Pokemon Go's August Community Day has officially come and gone, but players eager for the game's next monthly event won't have to wait too long. Niantic has now revealed the first details for September's Community Day, and it'll take place on Sunday, September 15.The featured Pokemon for September's event will be Turtwig, the Grass-type starter from the series' Gen 4 games, Diamond and Pearl. Throughout the Community Day, the turtle Pokemon will appear in the wild much more frequently than it normally does, making for a good opportunity to catch as many as you can and stock up on Turtwig Candy. Not only that, you'll also have your first chance to catch a Shiny Turtwig.On top of increased spawns, any Turtwig that you evolve all the way into Torterra up to an hour after the Community Day ends will also know a special event-exclusive move that it couldn't otherwise learn in the game. Niantic hasn't announced what this move will be just yet, but the developer will share more details closer to the event. Beyond that, Niantic will offer a couple of other bonuses during September's Community Day. This time, you'll earn triple the normal amount of Stardust for each Pokemon you catch. Any Lure Modules you use during the event will also remain active for three hours rather than 30 minutes.As usual, September's Community Day will run for three hours. Whereas the past two monthly events took place from 4-7 PM local time to account for the hot summer weather, September's Community Day will take place much earlier than usual, from 11 AM-2 PM local time. You can read more details about the event on the official Pokemon website.In the meantime, there's still some time to catch the Legendary Rayquaza, which has returned to Raid Battles until September 2. The Sky High Pokemon has appeared in Raids before, but this time, you'll have a chance to encounter its Shiny version. You can read tips on how to catch Rayquaza in our guide. Team Rocket is also still appearing at various PokeStops with their Shadow Pokemon, and it looks like the evil team's boss, Giovanni, could be coming to the game soon too.Info from Gamespot.com

SteamWorld Quest is getting a major update that adds loads of new features, especially for players who have already completed the campaign. The SteamWorld Quest 2.0 update will drop on August 8, bringing a new difficulty mode, New Game Plus, and more.The New Game Plus mode will let you replay the game from the beginning and you'll have access to all of a character's previously unlocked cards as soon as they join you in the story. A new Legend Remix difficulty is even tougher than the usual Legendary setting, and as it's a remix, it also adds modifiers to some encounters. That difficulty option is only available through New Game Plus. The update will also add an art gallery and jukebox, so you can check out concept art and illustrations and listen to the soundtrack.Other changes include HD Rumble for the Nintendo Switch tournament, more consumable items at the merchant's wagon, easier access to the Midas Grand Prix tournament, and other balance tweaks and bug fixes. The announcement also teased that the game is coming to other platforms soon, and that a physical version is incoming.To mark the update, developer Image & Form is discounting the game by 20% on Nintendo Switch and PC.SteamWorld Quest is the latest in Image & Form's SteamWorld series, which regularly explores different genres. It's been home to a tower defense game, an action-platformer, and a strategy game. SteamWorld Quest is the studio's take on classic RPGs, with a card-battling mechanic at the heart of the combat system."Quest gives you a lot of complex combinations to play around with while also keeping things approachable enough to not feel daunting," Alessandro Barbosa wrote in GameSpot's review. "Its uneven difficulty saps some enjoyment out of the otherwise whimsical journey through this new and gorgeous kingdom, but it's still one that is admirably accessible while deep enough to be engaging throughout its 20-hour adventure."Info from Gamespot.com

Over the past few years 8BitDo has released numerous Bluetooth controllers that work with retro console adapters, computers, Android OS devices, and Nintendo Switch. Build quality and variety have helped the company stand out from the competition, and as evidenced by last year's M30 controllers designed for use with your Sega Genesis, 8Bitdo's craft continues to improve. Its latest product, the SN30 Pro Plus Bluetooth Gamepad, looks comparable to other Super Nintendo-inspired controllers from 8Bitdo (albeit with prominent handles) but it is actually one of the most advanced controller options for Switch owners. Though it doesn't feature the official Pro controller's HD Rumble or a motion-detecting gyroscope, the SN30 Pro Plus' distinguishing capabilities make it easy to overlook these arguably minor deficits.A quick look at the SN30 Pro Plus reveals a familiar button layout, with four face buttons, four shoulder buttons (two of which are triggers), a directional pad, and start, select, home, and capture buttons. 8Bitdo sent us the model colored to look like the classic "DMG" Game Boy color scheme; it's generally on point, though a slight red tint isolated to the applique on the face of the controller does stand out against the more desaturated plastic that surrounds it. Otherwise, the overall build quality is solid, with mixed materials and good-feeling buttons lending a high-quality feel throughout. Most buttons relay a satisfying tactile response when pressed, and the triggers offer a notable amount of resistance, which is good to have in general but even more important when you consider the ways in which you can adjust their sensitivity.With the SN30 Pro Plus connected to your PC (or Mac, once the upcoming software is released) 8bitdo's Ultimate Software tool lets you dive into the deep end of configurability. The first option you'll see is button remapping, with individual profiles for the controller's two operating modes dialed in for Switch or the Windows-centric X-Input API. Like every setting we'll discuss here, the Ultimate Software's user interface is clear, organized, and very easy to use, leaving little room for guesswork. Simply look to the panel on the right, find the button you want to change in the left-hand column, then pick which input you want to reassign to that button and hit the big purple 'Sync to Controller' button to commit your changes. If you ever need a visual reference, the image of the controller on the left of the Mapping tab will reflect your new settings.This sort of visual feedback is helpful for button remapping, but it's essential for the next two options: adjusting the active area of the analog sticks and trigger shoulder buttons. In each case, you are given a real-time look at the components in question. Being able to set the dead zone for these inputs can make a big difference to the right player and game, and the fact that you can both test and visualize these settings in real time, with your controller in hand and the Ultimate Software reflecting your actions, greatly streamlines the trial and error process. Beyond dialing in the sensitivity, you also have settings for inverting the axis of your analog sticks, or swapping their relative functions entirely.Though less critical, you can also adjust the intensity of the controller's basic vibration functionality (again, not proper HD rumble), with feedback coming from the controller as you dial in your preference.>Amazon | Amazon UKSome links to supporting retailers are automatically made into affiliate links, and GameSpot may receive a small share of those sales.Editors note: 8BitDo sent GameSpot a complimentary review sample of the SN30 Pro+ controller for review. Info from Gamespot.com

