps my favorite feature are the neat little narrative moments that happen randomly. A scout may die on the battlefield. You get to choose how to remember them. The different options will involve different rewards and outcomes, which makes for a unique playthrough each time.

With all of that said, though, I feel like after spending time with the build that there is an elephant in the room with Civilization VII. The new Age system might end up being a problematic gameplay choice, and I was not a fan of at all in these early sessions. In past games, you had different eras and the like. In this game, there are distinct Ages.

For the purposes of this preview, I checked out the Age of Antiquity and Age of Exploration. The former takes place before recorded history. How it works is you pick a hero to play as and a civilization. I appreciate the openness this time around, with the possibility to choose between locations. For instance, Confucius doesn’t have to pick Han China. He is able to pick other surrounding locales as well.

You then play through the Age you are in until it comes to an end. From there, it switches to the next Age, and you continue playing as the same leader. This is where the problem may lie. I feel like Ages felt a bit disconnected from one another in these early hours and experiences, unlike past games. You do play the multiple Ages in the same “match,” but they are segmented off in an odd way.

What I like is you can switch your civilizations (within reason) depending on your location and leader. For instance, one could go from Rome to Spain between ages. The problem is how some elements don’t make a lot of sense. While the rest of the game is clear cut and understandable, the Legacy and Ages seemed far from it. For one, there was a time my capital city changed between Ages to a different location. But I didn’t get the option to make this decision.

I also found it unclear what exactly carried over from Age to Age during this early session. Some building types did and certain points did, but not everything. The whole system may end up being a bit redundant and awkward. In the past, changing eras was seamless and smooth. Here, my initial impression is that they were rough, heavily divided, and confusing.

I definitely need more time with the Civilization VII Ages system leading up to our proper review. But, for now, the new feature feels unnecessarily awkward and frustrating. Hopefully, it makes more sense as I come to understand its quirks in later matches. If you can look past this, though, I suspect Civilization VII could end up feeling like the fastest, most stunning, and welcoming game in the series yet.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII releases for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 11, 2025.

The post Preview: Civilization VII’s Age System Feels Unnecessary appeared first on Siliconera.

Former PlayStation president Shuhei Yoshida will be joining the cast of voice actors for Promise Mascot Agency, as revealed by the studio Kaizen Game Works. Other members of the voice cast include Ayano Shibuya, Hidetaka "Swery" Suehiro, and Takaya Kuroda.

The voice cast for Promise Mascot Agency features a diverse range of Japanese actors and notable figures. Shuhei Yoshida, former President of Sony Worldwide Studios, is among the cast, playing a kappa mascot who loves games. He is joined by Deadly Premonition director “Swery,” who plays a priest. Ayako Shibuya (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) and Eri Saito (Chainsaw Man) voice major roles. Finally, the protagonist is voiced by Takaya Kuroda, best known as Kazuma Kiryu from the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series.

Promise Mascot Agency is an upcoming game about managing a mascot agency in a world where mascots are a living species. You play as a disgraced yakuza named Michi who is now trying to make a new life for himself with the assistance of a finger-shaped mascot named Pinky. The game will feature management sim mechanics, driving sections where you control a kei truck and visual novel storytelling. Promise Mascot Agency was developed by Kaizen Game Works, whose previous game was the surreal detective game Paradise Killer. Early development assistance came from Ikumi Nakamura, who helped give the game an authentic Japanese feel.

Shuhei Yoshida is an odd choice for a voice role in Promise Mascot Agency, as his background is mainly in management, not acting. However, Yoshida is a popular figure within the games industry and his presence is likely to be met with positive reception. He recently announced his retirement from Sony.

Promise Mascot Agency is set for release in early 2025 for the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.

The post Shuhei Yoshida Is a Character in Promise Mascot Agency appeared first on Siliconera.

There’s a new look at Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii gameplay, and this time the trailer focuses on how Goro Majima works in combat. The video is over three minutes long, and it focuses on his Mad Dog and Sea Dog Styles.

