Created by the illustrious Akira Toriyama in 1984, the Dragon Ball franchise has come a long way from its humble beginnings. The beloved franchise is now a household name, spawning all sorts of media from anime films to video games, both with its fair share of ups and downs.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO marks the latest addition to the latter, delivering a flashy action romp that pits iconic characters from the series against each other. For fans, its return bears even more significance — it’s the first Budokai Tenkaichi title in more than 10 years, bringing anticipation to a fever pitch.

The Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO Premium Collector’s Edition feeds further into the hype with a glorious showpiece. Coming in at S$289.90, it bundles both physical and digital goodies, including a 264 x 174 mm diorama depicting a face-off between Ultra Instinct Goku and Legendary Super Saiyan Broly.

Here’s what to expect in the Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO Premium Collector’s Edition:

• Physical PS5 copy of the Ultimate Edition (including pre-order bonuses)
• 264 x 174 mm exclusive diorama
• A SteelBook
• A double-sided metallic bookmark
• 4x Dragon Ball Super Card Game: Fusion World cards (including 3 playable cards and 1 Energy Marker card)

The impressive diorama is certainly the standout among the bunch, featuring intricate details from the characters’ facial expressions to the fur texture on Broly’s waist and even the veins in their arms. The game’s logo also blends seamlessly into the rocky base, a nice touch that doesn’t take attention away from two fighters.

Simple assembly is required, with the diorama coming in five pieces — the two fighters, each attached to a terrain piece, and an additional connecting piece. The three pieces slide together to form a cohesive singular base, but the loose fit means there’s some flexibility when displaying the diorama.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO launches on 11 October 2024 for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC via Steam.

Kevin Low

Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.

The post Unboxing The ‘Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO’ Premium Collector’s Edition! appeared first on Geek Culture.

In my restless dreams, I see that town, Silent Hill. 

In 2001, Silent Hill 2, the second installment of the survival horror series, broke ground for the genre with its top-notch atmosphere, sound design, and psychological horror elements. Together with Fatal Frame aka Project Zero and Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, the games ignited a new millennium of horror and more than 23 years on, Konami and Bloober Team are inviting players on a trip back to the now-iconic foggy town in this 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake.

Like the original, the game follows protagonist James Sunderland who ventures to the town of Silent Hill after receiving a mysterious letter from his wife, Mary, who had died from an illness three years before, inviting him to meet her at their ‘special place’. Something is immediately off about the town, however, as he finds it almost completely abandoned and filled with roaming monstrosities. 

The story here is just as fans of the original will remember, presenting a dark but emotional tale of hope in the face of tragedy. Many elements that made the original so compelling return in the remake, such as the heavy use of symbolism, the inclusion of taboo topics, as well as the emotional depth of both the writing and vocal performances.

Storytelling in the remake is greatly improved with the introduction of real-time cutscenes, which have been reworked from the ground up using motion capture technology. The fidelity of the new cutscenes are incredible, featuring subtle facial expressions that really sell the emotions being conveyed, a far cry from the original’s rigid, almost robotic animations.

Being an Unreal Engine 5 title, the remake unsurprisingly looks leaps and bounds better than the original. It’s called a remake but it’s practically a brand-new game with the town of Silent Hill painstakingly recreated with high-resolution textures and massively improved particle effects. The iconic fog that engulfs the town has seen a major upgrade, no longer just a veil to block players, and now just obstructing most of the player’s view distance while still leaving enough visible to create a sense of eeriness and tension. when out exploring.

When indoors, lighting effects and shadows take center stage, with the dim glow emanating from the occasional light source bouncing off surfaces realistically to illuminate the surrounding area. That darkness now has a literal light, as objects under the gaze of James’ torch cast menacing shadows that might be mistaken for an approaching enemy. 

Speaking of enemies, the creature designs have also been recreated from scratch, with iconic foes like the Mannequin (a hideous monstrosity made of two mannequin bottom halves stitched together) and Bubble Head Nurse now featuring not only reworked textures but also added details like stitch lines and blood stains when receiving damage.

Apart from the obvious graphical overhaul, the remake’s biggest change is in its gameplay perspective. In a move similar to the recent Resident Evil remakes, the game now features a more traditional third-person over-the-shoulder camera angle instead of the almost top-down nature of the original. This new viewpoint adds to the overall tension by narrowing the player’s field of view, making every interaction feel up close and personal.

Structurally, the game features both indoor and outdoor segments. While exploring the streets of Silent Hill, the title adopts a more open-ended structure to its level design, as the town is filled with multiple buildings and side locations (with a large number as new additions to the remake) that James can freely enter and explore. This not only gives opportunities to scavenge for additional resources like ammunition and health items but for players to also learn the expanded backstory of the now-abandoned ghost town.

To help facilitate exploration, entry points are subtly marked with white cloth, indicating locations that can be vaulted over or squeezed through. Glass windows of buildings and cars can also be smashed through, revealing hidden items for the eagle-eyed player. In a rather neat touch, James will turn his head to look at items of interest, further adding a layer of realism while also providing players with visual assistance while exploring.

Upon entering major indoor locations such as the iconic Brookhaven Hospital, the game makes a structural shift, playing out in a similar fashion to 2019’s Resident Evil 2 remake, with James exploring multiple levels of the building, navigating locked doors and blocked passages while solving environment puzzles to progress.

These puzzles mostly involve finding items from certain locations, such as keys or miniatures, and using them to unlock doors or activate mechanisms. (again, very much like Resident Evil 2) Anyone who has experienced survival horror games should feel right at home in Silent Hill, but the game does provide an option to lower the puzzle complexity, although this choice is only presented upon starting a new game and cannot be changed midway through.

Constantly backtracking to find key items might seem like a chore, but the game makes up for it with its excellent ability to create tension. Interior sections take place almost exclusively in the dark, with only the dim light of James’ torch to help guide the way. This lack of visibility means that there’s always an overlying feeling of dread towards the unknown lurking around every corner.

Silent Hill is a dangerous place filled with all kinds of monstrosities, and when push comes to shove, James can combat foes with both melee weapons and firearms. The game’s ranged combat has seen a major improvement from the original, with aiming now functioning like any third-person shooter from this era, instead of the original’s clunky direction-based shooting. While there are guns, this isn’t a shooting game and guns have a hefty kick to them, with the game adding liberal amounts of weapon sway when James is aiming his gun, highlighting that he’s a normal person who isn’t naturally proficient with firearms.

Melee combat is serviceable, but nothing spectacular. James has access to a basic three-attack combo, with the first strike able to close the distance between him and his foe. What is a welcome addition however is a new dodge function, which can be used to effectively evade attacks, a huge step up compared to the original, where players had to clunkily maneuver around foes.

The game’s combat difficulty does feel more manageable than the original. Previously, enemy encounters took a backseat to exploration, with players needing to manage their limited ammunition resources to defeat the foes they come across but in this remake, ammunition is plentiful and there is no cap to the amount of bullets carried, allowing players to effectively stock up on ammo with a little extra exploration. 

To compensate for this, enemy encounters are far greater in number and can spawn into areas that were previously safe. Downed enemies also have a chance to reanimate and although this doesn’t happen often, it is enough to keep players constantly on their toes. The good news is that health items are also equally plentiful, especially later in the game, making the overall experience a refreshing hybrid of survival horror and action shooter.

Purists of the genre and fans of the original might understandably be disappointed at the game’s more action-focused nature but thankfully, the game provides dedicated difficulty settings for combat and puzzles, allowing players to ramp up the challenge as they wish without sacrificing their enjoyment of exploration.

Gameplay is also given a generous dose of immersion due to the excellent use of the PlayStation 5’s DualSense Controller. Haptic feedback realistically portrays in-game occurrences like rainfall and ground tremors, and the adaptive triggers help to enhance both aiming and shooting. Performance on the PlayStation 5 is solid, with the most noticeable drops occurring only during a certain outdoor section in the latter half of the game. 

Among all the remake’s improvements, sound design is by far the most impressive. The game employs a masterful use of spatial audio, especially when using the PS5’s 3D audio setting, and greatly enhances the game’s scare factor and atmosphere. From the sounds of distant crashing objects echoing across the hallway to floorboards cracking under James’ weight, the game’s audio manages to evoke a feeling of trepidation even if there is no immediate danger present.

Unlike some games of the genre, the game does not rely on cheap jumpscares and sudden loud sounds, instead making use of subtle environmental effects and its reworked musical score to heighten tension during gameplay.

One example of this is James’ radio, which emits static in the presence of enemies, a returning feature from the original. The crackling feedback not only helps to detect foes hidden from view but also effectively amps up the tension when it plays while walking along a dimly lit corridor. And like the original, this effect can also be switched off if desired.

The excellent spatial audio also extends to the movements and noises of enemies as the groans and eerie cackling from idle creatures bounce realistically off walls, helping players pinpoint the general direction in which they are lurking. Muffled footsteps of an enemy patrolling the upper floors of the building can be heard while walking directly under, providing a foreboding indication of the dangers to come.

As far as remakes go, Silent Hill 2 2024 does an outstanding job as it not only improves upon the original in every aspect, but also manages to retain and extend the same feelings of tension and dread the series is known for. Even putting comparisons aside, the game holds its own as an impressive survival horror experience that prioritises atmosphere and tension over cheap scare tactics, making it a quintessential return trip for fans of the original and newcomers alike. 

Welcome back to Silent Hill, we hope you enjoy your stay, and Konami, we want more.

Kevin Low

Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.