Final Fantasy XIV's annual summer event, the Moonfire Faire, is back again for another year. The summer celebration is now underway on PS4 and PC until August 26, giving players a chance to complete special limited-time quests and earn some exclusive summer-themed items.To participate in the Moonfire Faire, you'll need to be at least level 30 and speak to Mayaru Moyaru in the Upper Decks of Limsa Lominsa to begin the event. As Square Enix says, "This year’s event marks the return of the Eorzean Nimble Warrior course, revamped to provide yet more high-flying thrills to acrobatically adept adventurers."Complete the Moonfire Faire quests and you'll be able to earn a variety of summer-themed clothes for your avatar, as well as a handful of different decorations for your house. You can see the list of this year's Moonfire Faire items below. As usual, you'll also be able to purchase certain items from past Moonfire Faires at vendors.Moonfire Hachimaki (head gear)White Painted Moogle Mask (head)Black Painted Moogle Mask (head)Painted Namazu Mask (head)White Moonfire Happi (body)Red Moonfire Happi (body)Black Moonfire Happi (body)Moonfire Tabi (feet)Portable Pool (outdoor furnishing)Wind Chime Stand (outdoor furnishing)Moonfire Faire Advertisement (wall-mounted)The Moonfire Faire runs until 7:59 AM PT / 10:59 AM ET on August 26. You can read more details about the event on the official Final Fantasy XIV website.Final Fantasy XIV's third major expansion, Shadowbringers, arrived this past July and introduced a wealth of new content to the popular MMO, including two new playable races, the Viera and Hrothgard, new cities to explore and dungeons to conquer, and two new jobs, among other things. You can read our thoughts on the expansion in our full Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers review. Be sure to also check out our Gunbreaker and Dancer guide for tips on mastering the new classes.Info from Gamespot.com

I recently got to play FIFA 20 at a preview event in Berlin and, as you might expect, the new game is like the current version, FIFA 19, but a bit different. The passing is a little better, the shooting is a little better, the UI has been tidied up in some areas--you know, the usual fare.Out of curiosity on my return from Berlin, I booted up an old PS4 copy of FIFA 15, a game released when Ultimate Team was still a relatively new concept, Career Mode was still good, and Steven Gerrard was still the beating heart of Liverpool's midfield. The five-year-old game holds up remarkably well and feels surprisingly similar to the upcoming FIFA 20. Sure, the newer games are slicker experiences, but FIFA 20 isn't as far ahead as you might expect, given the five-game gap.That's not a dig at modern FIFA--I have thoroughly enjoyed 19 and it is comfortably my most-played game of the past 10 months. Rather it's both a compliment to FIFA 15 and a comment on the diminishing returns developers face when making annual games. Despite five years of tweaks, gameplay improvements, a whole new development engine, and new modes like The Journey, we're not that much further ahead.This year's big new mode is the FIFA Street-like Volta, which, on first impression, seems like a deep and engaging addition to the series' portfolio. Once you've built your custom player-character, you're presented with a world map showing a number of locations you can visit. These places are the battlegrounds that host various types of street football, and they include London, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro, among a bunch of others. You can then travel to these locales to partake in Story matches and city-specific events--some of which can be played against friends' teams even when they're offline. Your team in these modes is made of fake characters created specifically for the mode--though the story mode contains some real-life street footballers as 'boss fights.' There's also a Volta Kick-Off submode that allows you to play small-sided matches--3v3 up to 5v5--with players from licensed professional teams like Man Utd or Real Madrid.Elsewhere, Volta borrows heavily from Ultimate Team: players are represented by cards, whose chemistry is affected by the position you place them in and the formation you decide to play. Your team's chemistry will also change depending on the type of court they prefer compared to the one they're playing on--the presence or lack of solid walls on the outer edge, for example, makes quite a large difference to how a game plays out and to the tactics you can exploit. The mode also contains weekly challenges and deep customization options, the latter of which are represented in Overwatch-style fashion by different colors and labels denoting, for example, Epic, Legendary, or Common rarity items. EA says these items are purchasable using in-game currency only, with no microtransactions present at launch.Aside from these customization options, such as hats, jerseys, and boots, the long-term appeal of Volta appears to be driven by multiplayer matches against your friends and their teams, as well as striving to accumulate the best players. (When you beat another team, you can pick a player to steal to join your own squad, though that player will also remain as part of their existing squad.)Volta matches themselves feel very reminiscent of the 2012 FIFA Street reboot--while there is a greater focus on skills and showing off than is found in regular soccer, it's not as over-the-top as the previous Street games were. There are no gamebreakers or classes, and the control scheme carries over from regular FIFA, a move EA says is designed to help players transition between the two otherwise diametrically opposed ways of playing. In that respect, it seems a successful move--and bouncing balls off walls and nutmegging opposition players before getting on your hands and knees to head a ball over the line is thrilling--but it did feel a little like I was straining against the control scheme in order to achieve such feats. It's as if the framing was just a little too much like standard FIFA to enable the great moments to flow. Hopefully EA can tighten this up in the remaining weeks before launch.I found the integration of Volta's multiplayer and single-player submodes and its AI-driven community squads a little confusing, so I'm eager to get my hands on the mode again when the final game launches at the end of September. My initial instincts say Volta will be a fun option that I'll dip in and out of throughout the year when I grow tired of Ultimate Team or Career Mode, rather than a main draw like either of those two. However, at least Volta's appeal appears to be longer-lasting than that of The Journey, which, while I enjoyed, held little to no long-term value.Volta is a refreshing new way to play FIFA, then, but what happens on the pitch still doesn't feel