Author: Zach Barbieri

Publishers Paradox and White Wolf, in conjunction with developer The Chinese Room, have backtracked on their plans to release two playable clans as Day One DLC, instead, making them part of the base game upon launch. The Lasombra and Toreador clans were initially planned to be released on Day 1 alongside the launch of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodline 2, as part of a $21.99 DLC content pack that was met with backlash among fans. This shake-up to the launch plans for the title was announced today by The Chinese Room, along with the announcement that two additional story packs,…

Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sega appear to have leaked confirmation of the rumored Yakuza Kiwami 3, suggesting an official announcement will be forthcoming soon. Users across Twitter and Reddit have been creating some buzz after they noticed traces of a Yakuza Kiwami 3 on the developer’s official website. This mention, which only referenced a third entry in the Yakuza remakes, has been removed since, but the internet being the internet, it has been screen-grabbed by several people. Kiwami, meaning Extreme, Ultimate, or Peak, is the added title to the Yakuza games that have been remade so far, which…

Publisher THQ Nordic, weirdly enough, has two wreck-based titles in development currently, with the announcement of Wreckfest 2 late last year. Hinting at an announcement, this title made sense given that the original Wreckfest performed well, and given that the announcement was at the time hinted at by focusing on the Wreck part of the title, I had even covered that it looked like their other title, Wreckreation, might get some mention, having gone dark at the time. This was incorrect, obviously, but finally, after another year of largely being quiet, Wreckreation has received a new trailer and a release…

Frostpunk was one of those games that was worth the effort to learn and progress in, even if it was hard to do so. A management sim built on making the best choice in a sea of bad choices, it was a game that spent a lot of time on my console, though even now I question if I was ever really good at it, or if the game just nails the feeling of making you feel horrible after every choice you make. Maybe I will never have my answer to that, but I know Frostpunk 2 is, in the…

PlayStation 5’s latest system update, which goes live tomorrow, finally allows players to sync their DualSense controller to multiple devices without the need to de-sync and then resync it every time they want to use it with another one. Platforms that allow the DualSense to be paired with it include PC, Laptop, Mobile devices, tablets, and the more traditional PlayStation consoles such as the PS5 or PS5 Pro. Sony stated that by allowing players this freedom, it “believes enabling compatibility of our peripherals across multiple platforms creates a more flexible and seamless gaming experience.” This means that if you are…

Nintendo announced a brand new entry in the long-running tactical RPG series Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. While it is not stated in the trailer, some elements have caused players to believe this entry might be set in the same universe as the critically acclaimed 2019 entry, Three Houses, with the god Sothis making an appearance in the trailer near the end, looking older than when previously met. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6eNaiftiWE While not much of the story has been revealed at this point, the events of the game will play out perpendicular to a gladiator contest known as the Heroic Games.…

Arguably one of the best titles in the Koei Tecmo-developed horror series, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake was announced during the Nintendo Direct held today. The game is a Remake of the 2003 classic that was originally released for PlayStation 2 in 2003 and later for Xbox in 2004, and the latest game to get a rerelease on modern platforms. https://youtu.be/MLf4p8qL7gY In it players take the role of Mio, one of a pair of twin sisters, who find themselves lost in a village that has vanished from the map. Caught in a series of supernatural events and separated from…

Nintendo has announced that its short-lived 1995 console, the Virtual Boy, will be added to the Classics Catalog that is accessible through Nintendo Switch Online. The system, a very early attempt at making a virtual reality headset, something commonplace now, will allow for all of its games to be played the way they were intended in VR on both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 hardware. The twist here is that Nintendo will be selling Virtual Boy peripherals that are required for players actually to play these games. In fairness, this is not the first time that Nintendo has…

After some speculation this year, Square Enix has announced Dragon Quest VII Reimagined during the Nintendo Direct Today. The title is a remake of the 2000 title Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of a Forgotten Past, the first title in the series to be released for PlayStation. The game had previously been remade in 2013 for the DS, a version of the game that this remake seems set to draw from, with enemies wandering the map and 3D animation, both absent from the original game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c8xcYHboPs In the classic title, players set off on an adventure with their friends when their…

Aspyr Media, the Embracer Group-owned studio, has been accused of using AI to replicate the voice of French actor Françoise Cadol without her permission, for use in their most recent titles, the Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered collection. Aspyr Media is perhaps best known for their remaster work, in particular on games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Cadol has voiced the character of Lara Croft, the main protagonist of the Tomb Raider series, in France for several decades. In addition to the games, she was also brought in to voice the character in the French dub of the…