The post Silent Hill 2 (2024 Remake) – Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

The PlayStation 5 Pro – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle, a highly sought-after collector’s item, was quickly snapped up by eager buyers in the UK as soon as it became available. This special edition console, which includes unique design elements reminiscent of the original PlayStation, was released in limited quantities — only 12,300 units globally — making it an instant sell-out.

As soon as the pre-orders opened on 26 September via PlayStation Direct in the UK and across the Eurozone, priced at £959.99 (€1099,99), they were sold out within seconds. The U.S. followed suit with similar demand.

The bundle not only features the PlayStation 5 Pro console but also comes with a variety of accessories such as a limited edition DualSense Edge wireless controller, a limited edition DualSense wireless controller, a limited edition DualSense charging station, a limited edition console cover for disc drive, the limited edition vertical stand, an original PlayStation controller-style cable connector housing, four PlayStation shapes cable ties, a PlayStation sticker, a limited edition PlayStation poster, and a PlayStation paperclip.

However, this rush has led to a significant issue with scalpers, who have quickly taken to platforms like eBay to offer the bundles at exorbitant prices, some reaching as high as £10,000. The rapid resale at inflated prices has frustrated many genuine fans and collectors who missed out on the initial offering.

In response to this ongoing problem, Sony Singapore has implemented a creative strategy to combat scalpers and ensure that true fans have a chance to purchase the console. Understanding the limited availability of only 50 units in Singapore, Sony has set up a contest that allows fans to win the opportunity to buy the bundle, rather than simply opening it up for general sale. This move aims to curb the scalping issue that has plagued the release of highly desirable items like this in the past.

Scalping has been a persistent issue for Sony, reminiscent of the challenges faced during the release of the original PlayStation 5 four years ago. Despite the frustration it causes among consumers, scalping is a difficult problem to tackle, with neither Sony nor auction platforms like eBay having announced definitive plans to address it for this release. Fans and Sony alike hold out hope for a resolution to allow more enthusiasts to enjoy this limited edition release without overpaying on secondary markets.

Natalie

Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, games, and comics — you name it. When she’s not reading or geeking out about the latest shows on Netflix, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of meeting her idols.

The post UK & US PlayStation 5 Pro 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle Sold Out Instantly, Resold At Inflated Prices appeared first on Geek Culture.

Sony’s September State of Play livestream delivered a lot in its over 30-minute runtime. From shiny new remasters to fresh DLCs, as well as new titles and colourful controllers, the event was brimming with goodies for PlayStation 5 and PS VR2 users alike.

If you missed the September State of Play, no worries, here’s a recap of all the biggest reveals.

Ghost of Yotei

Sony and Sucker Punch unveiled the sequel to the critically acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yotei. This follow-up will introduce a new protagonist, Atsu, who embarks on a journey through the stunning landscapes surrounding Mount Yōtei. From sprawling grasslands to snowy tundras, Atsu will face unexpected dangers as they become the new Ghost. Ghost of Yotei is coming to PlayStation 5 in 2025.

Astro Bot – Speedrun and Special Bots Add-On

Astro Bot wasted no time opening the show with a look at its upcoming free DLC. Developer Team Asobi teased five fresh speedrun levels that promise to challenge even the most seasoned players. In addition, there will be 10 new bots to be saved, including familiar faces like Helldivers and Eve from Stellar Blade. However, Team Asobi remained coy on the exact release date, leaving a vague but tantalising Fall 2024 window.

The Midnight Walk

From the creative minds behind Lost in Random comes The Midnight Walk, a dark fantasy adventure that’s set to enchant and haunt in equal measure. This eerie new title puts players in the shoes of the Burnt One, a mysterious figure tasked with navigating a world brimming with both beauty and danger. The Midnight Walk is scheduled to release on PS5 and PS VR2 in Spring 2025.

Hell is Us

A new gameplay trailer for Hell Is Us shows off a mix of melee combat and exploration. Launching in 2025, Hell Is Us is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Metro Awakening VR

Metro Awakening will hit PlayStation VR2 on 7 November 2024, promising an intense, atmospheric journey as players step into the post-apocalyptic wasteland.

ArcheAge Chronicles

ArcheAge Chronicles is a brand-new sequel to the popular online RPG series and is set 50 years after the events of ArcheAge and ArcheAge: Unchained. Explore a vast and vibrant world filled with new quests, challenges, and opportunities. ArcheAge Chronicles is coming to PS5 in 2025.

Palworld on PS5

Despite legal drama with Nintendo, the Pokemon-inspired MMO Palworld has finally arrived on PlayStation 5. If you’ve been itching to catch, battle, and befriend adorable creatures in this open-world adventure, now’s your chance.

Fear the Spotlight – Release Date Reveal

Blumhouse’s horror game Fear the Spotlight will launch on 22 October 2024 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One. It’s a nostalgic nod to the PS1 era. With its cosy aesthetic and pixelated visuals, this game offers a unique and terrifying experience.

Lunar Remastered Collection

Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete are getting a remastered release on PlayStation in Spring 2025. These beloved games will feature enhanced graphics, audio, and quality-of-life improvements.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge – Radical Reptiles DLC

Dotemu and Tribute Games have announced that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is getting two new playable characters: Mona Lisa and Mondo Gecko. These fan-favourite turtles will be part of the Radical Reptiles DLC, which will also include a free update with new music from legendary composers like Tomoya Tomita, Keiji Yamagishi, and Anamanaguchi.

Fantasian Neo Dimension

Mistwalker’s Fantasian Neo Dimension is finally breaking free from its Apple Arcade exclusivity and coming to PS4 and PS5 on 5 December 2024.Created by Final Fantasy legends Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu, this captivating game features stunning diorama-style visuals and a captivating story.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard gameplay

BioWare unveiled a new look at Dragon Age: The Veilguard, their latest installment in the beloved franchise. In the gameplay footage, we see the VeilGuard facing off against a terrifying blighted dragon known as Corius the Icetalon. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is set to launch on PS5 and other platforms on 31 October 2024.

Alan Wake 2 – Lake House Expansion

Remedy Entertainment has announced that the second add-on for Alan Wake 2, The Lake House, will be coming to the psychological horror game in October 2024. This chilling DLC will send players to a mysterious facility situated on the shores of Cauldron Lake.

Hitman: World of Assassination VR

Get ready to take your assassinations to the next level! IO Interactive has announced that Hitman: World of Assassination is coming to PlayStation VR 2 this December. Experience the thrill of stealthily taking out targets in stunning virtual reality.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered

Having leaked prior to the State of Play, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered will be arriving on 10 December 2024. This marks the 25th anniversary of the original game’s release, and the remaster will feature improved visuals for PS5 and PS4.

Towers of Aghasba

Towers of Aghasba is an action-adventure builder fantasy game that tasks you with rebuilding your civilisation and the ecosystem, while maintaining a delicate balance between the two. It will launch in early access this November.

Fortnite PS5 DualSense controller

Sony revealed an official Fortnite-themed DualSense controller for the PlayStation 5, complete with iconic Fortnite elements, with pre-orders kicking off on 3 October 2024.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins

Koei Tecmo and Omega Force are finally bringing back their iconic Dynasty Warriors series with Dynasty Warriors: Origins, the first mainline title since 2018. The game now has an official release date set for 17 January 2025, and will launch on PS5, with versions for Windows PC and Xbox Series X as well.

Monster Hunter Wilds – Release Date Reveal

Capcom offered an extended preview of Monster Hunter Wilds, the upcoming open-world sequel. They also revealed a firm release date — 28 February 2025. More juicy details are set to be revealed later this week at the Tokyo Game Show.

Lego Horizon Adventures

Lego Horizon Adventures was confirmed to officially launch on 14 November 2024, and it’s bringing its blocky charm to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Guerrilla Games’ hit open-world RPG is getting a fresh coat of paint for PS5 and PC. Sony has announced that Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will be launching on 31 October 2024, featuring stunning visuals and re-recorded dialogue. For players who already own the PS4 version, an upgrade to the remastered edition is available for just US$9.99.

Steller Blade x NieR: Automata DLC

Developer Shift Up has confirmed that more DLC is on the way for Stellar Blade, along with a highly anticipated PC port of the game. To top it off, a Nier: Automata collaboration is also in the works, bringing together two of the most stylish action games around.

PS5 Chroma Collection

While the State of Play was largely focused on games, Sony always announced the new Chroma Collection, which introduces three vibrant colour options for the DualSense controller and PS5 console covers: Chroma Pearl, Chroma Indigo, and Chroma Teal.

Pre-orders for the Chroma Collection start on 3 October 2024. Chroma Pearl and Chroma Indigo accessories will be available on 7 November 2024, while Chroma Teal will launch a bit later on 23 January 2025.

Edwin Teo

Edwin has been writing about gaming and entertainment news for almost a decade, and has loved video games, comic books, and movies longer than that. He loves interesting stories, immersive world-building, and adorable monsters.

The post Sequel ‘Ghost of Yotei’ Leads PlayStation State Of Play Sept 2024 Game Announcements appeared first on Geek Culture.

This interview has been edited for clarity. 

As the mainstay for fighting game fans since its introduction in 1994, the Tekken series has played host to multiple iconic characters over the years but few have matched the notoriety of antagonist (and on rare occasions, protagonist) Heihachi Mishima, who was introduced in the first game and has been featured in every title since. Cutting an imposing figure with his powerful stature, large spiked-up sideburns, and a star-shaped scar on the chest, his presence has been prominent until Tekken 7 seemingly put a stop to the tradition, with the formidable fighter thrown into a volcano and presumed dead. 