significantly different to what came before. This is a problem many games faced toward the end of the last console generation. The reality is that when hardware stays the same, developers can only achieve so much--especially when they face the continual deadlines of annual releases and increasing pressure to update existing games as live services. This issue is not unique to FIFA, and PES has suffered from a similar deceleration in gameplay improvements. The games are still getting better and steps forward are still being made--they're just smaller with each passing year.This is reflected in the way the series are developed and marketed these days. EA and Konami focus less on gameplay enhancements and their somewhat ridiculous buzzword labels--Elite Technique, Pro Instincts, Hyper Shooting, Super Space Auto Tackling 2.0, that kind of thing--and more on entire new modes or aesthetic changes. Konami has gone all-out on its license acquisitions this year, for example, while EA points to FUT and Volta before it gets to what's changed on the pitch. This isn't necessarily a problem, since we're still getting cool new features to make it worth forking out every year, but maybe, for the time being, we need to adjust our expectations of what developers can achieve in yearly development cycles.With the next generation of consoles on the horizon, I'm sure a revolution is coming for football games. Until then, we'll have to make do with an entirely new mode that, while not groundbreaking, is an enjoyable alternative to the modes we've come to know and love (and, occasionally, hate). I suppose Volta could be summed up as being like standard FIFA 20--but a bit different. How very modern.FIFA 20 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC--with legacy editions coming to Switch and older platforms--on September 27.Info from Gamespot.com

Just Cause 4 released last December, but Rico isn't finished felling murderous strongmen just yet. Square Enix announced a new chunk of downloadable content, titled Danger Rising, coming to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 29.Danger Rising follows Rico as he takes on the Agency upon learning it had plans to kill him. It adds a Hoverboard to his arsenal of gadgetry, which appears to operate much like a skateboard complete with rail-grinding and kickflips. That extra mobility will come in handy against the new Agency enemies who sport stronger weaponry than in the main campaign.The DLC will add eight new missions, new vehicles, and new weapons like the Sequoia 370 Mag-Slug, Stormalong Em Zero magnesis rifle, and remote drone Yellowstone Auto Sniper Rifle. The trailer below shows some of the story beats and Rico's new tools in action.This is the third and final part of the Just Cause 4 "Dare Devils, Demons, and Danger" expansion pass, which is priced at $30 / £25 / AUS$45. Pricing for Danger Rising wasn't included in the announcement, but currently the first two DLC packs are priced at $8 / £6.50 / AUS$12 and $12 / £10 / AUS$18, respectively. The expansion pass also grants you a week of early access to any new DLC."Just Cause 4 has incredible moments where beauty and destruction cross with Rico's ability to zip around the world at a moment's notice," Michael Higham wrote in GameSpot's review. "It's gratifying and easy to grasp, especially when you're able to string a series of wingsuit fly-bys, vehicles hijackings, and fiery explosions all in the name of revolution, but those moments are either short-lived or tied to rudimentary missions. You're given an awesome toolset that paves the way for creativity in a world with too few problems to solve. At a time when open-world games sometimes overstay their welcome, Just Cause 4 is at the other end of the spectrum, where you wish there was more to experience because it has so much going for it."Info from Gamespot.com

A lovely purple-and-pink Nintendo Switch branded to match Disney's upcoming Tsum Tsum Festival game is now available for pre-order, and if you want to get your hands on one, you'll be glad to know it ships to the US and UK.The product is a Japanese exclusive, so you'll have to go through Amazon Japan or other similar sites to order it. It costs ￥39,688, or roughly $375 USD / £310. That makes it a premium price, but it's also a unique model. The Joy-Cons and dock are decorated with tiny Mickey Mouse and card suit icons, and the Home button sports little Mickey ears. It's adorbs. This is also one of the new models that boasts longer battery life to boot. Its planned release date is October 10, 2019.See Disney Tsum Tsum Switch on Amazon JapanEven if you already have an Amazon account, you may need to create an Amazon Japan account in order to proceed to checkout, and you'll need Google Translate or another tool to make this process easier. On the shipping page during checkout, click "Register a Foreign Address" for international shipping. Note that an import tax might be applied to your order.We had previously seen the special edition console announced, but it was unclear if it would be coming to the west. It still appears to be Japanese-only for the time being, but Nintendo Switch consoles aren't region-locked, so you could import the hardware and play all your games as usual.Nintendo has quite a bit of new hardware coming out over the next several months. Those include new Joy-Con colors and, more significantly, the Switch Lite. The budget-priced redesign of the Nintendo Switch will cost a bit less than the original model, at the expense of the docking functionality. If you're holding out for a battery-boosted Nintendo Switch but you want the standard blue/red or gray versions, make sure you know how to tell the old models from the new ones.Info from Gamespot.com

Fortnite: Battle Royale has entered its second week of Season X, and there's a new batch of challenges for Battle Pass holders to complete. The latest set of missions is called Spray and Pray, and as its name suggests, many of the tasks revolve around finding spray cans or spraying certain objects around the map.Unlike past seasons, which gave Battle Pass holders access to all of a week's challenges at once, only three of these Spray and Pray challenges will initially be available, with additional tasks unlocking as you complete them. The first asks you to deal damage to opponents with SMGs; the second has you spray a fountain, a junkyard crane, and a vending machine; and the third tasks you with spraying three different gas stations. You can see the full list of Spray and Pray challenges we've unlocked below.As previously mentioned, you'll need to own a Battle Pass in order to access the Spray and Pray challenges. Whereas past seasons gave all players a selection of missions to complete each week (with additional ones available exclusively to Battle Pass holders), Season X gates most of its challenges behind the pass, so you'll need to purchase one if you're hoping to get the most out of the season.Beyond that, the Battle Pass works the same as before. Completing challenges will net you Battle Stars, which in turn will help you level your Battle Pass up and unlock skins and other cosmetic rewards. If you need help completing any of this season's missions, you can find all of our tips and guides in our full Season X challenges roundup, which we'll continue to update as the season rolls on. You can see all the new cosmetics that are up for grabs in our Season X Battle Pass rewards gallery.In other Fortnite news, developer Epic Games' recently rolled out the title's 10.00 content update, which introduced another new gun to the mix: the automatic sniper rifle. Additionally, a Rift Zone has transformed Neo Tilted into the Wild West-themed Titled Town, and a limited-time Arsenal mode is now underway. You can read the full patch notes for the content update on Epic's website.Fortnite Season X, Week 2 Spray And Pray ChallengesDeal damage with SMGs to opponents (500) -- 10 Battle StarsSpray a Fountain, a Junkyard Crane, and a Vending Machine -- 10 Battle StarsSpray different Gas Stations (3) -- 10 Battle StarsInfo from Gamespot.com

