Julius

Okay so this one didn't leak: the long talked about Project Re:Fantasy from Studio Zero! Atlus loves Xbox now? Or their money, at least

The years are flying by because I 1000% thought that we'd had a Mina update and new footage more recently than Silksong, but nope, latest stuff I can find is still Q1 2022 for Mina (mostly stuff shortly after that Yacht Club presentation with the game's KS announcement) and June 2022 for Silksong during the Xbox Games Showcase. Some serious mind fudgery going on here. Let's get updates on both! Okay maybe that's a bit much to ask for but eh, why not It definitely feels that way for me, I feel like a Direct would make the most sense for a shadow drop if it were going to happen, absolutely got the most eyes on them during those. Indie Showcases do middling numbers by comparison. There's no chance in hell in my mind that it drops during an Xbox event (even with Game Pass deals and the like) simply because of how poorly it would get communicated that it was dropping on everything. I mean Xbox buy a couple of days of Atlus saying their games are coming to Xbox only in their trailers, for pity's sake! Wdym, we get so many fantasy farming sim indies shadow drop all of the time, there's no way Silksong is bigger than those

A whole bunch of games leaving the service this month, 25 in total: Bunch of FF mainline titles bowing out, guess it makes sense as I suppose they wanted that impact up to and shortly after Rebirth, but still: that's one heck of a cull.

What have we here? In what feels like a rare event these days, the reverse is suitably gorgeous too – look at all that character art! Very excited for this going to start the install now, and I'll be back with some impressions later/tomorrow!

Yup, a solid night in the end, nice to see a big win. Been a disastrous couple of seasons since Ted and co. took over, but hopefully we can finish the season strong and kick on. This team needs some more experienced players around, though, as seen from the spot kick shoving around that went on; it's simply not acceptable. This is what happens when you spend big on a bunch of kids though, I guess, it was good to see Gallagher stepping in but well, there needs to be more to it Actually heard a bit of Dele Alli's punditry on it around them not showing up to be fighting for the pen late on against United but wanting to nab it off the now joint scorer in the league this season when we're already 4-0 up, it's embarrassing. But enough of that, crazy stats time: Palmer is the first to score in 7 (!) successive games at the Bridge, and has scored more goals this season for us in the Prem (20) than Havertz did in three combined (19). If he continues to kick on this then I'll consider City's De Bruyne debt paid off by karma

Yeah, I still find it hilarious that Bayern thought that they wanted and needed Pep so bad - just six months after making it to the UCL final - that they effectively forced out a legend like Heynckes, whose team in 12/13 then went on to break multiple records and won an unprecedented treble. The ultimate middle finger from Jupp because Pep then not being able to win the UCL with that team is probably the only real stain on his CV, I love it Eh, Tenet has massive issues and is pretentious as hell, but up until that point Nolan's films pretty much all bang. I love the Dark Knight trilogy but so many of his "smaller" films I'd argue are a much better showcase of his talents, like Memento or The Prestige. Funnier yet, though - with @Hero-of-Time not rating Nolan in particular - I think Nolan is to modern film what Kojima has been for games and have for a long time - how they tackle their auteurship is kind of freakily similar, they both absolutely need focus and to be reined in - and the critical response to Death Stranding reminds me a lot of the response to Tenet Edit - didn't see your post before mine @Happenstance so a quick edit, but yeah Nolan's sound mixing sucks ass, idk how but it's got worse over the years