After a brief segment just showing off footage of fights, the Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza gameplay gets into more solid examples of how the two fighting styles work in the game. Mad Dog is the more traditional one used by Majima both here and in past Yakuza games. It shows his quick, slashing attacks. Some of the Heat Actions are shown as well, as well as how you can charge moves to deal more damage. The Mad Dog Style Madness Gauge’s Suspicious Men also comes up at about the 1:10 mark, showing how he summons shadow clones to help fight.

The Sea Dog Style, which has Majima dual-wield cutlass swords in this Yakuza game, comes up here. While this is a sword-based style, he can fight at range by throwing the swords, using a chain hook, or firing a pistol. Like Mad Dog, Sea Dog involves summoning “allies,” though the trailer shows they are drawn in with “dark instruments” when the Madness Gauge is full.

Here’s the full Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza gameplay trailer:

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will come out for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam on February 21, 2025. There will also be a Captain Majima - EP album with “him singing” various tracks from the game out in Japan on February 7, 2025. 

The post Majima Heads Into Combat in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza Gameplay Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.

Around fifteen years after it first appeared on the Nintendo Wii, Tales of Graces f Remastered finally brings the experience of protecting your friends and family onto even more consoles. The updated graphics, combined with the very anime aesthetics and bright watercolor-like palette, help in making the game look stylized, rather than dated. As the first entry in Bandai Namco’s initiative to remaster the Tales series, it’s a roaring success that amplifies the original game’s pros while cutting down on its cons.

Tales of Graces is, for better or for worse, a pretty standard JRPG in terms of its plot. It follows Asbel Lhant, the eldest son of Aston Lhant. His parents expected him to inherit Lhant territory from his father. However, Asbel's dream was to become a knight in the service of Windor's king. During his childhood, he (along with his younger brother, Hubert, and their childhood friend, Cheria) encounter a girl with amnesia. They dub her Sophie, and then learn that monsters had attacked a carriage carrying Prince Richard, who’d been on his way to visit Lhant. The group becomes fast friends. However, a monster they encounter in the underground of Barona’s castle changes the course of their lives forever.

The main arc then follows Asbel after he becomes an adult. While the childhood prologue was the weakest part of the story for a variety of reasons, it's not something you can skip. The friendship pact that Asbel, Richard, and Sophie made at the beginning of the game comes up again and again, especially when Asbel and Sophie are discussing how much Richard changed. As a kid, he was more of an idealist who wanted to do good in the world. But when Asbel and the others meet him again as an adult—even if he went through some pretty traumatizing events—he’s like a completely different person. As they try to figure out what caused Richard’s dramatic personality change, they also uncover a secret about their planet’s past.

Tales of Graces f Remastered has a pretty simple story. It’s not as emotional or memorable as Legendia’s, but I don’t think it’ll stir as much controversy as, say, Xillia’s or Zestiria’s. The narrative plays most of the tropes it introduces straight, which can make later plot twists predictable to players familiar with the genre. That’s fine, though. Not every game is going to be a contender for Best Narrative at the Game Awards. The party dynamic in Graces more than makes up for the weaker story. Because most of the party knows each other from childhood, there’s a very relaxed atmosphere in the group after the initial awkward phase passes. Pascal and Malik, the newcomers, are all chill adults, who either mind their own business or can play along with the wilder quirks from the Lhant group (and Richard).

Tales games tend to employ a pseudo-family dynamic for its parties. I don't want to say "found family," because the characters fall into very stereotypical and gender-specific positions. For example, Asbel is the dad, Cheria is the mom, and Sophie is the kid. Pascal, somehow, fills the role of Sophie's sister, even though she's older than both Asbel and Cheria. I definitely felt my growth as a person when seeing the characters interact with each other, as well as the overall plot revolving around the Lhant family. For reference, I first played Tales of Graces when it first came out on the Wii, and imported f back in 2010 when it was still a Japan-exclusive. That means I was only in my teens when I played it.

When I was younger, I felt really bad for Kerri (Asbel and Hubert’s mom) after seeing the way teenager Hubert talked to her. But now that I’m old enough to have kids Asbel and Hubert’s age at the beginning of the game, my sympathy for her and Aston faded a lot. At most, I can understand why they even had to choose between their children, since they're both the sons of a lord. Most of my general irritation at the pseudo-family dynamic in Tales of Graces f Remastered faded as well, especially after I saw Lineage and Legacies. While Lineage and Legacies was really fun for its endgame dungeon and Accelerate Mode, its plot was even weaker than the childhood prologue. Honestly, the interactions between the party members (in the main story) were so cute. I don’t understand what annoyed me so much when I was a teenager.