Despite previous reports of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare not having a battle royale mode, developers Infinity Ward have hinted that the upcoming first-person shooter may include the popular mode. In fact, there are "many" unnannounced multiplayer modes for the Modern Warfare reboot.In a rapid-fire interview with Game Informer, art director Joel Emslie did not confirm or deny whether Modern Warfare will have a battle royale mode. However, after being asked if the game will feature the mode, Emslie said, "We'll have to wait and see." Emslie then noted that he's a fan of both the battle royale genre and larger player counts, with his personal favorite game mode being Ground War.Game Informer also asked if there are any multiplayer modes that have yet to be announced. "There are many," Emslie confirmed. He did not specify what "many" amounts to. There are plenty modes that we know of thus far: the gritty single-player campaign, Gunfight, Ground War, Spec Ops, and a swath of traditional multiplayer modes (including the likes of Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, and more).Also out of Game Informer is a new addition to the Modern Warfare experience. Tamagunchis, a virtual pet similar to the Tamagotchis from the '90s, add a lighthearted touch to the game's multiplayer experience. And Gunsmithing also introduces deeper weapon customization tools to multiplayer when it launches on October 25 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Info from Gamespot.com

Like many mystery-driven adventure games, AI: The Somnium Files is a little tough to talk about. It's not exactly action-packed in its moment-to-moment gameplay, and most of the intrigue in games like it comes from the ways in which they challenge your investigative skills and decision-making--plot twists and character dialogue are often at the heart of it all. This is very much the case when it comes to games under the direction of developer Kotaro Uchikoshi, best known for the Zero Escape series.Since AI: The Somnium Files was first revealed, we knew that it would channel similar gameplay elements from Zero Escape, but it's aiming to be an evolution of that. As special agent Kaname Date, you travel between reality and a dream world to unravel the truth behind a series of murders. Its overarching theme revolves around a pun for the word eye: "eye" as in your sight, "ai" the Japanese word for love, and A.I. as in artificial intelligence. Not to mention all the murder victims have one eye gouged out as well. Date himself has one eye that's actually an A.I. companion named Aiba (a Japanese-English pun for eyeball). And the real name of A-set, the virtual influencer/idol behind music videos and promotional materials, is Iris.Last time we spoke with Uchikoshi-san, he talked about love, story details, and the dream world's Psync mechanic, but there's still more than meets the eye. To get further insight into what's going on, we corresponded again via email and dug into the game's direction. We were also able to loop in the English localization team lead Alex Flagg for additional perspective on what it's like to deliver a dialogue-heavy Japanese game to a Western audience.If you're not caught up on AI: The Somnium Files, check out our interview with Iris "A-set/Tesa" Sagan or our hands-on preview with the game from GDC 2019. The game launches for PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch on September 17 this year.Can you explain the "Somnium" world? It's the key to solving mysteries, but are these people's secrets, true feelings, dreams? How does Kaname Date use that information throughout the game?Kotaro Uchikoshi: Somnium means "dream" in Latin. So a Somnium world would mean "dream world." Dreams are made from fragments of memory stitched together like patchwork. Hidden inside are people's secrets and suppressed feelings. It's Kaname Date's job to interpret what he sees in the dream to solve mysteries and move forward in the investigation. For example, there's something like this: A girl was alone at the scene of the crime. However, she suffered mental trauma and now has aphonia, so she can't talk. So, Date will dive into the girl's dream world and find a lead: she heard a phone ring. Then, Date will return to reality, go back to the scene to investigate and look for a cellphone somewhere. Something like that.We've seen AI being both dead serious, cheery, and sometimes outright absurd. How do you strike a tone that comes together?Alex Flagg: Through a lot of hard work! Uchikoshi has this amazing ability to blend Wikipedia-diving information dumps, absurdist theater, and sex jokes into a gripping and touching story. What I've discovered by playing and localizing his work is that you can get away with a lot that seems narratively inconsistent as long as you've already captured the audience's attention with an intriguing plot and interesting characters. Uchikoshi taught me that tone can fluctuate wildly, as long as the heart is centered and steady. Because if your heart is fluctuating wildly, you're probably having a heart attack and are about to die. You know, narratively speaking.KU: This is a hard question. All I can say is...by watching the balance. If I were to compare it, it's like a barista or a mixologist. Their jobs are very sensuous, and it's hard to put into words how they balance the ingredients. Or maybe it's similar to hitting on someone. You can't always be serious and cool and you can't always be energetic and carefree. They'll just brush you off, won't they? It's important to understand when to be serious and when to be energetic… What I'm trying to say is that everything is balanced out by things and you can't just explain it away with words. Having said that, my pick-up techniques have never been very successful. I bet Alex is really good at it, so next time I'm in LA, maybe he can teach me a few tricks!There's some body horror, light gore, and morbid imagery in your games, AI especially. Do you ever have ideas then stop yourself from going too far?KU: When I was writing the scenario for AI, the character designs weren't finalized yet. That meant that I only had a general idea of the characters while writing. That's why I didn't feel much guilt putting the characters through some really tough times. When the designs came in, I thought, "OMG, so cute!" That's when the characters started to really exist. But then it crossed my mind. "Ah, why did I do that to them...?" I didn't want to have a guilty conscience about it, so I thought, "Could I at