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.

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. 

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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.

GungHo announced the release date for Lunar Remastered Collection, the compilation of Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete for the Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It will launch on April 18, 2025. People will be able to get it physically and digitally.

Depending on which version you get, the price will be different. All digital copies will be $49.99 (€49.99), regardless of platform. A physical copy costs $5 more, bringing the cost up to $54.99. GungHo noted Amazon will be the only place to get it in the US and Canada. The company didn’t note if there will be any limitations on platforms, though it did note that only Switch and PS4 versions will be available at Clear River Games in Europe for €54.99. Regardless of region, the retail copy covers will feature reversible art.

This is one of many rereleases of the two games. The original Lunar: The Silver Star appeared on the Sega CD first. There were then a number of remakes like Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete for the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and PC. That was followed by the GBA remake Lunar Legend and PSP one Lunar: Silver Star Harmony. 

There were fewer remakes of Lunar: Eternal Blue. After the Sega CD release, a Sega Saturn and PlayStation version called Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete debuted. 

The Lunar Remastered Collection release date is April 18, 2025. People can find it on the Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC, with Switch and PS4 physical copies confirmed. 

The post Lunar Remastered Collection Release Date Set 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.

The latest trailer for Suikoden 1 and 2 HD Remaster focuses on Pilika, a young girl that lives in Toto Village with her family. During the second game, Pilika and her family took care of Jowy after he nearly drowned in a river, and she sees him as family.

In the new Suikoden 1 and 2 HD Remaster clip shared, Jowy thanks Pilika's parents Marx and Joanna for taking care of him. Pilika then asks Jowy and the protagonist to talk to them in private and requests their help to find a gift for his father’s birthday that she saw while visiting Muse city.

You can check out the trailer below. It is only available in Japanese.

With the release of the new remaster quickly approaching, Konami has recently been sharing more clips and trailers showcasing the Suikoden 1 and 2 HD Remaster, such as a video of Neclord, and Riou and Kasumi visiting Rokkaku Hamlet.

Suikoden 1 and 2 HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars will come to the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on March 6, 2025. The original games appeared on the PlayStation worldwide. They also appeared together in a collection on the PSP in Japan.

The post New Suikoden 2 HD Remaster Trailer Focuses on Pilika 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.

Slower gaming months like December and January are prime time for revisiting older games. Likewise, the winter season is also perfect for catching up on a backlog, due to things like weather keeping people inside and getting time off for holidays. This year, one of my winter games ended up being a return to Dredge to catch up on DLC I missed, and I found it to be one of the best possible games to play during this time of year.

As a quick refresher, Dredge is a fishing game with horror elements. You are a lone fisherman out on isolated seas. As you explore, you’ll encounter fish and phenomenon you just can’t explain. This ramps up if you dare to head out into the oceans at night. It’s all about the atmosphere and quite engrossing, even if you turn off threats to turn it into a slightly more relaxing experience.

Part of Dredge being great to play during the winter months has to do with the general nature of the game. It’s a very isolated adventure. You’re in an often quiet place. You fish and search the seas. Given how solemn December and January can be, it is soothing to soak up that ambiance while bundled up in clothing and huddling in warm rooms. Especially if you’re in an area that just experienced major snowstorms or freezing rain. All you want to do is hunker in and stay still, and it accommodates that. 

There’s also the fact that Dredge has what really feels like a piece of winter DLC. The first add-on, called The Pale Reach, sends you to the arctic. That means needed to break through the ice and investigate a new mystery. Also, there are new fish and a means of better preserving ones you’ve already caught. I only just started that storyline over the holiday break in December, and it really felt so well-suited to things being so dreary and cold outside.

Speaking of which, it honestly felt like slower months like December and January were when I could catch up with Dredge and its DLC. I didn’t get to The Iron Rig when it released back in August 2024. With the way both it and The Pale Reach are handled, I feel it’s almost like having three full “games,” rather one experience with additional adventures. Yes, the new mechanics, abilities, and fish are great for the main game, but going back to over after so much time away felt more like returning for a sequel due to the time and effort put into these. Especially with The Iron Rig’s Ironhaven Corporations and the work we can do to build up their reach in the seas and see where that supernatural story leads. 