But no mere volcano can keep the King of Iron Fist down as he’s escaped the jaws of demise yet again, rising from the grave to become a playable addition in Tekken 8’s upcoming DLC alongside its v1.08 update, which also introduces a new, free story expansion, Unforgettable Echoes, releasing some time in Fall 2024.

Unlike his previous comebacks though, Heihachi’s resurrection wasn’t in the cards from the start. Speaking to Geek Culture at a special preview session held for select Southeast Asia media, project producer Michael Murray revealed that the original plan involved killing the character once and for all in Tekken 7, only for series lead and chief producer Katsuhiro Harada to admit that he “didn’t really mean” to do so. 

“Maybe you all know that Harada is a big fan of Heihachi. When he used to organise tournaments back when he was a young guy, all the Japanese guys in the arcades called him the Heihachi from Shinjuku,” revealed Murray. 

“He’s always had a special fondness for the character, and when we were doing the story mode for Tekken 7, we really had to find some kind of final conclusion because the Mishimas had been trying to kill each other for so long.”

Murray adds, “Harada told [Tekken 7] director [Yasuki] Nakabayashi and myself, ‘Okay, I know it’s not going to be fun, but you have to kill Heihachi. It has to be done,’ so we worked really hard to make it look convincing.”

In doing so, more room was given to spotlight the enigmatic new character, Reina, in Tekken 8 and weave her story into the overarching narrative. Then, there was another concern – with the series’ 30th anniversary coming up and with Heihachi, one of the most prominent figures, missing from the roster, how else can the celebration excite and appeal to fans? 

Bringing the character back to life ended up being the consensus, with the team having more work cut out of them. “Harada was like, ‘You know, I didn’t really mean to kill him. You and Nakabayashi were a bit too convincing,” Murray shares with a laugh.

“It was a lot of fun trying to come up with a story arc that kind of justifiably explained why he wasn’t dead.” 

This narrative expansion marks the first story DLC in Tekken’s history, coming by way of a substantial update that also includes a paid outing. In the latter, players will be able to dominate as Heihachi, step into a new Genmaji Temple stage, and unlock new move sets for the tyrannical villain. Courtesy of the game’s heat system, he now has access to two different stances – Electric Thunder God Fist, which delivers formidable and hard-hitting lightning-based attacks, and Electric Wind God Fist, an attack that can counter an opponent’s high and mid attacks. 

The Mishima Style Fighting Karate master can also tap into his ultimate technique, Warrior Instinct, to increase the amount of recoverable health regained while simultaneously reducing his opponent’s regainable health on hit, although this technique is only effective for the round of its activation.

In combat, Heihachi feels surprisingly balanced, combining several aspects of the two previously released DLC characters – hard-hitting base damage similar to Lidia Sobieska and fluid movements akin to that of Eddy Gordo. Heihachi’s base attacks, while not as quick as Eddy’s, still possess a level of swiftness that is frankly surprising considering the age and general bulkiness of the character. Unsurprisingly, when attacks hit, they hit hard, making landing blows feel electrifying, and not just because his fists are literally electrified. This feeling is also exacerbated by an opponent’s reaction to being hit, which is befitting of how it would feel like to get hit by an old buff dude who’s probably made of 80% muscle and can catch a bullet… with his teeth.

Heihachi might seem like a complex character to use with his dual stance combat style, but thanks to Tekken 8’s handy assist mode, players can perform one of his stance-related attacks with a simple button press. Although this feature doesn’t come anywhere close to actually learning his complete move set, it still provides newcomers a way to ease into the character’s more complex moves.

While this combination of agility and power may seem overpowered, much effort has been put not only into building the character to make him feel powerful and worthy of his title but also focusing on finding a balance to ensure a level playing field. 

According to Murray, one of the team’s main priorities when designing Heihachi’s move set was to ensure the character “felt more powerful and dynamic in his animations,” with certain moves deemed cheesy in the previous games removed, in favour of “extensions to existing moves” that are now more accessible to newcomers. 

This attention to detail extends to non-combat elements, including his Rage Art animation. A nod to his numerous recurring appearances over the years, it features a backdrop of tombstones and a neat aesthetic touch to the scar on his chest, which illuminates when he powers up. 

“You wouldn’t believe how long we spent on what that fist mark should look like,” expresses the series veteran. “The designer did so many iterations of it. Some of them were just a blackish-looking mark; some were more indented. It glows, and it’s just all these details put into making the story authentic [that was the challenge]. It can’t just look cool, right? It’s got to have a reason.”  

Apart from Heihachi, the paid DLC for Tekken 8 also includes a new stage to brawl it out –  Genmaji Temple, a secluded mountain retreat where mysterious monks undergo intense training. The new stage comes with a rather unique feature where the atmosphere of the stage changes throughout the match, transitioning from an evening setting with gentle falling leaves littering the ground to a silent and ominous snow-covered night. An additional daytime setting for the stage can be selected, providing a clearer view of the mountains surrounding the battlefield.

As for the free-to-play lore expansion, Unforgettable Echoes expands on The Dark Awakens storyline from the main game and focuses on the events that followed Heihachi’s supposed death at the end of Tekken 7. Here, players will step into the shoes of Lidia and Eddie, allowing them to try out each fighter at no additional cost. Occurring across a wide range of locations, most prominently the new Genmaji Temple, the story covers Heihachi’s recovery as he trains to regain his strength after his defeat at the hands of Kazuya. In an interesting turn of events, players will get to see a different side to the character, having seemingly lost his recollection of previous events and being led down the path of righteousness by the Tekken Monks.

Players will also get to try their hands on Eddie and Lidia, with their segments intertwining storyline-wise with Heihachi’s overall plot. Having Eddie’s segment kick-starting the expansion was a smart move, as his character’s moveset is by far the easiest to get the hang of among the three. That’s not to say the expansion is easy by any means, as the Lidia section that follows features some fights that really push a player’s limits. It all culminates in Heihachi’s segment, which is understandably the longest, giving players ample time to get used to his moveset.

For the Tekken team, the new story expansion serves as a special initiative to celebrate the franchise’s 30th anniversary while answering the wishes of the community – especially newer players. 

“One growing trend that we noticed was that the newer players care a lot about the story, and it motivates them to see what’s going to happen to their favourite character, or what the story arc from the previous installment – how’s that going to wrap up,” Murray reveals. “We realised a lot more people [were] asking for story content post-launch… and at the same time, we really wanted to explore other character lines for the additional characters like Lidia and Eddie without just throwing them in the game.

He continues, “The team couldn’t just give away characters, as so much work has been put into development which cost money, but it’s a good balance to let people at least try them before [purchasing] them. We’re not sure how it’s going to work out, but I think it’s a worthwhile experiment.”

As part of the update, two new in-game collaborations for cosmetic items will also be available in Tekken 8. The first is a pair of Nike sneakers inspired by Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, obtainable in the free tier of Tekken Fight Pass Round 3, and the next, is free themed sunglasses for Kazuya, courtesy of a tie-up with Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster. Additionally, various quality-of-life tweaks can be expected, such as an online practice mode within Tekken Dojo in the Fight Lounge, and the highly-requested feature of displaying a preferred character in the background in the main menu screen. 

As the future of the long-running franchise continues to shine brightly with the v1.08 update, there are plans to explore new forms of martial arts, keeping up with the series’ homage to the fighting spirit. More specifically, pencak silat – the unifying term for Indonesian fighting styles – may get its debut sooner than later, answering the calls of Southeast Asian fans. 

“I’m a bit of an otaku regarding martial arts, and I love to look up different ones,” muses Murray, referring to the Japanese word used to describe individuals with consuming interests. “I’ve never really studied it in earnest, but I was looking up that they actually have pencak silat in competitions, and there are different categories that you can compete in, like how karate has their kata; pencak silat has kick-based ones, and even weapons base and then kata. 

“Personally, it’s quite intriguing to me, [and] it’s something that I would like to consider in the future. If we can find a good character to implement that into, maybe it’ll be a candidate,” he concludes.  

 The v1.08 update for Tekken 8 will be fully released in Fall 2024. 

Kevin Low

Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.

The post ‘Tekken 8’ Update Resurrects Heihachi With Free Story Expansion – Preview appeared first on Geek Culture.

It’s that time of the year again. The beer is poured as anthems are fervently chanted and people from all walks of life get sucked into full-capacity sports stadiums as everyone enjoys the world’s biggest sport, association football (apologies in advance to all the Americans reading this review). And it’s no different for the die-hard sports/gaming fans of the popular virtual version of the beautiful game – EA Sports FC (switching its name from FIFA a couple of years ago after they lost the licence to get football’s largest governing body on its game title).

Each September, its fans gather with a renewed sense of optimism, hoping that the familiar laundry list of buzzwords, with this year’s being FC IQ and Rush, actually translates into innovative and novel gameplay, and not just a fresh coat of paint over a video game franchise that’s been milking the uninspired formula that has been working for them for the last decade (no, we’re not talking about Call of Duty). Unfortunately – it seems like more of the latter for EA Sports FC 25, which continues as a series of surface-level improvements far from the virtual sports revolution that fans have been dying for.

Perhaps the biggest change in gameplay would be the introduction of FC IQ. Effectively replacing the old system of custom tactics, team setups and player movements are now determined by their “role” and “focus” assigned to them within that role. For example – a striker can be assigned roles like poacher, or false 9, among others, with verbal descriptions and heat map representations of how this would affect their behaviour during a match, which would leave you tinkering with tactics and formations for much longer, to get the three plus points that you desire, rather than just replicating the same old 4-3-2-1 meta that all the pros were using last year.