least try not to put them through the darkest of my ideas?" Because of that, some scenes are now milder than the original idea. But this isn't censorship, this is love. Love for my characters. I decided to tone down some things, but the story isn't any less interesting or fun because of it. Please don't worry about that.What are your thoughts on canonical endings in games with branching storylines? How does AI handle that?KU: I remember watching a Hayao Miyazaki documentary, and he said something like, "I'm over this, I don't want to do this" while drawing original cels. Branching routes are like that to me. It's so much work. I scream, "Augh! I'm over this, too much work!" while writing the story too. In AI, the story splits from the decisions you make in the Somnia. To put it simply, picking either the "A" lead or "B" lead changes how the story unfolds. Branching stories are a pain in the ass for the creator, but to the player, there's nothing better. There's a lot of interesting elements in this game due to the branching paths, so please look forward to it!What are some important things Akira Okada (assistant director) has brought this time around for AI that you didn't think of?KU: Of course Okada-kun was a huge contributor, but AI was created from multiple ideas from all the staff members. For example, Aiba turning into a cute girl in Somnium, the video game inspiration behind a certain action scene, one of the stages from one of the Somnia. All of those were ideas from the staff. I mean, the Somnium parts, from the setting to the structure, was mainly done by Okada-kun and Yamada-san. I have nothing but respect and appreciation for the staff.Are there any particular difficulties that come out of having to do a simultaneous Japanese and Western release?AF: Oh, absolutely. Working side-by-side with the Japanese creative team is a totally different experience than picking up a completed project and adapting it.KU: Thanks to the hard work from Alex, Kazu [Okura], the other Spike Chunsoft Inc. team members, and [community manager] Dave Kracker, I didn't really have any trouble with simultaneous shipping. So, to the Spike Chunsoft Inc. team of course, the development staff in Japan, and the Chinese localization staff: I thank you very, very much, from the bottom of my heart!You get to control Aiba in the Somnium world, but you only get a limited time to investigate.What are some Japanese- or English-only quirks you get to put in the game? Are there some unique things players will get out of either language option?AF: The Japanese and English are largely the same, script and presentation-wise. There are a few times here and there that, say, a joke was intentionally not localized, or a character's voice performance in the English has a slightly different feel than the Japanese performance, but for the most part they are two versions of the same game.Some jokes or one-liners might come across differently in either language. And one thing that we're very proud of is that A-set's debut single, "Invincible Rainbow Arrow," is fully localized, right down to matching the Japanese rhyme scheme and poetic meter. So if you are playing in Japanese, you will hear the Japanese version of the song; if you are playing in English, you will hear the English version.How involved are you with the performances of the voice cast?AF: The translator for this project, Kazu Okura, and I were either there at Bang Zoom! studios or listening in over voice call every single day of recording. While we offered feedback and direction, especially during particularly intricate or complicated scenes, we can only take a little bit of the credit: it was our audio engineer JP Aller and voice director Chris Faiella that really helped the words come off the page and become something incredible in the performance.What's the toughest aspect for localizing AI that folks might not realize?AF: I would say the humor is by far the most challenging aspect of localization, especially "dad joke" humor, jokes that are intentionally bad. If you localize that joke to make it genuinely funny, you aren't exactly matching the tone of the Japanese. If you localize the joke to make it unfunny, you run the risk of the audience not realizing that the joke is supposed to be bad, it's supposed to make you roll your eyes and groan. AI is full of these kinds of jokes, so my translator and I worked very hard to make them funny...but not too funny."Tesa, aka A-set, you bet." was totally the localization team's idea, huh?AF: Yes, it was. Her slogan cheer is different in the Japanese and the English. In the Japanese, it goes something like "volatile solvent of the net world, Aseton, aka A-set!" It's a wordplay on the honorific "ton" added to her stage name "A-set," making it sound like "acetone," the chemical solvent. Keeping it "Aseton" in English would be clunky, invite mispronunciation, and lose the cuteness factor of the Japanese wordplay. So we decided to go with "Tesa," a cute, easy-to-say nickname that utilizes the game's prevalent motif of reflection ("Tesa" is of course "A-set" backwards). There was a time we briefly considered making her nickname "Ace," but Zero Escape fans will know why we decided against that.A-set has been a huge part of AI's lead up. Besides being a major character and idol, what was the idea behind breaking the fourth wall with A-set's YouTube channel?KU: One of the themes of this game is dreams and reality. So by linking the real world that we live in with the artificial world of AI, I tried to express the analogy (or is it a metaphor?) of "dreams and reality," or something like that. Iris (A-set's real name) is the goddess of rainbows in Greek mythology. She is said to be the messenger girl that delivers the words of the gods. Rainbows are also sometimes called the "bridge of heaven," so you could say that A-set is the "bridge" between fiction and reality.With all the lead up to AI and A-set at the forefront, how involved are you in her video content?AF: Very involved! Our team and the creative team in Japan were sharing ideas for videos and story beats for months, coming up with the general "plot" of her YouTube channel together. Once that was more or less in place, we localized and recorded each video based on Japan's video, which was incredibly difficult because of the fast pace they had to be produced. Often times we didn't even have a final video render to look at while we were recording, so we had to feel it out by the script alone. But it came together beautifully.How's she been as a promotional partner?KU: She was amazing! I know there were times I pushed her, but she didn't make a face and took everything very seriously. I thank her from the bottom of my heart. Also, she smells really nice. A sweet scent that tickles a person's heart... If she comes on screen while playing AI, please put your nose up to the screen. I'm sure you'll start to smell irises…Will A-set's presence in our real world play into events in AI?AF: "Our real world"? What a peculiar way of phrasing it. You can see her, hear her; she is information in the universe and she occupies space in your mind at this very moment. She exists in this world the same way I do right now, typing away at my computer, communicating with you only through ones and zeros. One and the same.KU: I already kind of answered this, but Iris is the bridge that connects our world to their world. As long as she exists, both worlds will continue to be linked.How much tequila have you drank since the A-set interview we did?KU: The situation has changed. Currently, rather than me drinking tequila, it's more of tequila drinking me. My office is always full of it. That's where I wrote the game's story. Just like one of those caterpillars in the bottles of tequila.Info from Gamespot.com

