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Nov 23
Amy Hennig Won’t Reveal Why She Left Naughty Dog But Her Final Days Were Truly Heartbreaking: ‘You start realizing how debilitating it is’
Nov 23
Simple Reason Lauren Holly Left NCIS is a Far Cry From Devastating Pauley Perrette Situation
Nov 23
“They pay you pretty well but they treat you like sh*t”: Henry Cavill Probably Wouldn’t Have Been a Superstar Without Russell Crowe
Nov 23
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Only Lost to Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3: 3 Records Shattered by the Latest Dragon Ball Game
Nov 23
The 60fps+ Dark Souls 3 Remaster Reportedly in the Works Goes Everything Against the Hidetaka Miyazaki Brand
Nov 23
Mark Cuban May be the Richest Shark But He Has Lost More Money Than He Made Including His Worst $1 Million Gamble on a Risky Entrepreneur
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Mads Mikkelsen: ‘I had an orange f—king jumpsuit’ on His Dream Role Despite Playing Hannibal Lecter and a Bond Villain
Mads Mikkelsen has certainly explored all that Hollywood’s dark corners have to offer. Having played more notable villains than he has heroes, the actor has explored all shares of morally grey and black. From playing one of the best James Bond villains of all time, Le Chiffre, to playing arguably the best version of Hannibal […]
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Nov 23
Amy Hennig Won’t Reveal Why She Left Naughty Dog But Her Final Days Were Truly Heartbreaking: ‘You start realizing how debilitating it is’
The gaming industry has seen its fair share of high-profile departures, but few have sparked as much speculation and controversy as Amy Hennig’s exit from Naughty Dog in 2014. The creative force behind the Uncharted series left the studio under mysterious circumstances, taking with her nearly eight months of work on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
Nov 23
Simple Reason Lauren Holly Left NCIS is a Far Cry From Devastating Pauley Perrette Situation
When Lauren Holly bid farewell to NCIS, fans were curious but not crushed. Her exit didn’t spark headlines of chaos or backstage drama—it was more of a graceful fade-out. Now, compare that to Pauley Perrette’s explosive departure, and you’ve got two exits from the same show that couldn’t be more different. Holly’s reason for leaving […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
Nov 23
“They pay you pretty well but they treat you like sh*t”: Henry Cavill Probably Wouldn’t Have Been a Superstar Without Russell Crowe
Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe shared the screen in the 2013 film Man of Steel, which marked Cavill’s debut as Superman with Crowe embodying the role of his father Jor-El. However, their connections date back much further, as the Gladiator star had a pivotal role in inspiring Cavill to pursue his passion for acting long […]
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Nov 23
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Only Lost to Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3: 3 Records Shattered by the Latest Dragon Ball Game
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero seems to be shattering all the records now. The game is only behind Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Elden Ring and Dark Souls 3, which is a huge win. The game seems to have shattered 3 records since its release in the US. This is a direct indicator of its successful run in the […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
Nov 23
The 60fps+ Dark Souls 3 Remaster Reportedly in the Works Goes Everything Against the Hidetaka Miyazaki Brand
A recent rumor claims that Dark Souls 3 Remaster is presently being developed. Although this rumored remaster of one of FromSoftware’s well-known Soulsborne games would likely include graphics updates and enhance the game’s overall performance on current-generation consoles, it’s still an odd move if it’s real. FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games gained popularity after Elden Ring, so […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
Nov 23
Mark Cuban May be the Richest Shark But He Has Lost More Money Than He Made Including His Worst $1 Million Gamble on a Risky Entrepreneur
Mark Cuban is a name that rings a bell for just about everyone. With a whopping net worth of $6.2 billion, he’s not just any Shark, in fact he’s the richest one in the tank! But to be very honest, Cuban’s journey to the top hasn’t always been a smooth sailing. Like any great entrepreneur, […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
Nov 23
Horse with a darker coat and some white hairs Crossword ClueThat should be all the information you need to solve for the Horse with a darker coat and some white hairs crossword clue! Be sure to check more clues on our Crossword Answers.
The post Horse with a darker coat and some white hairs Crossword Clue appeared first on Try Hard Guides .
Nov 23
Winner of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2014 NYT Crossword ClueThat should be all the information you need to solve for the Winner of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2014 crossword clue! Be sure to check more clues on our Crossword Answers.
The post Winner of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2014 NYT Crossword Clue appeared first on Try Hard Guides .