It's a weird one, because I see and understand the argument, but I can't say I'd agree. I think the system he utilises requires high skill and technicality, which simply isn't cheaply bought. I do think he would be capable of adapting to lesser teams - to the same extent as Mou dragging Porto and Inter to success, though? Or Fergie churning out several dynasties through the highs and lows at United? I'm not quite sure - because even when he buys these expensive players, not all of them end up working out in his system, but a lot of them come on leaps and bounds in unexpected ways so long as the hard work and dedication is there. Look at the rest of the league - heck, even just across Manchester - and it's obvious that buying power isn't necessarily staying power. Someone like that just seems destined to produce results so long as they have the full backing of the board, and I do also think Pep carries out extensive profiling of the leagues and teams he's being offered to take the reins of - it's just as much a case of him finding a board which trusts him and are willing to back him fully, as it is a case of him having access to unbelievable facilities, budgets, etc. I genuinely think the Barça board created this monster with how they essentially forced Pep into wanting to take time out of the game, and the seemingly unlimited funds of a team like City are all too happy to be invested in such a project. I think Pep could hypothetically be unhappy with Haaland in a year's time and the club would be happy to sell him on if it meant Pep stayed. He's also just a scholar of the sport, more so than any other manager I can think of today. It's clear he has a passion for its history, revisiting ideas from its past, and he's one of the few managers you hear about having met up with other managers, some of whom who aren't necessarily in that top echelon from all over the world for a dinner or a drink to discuss football, beyond just the typical post-game drinks; off the top of my head I can think of Tuchel, Bielsa, Wenger, and a few others, I think he even called Sacchi up at one point to discuss something he was having trouble with. I think the best analogy I can think of is comparing Pep to Christopher Nolan: while I would love to see Nolan make a budget $10 million indie film today, someone of that calibre in their field deserves the backing and freedom to produce films (teams/football philosophies) which pushes their profession and medium forward, and if that means getting backed to a silly degree, then so be it. They're once-in-a-generation talents at their particular role.

Nintendo won't be at Gamescom this year. Per VGC: Not too surprising given the context of previous reports that the console's launch got moved back to Q1 2025. I'm really curious to see when they decide to actually announce/reveal this thing, maybe even more so than I am to hear about its launch plans. I genuinely think if it doesn't launch until late Q1 (as in, March) similar to the Switch, they could get away with waiting until January, so as to not potentially hurt Christmas sales and cause confusion. The only real argument I can think against doing that would be potential leaks from the production line, but so long as they aren't stupid and pulling a Wii U and they don't get too gimmick-heavy, I think you could absolutely blast out a 2-3 month marketing campaign for this thing and have it over with. You could even tease an event for Jan with a console silhouette and a bit of a teaser trailer at The Game Awards if you really wanted to, I think you could get away with that much, because as big as that is for the gaming space, I don't feel like TGA news and a console silhouette would permeate through to the Switch demographic without the console before Christmas was over and done with. Nintendo basically turned water into wine with the marketing and release of the Switch last time around compared to how they and competitors had done it before, so yeah, I can't wait to see if they've got any of that sort of magic up their sleeve this time around

Launch trailer for the game's Steam Early Access launch, which begins this Thursday (18th): Just got to wait for that full release, but man, those visuals are insane

That art style is immense... ...and it looks intense More details March 1st 2024 at the Inside Wicked Showcase.

Now also rated in Australia... I'll be shocked if we don't have a date for this game by June at the very latest. Also wouldn't be shocked if it ended up being shadow-dropped.

So, uh, yeah, I guess it's Dragon Quest Day, so for the 25th anniversary of the series this video was put out – ending with the reveal that a new entry in the series is in development for the Nintendo Switch! That music is charming as all heck, as is what I've seen and heard about the Monsters games. Definitely going to be keeping an ear to the ground on this one!