The Nintendo Switch has some solid Pro Controller alternatives in PowerA's wireless, "enhanced" pads. Now, the company is adding a Spyro-themed version to its lineup, and in addition to the new design, it boasts everything that PowerA's previous controllers have featured.The wireless Spyro Controller is up for pre-order on Amazon now, with a release date of August 30. That's just in time for Spyro Reignited Trilogy's Switch release on September 3. We've been impressed by PowerA's output for Nintendo Switch, including its wired controllers, which come at a cheaper price tag.See it at AmazonAs for the Spyro-themed pad, it's officially licensed by Nintendo and has the ability to map buttons to the two triggers situated on the back of the controller. It also features motion controls and Bluetooth connectivity; however, there's no rumble or NFC compatibility, meaning you won't be able to scan any Amiibos.On top of that, you'll need to power the controller with two AA batteries. This gives you up to 30 hours of gameplay, and while it may seem like a negative compared to the Pro Controller's recharging battery, I personally prefer this. The Pro Controller's internal battery is convenient, but when it loses its charge, you won't be able to use it wirelessly any longer. That hopefully won't happen until far after the Switch's lifespan, but as someone who likes to revisit their favourite games (and has been burned by a couple of dead PS3 controllers), I appreciate good quality controllers that come wired or battery-powered.As for Spyro Reignited Trilogy, it released on PS4 and Xbox One last year on November 13. Reviewer Justin Clark called it "the best kind of collection that not only brings a beloved series up to current visual standards but also proves just how well-built the original titles were." You can check out the score and read our full Spyro Reignited review here.Info from Gamespot.com

Fire Emblem: Three Houses asks a lot of you. Every piece, from battle to friendships to training your units, must be managed both individually and as part of a whole. It can be intimidating, but when it all clicks together, it really clicks. Mastering the art of thoughtful lesson planning as a professor improves your performance on the battlefield, where success relies on calculated teamwork and deft execution. Cultivating relationships during battle in turn draws you closer to each of the characters, who you then want to invest even more time into in the classroom. Every piece feeds into the next in a rewarding, engrossing loop where you get lost in the whole experience, not just in the minutiae.Three Houses casts you as a mercenary who, while out on a mission with their father, runs into a group of teens under attack. After a brief introduction and battle tutorial--which you shouldn't need, since you're apparently already an established mercenary, but we'll go with it--you learn that they are students at Garreg Mach monastery. Each of them leads one of the school's three houses: Black Eagles, Blue Lions, or Golden Deer. At the behest of the church's archbishop, who definitely gives off nefarious vibes but is also a gentle mom figure, you end up becoming a professor and must choose which of the houses to lead. There is a lot of mystery to the setup, with consistent hints that something is not quite right, and it's easy to get absorbed in trying to figure out what the archbishop and various other shady figures are up to.Your main role as professor is to instruct your students in matters of combat and prepare them for story battles at the end of each month. Battles in Three Houses feature the same turn-based, tactical combat at the heart of the series, albeit with some changes. The classic weapon triangle is downplayed quite a bit in favor of Combat Arts, which have been altered somewhat from their introduction in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Combat Arts are attacks tied to a weapon type and can boost a unit's attack power at the expense of weapon durability; some are effective against specific enemy types, like armored units. You can also unlock skills outside of Combat Arts that grant you better stats with certain weapons, like a heftier boost for using an axe against a lance user, similar to the old weapon triangle. It's the same complexity the series is known for but less abstracted, making it a bit easier to strategize without sacrificing depth.One of the big combat additions is battalions, mini armies you can equip that provide various benefits to a unit during battle. They also give you a new type of attack called a Gambit, which varies based on the type of battalion--magic-focused, brute force, and so on--and stuns the enemies it hits. Gambits are limited-use and can be incredibly powerful against the right enemies. You can increase a Gambit's effectiveness even further if one or more of your other units are within attack range of the target, a tried-and-true Fire Emblem concept that applies to all kinds of attacks. There's also an anime-style splash screen as you attack that shows each character involved in the Gambit looking fierce, which adds a nice bit of drama.How much you use Combat Arts and Gambits depends on what difficulty you're on. On Normal difficulty, well-trained units will likely be able to dispatch most enemies in one or two hits without the help of Combat Arts or Gambits. On Hard, however, enemies hit harder and withstand your attacks better. You have to think much more carefully about unit placement, the best time to use a Gambit and take advantage of its stun effect, and how many Combat Arts you can fire off before your weapon breaks. This is where things get exciting; after a few turns of cautious setup, you (hopefully) get to knock out tons of enemies as your plans fall into place.Some of the early-game and optional battle maps are open spaces that don't require you to think too hard, especially on Normal. But the story battles throughout feature a variety of map layouts--from pirate ships to what appears to be a lava-filled cavern--that challenge you to consider where your units need to be, both in the next turn and several turns down the line. Many of them have different routes, enemies coming at you from multiple angles, optional treasure to chase, and other quirks that require you to split your party up or change their equipped classes to suit the situation. Thieves, for instance, can open chests and doors without a key, while flying units don't take damage from ground that's on fire.The depth of strategy in these elements really shines on Hard difficulty, but especially so when coupled with Divine Pulse, another limited-use ability. Divine Pulse allows you to rewind time in order to redo all or part of the battle, usually if one of your units dies. Rewinding with Divine Pulse shows just how important unit placement