Nov 23
Dismal or dark horse Crossword ClueThat should be all the information you need to solve for the Dismal or dark horse crossword clue! Be sure to check more clues on our Crossword Answers.
The post Dismal or dark horse Crossword Clue appeared first on Try Hard Guides .
Nov 23
Review: SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky Is a Slow Burn with a Weak Pay-Off
Just before the turn of the millennium, a workhorse studio named KID took a chance on creating an original visual novel game for the PlayStation after years of mainly working on action games and PC game ports to consoles. Memories Off was a coming-of-age romance story with surprising depth to its characters. It broke a few unstated rules of the genre, and perhaps in part because of that it found an audience. KID spent the next several years making follow-ups to Memories Off along with other assorted visual novels, none of which were localized because… well, visual novels tended not to be localized back then.
KID collapsed in 2006, with its former staff scattering to various corners of the Japanese games industry. Some key members ended up at MAGES, a developer mainly known for visual novel games like Steins;Gate . As for KID's intellectual property, it bounced around from company to company until it ended up with MAGES. Oh hey, that's convenient. As the star of the package, Memories Off wasn't on the bench long. MAGES picked it up almost immediately, producing more sequels and spin-offs. The franchise seemed to largely peter out as the Science Adventure series rose up on the back of the popularity of Steins;Gate .
SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky is a spin-off of the main series. Its story largely stands alone, but fans of the previous games should be able to spot a number of connections as they make their way through. In an unexpected move, this installment was picked up for localization by PQube. This marks the first time the series has seen an official English release. On paper, it makes a lot of sense for this game to take that role. It's the newest release after all, and its story requires absolutely no knowledge of prior games to enjoy.
In practice, I really wonder if this is the best introduction to Memories Off . It certainly carries a lot of the qualities of those beloved early games. It too is a coming-of-age romance story that deals with loss, grief, and acceptance. The protagonist, Junya, is an actual character rather than a mere player stand-in. The heroines might seem like tropes at first, but they almost all defy those expectations over the course of their respective routes. The game's pace is extremely slow, particularly in the opening handful of hours as it sets up all of its pieces. The real punch of a Memories Off game comes in the pay-off for all of that, though. It's in that respect where I'm not sure Off the Starry Sky does what it needs to.
SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky follows the story of Junya Mizumoto, a young university student who works part-time at his family's handyman business. One year before the start of the game, he was involved in a car accident while riding with his older brother, Takaya. While he survived, Takaya did not. On top of that, Junya's memories of the incident seem to have been mostly lost outside of a few flashes here and there. What really happened that day? The answer to this serves as the main mystery for the story, and one that gets more fully explained in some routes than others.
Junya's brother was something of a local hero in the town of Sumisora, and Junya constantly wrestles with survivor's guilt as a result. He feels he can't possibly measure up to his brother, and that he should have died instead. This inner conflict is another aspect that gets explored to varying degrees depending on which route you opt to follow, but it's one whose resolution I wasn't terribly satisfied with after all was said and done. Junya's spotty memories make him an unreliable narrator, but even with that I feel like some of the jumps his character makes could have been set up better.
Off the Starry Sky is like that across the board, though. It feels like almost every aspect of its is a few steps away from being great, but instead has to settle for middling to decent. What's missing from each element isn't even consistent, which makes for a frustrating aftertaste. Some things are over-explained while others don't get enough explanation. Some characters have interesting personalities with weak storylines, while the ones with more interesting plots are less appealing as characters. The only convergence here is in Hinata's route, a dreadful combination of a bland character and a story that is downright poor.
Otherwise, you're dealing with contrasting flavors. If you want the real plot nuggets, those are sitting in the routes of childhood friend Chihaya and Azusa, the fiery stranger who barges into Junya's life. You'll probably want to save those routes for last, as they pretty much spoil the whole mystery. Those two were the routes I enjoyed the most overall, though I can't say I really cared much for either character. Chihaya is the daughter of a wealthy family. She's headed for an arranged marriage when she graduates but is more or less allowed to do what she wants until then. Her dream is to convert her grandparents' old house into a cafe, and she ropes Junya into it. This one goes about the way you would expect, but it was written well enough to keep my interest.