Leverkusen winning their first Bundesliga with 5 games to spare (and up to this point being unbeaten) is unbelievable would be crazy if they managed to remain unbeaten for the last 5 games, and even more so if they win their other competitions with the same record. I love his style of football and what he's done for the sport/Prem, but I can't wait for that bald fraud to leave one day

That reads me to a bit like shipping got the game out to backers before it was intended in addition to it already going down to the wire – and as a result it now sounds like they're under even more pressure to rush out fixes now that the game is out in the wild. Which kind of sucks for the devs more than anyone else. My copy hasn't even shipped yet, and I know that's the case for a few others, too. If it does turn out that the problems persist up until and around launch, I don't mind waiting a bit until they're ironed out, more than anything I just want to see what Murayama has cooked up for his final story. I'm not too surprised to hear it's a bit rough currently though, I read impressions of the beta and that was a bit messy too. I just hope the quality is there once it's patched

Helps when there's no acting involved It really was. Michael B. Jordan directed this one and he's talked about being a fan of anime before - for this particular fight he said he wanted to convey similar emotions and energy to an anime fight, and I think it really shows! Definitely feels unique in the world of fighting films. Aye, peaked with the first film for me and it feels like they've been trying to claw back to that greatness ever since. Still a banger of a track for it, mind Love that film real shame Rom-Coms have generally gone the way of the dodo or are straight-to-subscription service schlock, it's most of what my parents brought me up on

Finally getting some more concrete news on next year's animated film which will mark the debut of Avatar Studios: starring Eric Nam and Dave Bautista, with the work-in-progress title of Aang: The Last Airbender. Bautista did some voice work in Ghibli's the Boy and The Heron recently, and I think he'll make a stellar villain, so I'm looking forward to hearing that. Bit of a shame they seem keen to move on from the original cast in most cases (I imagine apart from Zuko?), but I know some have retired and others have expressed interested in those of backgrounds closer to their characters getting the nod over them (heard this for both Korra and Katara), so it's hard to complain; excited to see how it turns out nonetheless

So, I thought about making a dedicated thread for the Avatarverse (not my name of choice for it, but whatever, it's stuck with the press apparently!) last summer after rewatching The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, but I didn't think there was enough to drive an ongoing discussion in a dedicated thread, besides more people potentially getting into the show through Netflix, which it owes a lot of its resurgence to. However, after Bryan and Mike left the Netflix TLA project, I had a suspicion that it wouldn't end there. So, while Netflix is off reportedly casting a 12 year-old Aang and a 16 year-old Katara - who will be a big sister to Sokka, completely killing his character arc, and probably trying to force Zatara on us all - Nickelodeon has finally decided to acknowledge the golden egg they've been sitting on for years. From Deadline: And confirmation from Paramount what to expect: new series, short-term content, spin-offs, and theatrical films. Oh, and the Avatar Studios logo, which looks great! Well, I think it's safe to say that that might be able to drive and sustain some discussion beyond returning to The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, and expanded lore. I genuinely never thought this would happen, just considering how they completely kicked Legend of Korra to the curb. You know, when they ordered one season, then ordered way more, then brushed it under the rug and moved brand new episodes over to the Nickelodeon website? And now they're back! What do you hope to see come of this? What's your experience with the series to this point? And do you think the cabbage merchant will make his return? Personally, I'd love to see adaptations of the graphic novels, as they seem like a natural and relatively straightforward place to start.

The GDC talk for the game, 2D and Tomorrow: How the Developers of 'Super Mario Bros. Wonder' Find New Joy in Creating Classic Side-Scrolling Adventures, is now available to watch via the GDC Vault

Goodbye generic art style of New Super Mario Bros., and hello Wonder! Looks gorgeous and like it has a fair few fresh ideas!

The GDC talk for the game, Tunes of the Kingdom: Evolving Physics and Sounds for 'The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom', is now available to watch from the GDC Vault

Wrecking Crew '98, Amazing Hebereke, and SUPER R-TYPE are landing on the service...today!