and attack choice can be, as even a slight change can make or break the encounter. It's also just a nice quality-of-life feature if you play on Classic mode, in which units who die in battle are lost forever and can't fight or train anymore. You might still soft reset from time to time, but it's great to be able to rectify a mistake right away and get a shot of instant gratification for a job well re-done.Battling, of course, is only one part of life at the monastery. The backbone of Three Houses is the monthly school calendar, and if you like organizing things, planning ahead, or school in general, this can be the most engrossing part. On Sundays, you have free time you can spend in one of four ways: exploring the monastery, participating in side battles, holding a seminar to improve your students' skills, or simply taking the day off. Mondays are for instruction, which consists of selecting students from a list and choosing a few of their skills to boost. The rest of the week goes by automatically, with a sprite of the professor running along the calendar and stopping occasionally for random events or story cutscenes. It sounds a bit hands-off, but there's a lot to think about as it is, and the week-by-week rather than day-by-day structure keeps things moving and ensures you never have to wait too long to progress in any area.The predictable structure of each month--and the fact that you can see the full month's schedule with events listed ahead of time--gives you the foundation to make effective plans. All that time management can definitely be overwhelming, at least at first. You have to keep tabs on your students' skills and study goals, your own skills, everyone's inventory, and various other meters and menus while planning for the lessons and battles to come. But you're treated to a near-constant stream of positive reinforcement as those meters fill up week by week and your students improve their skills. You're always moving toward the next thing: the next level up, the next skill you need to develop, the next month and what may unfold.To complement this, your activities when exploring the monastery (as well as how many battles you can participate in, if you choose to battle on your day off) are limited by activity points. You get more as your "professor level" increases, which means you have to balance activities that boost your professor level with ones that help your students grow. Activity points also ensure that the month continues at a healthy pace, preventing you from lingering on any one Sunday for too long. Seminars and rest days just eat up the whole day without consideration for activity points, which can break up the more involved weeks and provide their own benefits.How you choose to spend your time also comes down to how motivated your students are to learn. Each of your students has a motivation gauge that's drained when you instruct them, and they can't be instructed again until you interact with them and get their motivation back up. You can do this most effectively when exploring the monastery--where you get to talk to different characters, give them gifts, and share bonding time with them--whereas battle only rarely increases motivation levels. While you can skip a lot of the school life bits and even automate instruction, you won't get the best results. You're directly at a disadvantage in combat if you don't make time for your students, which is by design.Like all recent Fire Emblem games, keeping you invested in your units and their relationships is the glue that binds the whole experience together. It's incredibly effective in Three Houses, where your direct involvement in nearly all aspects of a unit's growth trajectory gives you a special stake in their success. After spending time and effort to help a character achieve their full potential, you're not just satisfied when they win a fight--you're proud. And the more you invest in someone--both emotionally and through months of lesson plans and instruction--the more cautious you'll be about putting them in harm's way, and the more you'll work to come up with a solid battle strategy.Considering you're a teacher, it's good rather than disappointing that there's almost no romance to speak of. Some students are flirty, but mainly, you're fostering camaraderie rather than playing matchmaker or romancing them yourself. As you unlock new support levels with different characters--both by interacting with them at the monastery and by using teamwork in battles--you get cutscenes that flesh them out more. Some are charming, lighthearted conversations between two friends, while many of them give you insight into more serious matters--a father forcing his daughter into marriage, discrimination within the monastery, the dark reason behind someone's lofty ambitions. For the most part, each support conversation is just a piece of who a character is, and as you slowly build support levels over time, you begin to uncover the full picture of each person. As a result, learning more about each of the characters and their place in the monastery is as much a reward for progress as the level bars that tick forever upward as you go.Every NPC is fully voiced in both English and Japanese, which brings a lot of life to the brief support conversations. Disappointingly, though, the professor is silent. They do have a voice--they'll occasionally say a line when leveling up or improving a skill--but in cutscenes and when talking to students and faculty, they just nod or shake their head flatly. There are brief dialogue options during conversations, but where they could give way to a full, subtitled sentence or two from the professor, you're just left with the other character's reaction. Characters do, however, refer to the professor's personality and how they come across throughout the game, which is odd considering they mostly nod at things. This puts distance between you and the characters you're bonding with, and it's a missed opportunity in a game where the protagonist has an otherwise set look, personality, and backstory.It's not hard to like a lot of the characters, though. They draw you in with anime archetypes--the ladies' man, the bratty prince, the clumsy but well-meaning girl--and surprise you with much more nuance under the surface. Some of the funniest scenes early on involve Bernadetta, a shut-in with extreme reactions to normal social situations, but her inner life is a lot darker and more complicated than those early conversations let on. You might discover a character you thought was a jerk is actually one of your favorites or slowly stop using a less-than-favorite character in battle. You also have the option of having tea with someone, during which you have to choose conversation topics according to what you know about them, dating sim-style. Knowing what topics they'll like is actually a lot harder than it sounds, and successfully talking to a favorite character--even if the tea setup can be a little awkward in practice--is a small victory.Each house's campaign feels distinct but not so different that one seems way better than the other. Every house has a mix of personalities and skills, and they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. Students from different houses can form friendships with each other, too, and you can eventually recruit students