As Yusuke Tomizawa, the general producer of the Tales series, said in August 2024, a huge selling point for Tales of Graces f Remastered is the combat. It’s fast-paced, addictive, and stylish. With relatively short casting times for spells, as well as a lot of flashy animations for the melee characters’ A and B artes, the screen can get very busy very fast. So some people who aren’t too familiar with how combat in this game looks might decry it as visual noise. Personally, because I know what’s going on and I’m also used to flashier Tales battles, I don’t notice anything wrong with it.

While you can get away with mindless button mashing, I do suggest taking the time to learn how to use the different techniques and characters. Each character has A and B artes, which can alter how they work in battle or offer different bonuses. Asbel's B artes unsheathe his sword. Using A artes will sheathe his sword again, as well as heal him based on his Physical Defense and how many B artes he used. Knowing little tricks like this can really save you in more difficult battles later in the game. In Asbel's case, I could get away with letting my healers prioritize someone else, because he can stay alive long enough to at least eat an Apple Gel. The more you learn about the Graces battle system, the more fun you'll get out of it.

Oddly enough, I had a far harder time settling on a difficulty level. Because I started the game with both double and quintuple EXP (along with other boosts), it didn’t take long before I became too overpowered for regular encounters. That made the game pretty boring since, again, the combat is Tales of Graces f Remastered's main selling point. But turning the difficulty to the highest setting, especially in the early game when you can only control Asbel, made the game way too hard sometimes. I felt embarrassed at how many attempts I needed to kill that first wolf you fight in the main arc. In my defense, I usually control Sophie. It took some trial and error before stumbling upon the perfect combination. I’d rather get through random battles quickly than have to redo a boss fight over and over again, especially really annoying ones like enemies with a Nova shield.

Speaking of which, one of the mechanics that Bandai Namco announced would be in the remastered version of Tales of Graces f was the grade shop being available right at the beginning of the game. If this is your first time playing, I do not recommend taking bonuses like the 5x EXP one. Like I said in the paragraph above, it makes the combat way too easy. In my opinion, the 2x EXP bonus was more than enough. It makes grinding for the endgame dungeon a lot easier, but doesn’t trivialize combat outside of boss fights.

Another quality of life change in the remastered version of Tales of Graces f was the on-screen map. You can now see where you need to go, as well as any time-limited events you might miss. Other than the improved graphics, this is the biggest reason to play the remastered version and not the previous ones. It is a serious life-changer. If there’s one thing that I think Graces did terribly at, it was dungeon design. All the dungeons look the same no matter where you are in it. And since you can't follow along your mini-map while you're inside a dungeon, it was hard to remember where I was or where I needed to go.

The Wallbridge, in particular, is a nightmare. One of my core memories of Tales of Graces on the Wii was being stuck in that stupid fortress for literal days. Every turn and room looked almost the same. I remember backtracking to see if I had gotten all the treasure chests, and then couldn't find my way back to where I needed to go. The goal icon on the screen in the remastered version not only helped to guide me to my destination, but it also served as an on-screen landmark whenever I wandered off to loot or fight.

Finally, let’s talk about the game’s visuals on modern consoles. It’s impressive! Close-up shots of the characters sometimes highlight the low-poly background. Seeing it makes it obvious that Bandai Namco didn’t develop this from the ground-up in the 2020s. However, the character models all look smooth. I booted up my PS3 Tales of Graces f to compare, and I never noticed how grainy PS3 games were. It says a lot about the quality of the game’s models and overall design that the remastered visuals hold up, even fifteen years after its initial release. At times, backgrounds and characters in the distance looked foggy in a weird way. But Tales of Graces’s watercolor-like aesthetics helped a lot in making it look natural rather than odd with the rest of the game.