Azusa takes the bull by the horns. Junya runs into her while out on a job, and she does a double-take when she sees him. She quickly becomes angry and accuses Junya of murdering his brother. She clearly knows some things no one else is privy to, and while I can't talk much about her route without spoiling things that are best left unspoiled, I will say that this route is where the biggest plot movements happen in SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky . Unfortunately, Azusa is a really unpleasant character for much of her route. That's by design of course, as she has a bone to pick with Junya. It doesn't make her any easier to deal with for those hours before she starts to warm up, though.
As I've already mentioned, Hinata's route is a complete wash. She's another of Junya's childhood friends, and also Chihaya's attendant. While she puts up a strong front, she's actually deeply insecure. She's also a closet geek. I really don't know how to describe how off the rails this route goes. It feels like it was written by someone else entirely when compared to the rest of the game. The way events happen and how the characters involved behave both come across as forced.
Chunyu Huang is a Chinese exchange student at Junya's university, and it's hard not to fall in love with her immediately. She's a fun, vibrant character who has plenty of potential to drive a great plot. Her peppy theme music is also my favorite piece in the game. I was extremely dismayed when her route's story turned out to be really weak. Another heroine barges in frequently and at points it comes off like it's her route more than Chunyu's. Perhaps the writers had difficulty creating a satisfying arc for Chunyu because she's more put-together than the other characters from the get-go? I'm not sure, but it's a waste of a great character.
Finally, we have Yuriko. You won't even meet her until several hours into the game, and her late entrance ends up hurting her story a little. She's an idol who is taking a break from show biz, and she's trying to decide if she wants to go back or not. She knew Junya's older brother, as he actually encouraged her to reach for her dream, and she is grieving him in her own way. I like Yuriko. She's a decent character, and while I don't think her route does much for the main plot, I think it's a good breather. Since she comes into the story far later than the other heroines, her arc doesn't get as much time to develop as the others. Somehow, it sticks its landing anyway.
Overall, I found myself somewhat torn by the writing in SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky . It was engaging enough that I wanted to finish almost all of the routes (not you, Hinata), but I admit that finding the motivation to sniff out all of the endings was hard. Each heroine's route has two endings, and you need to be very careful at literally every choice that comes up in the game. Sometimes things you couldn't possibly imagine would have an effect on the ending will muck everything up. You've got room to make a lot of saves; I strongly recommend you exercise that option.
When I reflect on the parts of the plot that I liked, I can admit there's a lot to appreciate in this game. The problem is that there is just so much build-up that doesn't properly deliver on its promise. Some of the characters misfire, some of the sub-plots misfire, and even the main mystery's resolution doesn't exactly feel like it was worth the squeeze. I think it's okay for a game to take it slow and really set its scene before pushing the drama, but SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky asks too much for how little it gives back.
At least with the presentation, it's hard to fault the game. The art is fantastic. The music is terrific. You get full Japanese voice acting, and it's good stuff. Even side characters are treated with care, and it helps create a very believable setting. Sometimes visual novels feel like they have a few sets with only five characters in the whole world, but SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky goes to great lengths to bring its setting alive with plenty of locations, incidental characters, and an excellent soundscape.
I wish the localization matched that level, though. While it does a decent enough job with the broad strokes, the text needed more editing. Typos abound, along with grammar tense mistakes, incorrect pronouns, and outright translation errors. It's not bad enough to sink the game, but it's frequent enough to be noticeable. A slight blemish, but a blemish nonetheless. In a game where you do this much reading, it's really essential to make that prose sing, after all.
SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky has its good points. The production values haven't been skimped on, the setting is well-realized, and some of the characters are very interesting to get to know. Sadly, the writing on the whole is very uneven, leading to a lot of routes that don't pay off properly and a couple really poor characters. There's some potential here but the game ultimately fails to realize it, despite taking a very long time to get everything into position. It's an inauspicious Western debut for such a beloved franchise.
SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky is available for PS4, Switch, and PC.
The post Review: SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky Is a Slow Burn with a Weak Pay-Off appeared first on Siliconera .
Nov 23
FFVII Rebirth Vincent Will Lead Play Arts Shin Lineup
Square Enix has revealed a new action figure line named Play Arts Shin, and Vincent Valentine will be the first character in the lineup. The company will specifically use Vincent's appearance in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for this new action figure.
The new Play Arts Shin brand, derived from the kanji character that can be translated to "Real" or "True," will mark a new evolution in Square Enix's Play Arts action figure series. The company launched the overall series with an action figure of Final Fantasy X-2 's Yuna in 2003.