from other houses to join yours. Rather than being repetitive, on a second playthrough, recruiting gives you access to different relationship combinations; you can see a different side to a character through a different set of support conversations. And while the overall setup of the game is largely the same across the three houses, each has its own web of B plots, and the second half of the game will look very different depending on who you're with and the choices you've made.The first half concerns the church, its secrets, and the fact that the professor knows very little about their own identity. As the basic loop of each month pulls you forward, so too does the promise of learning the truth about something, whether it's why the archbishop wanted you to be a teacher in the first place or who a suspicious masked individual is. These threads remain pretty open, though, at least after one and a quarter playthroughs. You get different details in each route, and so far it's been a long process to piece everything together.Learning more about each of the characters and their place in the monastery is as much a reward for progress as the level bars that tick forever upward as you go.After a five-year time skip, you enter the "war phase" of the game. While the structure of the game is the same--you even instruct your units, since you still need to train for battle--the focus shifts to the house-specific stories. They involve a lot of hard decisions, with old friends becoming enemies, people you wish you didn't have to kill, and students who've changed either in spite or because of your guidance. Late-game battles are especially challenging, with higher stakes and multi-lane layouts that require a lot of forethought. Success in these battles is incredibly rewarding, as you're seeing dozens of hours of investment in your students reach a crescendo, but they're bittersweet in context.When all was said and done, all I could think about was starting another playthrough. I was curious about the mysteries left unsolved, of course, but I also hoped to undo my mistakes. There were characters I didn't talk to enough, students I didn't recruit, and far more effective ways to train my units. A second playthrough treads familiar ground in the beginning, but after learning and growing so much in the first, it feels fresh, too. That speaks to Three Houses' mechanical complexity and depth as well as the connections it fosters with its characters--and whether you're managing inventories or battlefields, it's the kind of game that's hard to put down, even when it's over.Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft's Xbox platform may be synonymous with multiplayer offerings, but the brand is looking to diversify its portfolio in the years to come. It seems more single-player titles are in the works at Xbox and its umbrella studios.Xbox head Phil Spencer responded to a tweet asking if more single-player games are headed to the platform. "Yes, I can confirm," Spencer replied. He did not specify how many single-player games are in development or what developers are working on single-player titles at the moment. However, Spencer assured that, with the new Xbox Game Studios additions, the brand has "a lot of teams that have built strong [single-player] focused games and we want that to continue."Yes, I can confirm. With the additions to XGS we have a lot of teams that have built strong SP focused games and we want that to continue. — Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) August 7, 2019It's unclear if Spencer is referring to first- or third-party titles. One of the most anticipated single-player games, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, is headed to PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 15. And Remedy Entertainment's Control, a single-player action game featuring space-altering supernatural abilities, launches on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 27.Alongside 343 Industries (Halo), Compulsion Games (We Happy Few), Ninja Theory (Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice), Playground Games (Forza Horizon), The Coalition (Gears of War), and more, Xbox announced the acquisition of Double Fine Productions during E3 2019. In November 2018, Xbox also picked up Wasteland 3 developer InXile Entertainment and The Outer Worlds creator Obsidian Entertainment.Info from Gamespot.com

Cadence of Hyrule marks one of the rare times Nintendo has allowed another developer to use its characters, offering a mash-up of Crypt of the NecroDancer mechanics with the familiar songs and sounds of The Legend of Zelda series. Just in case you haven't tried it out for yourself yet, Nintendo and developer Brace Yourself Games have put up a demo.Nintendo announced the demo through its Twitter account. You can find the demo now through the Nintendo Switch Eshop or on Nintendo's Website.Haven't played #CadenceOfHyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda yet? Get into the groove and try it out with a funky free demo, available to download now on #NintendoSwitch #eShop!🎶 https://t.co/S6Gh11sb84 pic.twitter.com/33UTziYsrr — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 8, 2019Cadence of Hyrule was a pleasant surprise from Nintendo this year, showing more flexibility with its characters than usual. While it has allowed larger developers like Ubisoft and Team Ninja to play in its world with games like Mario + Rabbids and Hyrule Warriors, respectively, Crypt of the NecroDancer was a relatively small indie hit by comparison. The crossover paid off, as GameSpot's Cadence of Hyrule review praised its creative rhythm-based way of paying homage to classic Zelda."Cadence of Hyrule is a fantastic Zelda game in its own right, even though it adopts the gameplay mechanics of another series," James O'Connor wrote. "Beyond the aesthetics, it nails the satisfying sense of exploration and increasing power, and it revels in the joy of discovery, as all the best Zelda games do. It's an extremely successful melding of two great game series and an experience that makes you feel eager for Nintendo to do more interesting things with their major licenses."Info from Gamespot.com

A new pixel-art Metroidvania is headed to PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One next year. Mega Cat Studios, the team behind the beat 'em up Coffee Crisis, announced that Bite the Bullet is expected to launch early 2020.Bite the Bullet is a Metal Slug-inspired RPG where you devour your enemies and environmental inhabitants to power up your character and weaponry. According to the game's official website, this "roguelike RPG shooter" will feature a variety of classes, over 60 levels, a plethora of weapon crafting and ability unlocks, and more. It looks like a mashup of Tribute Games' Mercenary Kings and La Cartel Studio's Mother Russia Bleeds, with a bit of Phobia Game Studio's Carrion tossed in for good measure. Check out the trailer below.As the game's Steam store page states, "Every enemy has its own nutritional information, and your body type will change based on the types of enemies you consume." As you consume everything from enemies to walls to bullets, your abilities will change, your stats will increase, and your weapons will receive modifiers depending on what you eat.Info from Gamespot.com