I read some reviews from when Tales of Graces and Tales of Graces f first came out, and saw a few criticisms that came up again and again. One of them was load time. I'm happy to report that while the game needed to load up a new map or transport me to the battlefield, it never felt slow or annoying. On the PC, at the very least, load times were minimal. Another common criticism was the graphics. Even when f came out in 2010, it looked pretty dated for a PS3 game, apparently. When playing the remastered version, Tales of Graces f felt like a lot of the visual choices Bandai Namco made were purposeful. It looked like a stylistic choice, especially since we're now in an era where realism or "fancy" graphics is no longer the main pursuit of studios.

Between Tales of Graces f Remastered's challenging endgame dungeon and collectibles, completionists can easily sink over a hundred hours into this game. Its palatable story and fast-paced combat also make it a good introduction to the series if you’ve never played Tales before. The thing about that, though, is that there are a lot of references to previous Tales games in this one—even titles that never appeared in the west. Another detriment is that the Graces combat system makes older games in the franchise feel horribly sluggish in comparison. Nonetheless, Tales of Graces f Remastered is a promising way for Bandai Namco to start its year, as well as a potential Tales renaissance. 

Tales of Graces f Remastered will come out on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC on January 17, 2025. PC version reviewed.

The post Review: Tales of Graces f Remastered Preserves Its Best Parts appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix announced one of the changes coming in patch 7.16 for FFXIV, and it affects the Chaotic version of the Cloud of Darkness Alliance Raid. In short, after the update drops we can exchange Clouddark Demimateria I for Clouddark Demimateria II.

When you take on the raid, you always get two Clouddark Demimateria I and one Clouddark Demimateria II. You can take these items to Uah'shepya in Solution Nine to trade for certain items that also have a chance to drop from the fight. However, Clouddark Demimateria II can only be exchanged for the A Half Times Two hairstyle Modern Aesthetics item or Dais of Darkness mount. Each one requires multiple Clouddark Demimateria II, in the event they don’t appear after the battle as loot, so this change would make it easier to trade for them.

Here’s the official announcement. In it, Square Enix also asked for additional feedback about the fight.

The FFXIV Cloud of Darkness Chaotic Alliance Raid is relatively new to the MMORPG, as the Final Fantasy crossover fight debuted in patch 7.15. One of the draws for the fight is a new mount. The Shroud Of Darkness basically allows us to don the boss’ “eldritch rainment” to look and move around like it does in the field.

Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Cloud of Darkness Chaotic changes will appear in the upcoming FFXIV 7.16 patch.

The post FFXIV Cloud of Darkness Chaotic Changes Coming After Feedback appeared first on Siliconera.

Atlus released a new patch for Metaphor: ReFantazio, which contains some quality of life improvements such as the ability to change your party members via the main menu and equip screens. There are also some fixes for the Windows PC and Steam versions of the game.

All versions of Metaphor: ReFantazio will see some minor adjustments after we download the patch from Atlus. But the biggest parts of this update have to do with the main menu. After you install the patch, you’ll be able to change your party members in Metaphor: ReFantazio via the equipment screen. In the past, you had to access the party screen in order to do this. You’ll also be able to jump to different categories when clicking on the item menu. Atlus also fixed a bug that’ll prevent progress after a certain input in the main menu.

PC fixes focus on quality of life complaints and bugs. For example, the patch fixed an issued in which the camera movement will slow down after using the mouse. It also fixed an issue that locks your frame rate after certain inputs.

Metaphor: ReFantazio came out in October 2024 and is a new IP from Atlus. The same creative team that worked on the Persona 3, 4, and 5 developed this game. It was very popular at launch, and received several major nominations in 2024.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. As of the time of writing, Atlus has not yet implemented the patch.

The post New Metaphor ReFantazio Patch Adds Party Change Options appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco announced that the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2025 is canceled due to the fires in Los Angeles, California. There is no new date set for the events planned to happen during the events. It was originally going to be held at the Shrine Auditorium between January 18-19, 2025. 

In the statement regarding the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2025 cancellation, the Bandai Namco cited the decision as a safety measure due to the Los Angeles fires. It noted a desire to ensure everyone stayed safe, while also offering consideration to those affected by the disaster.

Here’s the full message shared on social media. 