Additionally, for those who prefer to be more meticulous and tactical in their approach, players are introduced to some 50-over combinations of roles that can be assigned. This new level of tactical customisation does feel significant in some scenarios, and it’s nice to see the likes of English professional footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold dictate play and stray into the midfield when you set him as a Falseback. One way that FC 25 made sure that players don’t exploit this, to have tall strikers run as your fullbacks to stop all headers, is to lock these advanced roles and behaviours to positions. This means that sure, you could have the Portuguese footballer and record goal scorer Cristiano Ronaldo run your defence but only be given limited roles and responsibilities that prevent you from going too crazy. However, it remains to be seen how much role familiarity and the plus symbols matter. Even after going against the grain, Argentine icon Lionel Messi still managed to bag goals at a record pace as a Target Forward.

FC 25 is also going towards the less arcade-like and more simulation style of game, by making adjustments made towards passing and shooting. Players no longer make pinpoint accurate passes on the swivel with their backs faced against their intended targets, and you’ll see balls stray far wayward, especially if those players aren’t particularly known for their exceptional passing. Shooting also has a nice new realism to it, with new animations added to the lower half of players’ bodies, which can result in off-balance shots. Also, goalkeeper animations aren’t as predictable anymore and players can score in between the keeper’s legs this year, which is considered a huge step for any EA Sports FC fan who has grown sick of green-timing shots at the near and far posts to score every single time.

And making for a more realistic football field, the game has turned up the realism by enabling wind and weather effects in offline modes, bringing back the skidding effects in snow and rain, and seeing the ball abruptly roll to a halt when it hits a water-logged part of the pitch. Turning the wind effects up high will send you on a trip back to the 2010 South African World Cup, where players can see their long lofted passes and shots move and dance in the air like the Adidas Jabulani ball. It’s these wild instances that add the much-needed layer of unpredictability and variety in the game, which itself is an ingredient to what makes football the beautiful game.

However, this same amount of variety can’t be said about defence. No matter how much EA Sports tries to downplay pace in their games, speedsters often breeze past defenders of all calibres, making defending feel extremely infuriating. Seeing Kyle Walker stuck in quicksand with his two left feet when trying to defend a diagonal run in on behind him is a tough sight to behold.

Moreover, these defensive liabilities get compounded with the new FC IQ tactical options or rather lack thereof. In the past one could control how the team behaves overall without the ball, by toggling pressing after losing possession, or pressing after the opponents have a heavy touch, which greatly benefited those who prefer playing a tight brand of Jurgen Klopp-inspired Gegenpressing football. This year you’re limited to playing a low, medium or high-aggression style, which is too brief and only results in the same slow and deep defensive line. The famous phrase “Defence Wins Championships” didn’t seem to apply to FC IQ, even though your eleven players spend arguably half the time chasing and defending the ball. Here’s to another year of waiting for EA Sports to reward good defensive positioning and awareness in FC.

On a brighter note, FC 25 nails its presentation. During matches – new scoreboards, broadcast-style overlays, and team-specific graphics packages indicate the attention to detail the development team has paid to making this game look as close to the real thing. Seeing a bird’s eye view of Old Trafford and the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand gleam under the spotlights during UEFA Champions League nights – is enough to make any Manchester United fan emotional. It’s comforting to know that they’ve taken notes from its competitors Pro Evolution Soccer and made players with facial scans look closer to how they look in real life. Additionally, opting for quantity over quality, the new ‘Cranium’ system which aims to make generic players look more natural alongside the game’s all-stars, is a welcome step in the right direction as even unscanned players look a little more like their real-life counterparts rather than just generic player faces. The biggest caveat is that newer players like Spanish phenom Yamine Lamal look more like a wax figure from Madame Tussauds, accurate but inexplicably lifeless.

Speaking of new features – the biggest addition in years is probably FC 25’s Rush. The new, futsal-inspired 5v5 mode combines the best of various sports in a fast-paced, chaotic format. A big fan of foosball and dodgeball? The ball is launched into the centre from the sidelines just like Rocket League, seeing players engage in an all-out drag sprint for the ball. Love the idea of temporary penalties in ice hockey? Red cards have been replaced with blue cards, where players spend 1 minute in a sin-bin reflecting on their mistakes after a horrid tackle. The biggest significance is FC 25’s effort to integrate Rush into its bigger, flagship game modes. First, if you don’t have enough players to fill a full squad of 11 in a Clubs match, play Rush with your mates instead. Second, Rush has been included in Ultimate Team as well, making FC 25’s most popular game mode even more social beyond the co-op seasons in past years’ iterations. Last, Rush has also been included in Career Mode through the introduction of youth tournaments, adding some variety and playability to the youth system experience in Career Mode. I guess it’s worth mentioning that you won’t see 6 foot 5 tall 15-year-olds with full-grown beards frolicking your training grounds anymore – EA Sports has thankfully added realistic growth spurts to your club’s youngsters.

Going more in-depth into Career Mode, EA Sports has listened, and FC 25 has given Career Mode the attention it deserves. The biggest improvements this year would be the unparalleled level of customisation in how you want your Career Mode experience to pan out. There’s more flexibility across the board (forgive the pun), allowing you to set how strict you’d want your directors to be and even disabling the option for them to sack you altogether. There’s also the ability to customise training plans down to each individual player, deciding how hard they train and which roles suit them best, adding a greater, much-needed layer of detail when managing youth talent and squad depth.

Small additions such as the integration of a social media feed featuring the omnipresent, almost-psychic football journalist Fabrizio Romano coming up with “Here We Go” every time you make a new transfer, the addition of several major women’s leagues, as well as the option to start a player career save as one of FC’s many icons, and spend hard-earned wages to improve any player’s reputation and personality type. These all add towards the role-playing element that FC 25 is trying to push towards, but the lack of depth and apparent actual significance within the game makes these additions feel rather gimmicky and half-baked rather than fully satisfying. Ultimately, the novelty of having R9 himself terrorise League 1 defences as the latest signing in Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny’s Wrexham, wears thin after a few matches.

Still, the most frustrating aspect here is a lack of consideration towards how all these new features and integrations might ruin the game’s interface and user experience of FC 25. Granted, there are now a myriad of tactical options, but all the additional menus feel like they were designed for a touchscreen interface rather than a controller. To reduce visual clutter, pages seem to display far less information than before, making it feel like an endless chain of opening folders on Google Drive before finally getting to what you want. Don’t be surprised at spending two hours just trying to get through your first Career Mode summer transfer window, before your players even touch the grass. What was meant to be an intuitive navigation system has now seemingly buckled under the weight of all the new content added, making it feel like a one-step forward, two-step back scenario.

The biggest downside of them all would be that FC 25’s most popular game mode and cash cow, Ultimate Team, has remained largely unchanged. Since every player gets ridiculous amounts of boosts, weather and wind conditions are toggled off to maintain the competitive fairness of FC 25’s most try-hard mode, which means a lot of FC IQ and realism features get negated because Ultimate Team gameplay transcends into the same, unrealistic, fast-paced sprint meta that every series fan has grown so accustomed to. FC 25 didn’t even bother making cosmetic changes to Ultimate Team, aside from the introduction of the Season Pass, which is essentially a new way of packaging Seasons in past editions. It’s as if EA  simply took FC 24 and changed it to FC 25. One can only expect that EA creates and dishes out insanely juiced player cards, which would help make Ultimate Team the quintessential pay-to-win experience once again.

Yong Le

Everything changed when his parents bought him a PlayStation 2 for Christmas. Since then, he’s been hooked on all things esports, video games, and music. If he’s not livestreaming his shenanigans, he’s probably out taking mirror-selfies with his friends, vigorously debating over the Internet’s Meme of the Year.

The post EA Sports FC 25 – Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

Hot on the heels of Sony’s PS5 Pro console announcement earlier this month, PlayStation continues its 30th anniversary celebrations with the reveal of its PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection. The new limited edition designs pay homage to 30 wonderful years of gaming and is reminiscent of the very first PlayStation console launched on 3 December 1994. The designs feature the original PlayStation colour design and integrates it into the latest line of PS5 hardware products.

Check out the nostalgic designs in all its glory. Even the packaging design takes a nod to the original PS1 console’s.

The PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection will be sold in highly limited supply in the following options:

• PlayStation 5 Pro Console – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition BundIe (S$1,529)
• Original PlayStation controller-style cable connector housing
• Four PlayStation Shapes cable ties
• PlayStation sticker
• Limited Edition PlayStation Poster (1 of 30 possible designs)
• PlayStation Paperclip

• PlayStation 5 Digital Edition – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle (S$749)
• Original PlayStation controller-style cable connector housing
• Four PlayStation Shapes cable ties
• PlayStation sticker
• Limited Edition PlayStation Poster (1 of 30 possible designs)
• PlayStation Paperclip

PlayStation Portal Remote Player – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone – S$324.90)

DualSense Edge Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone – S$324.90) & DualSense Wireless Controller – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (standalone – $114)

The PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection will be released on 21 November and there will only be 12,300 units of the PlayStation 5 Pro Console – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle available for customers to purchase, with limited edition numbers etched onto the unit. The number represents the month and date of the first PlayStation console launch. Of these, 50 will be available for purchase in Singapore.

Pre-orders for the 30th Anniversary Collection are now live. However, due to the limited quantity of the PlayStation 5 Pro Console – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle, it will only be available for purchase via an online contest. Details and mechanics are available on Sony Singapore’s website.

