Luckily, its 2017 sequel Nier Automata improved upon that by providing stories that flesh out the world and its inhabitants in ways that felt fundamental to fully appreciating the main story. And I can’t think of a game whose side quests fit better on the portable console that is the Nintendo Switch. The hook of the Switch is that you can play it on the go or at home, though we can all probably admit that we mostly either lean towards one or the other....

In a fairly uncommon move for the company, Nintendo has responded to a Bloomberg article - though without naming it directly - suggesting the company will make more money on the OLED Nintendo Switch model versus other models. The report, published last week, said that the Switch OLED was intentionally priced higher in order to give Nintendo a more lucrative profit margin, compared to the original Nintendo Switch or the Switch Lite....

Nintendo announced today that global shipments for Switch have exceeded 52 million units since the console launched nearly three years ago. 52 million is already ahead of the legendary SNES, and according to Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad, it’s more than the Xbox One’s lifetime sales so far as well. Ahmad believes the Switch passed Xbox One during the holiday period last year, when the Switch did especially well, thanks in some way to the cheaper Switch Lite....

Last week, Minecraft’s Steve arrived in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It took just a couple of hours for players to figure out that one of his victory screens seems to show him holding his meat. We, as many others, thought it was pretty funny. Steve is indeed chomping on that steak just before he slots into frame, which only made things more hilarious. But Nintendo probably didn’t see it that way, because update 9....

Nioh 2 - How to beat the Ippon-Datara For Onmyo Magic users, now’s the time to equip your Water Talismans. I’ve embedded two videos this time around, one for the first fight with an Ippon-Datara, but another for the second - and in my opinion more difficult - test. The first time you face the Ippon-Datara is in an enclosed space, and maybe I was just lucky but it didn’t use its hopping attack - its most difficult to deal with....

His studio is known for Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, and Nioh. These are games that demand an almost athletic performance to master. Quick thumbs need to react to attacks that are telegraphed in as little as a couple of frames. Combos must be memorised so that they become second nature. The idea is to mimic the skill of the fighters, ninjas, and samurai being controlled on the screen. Can’t keep up?...

But the indie world is about to kick off its own festivities with the PAX Online x EGX Digital, a nine-day online event that brings together two of the biggest shows in games. You can expect panels and developer-lead game reveals, which means lots of indies are taking part and we’re here to highlight just a few. Many of the games participating offer free demos, which is increasingly becoming one of the things I look forward to the most in these shows....

The news appeared on Twitter after a translator broke down a range of quotes appearing in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Ultimania book. You can check out the original tweet below. “We wanted to have the last boss fight take place at the highway in Midgar, which arises questions that I cannot answer,” Nomura said. “There is a character who’s alive, which leads to a great mystery.” Cryptic, eh? In relation to how many parts Final Fantasy 7 Remake will eventually comprise, Kitase said, “We have a general idea of how the story will play out, but we haven’t decided exactly [how many parts], nor can we confirm anything....

According to an announcement from Square Enix today, Outriders saw over 3.5 million players worldwide during its first month of release “With over 3.5 million unique players, average playtimes of over 30 hours and extremely high engagement for co-operative play, we and the amazing team at People Can Fly are so excited with this initial success,” said Jon Brooke, co-head of studio at Square Enix External Studios. “Launching a new game IP is never easy and we remain very grateful for the community’s support and feedback – we continue to listen carefully and want to assure everyone that we are committed to improving and enhancing the experience in the coming weeks and months....

That was until its own creator came along to put a bullet in its head. In order for a new hero to rise, the original one had to die. So Blizzard stood above its favourite creation, placed the cold steel to its forehead, and pulled the trigger without a second thought. In theory, what rose from the ashes would be harder, better, faster, stronger… but in reality, it’s been a pale imitation of what came before....