Square Enix then upgraded the line to Play Arts Kai, which features the kanji character that means "Revised." Some of the more recent examples of these figures are Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 's Yuffie , Aerith, and Elena , which the company will release in 2025.
This announcement was freshly made on the Square Enix Official Goods X account. The company has still yet to publish a listing for the product on its Japanese e-Store website as of the reveal.
The reveal tweet is also available to view right below:
https://twitter.com/SQEX_MD_GOODS/status/1859793928913912274
Square Enix will publish more details on the Play Arts Shin action figure of Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth —including the release date—at a later time.
The post FFVII Rebirth Vincent Will Lead Play Arts Shin Lineup appeared first on Siliconera .
Nov 22
Review: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Continues BioWare’s Downward Spiral
Where are you, BioWare? This is a question I have been asking for about a decade now and, sadly, with the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard , it seems I won’t be stopping anytime soon. Dragon Age: The Veilguard features solid, engaging action RPG combat and decent characters, but it does little to make up for an overall linear, by-the-numbers product.
The past Dragon Age games have been BioWare on its richest fantasy lore, and The Veilguard finds itself in a strange position. This is one of the most unwelcoming RPGs in recent memory to newcomers, as it hinges entirely on the events of the previous title, Inquisition , and even as a diehard fan myself, I felt lost at times.
But then, on the other side of the coin, The Veilguard feels so disconnected from the rest of the series. Sure, it continues the ideas of the Fade, Darkspawn, and even has familiar characters like Solas. But it all feels almost like a reboot, with a completely different vibe and tone compared to past titles. This is even more apparent in certain brief cameos where characters act almost completely differently. A huge part of this issue comes from the lack of depth to the writing and story.
Screenshot by Siliconera
Outside of the linearity (more on them in a bit), the story of this BioWare RPG is the most disappointing part. Even when I didn’t love Dragon Age 2 or Inquisition , they made up for it in the writing department. This isn’t the case here. The main plot takes a good bit to get going and I don’t find the end result as worthwhile as it needed to be in the decade since the last game.
Worse still, the moment-to-moment elements lack depth as well. Take, for instance, the myriad throwaway side quests in the experience. There is an early optional quest where you have to go to various areas to appease a ghost and lay them to rest. In another BioWare game, this would include tearjerker moments about this person and their group’s lives. Instead, it felt like checking off a list to complete a quest for rewards. Even the final cutscene with the ghost was way too short and almost incoherent to the point where I still don’t understand why I was doing this.
This is a far cry from what I expect from BioWare. Heck, even this year’s The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak did a better ghost girl side quest in a shorter time, too. This general writing problem is seen in the main story, too. Conversations are far too short and rely on mostly pointless responses. Outside of some key choices here and there, most options your annoyingly optimistic player character, Rook, picks are just there to pad out the story.
An example of the seemingly rushed and underwhelming storyline is your Rook’s background. You pick from several options of a faction you were part of. There is apparently some elaborate and fascinating backstory for your character but you don’t see it. Instead, my Rook’s epic standoff against an undead army just happens to be a quick summary noted in a couple of sentences in a couple of conversations. This was a great chance to let players experience their unique origin again, and it didn’t happen. It honestly has me wondering why it exists in the first place.
Screenshot by Siliconera
The only saving grace for the plot are the party members. In general, I liked these characters overall more than in Inquisition . Characters like the possessed hottie Lucanis was always a blast to speak with. Bellara is a little goofy and always hilarious to chat with. Heck, even a previous side character like Harding was upgraded to a full-time party member in a surprisingly great way.
The most joy I had with The Veilguard came from these chats with the titular group. Getting to know these characters showed the remaining hopeful glimmer BioWare is still in there somewhere. But even Mass Effect Andromeda had ann interesting cast. Fortunately, BioWare also continues its expertise when it comes to action RPG combat. I primarily played as a Mage, but all three classes feel better than ever in this experience.
Strangely enough, I didn’t even notice the lack of being able to play as party members. The combat is fast, fluid, and constantly engaging so this missing feature didn’t matter. Being able to command the two party members to throw down priming skills for me to detonate with my spells never got old. Battles are challenging but don’t take too long thanks to the swift pace. There is a constant flurry of effects that constantly had me in awe.
So, while I didn’t have much fun with the story or missions, the combat and party members always kept me going. Unfortunately, the locations don’t help with this, though. Dragon Age: The Veilguard takes a step back from the open-world environments of its predecessor for more linear missions. This restricted the progression of the game way too much and hindered a lot of my desire to keep going.