Yonk

Yonk is a geek who is fortunate enough to have an equally geeky Star Wars fan for a wife, who owns a LEGO Millennium Falcon encased in a glass coffee table as their home’s centre-piece.

The post PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection Fuels Nostalgia From 1994’s Original PS1 Console appeared first on Geek Culture.

Few works in the annals of anime history can hold a candle to the legendary Dragon Ball series, especially when it comes to fighting action. Created by the illustrious Akira Toriyama in 1984, the original manga sparked many memorable clashes over the years, some even seeping into the next generation. This fervent warrior’s spirit would go on to become the franchise’s beating heart, presenting the perfect opportunity to venture into the fighting game genre. 

The Budokai Tenkaichi titles, dating back to 2005, brought the animanga’s high-octane action into the 3D arena brawler space, and quickly amassed a loyal player base. Popularity came calling, and multiple sequels soon followed, with the latest entry Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO making a triumphant return three console generations after the last game in the franchise. 

As detailed in our first preview of the title, the highly-anticipated outing is off to a promising start with satisfying, high-speed one-on-one battles and updated visuals worthy of the current console generation. But an extended three-hour session offered another alluring, tempting proposition for fans: the chance to live out the power fantasy synonymous with Dragon Ball. 

In the game, this is done through the Custom Battle mode, a single-player experience centred around creating unique battle sequences. It’s not the usual fare, either as apart from picking the map stages and fighters, players can also customise intro and outro sequences featuring the chosen characters, both villains and heroes alike, allowing them to craft any battle sequence they desire, from start to finish.

For producer Jun Furutani, this experience bears personal significance. Turning back the clock to his childhood days, he explains, “When I was watching the anime as a kid, I would always let my imagination run wild and think of how cool it would be for [main protagonist] Goku to beat Frieza, Majin Buu, and all the other enemies.”

Then, the pieces clicked and he’s now able to turn a childhood fantasy into reality and wants to extend an invitation to enthusiasts to engage their creativity and imagination. 

As such, the level of customisation for this feature is surprisingly in-depth, with players able to create multiple “cuts”, or segments of an overarching cutscene, formed by combining the cuts in sequential order. Each cut can be created basically from scratch, with the game providing numerous templates comprising different animations such as character face-offs, or more generic animations to simulate characters’ movements between scenes. Simply put, it serves as a platform for headcanons – a personal set of ideas an individual has about a narrative, character, or the like that isn’t established in the story itself – to come true.

From the get-go, the team’s intention to deliver a personalised experience was clear. In Custom Battle, there’s near-complete freedom to build different fight sequences from scratch, including fine-tuning the placements of individual characters and selecting individual poses and facial expressions for each of them from overwhelming variety, which can result in rather hilarious scenes and interactions. Special effects can also be added to make scenes more dramatic, such as simulating characters powering up and other miscellaneous tweaks like slow motion. Additionally, scripts and subtitles can be added to the scenes, with a staggering pre-selection of around 5,000 lines to choose from and interchangeable nouns within each sentence.

More curiously, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO doesn’t feature equal power dynamics. The choice of fighters will play into the odds of winning, with canonically stronger characters dealing more damage and hitting harder than others in the roster. The unbalanced approach may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it pays homage to the animanga’s over-the-top flair and Super Saiyan power-levelling feats, elevating its overall fan appeal. 

“One of the most important things we focused on when designing [Custom Mode] was to allow players to step in the shoes of the character, experiencing the situation unfold from their perspective. Immersion was one of the key focal points of the design process, together with ensuring that the game felt realistic and true to the characters,” explains Furutani.

“There are instances when you choose a bit more minor characters, and that’ll reflect their strength and also carry over to Battle Mode. This game’s purpose is to immerse in the world of Dragon Ball, rather than, say, compete in an esports setting,” he adds, highlighting that the team made sure “every possible combination is available for every user”, and that selected scenes felt “realistic to the Dragon Ball franchise, to serve the core fans of games.” 

The secret sauce lies in fleshing out the experience of “be[ing] in the shoes of the character and becoming them”, a guiding principle that went into deciding what iconic scenes to include in the game and accentuated by the huge backlog of iconic scenes in Dragon Ball’s history. 

“We are always thinking about how it would feel to experience events from the character’s perspective, considering various attributes like where the other characters are positioned, relaying their feelings to the player with different facial expressions and mimicking their behaviour,” reveals the producer. 

Capping Custom Battle off is the ability to create title cards, static images that not only serve as an introduction to the battle but also allow for custom names. Much like cutscene subtitles, title customisation is equally in-depth, featuring preset sentences and special phrases that can be swapped out with up to two pre-selected words.

This makes the choices provided for the replacement words staggering as well, covering a wide range of words from character names, group titles, common nouns, and even names of food products. Again, how ridiculous a battle’s title sounds or plays out will be entirely up to players, with “Give back my instant ramen” coming in as a stellar example.

The preview also provided more information on the two other single-player modes – Episode Battles, and Bonus Battles. These modes are more story-focused, with the former acting as a story campaign that sees individuals choosing between eight characters, and reliving key battles from Dragon Ball Z to Dragon Ball Super, a first in Budokai Tenkaichi history. Special theoretical scenarios, meanwhile, present alternative takes on canonical series events, allowing them to make decisions that would be unavailable otherwise, such as the option to side with Piccolo. These choices will change the current episode and impact other character stories, though the extent of this influence in the game is currently unclear.

Finally, Bonus Battles pack bite-sized additional story scenes that involve battles between preset characters. These stages range from iconic fight scenes presented throughout the series to specially crafted fights that typically feature challenges like facing overwhelming odds (think a 1v5 scenario where all opponents are powered up). Some scenarios even have unique modifiers and conditions, such as defeating a foe within a certain time limit, ranging from low-level battles meant as training stages of sorts to Super Saiyan battles – high-octane fights designed to push players to the limit.

After two previews covering the various aspects of the game, it’s clear that Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is shaping up to be the ultimate dream for fans, especially with the impressive thought put into honouring well-loved elements of the series. All that remains is whether it’ll appeal to players when it launches on 11 October 2024 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows via Steam.

Kevin Low

Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.

The post ‘Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO’ Positions Dream Fight Creation As The Ultimate Power Fantasy – Preview appeared first on Geek Culture.

Following a technical presentation on 11 September 2024, Sony revealed its upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro console, with a staggering asking price of S$1,069. This premium amount raises the pertinent question of the games that are coming to the console, and whether it’s worth buying when it launches on 7 November 2024.

Similar to its predecessor, the PlayStation 4 Pro, it allows developers to release enhanced versions of their games that take advantage of the new hardware, including a larger GPU and advanced ray tracing. Non-enhanced games will also benefit from improvements due to the PS5’s “Game Boost” feature. As before, the PS5 Pro will not feature console-exclusive titles.

Here’s the list of first-party titles games set to be enhanced by the PS5 Pro:

• Gran Turismo 7
  • Improvements: Ray-traced reflections between cars, 4K 60fps, dedicated 8K mode
• Horizon Forbidden West
  • Improvements: Overall “detail boost”, “improvements to lighting and visual effects”, “Hair and skin improvements in cinematics”
• Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
  • Improvements: Higher resolution and detail of distant objects
• Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
  • Improvements: Clearer distant details
• The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
  • Improvements: Greater visual detail at 60fps, sharper distant details
• Demon’s Souls 

As for third-party entries, PS5 Pro support will be available on the following:

• Alan Wake 2
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Dragon’s Dogma 2
• F1 2024
  • Improvements: Ray tracing
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
• Hogwarts Legacy
  • Improvements: Better ray tracing, “greater variety of reflective surfaces, and further realism in the casting of shadows”
• The Crew Motorfest
• The First Descendant

One thing to note, however, is that the titles listed above are just the initial games with confirmed enhancements, and more games are bound to receive PlayStation 5 Pro support after the console is released.

Kevin Low

Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.

The post Full List Of PS5 Pro Games, Including ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ And ‘Dragon’s Dogma 2’ appeared first on Geek Culture.

Sony has officially unveiled their next console hardware entry: the PlayStation 5 Pro.

During a PS5 Pro Technical Presentation, PS5 lead architect Mark Cerny spilled the beans on this beefed-up PlayStation 5, designed to deliver the high frame rates and dazzling visuals gamers crave. Visually, the PS5 Pro looks almost identical to the base model, but with three stripes along its side instead of the single stripe on the PS5.

Sony showcased the PS5 Pro’s prowess with a slew of games flaunting their improved visuals, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Gran Turismo 7, and Hogwarts Legacy. According to a post on the PlayStation Blog by Hideaki Nishino, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Platform Business Group, the PS5 Pro boasts:

• Upgraded GPU: With a GPU packing 67% more Compute Units and 28% faster memory, players can expect up to 45% faster rendering for a smoother gameplay experience.
• Advanced Ray Tracing: Enhanced ray tracing offers dynamic light reflection and refraction at double, sometimes triple, the speeds of the original PS5.
• AI-Driven Upscaling: Dubbed PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), this AI-powered tech promises razor-sharp image clarity and stunning detail to boost resolution effects.

The PS5 Pro retails at S$1,069 / US$699.99 / £699.99 / €799.99 / ¥119,980, making it a premium upgrade for those looking to push their gaming experience to the next level. The PS5 Pro will come with a 2TB SSD, a DualSense wireless controller, and a copy of Astro’s Playroom pre-installed in every PS5 Pro purchase. In addition, it will also be available as a disc-less console, with the option to buy the currently available disc drive for PS5 separately.