The new hero Echo falls in the Damage category of Overwatch. The character was revealed in a story video as an evolutionary robot “programmed with a rapidly adapting artificial intelligence.” A creation of prominent robotics and artificial intelligence scientist Dr. Mina Liao, one of the earliest members of Overwatch, Echo was created as an improvement on omnic designs. Liao programmed the robot to learn different functions and with limitations to independent decision making....

Monster Hunter World’s Iceborne expansion is already success for Capcom. Iceborne has now shipped 4 million copies, including digital units, on all platforms. This is up from the 2.8 million Capcom reported in October. The PC version is likely responsible for the bulk of that difference, though Capcom didn’t provide specific numbers for PC. As expected, Iceborne’s PC launch also boosted overall sales for the main game. Monster Hunter World has now shipped, including digital copies, over 15 million units worldwide across all platforms....

One such secret involves Kaer Trolde, which is the first area you’re tasked with visiting after arriving in Skellige. It is here that you reconvene with Yennefer and meet your old pal Crach an Craite, who is in a bit of a sticky situation, to say the least. I have put a significant amount of time into The Witcher 3 and can hand on heart say that I never even knew this secret existed until I saw it shared on Reddit earlier today....

Folks subscribed to Prime Gaming can score content for the likes of GTA, Fall Guys as well as both League of Legends and Legends of Runeterra this month. For GTA, Prime Gaming mmebers are receiving access to the Sonar Station from the Kosatka submarine, as well as $1 million of in-game currency every single month. This is apparently to celebrate GTA Online’s recent huge Cayo Perico Heist update. Users can also claim a limited edition Queen of Hearts skin for Wraith in Apex Legends from January 14, as well as goods for the likes of Star Wars Squadrons, RuneScape and Valorant....

The head of Sony Interactive Entertainment Jim Ryan has come out against claims that PlayStation is less focused on its native Japan these days. Speaking to Edge – as reported by GamesRadar – the exec said that this country is still hugely important for its business. This follows the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller swapping the meanings of the Cross and Circle buttons in Asia. Previously, Circle was used to confirm in Asia, in contrast to the rest of the world where this was mapped to Cross....

The removal of the company is recent. PushSquare spotted the fact that as recently as last month, the page featured references to the studio alongside a description that referred to it as “the long-standing talent behind some of PlayStation’s most original titles”. The fact Japan Studio has been removed now, then, stings. We already knew the studio had been disbanded and that the staff had left Sony, but seeing the fate of the Knack, LocoRoco, and Patapon developer finally sealed is sad....

But Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have sold extraordinarily well, despite the mixed reaction from critics and consumers worldwide. The titles – developed for the first time by non-Game Freak studio, ILCA – have sold over 6 million units worldwide between them in their first week on sale (per Famitsu). Not a bad start for the games’ lives, by any means. If you need a benchmark to measure this success against, these figures not only beat out Super Smash Bros....

Niantic Labs has outlined everything coming to Pokemon Go in February, from Research Breakthrough encounters, to a new Legendary Pokemon. This month will also feature events celebrating the Sinnoh region and Valentine’s Day, and new types of events in testing. Some of what you will be doing include saving Shadow Raikou from Giovanni, coming into contact with Woobat while doing research, and participating in the new experiments Pokemon Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus Hour....

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, Pokemon Go is will host its annual event starting January 24. The spotlight will be on red Pokemon, and a Limited Research event featuring Minccino will also go live on February 2. For the Lunar New Year Event, red Pokemon will appear more frequently and you can expect the appearance of the Pokemon Darumaka not previously found in the wild. Gifts will have a chance of rewarding you with Rare Candies, and the more you trade with someone, the more likely you are of becoming a Lucky Friend....

The super-ancient Pokemon will appear in five-star raids from February 22 to March 1, and will know the Charged Attack Breaking Swipe. The folks at Niantic must have heard my repeated pleas for the Pokemon’s return. I’m super excited and will accept any raid invitation I receive featuring the Dragon/Flying-type. I better start saving my PokeCoins because I will need to purchase more than a few remote raid passes, I imagine....