Headed over to the Birmingham Gaming Market last Saturday and had a pretty good time (albeit a bit of a sardine-like experience). Going in, I'd done my research on retro games I wanted to get around to picking up a while ago, but I had a few priority items on my mind for this event: Silent Hill 2 - one of the horror games I want to get around to this year, in its original form rather than the remake. Armored Core games - I adored VI, so I'll be picking up most if not all of these as time goes on, I'm sure! Suikoden V - the only mainline Suikoden I don't own in some form or another. I also said I wouldn't be picking up any JP copies of games. My main tactic with our early access tickets was to take a quick nose around at high list items on racks/shelves closer to the vendor the first go around and then I'd dig into things truly on subsequent loops. So first game picked up was Armored Core: Silent Line, which I picked up on my first go around the place and spotted out of the corner of my eyes from several stalls away chuffed to pick up an Armored Core game, and this one went for £40, which is roughly how much it goes for elsewhere, too. The same vendor also had a PAL copy of Nine Breaker, too, but I didn't pick this up for two reasons: firstly, from my research it seems pretty universally loathed and rated as the weakest entry in the series, and secondly - and perhaps most importantly - it was going for £140. I was tempted (mainly because I know it'll probably go up in price by the time I get to it in the future), but kept my wits about me; I thought it was gone by our third go around which would've made it easier on me, but it had just moved shelf, and I'm glad I didn't pick it up then either. On my second loop I picked up Spider-Man 3 (specifically on PS3) and LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, two items high on my PS3 wishlist, from the same vendor. While I've seen them around, I was watching out for copies iin nicer condition - and these would do! They were £18 and £5, respectively. And then...there just weren't any of my other priority items around. I did spot copies of Armored Core V and Verdict Day from a mile off, too, but unfortunately these were JP copies and so I wouldn't be able to play them (they were also £55 and £65, respectively, so not cheap for shelf-fillers). Wanting to make more out of the day and use some more of my budget, I lifted my rule on not picking up any JP titles, and headed back to the same stall (Sore Thumb from up in York) I got Silent Line from with one particular game in mind that I'd spotted on my first pass through... Chrono Trigger. Yes, I own it on DS physically and on Steam digitally, but I'd spotted a Japanese SNES copy a while back in great condition which had been put aside for someone at my local retro games store, and well, a JP PS1 copy of the game would take up less space and still looks quite nice, so why not? That set me back £25. I then also picked up Hunter x Hunter: Ubawareta Aura Stone (The Stolen Aura Stone) for just £10, a game I'd heard a little about and picked up because, well, Hunter x Hunter Which brings me onto my favourite pick-ups of the day, two games I'd actually been thinking of importing before I treated myself to their English ROMs... Suikogaiden Volume 1: Swordsman of Harmonia AND Suikogaiden Volume 2: Duel at Crystal Valley. These are spin-off titles to the Suikoden series which are actually text and picture-based adventures more along the lines of a visual novel, the first being set during the events of Suikoden II and the second being set following the events of Suikoden II, incorporating save transfers for character cameos or your player character name from II, and the games also introduce you to Nash, who I know turns up in III; notably, these never made it out of Japan. These are part of the 'Konami: The Best' line (even came with the spine sleeves, which I've popped into their respective cases), and though I was thinking of importing standard copies, getting to pick these up at a gaming market when I recognised their font while flicking through boxes felt special, and so I was happy to make an exception here. Definitely my favourite pick-ups of the day, big fan of the box art. These were £15 each. Overall, I was a bit let down in terms of finding priority items from my retro games list here - I thought Suikoden V was a bit of a long shot, but I watched footage of last year's event and there were 5+ copies of Silent Hill 2 floating around back at that event, and a good few more Armored Core titles, too. I "only" ended up spending £128 of the £300 budget I'd set myself for the event in the end, and half of that was from JP copies of games I didn't go in expecting to buy, but picked up to salvage the day for me a bit in terms of pick-ups. Cool for a first gaming market experience, but I honestly thought my pick-ups at Comic Con a few months ago felt more special (maybe free of the pressure of not being a gaming market), and I do wish they'd have some sort of traffic system in place with arrows on the floor rather than having it be a bit of a free-for all. No doubt I'll be hunting down my priority items in the coming months online, and I'll be looking forward to whatever gaming market I end up at next!

All the broken clocks are right today! Coming Summer 2023.