Given the cold and solitude that accompanies winter months, I can’t help but feel like Dredge is an ideal game to return to. (Or play for the first time.) Especially given the themes behind one of its DLC, and the fact that both add-ons are substantial enough to feel like solid extra adventures in their own right. It’s one of those titles that never stops feeling appropriate for certain situations.

Dredge is available for the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and it is in development for mobile devices.

The post Dredge Is One of the Best Winter Games appeared first on Siliconera.

Good Smile Company revealed new Persona 5 Royal merchandise goods including bags that look like Joker and Akechi’s school uniforms. Pre-orders for the items will open on January 20, 2025 from the Good Smile Company online store.

The Akechi and Joker cosbags (or cosplay bags) cost 4,180 yen (or about $26.51) each. Additionally, the other goods announced include a Morgana-shaped pouch that costs 2,200 yen (~$13.95) and a set of soft and fluffy hairpins for 1,760 yen (~$11.16.) The hairpins are available in 2 different versions, one designed after Joker and the other one after Morgana.

You can check out the items in more detail here:

Joker and Akechi have been featured wearing their regular clothes and school uniforms in a variety of merchandise, including the recently announced P5R Nendoroid of Goro Akechi in his uniform. A similar P5R Nendoroid of Joker in his school uniform previously released in October 2024.

Good Smile Company will open pre-orders for the new Persona 5 Royal Joker and Akechi school uniform bags, Joker and Morgana soft hairpins, and the Morgana pouch on January 20, 2025. Persona 5 Royal is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch, and PC.

The post New Persona 5 Bags Look Like Joker and Akechi’s Uniforms appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco and FromSoftware opened the signups page for the upcoming Elden Ring Nightreign Closed Network Test beta and confirmed the dates it will run. The official site is now open for potential console players to sign up, and it will take place between February 14-16, 2025. 

As this is a closed beta, there is no guarantee everyone who registers will get to play. Bandai Namco will randomly select from those who meet requirements. To take part, you need to be in a country in North America, Central America, or South America. The PS5 and Xbox Series X are the only options, even though the “platform of choice” section of the survey does mention the PC version. You need to be over 17 years old too. 

Here is the full schedule for the Elden Ring Nightreign Closed Network Test, which will consist of five beta sessions.

• February 14, 2025: Starts at 3am PT/6am ET and ends at 6am PT/9am ET.
• February 14, 2025: Starts at 7pm PT/10pm ET and ends at 10pm PT/1am ET.
• February 15, 2025: Starts at 11am PT/2pm ET and ends at 2pm PT/5pm ET.
• February 16, 2025: Starts at 3am PT/6am ET and ends at 6am PT/9am ET.
• February 16, 2025: Starts at 7pm PT/10pm ET and ends at 10pm PT/1am ET.

The goal of this beta will be to check the “large-scale network load.” Those of us who get to participate will be able to work together in teams of three to take on challenges. FromSoftware and Bandai Namco didn’t note specific bosses or areas that will appear.

Elden Ring Nightreign will come to the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC in 2025. The Closed Network Test runs February 14-16, 2025.

The post Elden Ring Nightreign Closed Network Test Signups Open Ahead of Beta appeared first on Siliconera.

Megahouse announced a re-release of the Persona 5 Royal Lucrea figure of Joker. The figure costs 24,200 yen (or approximately $153.19) and will release in Japan on late June 2025. [Thanks, Hobby Watch!]

Additionally, pre-orders for the figure will open on January 10, 2025 at 1pm JST. This version of the Joker figure will include a special acrylic stand inspired by the “Showtime” move that was introduced in P5R. Additionally, the new acrylic pedestal allows Joker to be posed alongside the Lucrea figure of Crow (Loki version.)

The static figure features Joker in a dynamic pose holding a knife backwards on his right hand. Extra parts are included with the figure, such as a hand part that allows Joker to hold a gun, and his Phantom Thief mask.