As usual, the event was going to provide a chance for the company to make announcements about video game and TCGs based on the Dragon Ball series, as well as hold finals tournaments for other titles. As a result, the Dragon Ball FighterZ, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World, and Dragon Ball Super Card Game Masters tournaments will be rescheduled and held at a different time. The event was also going to include promotional opportunities, such as a booth promoting the new Dragon Ball Daima anime running on Crunchyroll and a chance to take on a Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle challenge.

Bandai Namco isn’t the only company changing plans as a result of the fires in Los Angeles. Square Enix also halted automatic housing demolition in Final Fantasy XIV. This was only done on North American Data Centers’ worlds, out of consideration for victims of the fire who would be unable to play due to evacuations or other tragedies related to the fires. 

There’s no word yet on when the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2025 events will be held now that it is canceled. Dragon Ball FighterZ can be found on the Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is available on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2025 Canceled Due to Los Angeles Fires appeared first on Siliconera.

Dr. Doot, streamer and Souls series challenge runner, took on Elden Ring's bosses during Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 in a sub-30-minute run. Defeating bosses like Radahn, Hoarah Loux and Malenia, Dr. Doot took on some of the fiercest bosses in the game not with a controller but an electronic Aerophone AE-10 saxophone.

Awesome Games Done Quick 2025, the charity speed running event that raises money for charity initiatives with a full week of video game, featured runs of everything from Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Deus Ex, and Metal Gear Solid. This saxophone-controlled Elden Ring run was a special incentive for the event raising $1,500,000 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

Dr. Doot's run, on the Aerophone electronic saxophone, boiled down to him playing various notes on the saxophone to correspond with various actions. He could only do one thing at a time, by making a different midi "doot" sound on the saxophone. Dr. Doot has used this alternative control method to fight bosses in Dark Souls III, Sekiro and Elden Ring. Additionally, he has completed full runs without getting hit once by any of the main game's bosses while playing the saxaphone.

The run ran 29 minutes and 22 seconds with Dr. Doot defeating Rykard, Radahn, The Fire Giant, Gideon Ofnir, Radagon, and the Elden Beast without taking any damage. The main items used in the run were the Star Fist for its intense posture damage and bleed. The only fights in the run that managed to hit Dr. Doot were Godfrey, the First Elden Lord and Malenia, Blade of Miquella, who became legendary in the community for being one of the hardest fights in FromSoftware history.

FromSoftware will also be provide new challenges to players in the upcoming spinoff: Elden Ring: Nightreign. This multiplayer-focused stand-alone adventure will release in 2025, with a Network Test on the way in February.

Elden Ring is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Series X. It's expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree is also available on all platforms. Elden Ring: Nightreign, the stand-alone co-op spinoff, will release later in 2025.

The post AGDQ 2025 Featured an Elden Ring Speedrun on the Sax appeared first on Siliconera.

While Japan is celebrating a holiday, as it is Coming of Age Day, Capcom is still sharing a new Street Fighter 6 gameplay trailer for DLC character Mai Shiranui worldwide. The new footage offers our first look of what she’ll look like in a battle if we pick her as our fighter. It also means we get to see how some Fatal Fury and King of Fighters attacks she uses will look here. She’ll release on February 5, 2025.

Here’s the full Mai Shiranui Street Fighter 6 DLC gameplay trailer from YouTube.. It highlights her heading into the ring, then using both standard and special attacks. 

We already saw a quick teaser of what to expect from the SNK staple in Street Fighter 6. In December 2024, some footage appeared. It showed someone’s custom created character being invited to train with her and learn Shiranui techniques. We then got to watch as she fought some ninjas using them.

In case you missed it, here’s how that looked:

As a reminder, Mai Shiranui isn’t the only SNK character in the roster. Terry Bogard is also a part of the Year 2 pass alongside her. He first showed up in September 2024 in the main game, before also appearing in the arcade version. Others in this year’s pass included M. Bison earlier in 2024, and Elena later in 2025.

Street Fighter 6 is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Mai Shiranui DLC is on the way on February 5, 2025. The game is also available in arcades.

The post See the New Mai Shiranui Street Fighter 6 Gameplay Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.