The PS5 Pro will release on 7 November 2024, with pre-orders beginning on 26 September 2024.

Edwin Teo

Edwin has been writing about gaming and entertainment news for almost a decade, and has loved video games, comic books, and movies longer than that. He loves interesting stories, immersive world-building, and adorable monsters.

The post Sony Launches PlayStation 5 Pro With Larger GPU, Advanced Ray Tracing And AI Upscaling appeared first on Geek Culture.

Widely regarded as the most popular miniature wargame in the world, the Warhammer 40,000 franchise has spawned a legion of spin-off media since its launch in 1987, including a series of action shooter games. The original Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (2011), a third-person hack-and-slash/shooter, combined the series’ established lore with Gears of War inspired action and after more than a decade, developer Saber Interactive continues the Ultramarines’ tale with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

Set two hundred years after the events of the first game, players once again step into the power armour of genetically enhanced super-soldier Captain Demetrian Titus. Wrongfully accused of corruption and disgraced by his former chapter, Titus serves his days as a member of the Deathwatch, a specialised alien extermination unit, in a deliberate act of atonement. 

Whilst defending the planet of Kadaku from the Tyranids, an extragalactic species of insectoid apex predators, he obtains a near-fatal wound and is rescued by the Ultramarines, the very same chapter that shamed him so many years before. Rebuilt and upgraded, Titus is reinstated back into the Ultramarines, although demoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Accompanied by new battle brothers Chairon and Gadriel, the squad is tasked with driving back the unrelenting Tyranid hordes, to victory or death. 

It doesn’t take long for the game’s story to kick into high gear, as players are thrust straight into the middle of what is known as the Fourth Tyrannic War. Despite its fast-paced nature, Space Marine 2 still manages to offer a sufficient amount of character development, largely revolving around the new squadmates’ prudence of Titus’s checkered past, which leads to tense scenes of infighting that feel realistic in a video game narrative, and not overdone. The game also throws in a surprise twist midway through, and although this would be rather obvious to anyone with experience playing the first game, or Warhammer 40,000 in general, it still feels like a welcomed change of pace. 

The expeditious nature of the plot is also echoed in the game’s campaign design and core gameplay loop, with a squad of up to three players being sent to various locations across multiple planets. Space Marine 2 is a tightly crafted experience, prioritizing a linear level design while ensuring that there’s always something for players to encounter at every turn. Combat remains largely the same from the first title, this time with additional bells and whistles. 

Melee combat has seen the most change with the addition of a block and parry system, which adds a tactical layer and makes the action less mindless. Players can tear through the endless waves of Xenos using iconic weapons like the chainsword and thunder hammer. This time around, each weapon features a unique combo set and specialty, further adding to the element of choice depending on playstyle or role. 

To help shred enemies from afar, the game features a plethora of firearms, both returning ones such as the Bolt Rifle, as well as brand new Primaris variations like the Instigator Bolt Carbine and Heavy Bolt Rifle. Gunplay is a pretty standard affair, but excellent integration of the DualSense’s adaptive triggers makes mowing down foes feel immensely satisfying. 

What is far from satisfying however, is the game’s downright disappointing audio mixing. For what is essentially firing can-sized rockets as ammunition, the guns sound muted and lack the punchiness it truly deserves, while environmental sounds like footsteps or the voices of side characters often get drowned out by the constant action on screen. Audio logs in particular are much too quiet and do not provide subtitles, causing players to potentially miss out on the lore-establishing snippets these collectibles provide amidst the chaos unfolding around them.

Following the familiar style of zombie shooters such as Saber’s previous title, World War Z (2019), and Left 4 Dead (2008), players traverse each level fulfilling objectives while encountering swarms of basic drone Tyranids, interspersed with elite variations that Warhammer 40,000 fans might be familiar with, such as the invisible Lictor, a Tyranid with two massive claws that ambushes players from the shadows, and Zoanthropes, bizarre floating creatures that enhance the ferocity of its allies. A highlight of every mission is its culmination, an epic standoff between the squad and hordes of enemies, which is practically a staple of the genre.

Overall combat is also let down slightly due to a change in the way players regain health. Unlike the first game, performing executions no longer provides a set amount of health regained but rather refills the armour bar. Health can only be refilled by using collectable stimpaks scattered around the level, activating Titus’s special move (which requires a decent amount of downtime between uses), or quickly dealing returning damage when hit. 

Three bars of regenerating armour provides players with some protection, but the issue arises when swarms of enemies descend upon them, attacking from both close-quarters and afar. Ranged damage can easily drain the armour bar in a single hit (especially on higher difficulties), leaving the vulnerable health bar at the mercy of relentless melee strikes from every direction. Focusing on weakening elite enemies to perform finishers while being constantly flanked by smaller drones can lead to some frustration, which can dampen the power fantasy the title is clearly going for.

The game’s issues are only exacerbated further by middling performance on the PlayStation 5, falling well below its speed mode target of 60fps any time the action ramps up. Thankfully, the game still manages to provide gratifying, meaty combat despite its blunders, and slaughtering hundreds of Tyranids never gets old over the course of the game’s roughly 12-hour campaign.

Apart from the main story, Space Marine 2 also features Operations, smaller multiplayer-centric missions connected to the main plot. In this mode, players choose their class of choice, each with a unique ability, and fight through levels to earn experience to upgrade their gear. The game launches with six replayable missions, with more being added in the future. Finally, there is also the Eternal War, a competitive mode where players can duke it out for experience and bragging rights.

Rounding off the experience is a title that looks as impressive as it plays. Players will explore a variety of visually stunning locations along their journey, from the swampy vegetation of Kadaku to the awe-inspiring gothic themed cathedrals of Avarax. Textures remain sharp even in its performance mode, with impressive particle effects like blood and sparks galore during intense fights. What stands out by far is the sheer amount of enemies that can fill the screen at any point. The Swarm Engine, first introduced in Saber Interactive’s World War Z, returns with a vengeance, rendering hundreds of Tyranids at once and creating daunting hordes that are certainly a sight to behold.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 feels like a monumental achievement. It takes what players loved about the original title and dials it to eleven, adding not only a fresh coat of paint but also a massive sense of scale, wrapping everything up with a solid combat system. The title is not without its flaws, but it ultimately succeeds in providing the fundamental experience that all developers should strive for – a game that’s fun to play.

Kevin Low

Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.

The post Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

There have been five PlayStation consoles, but fans will be hard-pressed to name a brand mascot that has grown with the hardware, until the debut of Astro’s Playroom (2020), a free 3D platformer full game that came pre-installed with the PlayStation 5, to showcase the capabilities of the next-generation console. The game touted fast and seamless gaming experiences through the console’s SSD, as the franchise’s protagonist Astro moves from one realm to another without the mire of loading screens. It even showcased a more immersive use of the new DualSense controller’s adaptive triggers and its in-built microphone and speakers coherently integrated into its gameplay. 

Unsurprisingly, there were calls for a sequel and Team Asobi did not disappoint, bringing to the table a full-fledged paid version that reminds players of what made Astro’s Playroom great, and building on the premise with Astro Bot.

While the main goal of Astro’s Playroom (2020) was to assemble the mothership (a spaceship shaped like a PS5.), Astro’s new objective in Astro Bot is to unite the mini robot versions of every character created under PlayStation’s belt, to defeat the green giant alien, Space Bully Nebulax. Nebulax holds the mothership’s CPU hostage, leaving the main components of the ship alongside all 300 of ASTRO’s robot family scattered across over 50 planets, which gives players an indicator of the size of the game and what’s needed to restore the status quo.

The game informs you of every collectable and robot discoverable per planet from the beginning and at each stage, you jump, roll, fly, grind, and fight to reach the end, sometimes defeating the occasional mini-boss before the next planet is unlocked. Rinse and repeat the process until you have collected everything the game has to offer and that’s about all you have to do in Astro Bot, all while you hang around the central hub and mingle with the robots you have rescued. It would seem like the game would be repetitive but Astro Bot keeps things fresh by encouraging players to explore every corner of every planet.

For PlayStation fans, the additional thrill is in rescuing the familiar, unknown robots as you’ll never know which cute and cuddly robot you’ll meet, even when the game says you can find several on a specific level. There’s a joy in rescuing the next robot, to discover that its  Nathan Drake from Uncharted (2007) or God of War’s (2018) Kratos and Atreus, or even more obscure characters like the Pomeranian from the PS3’s Tokyo Jungle (2012).

What’s even more impressive is how the game integrates multiple game mechanics into the narrative after you’ve found key robots. You know you’re in for a great time when the bot equivalent of Spike from Ape Escape (1999) hands you his net, so you can chase and catch monkeys like you’re in the 90s playing the PS1 again. Another stage will have you tilt your controller around as a LocoRoco (2006) just like when you’re playing the PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation fans who enjoy contemporary titles like Horizon: Zero Dawn (2017) or God of War (2018) will also get to play as Aloy or Kratos in simpler versions of their respective games. Aside from playing characters tied to novel game mechanics, Astro can also dress up as many other PlayStation fan favourites like The Hunter in Bloodborne (2015).

Additionally, the game also encourages players to find their own innovative solutions to tackle platforming challenges without the need for hand-holding. Most stages will come with its own special gadget, a power-up that accompanies Astro till he completes the level, like a robotic octopus that inflates Astro into a balloon or another that transforms Astro into a sponge that makes him bigger when he absorbs water. The game hardly instructs you on how you can reach a certain height or land on a seemingly obscure part of the stage, and should prompts come in, they do so at just the right time before you feel frustrated or stuck. 