You can check out the P5R Joker Lucrea figure here:

The original figure was revealed on January 2022 with a release date set for August of the same year. Other P5R Lucrea figures have appeared, such as a figure of Makoto Niijima and Futaba Sakura in their Phantom Thieves outfits.

The Persona 5 Royal Lucrea figure of Joker costs 24,200 yen (~$153.19.) Pre-orders open on January 10, 2025 in Japan, and its expected release date is late June 2025. Persona 5 Royal is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch, and PC.

The post Persona 5 Royal Lucrea Joker Figure Returns With New Pedestal appeared first on Siliconera.

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (BBS), which launched on January 9, 2010 in Japan, Share Enix once again shared the secret ending video from the second game and a message from Tetsuya Nomura about the series. At the end of the statement, the director suggested that we still have yet to hear about what the Lost Masters gained and lost when they met at a crossroads in Kingdom Hearts III. 

First, here’s the full Kingdom Hearts II secret ending, which marked the first appearance of Kingdom Hearts BBS heroes Aqua, Terra, and Ventus. In it, all three were wearing full suits of armor, meeting at X-shaped crossroads while grabbing their keyblades.

And here is the full Tetsuya Nomura statement in which he discussed the importance of crossroads in the Kingdom Hearts series and hinted that we still haven’t heard the story about the Lost Masters yet.

pic.twitter.com/KmxbWSPDBh

— KINGDOM HEARTS (@KINGDOMHEARTS) January 9, 2025

There are two Kingdom Hearts games in development that we know about at the moment. One is Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link for mobile devices. That was supposed to launch in 2024, but ended up delayed. The other is Kingdom Hearts 4, which was teased at the end of the third entry.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep first appeared on the PlayStation Portable worldwide, and it is now available on the PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and PC via Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix. 

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Good Smile Company opened up pre-orders for a Nendoroid of Akechi Goro (School Uniform version) from Persona 5 Royal. Good Smile Company first announced this Nendoroid in November 2024.

You will have until February 19, 2025 to put in your pre-orders. If you order from the Japanese Good Smile Company site, it’ll cost 6200 JPY, and ship out some time in July 2025. Meanwhile, the North American site offers the Nendoroid for $36.99. It’ll ship out some time in Q4 2025. As a reminder, Good Smile Company will only ship to the United States and Canada.

The Persona 5 Royal Akechi Goro Nendoroid (School Uniform version) will come with two face plates, as opposed to the usual three. He has a smiling face and a default cheery expression. Optional parts include his attache case and extra hands. As opposed to his Crow (Prince version) Nendoroid, he doesn’t have a lot of options. However, since Nendoroid parts are interchangeable, you can technically swap around some of the parts if you have the other version of him.

Here are some more pictures of the figure:

The Persona 5 Royal Akechi Goro Nendoroid (School Uniform version) is available for pre-order via Good Smile Company until February 19, 2025.

The post Persona 5 Akechi Goro Nendoroid Wears His Uniform appeared first on Siliconera.

Konami shared a new clip of the upcoming Suikoden 1 and 2 HD Remaster showing footage of the villain Neclord in the second game in the collection. In the first two Suikoden games, Neclord is a vampire lord waging war against the city of Tinto.

The clip shared shows Neclord arriving to Tinto City followed by his horde of zombies, with the intention of creating his own kingdom in the mountain range where the city is built on. The post was shared on the Suikoden X (formerly Twitter) official account, accompanied by a caption quoting Neclord’s greeting to the city of Tinto and mayor Gustav. The English version of the clip also shows the new translation of the game.

You can check out the clip of Neclord in Suikoden 2 HD Remaster here:

And here is the Japanese version:

As a reminder, Konami recently shared another clip of Suikoden 2 HD Remaster protagonist Riou and Kasumi visiting the ninja village of Rokkaku, as well as some gameplay footage of Suikoden 1 HD Remaster.

Suikoden 1 and 2 HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars will come to the PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on March 6, 2025. The original games appeared on the PlayStation worldwide. They also appeared together in a collection on the PSP in Japan.

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