The New Year is upon us, and with it another FFXIV Annual Mahjong Tournament. The tournament itself will be held on January 19, 2025 and will feature several special guests. The broadcast itself will be held through Japanese streaming platform NicoNico.

Further details about the FFXIV Annual Mahjong Tournament can be found on the official The Lodestone website. This includes the time the tournament will begin, which is 12PM JST/4AM CET and 10PM ET/7PM PT the day before. So on January 18, 2025.

Special guests include Shinnosuke Tachibana (the Japanese voice for Alphinaud) and Yosuke Saito, Producer for NieR: Replicant. As always, Final Fantasy XIV Producer Naoki Yoshida, also known as Yoshi-P, will attend the broadcast as well. Other staff members that will appear include Hiroshi Takai, Nobuaki Kawamoto, Masaki Nakagawa, and Yosuke Hayashi. Square Enix encourages beginners and veterans of the staple tile game to participate.

In April 2024, Square Enix announced the Mahjong Tournament of that year would be rebroadcast, giving viewers and players another opportunity to view it. Special guests for 2024 included Yasumi Matsuno, of Final Fantasy Tactics fame, with Yosuke Saito appearing as well.

Final Fantasy XIV is available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X.

The post Watch the FFXIV Annual Mahjong Tournament This Week appeared first on Siliconera.

HoYoVerse and Line announced that the Line Friends store in New York City will feature a Genshin Impact minini merchandise. pop-up event starting on January 22, 2025. The official site already updated for the event. There will be themed items, a Pop-Up Photo Zone with option to get in-game bonuses, and bonus rewards with purchases over certain amounts.

The focus of the Genshin Impact merchandise at this event is on Inazuma characters. Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Kokomi, Raiden Shogun, and Yoimiya items will all be sold. You can also pick up Paimon products. The official site also noted specific items and their prices. While many of them are minini ones, there will also be some more general Line Friends items of the characters too.

Here’s the full list of things we’ll see in-stock at the event:

• Genshin Impact x Line Friends 4 Characters Acrylic Magnet Set - $24.95
• Genshin Impact x Line Friends 4 Characters Spiral Notebook - $5.95
• Genshin Impact x Line Friends Laptop Sleeve (Hu Tao, Klee, or Xiao) - $42.95 for 13 inch, $44.95 for 16 inch
• Genshin Impact x Line Friends Metal Mirror Keyring - $13.95
• Genshin Impact x Line Friends Raiden Shogun Umbrella - $29.95
• Genshin Impact x Line Friends SD Acrylic Keyring - $8.95
• Genshin Impact x Line Friends SD Epoxy Sticker - $2.95
• Genshin Impact x Line Friends SD Phone Grip - $11.95
• Genshin Impact x Line Friends T-Shirts (sizes M, L, XL) - $42.95
• Genshin Impact x Line Friends Tumbler (Yae Miko or Kokomi) - $15.95
• Genshin minini Coller Metal Keyring (Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Kokomi, Paimon, Raiden Shogun, or Yoimiya) - $21.95
• Genshin minini Coller Metal Sticon Set (Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Kokomi, Paimon, Raiden Shogun, or Yoimiya) - $21.95
• Genshin minini Coller Silicone Set (Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Kokomi, Paimon, Raiden Shogun, or Yoimiya) - $15.95
• Genshin minini Figurine (Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Kokomi, Paimon, Raiden Shogun, or Yoimiya) - $21.95
• Genshin minini Figurine Keyring (Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Kokomi, Paimon, Raiden Shogun, or Yoimiya) - $19.95
• Genshin minini Inazuma 5-Tier Umbrella - $24.95
• Genshin minini Inazuma Gift Set - $59.95
• Genshin minini Kazuha Coller Portable Handheld Fan - $32.95
• Genshin minini Mouse Pad (Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Kokomi, Paimon, Raiden Shogun, or Yoimiya) - $6.95
• Genshin minini Phone Grip (Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Kokomi, Paimon, Raiden Shogun, or Yoimiya) - $11.95
• Genshin minini Plush Doll (Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Kokomi, Paimon, Raiden Shogun, or Yoimiya) - $25.95
• Genshin minini Plush Keyring (Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Kokomi, Paimon, Raiden Shogun, or Yoimiya) - $15.95
• Genshin minini Raiden Shogun Water Globe - $99.95