When players are successful in reaching any obscure parts of a stage, they are always rewarded with coins that help unlock cosmetics for the rescued bots or for Astro. As such, it seems like Team Asobi has exhibited a deep understanding of helping gamers feel like they are always moving forward in their platforming one way or another, which is a commendable feat.

Yet, the more impressionable gadgets and mechanics are unfortunately short-lived, leaving players wanting more. The generic gadgets, like the robotic chicken that acts as a rocket which propels Astro up into the air, are featured more compared to others like the sponge and the special bot-specific game mechanics akin to other PlayStation titles. These limited gadgets are usually used once out of the over 50 stages, which is a shame and one can only hope Team Asobi would add additional stages for the underutilised gadgets in the future.

That said, each stage can be completed relatively quickly and usually in one sitting. If you’re thorough enough, you’ll be able to find all of the missing collectables in 15 to 20 minutes per planet. If you did not manage to do so, you can revisit the planet one more time, pay 200 coins, and detect the nearest missing collectable with ease before ducking out of the planet for good. Once all is said and done for each planet, it is highly unlikely you will visit the same stage again – unless you are a speedrunner, then revisiting stages and completing them in record time will be all you do.

The more challenging stages are also relatively easy to complete – and the hardest that required the most retries for us was a rhythm-based level that took a half-hour to conquer. It would be nice if a reason is given for players who are not speedrunners to revisit the stages aside from enjoying the vibes for each planet and plainly replaying the same platforming level again – A New Game+ for future patches would do the trick.

Another characteristic that makes Astro Bot amazing is in how it leverages on the PS5’s processing power to effortlessly pack countless elements on the screen. The game is so well optimised that commanding 300 robots to accomplish tasks, or having millions of coloured diamonds on screen, does not seem to be a problem for the console. Not once in our entire playthrough did the game dip in framerate nor lag because the screen was too busy. The DualSense controller is also always alive as there will always be something in the world that makes a sound and is reflected in the DualSense’s speakers. This constant flow of information, sights, and sounds keeps you going as a player, making completing a level a breeze while time flies.

The only downside to Astro Bot is in its enemy variety and while you’ll encounter every common goon possible by the time you reach the game’s midpoint, the enemies are just reskins of those you have already encountered, even if they may look different across the various biomes you’ve explored. 

Team Asobi has done a great job in elevating a mascot, with a robot this cute and a game that enjoyable, with a game that reminds players the legacy of the PlayStation brand.

Joey Leong

Crack open a cold one with Joey, because the moment you approach him, he will start talking about film and video games for days. He spends his waking moments during the weekends meditating on how the latest movie he’s watched or game he’s played has impacted his worldview.

The post Astro Bot – Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

Much like the previous Battle Royale craze, the Souls-like genre has gained immense popularity of late, with multiple action titles released in recent years incorporating gameplay elements inspired by From Software’s Souls franchise. But in an already over saturated market of Souls-like, what can developers do to make their game stand out? A44 Games, the creators of 2018’s Ashen, hopes they have an answer with their latest title, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn.

Set in a world inspired by the Napoleonic era, players take on the role of Nor Vanek, a military combat engineer (or “sapper”) and member of the coalition. Nor and her comrades are tasked with retaking the titular city of Dawn, where hordes of the undead have poured out of a mysterious gateway to the Great Below known as The Door. When their attempt to seal The Door goes awry, she is separated from her comrades and teams up with Enki, a fox-like creature who possesses otherworldly powers, embarking on a journey to defeat the Gods who escaped the Great Below.

The story isn’t groundbreaking by any means, and serves largely as a vessel to propel the gameplay forward. Without an engaging story to keep players invested, it falls to gameplay and combat to carry the experience. Thankfully, what is on offer here is solid – but not without flaws of its own. Combat wise, the game employs standard souls-like systems such as parrying, perfect dodges and the emphasis on learning an opponent’s attack patterns for openings, but also mixes things up with several unique systems of its own. 

Apart from standard melee combat, firearms and Enki’s magic play a significant part in the core gameplay loop. As the game’s title implies, Nor uses a pistol (as well as other guns obtained as the game progresses) in tandem with her blade to dispatch foes. These firearm attacks not only deal massive damage, but are also able to interrupt an enemy’s strong, unblockable attack, giving players an additional method of countering such attacks instead of simply dodging out of the way. The tradeoff here is that firearm attacks consume black powder charges, which is refilled by landing a certain number of melee hits on an enemy.

Alas, while the game tries its best to introduce unique gameplay systems to mix up the familiar souls-like experience, poor implementation of said systems and a cookie-cutter premise results in a title that ultimately fails to stand out from the crowd.

As Nor’s constant companion, Enki has the ability to curse an enemy with a button press, priming them and allowing Nor’s attacks to fill up a curse bar. Once filled, Nor can perform a flashy critical blow, which can destroy an enemy’s armor or take out a huge chunk of an unarmored enemy’s health. With these gameplay systems combined, combat becomes a dance of cursing an enemy while reacting to attacks and countering with either blade or gun.

Wrapping combat up in a neat bow is a rather unique experience point system, which the game dubs as “reputation points”. Behaving in a similar way to a combo system of other games, Nor steadily earns a reputation point multiplier for performing combat actions without getting hit and can bank said points with a button press. This ends up becoming a risk and reward gameplay system, where one small mistake can cause players to lose their multiplier completely if they are not careful. Players can spend accumulated reputation points on a number of unlockable skills, as well as upgrades for gear.

Despite bringing a number of new ideas to the table, combat does falter a little due to poor implementation. Combat in Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is animation-locked, which coupled with a relatively slow attack animation speed leads to combat feeling sluggish and unintuitive. Parrying with both melee and ranged weapons feels especially unreliable due to a brief wind-up animation, before entering the actual parry “stance”. In a game where timing is critical for deflecting attacks, this slight delay leads to many instances where taking damage feels unfair. The game also periodically throws hordes of enemies at the player at once, which feels out of place in a genre such as this. Since crowd control moves are limited, and a single hit removes the multiplier, moments like these can lead to frustration when the player is hit by an attack from off-screen.

Unlike most games of the genre, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a much more streamlined experience, evidenced by the games’ take on exploration and traversal. The game is split into various open zones that consist of an obvious “main” path and side paths to find various collectables that can increase health and magic prowess, side quests or resources. The world has a heavy emphasis on verticality, requiring the use of Nor’s double jump and air dash moves to reach new areas. 

In addition, various skull pedestals litter the world, which when activated allows Nor to fly though the air to reach new locations or open up shortcuts to previous ones. In typical souls-like fashion, checkpoints can be found that allow players to rest and refill their consumables while respawning defeated enemies. But while the game does feature a handful of side missions, these fail to add to the games overarching plot in any meaningful way, instead relying on a repetitive formula of fetch quests. In the end, these missions end up as inconsequential to the game’s story, and only exist as a way for players to earn extra bits of loot and experience.

This lack of attention to detail is also apparent by an absence of in-engine cutscenes, instead relying on hand-drawn, slideshow-esque bits of lore told from the perspective of an NPC, detailing Nor’s journey from location to location. Much of the game’s storytelling is doled out through the use of static conversations between Nor and the characters she meets along her journey, but uninspired vocal performances make these moments feel as though they were simply shoehorned in, rather than be the result of earnest attempts at proper world-building.

Performance-wise, the game includes both a 30fps quality mode and a 60fps performance mode on the PS5. With a game like this where timing and precision is necessary, a smooth framerate greatly enhances the experience. Thankfully, the game holds a steady 60fps in its performance mode most of the time, with drops to the mid 50’s occurring only during busy scenes, and certain areas of the world such as those with thick vegetation. 

Visually, the game also lacks any depth beyond the obvious fantastical world setting where gods and demons exist. Instead of filling the landscapes with otherworldly flora, fauna and architecture, the game’s aesthetics feel uninspired and drab. Apart from the opening area which sees Nor fighting in the trenches outside a medieval castle, other areas of the game lack any real identity and while this is not to say that the game looks ugly, the issue here is a lack of environmental diversity, with the game largely consisting of mountainous regions which offer little variety apart from different shades of brown. Enemy controlled forts spread across the map do offer a much-needed change of scenery, but reused textures and environmental props within these locations prevent them from feeling truly unique. 

Enemy design is also severely lacking, consisting of mostly humanoid archetypes that differ only in the type of weapon used. Boss encounters are definitely the highlight, with each sporting a unique look and attack mechanic, but these are too few and far between to leave much of an impact. Ultimately, it feels like there was a missed opportunity here to fill the world with more interesting sights to explore and unique characters to encounter.

Fundamentally, the game’s biggest flaw is not that it fails in any particular aspect, but that it doesn’t excel in any. In a sea of similar titles, nothing is really done here to set it apart from its peers, and the result is an uninspired title that feels largely forgettable once the credits roll.

Kevin Low

Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.

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Straddling the line between the past and present can be a tricky affair. On the one hand, it’s important to honour one’s roots; on the other, modern day expectations call for some tweaks to the formula. Coming back to the fold after 15-or-so years, Ouka Studios’ Visions of Mana sets out to bring a new shine to a classic Japanese role-playing game (JRPG), rising to the perennial challenge of finding the sweet spot.