Screenshot by Siliconera
There isn’t much reason to explore except for mandatory puzzles and the occasional chest. I got to the point less than 10 hours in where I would rush through missions just to get to the next story beat. Even in the more opening areas, the mission structure of quests halted any enjoyment of exploration. I miss the good old days of gathering some side quests and completing them together as I go through an intriguing new locale.
The same goes for the cities, too. I looked forward to visiting the Tevinter Imperium for so long but the execution fails to deliver in any way. Like the mission areas, these cities are bland and empty of anything interesting to do. There might be a side quest to accept here and there or a merchant or two but that’s it. It seems BioWare didn’t learn from the city mistakes with Inquisition and give NPCs with memorable conversations or anything like that.
Part of the problems with Dragon Age: The Veilguard feels possibly tied to its original multiplayer focus. The mission structure, linearity, and lack of depth story-wise harken back to its origins. To BioWare’s credit, though, it could be much worse.
Screenshot by Siliconera
After all, the party members are a delight to spend time with and woo. The combat is some of the most fun I’ve had in a while with an action RPG. It is just a shame everything else falls short. The exploration is far too uninteresting, the story is haphazardly put together, and the mission structure is too linear. There is a good enough RPG to enjoy in Dragon Age: The Veilguard for diehard fans like myself, but this is certainly no second coming of BioWare. I have disliked each new Dragon Age more than the previous one and, unfortunately, The Veilguard continues that.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is available right now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC .
The post Review: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Continues BioWare’s Downward Spiral appeared first on Siliconera .
Nov 22
“Most studios are creatively bankrupt”: Real Reason Dean DeBlois Returned for How to Train Your Dragon Live Action is Making Fans Realize He’s a Hero
It was fun to see a few animated classics come to life in a live-action movie, but as soon as Hollywood learned that it’s an easy cash grab that does not require an original thought or risk, the market was filled with unnecessary live-action remakes. How To Train Your Dragon has also joined the list, […]
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Nov 22
“Guess he’s not exactly the chill guy we thought, huh?”: Chill Guy Creator Cries Copyright Violation after Crypto Meme Coin Blows Past $500M
In November 2024, a viral meme turned cryptocurrency, Chill Guy, caused a stir in both the crypto and legal worlds. The Solana-based meme coin soared to an astonishing $500 million market capitalization in just a few days, driven by social media buzz and TikTok fame. However, this rapid success has been marred by legal disputes, […]
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Nov 22
“I was envisioning pure evil”: Toyotarou Had the Most Anti-Broly Approach While Creating the Greatest Dragon Ball Super Villain
Planet Eater Moro is the undisputed GOAT of Dragon Ball Super, both literally and figuratively. The scene where Goku first sensed his Ki signature in a Galactic Patrol spaceship is one of Dragon Ball‘s coldest introductions to a villain. Goku remarked that his Ki isn’t that huge but it was terrifying, but he felt quite […]
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Nov 22
“I had no idea it was coming”: Even A.J. Cook Has No Idea about the Allegedly Dark Reason Criminal Minds Kicked JJ Out of the Show
Criminal Minds, since the last decade and more, has captivated audiences with its skillfully crafted storylines, following the intense lives of criminal profilers and their pursuit of justice. However, the drama on-screen has occasionally been rivaled by equally intriguing controversies behind the scenes, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. None of this holds more […]
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Nov 22
“He doesn’t have time for his family”: Mark Harmon Allegedly Almost Left NCIS 14 Seasons Ago Because of a Very Toxic Reason
Mark Harmon was a very crucial part of NCIS. Being at the very center of the series for nineteen years, fans watched Leroy Jethro Gibbs go through many stages of his life. Although the hole that he left in the series was filled by Gary Cole’s Alden Parker, fans have certainly felt his absence in […]
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Nov 22
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO Topped US Sales Charts for OctoberSeveral other new releases also occupy places in the top 20 for October, including the likes of Undisputed, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Nov 22
TMNT Introduces Dark Leonardo, and He's Already Getting an Action FigureTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures will introduce evil, twisted versions of the TMNT gang, and Dark Leonardo is already getting an action figure.
Nov 22
ARK: Survival EvolvedArk: Survival Evolved is a action-adventure survival video game developed by Studio Wildcard.