If you spend $10 on items, you get a themed shopping bag. Purchases over $40 get a Paimon fan. If you hit $80, you also get a lenticular photo card of Ayaka, Ayato, Kazuha, Kokomi, Paimon, Raiden Shogun, or Yoimiya 

The Genshin Impact minini merchandise has shown up pretty often in Line Friend related cafe and pop-up store events. One of those cafes happened in Japan in July 2024. Like this New York City event, it also starred the characters from Inazuma. The Gangnam Flagship Store in Seoul, South Korea also hosted an event with the characters in September and October 2024. 

Genshin Impact is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices, and the Genshin minini Pop-Up merchandise will be at the Line Friends store in New York City, New York between January 22, 2025 and February 2, 2025. 

The post Genshin Minini Line Friends Pop-Up Store Heads to New York appeared first on Siliconera.

Rabbit and Bear, 505 Games, and Youtooz announced that the companies are teaming up to turn Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes characters into plush toys. There are no details about when they’ll appear, how much they’ll cost, or what they look like. The initial hint only showed Marisa, Nowa, and Seign, the three main cast members, from the back.

Here is the official teaser image from social media for the Eiyuden Chronicle characters plush toys. From left to right, we can see Marisa, Nowa, and Seign. In each case, they are wearing their traditional costumes used throughout the JRPG.

There have been a number of Eiyuden Chronicle updates since launch. For example, the Day60 patch was known for adding a number of player-requested features. There will also be the often promised DLC for Marisa, Seign, and the Elden Magicks characters. These were supposed to start showing up in 2024. However, Rabbit and Bear members promised in their 2025 New Year’s messages that the add-ons are coming along and will begin to show up this year. The first one of those was supposed to follow Marisa and debut in August 2024. There is no new roadmap for upcoming content.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is available on the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and Youtooz plush toys of characters are on the way.

The post Eiyuden Chronicle Characters Becoming Youtooz Plush Toys appeared first on Siliconera.

It’s a Monday, which means a new Bleach reveal from Bandai Namco. This time, the company shared a trailer revealing Shunsui Kyoraku will be a playable character in Bleach Rebirth of Souls and went over some of the unique elements of his moveset. 

Like many of the other characters we’ve seen show up in the game, Shunsui is a Gotei 13 captain. He’s in charge of the 8th Division, and his uniform and appearance here is based on his debut. This fighter is also one of the few to dual-wield. His Zanpakuto is Katen Kyokotsu. His Signature Move Mizukiri makes good use of both by having him spin while using them, and holding down the button extends that. Bushogoma is his Spiritual Pressure Move 1 attack, which is a longer-ranged, wind-based hit. His Spiritual Pressure Move 2 is called No Need to Panic, and it is designed to help him get in close to start a combo and attack by dashing up with both of his swords.

Here’s the full trailer for the character. In addition to details about his attacks and peeks at his gameplay, we get to see more of Shigekuni Genryusai Yamamoto.

In case you missed some of the Bleach Rebirth of Souls trailers for playable characters, here are ones that showed up before the one revealing Shunsui Kyoraku. 

• Byakuya Kuchiki
• Gin Ichimaru
• Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez
• Ichigo Kurosaki
• Ichigo Kurosaki (Bankai)
• Izuru Kira
• Kaname Tosen
• Kenpachi Zaraki
• Kisuke Urahara
• Mayuri Kurotsuchi
• Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck (Nel) 
• Rangiku Matsumoto
• Renji Abarai
• Rukia Kuchiki
• Shigekuni Genryusai Yamamoto
• Soi Fon (Sui-Feng)
• Sousuke Aizen
• Toushiro Hitsugaya
• Ulquiorra Cifer
• Uryu Ishida
• Yasutora “Chad” Sado
• Yoruichi Shihoin

Bleach Rebirth of Souls will come to the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on March 21, 2025. The Bleach anime, including Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, are streaming on on Disney+ and Hulu. Viz Media handles the manga series outside of Japan.

The post Shunsui Kyoraku Is Playable in Bleach Rebirth of Souls appeared first on Siliconera.