The latest mainline entry doesn’t quite land the balancing act, hindering a full return to form. There are moments where it stumbles, occasions that accentuate its dated flair, and lull periods turned into unwelcome padding. But when it breaks free of overgrown roots, the long-awaited adventure delivers an enjoyable time, with standout mastery over gameplay customisation and versatility. There are high hopes riding on this rise from the ashes, and the 40-hour-or-so journey ultimately proves inadequate to carry the weight. 

Similar to the Final Fantasy franchise, each Mana game is a standalone experience that doesn’t require prior understanding of the series. Here, the Square Enix-published title follows a group of magical “alms” – village residents chosen by elemental Faeries – and their guardian Val on a pilgrimage to restore the flow of the Mana Tree, an enchanted tree whose energies sustain the world.

It’s a straightforward narrative that treads familiar ground, packing the ingredients of a typical hero’s journey. There are allies to gather, enemies to defeat, and tribulations to overcome that pave the way for character growth – usually Val; other times, the side companions. While some may find the simplicity at odds with the lore-rich JRPG tradition, it works to the game’s favour here, allowing for an easy grasp of events, comfortably breezy pacing, and natural progression.

 Strange, then, that the latter half derails from a properly cobbled path. As predictable and cliché the beginning chunk is, the allure and desire to see further developments unfold still lingers in the air. Past the turning point, however, Visions of Mana paints a different image, with languishing cadence, overstuffed exposition, and unnecessary filler – complete with multiple backtracking instances, to boot – causing the momentum to fizzle out quickly. The emotional payoff at the end does compensate for some of the frustration, although it’s too little, too late by then. 

The characters are also a mixed bag. With an ensemble cast, a common issue is uneven development and attention, which extends to the supporting lineup. Alongside Val, the title introduces six other members: Hiina, the warrior’s best friend; Morley, a cat-man who seeks to overcome his past trauma; Careena, a half-human, half-dragon accompanied by a flying beast called Ramcoh; Palamena, Queen of Illystana; and the sproutling Julei. 

In fact, Val is rather one-dimensional himself. Despite brief moments of soul-searching and overcoming self-doubt, his growth remains superficial from start to end, making it difficult for players to form a genuine connection with him – even more so when he falls for glaringly obvious traps as the narrative progresses. Instead, Morley and to a lesser extent, Palamena, are more fleshed out depictions, with the former’s backstory and the princess’ reversal of conventional norms adding a touch of individuality. Each characterisation is distinct enough, but group dynamics are often tame due to the lack of diverse personalities, even during interactive bits that spring up while exploring the world. It’s an inherent quality, stemming from the party’s shared goal to do and be good, a faithful series staple. 

Spanning various environments, Visions of Mana is a journey through vast grassy fields, snowy tundras, acrid deserts, and more, separated by regions. The locales bear their own signature flair, starkly standing out from one another with different monsters, landscapes and traversal mechanics that will unlock as part of the main story. Activating a water-element apparatus, for instance, reveals floating bubbles used for upward travel, whereas a moon-infused contraception slows time down. Other elemental vessels work in a similar vein, spicing up exploration beyond sprinting and double jumping. Fancy controlling a giant automaton? Here’s your chance. 

Eschewing the open-world formula for a more traditional approach, the game keeps free-roaming to a confined space, where players can ride their adorable Pikul mount to get from one place to another, or select a fast travel point on the map. The linearity is a double-edged sword: while bloated content won’t be a concern here, the invisible wall (a boundary that limits where one can go in certain areas but doesn’t appear as a physical obstacle) can throw off spatial judgment, especially when locating treasures or interactive points.

In town, players are able to pick up side quests, stock up on their consumables and gear, and exchange Ability Seeds – obtained by defeating various enemies, including elite foes – for new skills or buffs. These bustling activity hubs are usually lively and brim with plenty of energy, so it’s a pity that both NPC and environment interactions are few and far between. The options for equipment purchase and miscellaneous offerings also grow more limited as players progress, offering little reason for them to swing by after a certain point. 

Side quests, as expected, suffer from the genre-wide issue of being repetitive and trifling. Barring one long-running chain that involves finding scenic points based on paintings, completion boils down to fighting enemy mobs or collecting specific items out in the open. Do note that there’s no option to track multiple quests, and that the objective marker for the latter activity type can be a little unintuitive and difficult to spot. 

Still, there’s a silver lining amid the quibbles. Visions of Mana is a beautifully crafted world that oozes polished charm and robust verve, presented through breathtaking scenery and deftly-shaped 3D models. From the majestic waterfalls of Illystana to lush forest settings, the fantasy world presents no shortage of gorgeous sights to soak up. 

Combat is where the game shows its age, despite the seamless blend of modern and returning elements. Slicing and dicing enemies feels dynamic and stiff in the same breath, with smooth animation flowing into clumsy follow-through movements. Input lag is a common occurrence, and while aerial combos allow for some battling flexibility, the execution is sometimes unresponsive and doesn’t pack the expected oomph. It certainly doesn’t help that the third-person camera swings wildly at times, resulting in unreliable auto-targeting and difficult-to-follow action when things pick up on the battlefield. Notably, the issue of visual clutter isn’t exclusive to Visions of Mana, but there are other RPG contemporaries that have pulled off a cleaner look. 

At first glance, the mechanics appear straightforward and easy to understand. There are standard and special attacks to chain, dodge and jump controls, moves and spells like shurikens and fire-imbued sword swings that are effective against enemy vulnerabilities, and a Class Strike gauge, which deals massive damage when unleashed. Three characters make up the active party, and players can freely switch out any member outside of combat, including Val. Just a quick heads-up: combat may feel flat and restrictive in the first few hours of gameplay, so be ready to work through the slog. 

More options open up as the narrative unfolds, and it’s here that enjoyment levels start to rise. The game has found a valuable gem in versatile customisation, encouraging players to mix-and-match their loadouts and build a system that best suits their individual play style. In Visions of Mana, character classes are tied to Elemental Vessels, each with its own special ability – where the wind-infused Sylphid Boomerang dishes out damage to enemies bound and suspended in mid-air, for instance, the Undine Flask blasts them with a powerful stream of water. 

Naturally, there’s a catch. A vessel’s core function will not change, but only one character can equip a particular type at a time, unlocking movesets, abilities, and roles that are unique to them. To illustrate, the Undine Flask transforms Val into a Duelist who wields a Great Sword instead of his standard sword, while Careena takes on the title of Dragon Master. Each class sports a different design, some better than others, and offers three different weapon types. 

As with most RPGs, Elemental Points (EPs) are needed to unlock skills and passive abilities on the Elemental Plot, an upgrade system that grants access to permanent moves regardless of the class. The flexibility to toy around with different combinations is a neat little touch, serving as a fresh breath of air from genre conventions. Call it cheesy, but there’s also silly pleasure in watching each character’s costume transformation cutscenes, triggered when an Elemental Vessel is equipped to them for the first time.

Be sure not to get too comfortable with a particular build, though. While Visions of Mana doesn’t explicitly incentivise players to branch out, there are boss fights that will necessitate tweaks to the formula, especially during the later parts of the game. The AI companions aren’t the most reliable in battle, either, so it’s important to optimise their loadouts to maximise survival. 

Introducing more depth into gameplay are Ability Seeds, which unlock passive bonuses or new moves that a character doesn’t have access to on their Elemental Plot. All of these capabilities can be assigned to four quick access keys, although Mana veterans may prefer to use the series’ signature ring menu instead. There’s certainly a lot to like about the flexible class and skill system, even if re-scrambling existing loadouts proves to be hard work without an option to save or load presets, which promises a multi-layered experience beyond just button mashing. 

Through it all, Visions of Mana registered a few major framerate drops in performance mode on the PlayStation 5, and will likely receive some patchwork soon. It’s rough around the edges, lacking narrative finesse and polish in other areas like pacing and side content variety. When the fantasy epic blooms, however, a glimpse of its potential peeks through, carving out an optimistic future rooted in delightful customisation and spiffy aesthetics. Iron out some of the antiquated kinks, and perhaps a return to form would be in order. 

Si Jia

Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.

The post Visions of Mana – Review appeared first on Geek Culture.

Square Enix has announced that Foamstars, the colourful multiplayer shooter, will be going free-to-play starting 4 October 2024. This change comes just months after the game’s initial release, which was exclusively available on PlayStation consoles and included as part of the PlayStation Plus subscription at launch. Before going free-to-play, the game was priced at S$42.68 / US$30 on the PlayStation Store.

Square Enix shared the news on their website, stating, “Thank you for your support of Foamstars. Foamstars, currently available on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, will change from its current regional pricing to a free-to-play title starting from October 4th, 2024, at 1:00 AM.” The company also revealed that players who previously purchased the game or downloaded it through PlayStation Plus will receive a ‘Legacy Gift’ as compensation. This gift includes 12 exclusive colour-variant Bubble Beastie skins, an exclusive Slide Board design, and a unique title: ‘Legacy’.

The shift to free-to-play follows underwhelming sales and financial performance, with Foamstars being cited alongside Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Final Fantasy XVI as contributing factors to Square Enix’s weaker-than-expected financial results. In a statement to analysts, Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu acknowledged that these titles, including Foamstars, did not meet the company’s revenue and profit expectations.

As Foamstars prepares for its new free-to-play model, it remains to be seen how this change will impact the game’s player base and overall success. For those who haven’t yet jumped into the foam-filled action, 4 October might be the perfect time to dive in.

Edwin Teo

Edwin has been writing about gaming and entertainment news for almost a decade, and has loved video games, comic books, and movies longer than that. He loves interesting stories, immersive world-building, and adorable monsters.

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