Yakuza: Like A Dragon was the first Yakuza game to be a multi-platform release in the west at the same time as it launched in Japan, which publisher Sega reckons is the main reason it's the most successful Yakuza game to date. Thanks to that success, Sega's chief strategy officer Shuji Utsumi says that going forward, they want Persona developers Atlus to release their games at the same time around the world, and on multiple platforms, too.
The first major Assassin’s Creed Valhalla expansion, Wrath of the Druids, is finally out. It’ll let you roam from the England to Ireland, where your long lost cousin Barid is now King of Dublin. He needs your help to unite four regions under his banner. The expansion adds a lusher, hillier land for you to explore, with a new trade system to exploit and a bunch of new villains to battle.
What with Stronghold: Warlords coming out the other week, I’ve been revisiting a few of the Stronghold games in my collection, and… crikey. Over the two decades and nine-ish games of the series, Stronghold has been on a right old rollercoaster, quality-wise. It truly is the Sonic The Hedgehog of RTS/city builder hybrids, eh? For a lot of people, Stronghold: Crusader Extreme was the nadir of the franchise. But other than the fact that “Crusader Extreme” sounds uncomfortably like some kind of fash energy drink, I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for it.
Game platform Roblox has spawned all kinds of hits, a super cute one called Adopt Me! among them. The social pet-raising and home-decorating simulation has grown popular enough, among the most top-played Roblox games, that its creators have announced they've opened their own studio. The Adopt Me team will continue working on new updates to the game under their new name Uplift Studios, a name that seems plenty fitting for the situation.
Amazon's next attempt at releasing a video game is approaching again. After multiple delays, their MMO New World is entering closed beta in July. Amazon have even posted a flashy new trailer and committed to their August launch date. Their 17th century fantasy colonial world is really going to set sail this time, it seems. I'm not sure I have faith that it will break any new ground for MMOs, but I do honestly hope it fares better than their online shooter Crucible.
If you'd thought that the return of official E3 2021 would mean fewer individual online showcases this year, you'd have been wrong. Everyone seems to have enjoyed running their own events, publishers and indie game groups both. Two of last year's indie game focused reveal o'rama livestreams are coming back again this summer. The Guerrilla Collective showcase and Wholesome Direct will both premiere in June with a heck of a lot of indie games to check out.
Kislev and Khorne are going head to head in the newest Total War: Warhammer 3 trailer that just landed today. The next part of Creative Assembly's series is giving some serious love to the snowy folks of fantasy Russia with cavalry bears, magical bears, and other pretty cool looking icy units. You can spot the lot in the new cinematic trailer right here ahead of the gameplay reveal that's still scheduled for tomorrow.
One of the best ultrawide monitors is finally back in stock at Amazon US. The LG 34GP83A is essentially the 34" ultrawide version of the company's 27GL850, a monitor that was in almost every tech outlet's best monitor roundup after it debuted last year. The ultrawide version uses the same kind of 'Fast IPS' panel, providing excellent motion clarity plus the accurate colours and wide viewing angles IPS screens are known for. It's a great combination that makes for a strong all-around monitor, and perhaps it's no surprise that the 34GP83A has been almost impossible to find at MSRP for months - until today, when it finally reappeared online for $799.
The Ryzen 5 5600X is a terrific CPU for gaming, providing the incredible single-core speeds of AMD's Ryzen 5000 series and six cores of multi-threading power at a very affordable price point. Its UK RRP is around £280, but today it's available at Currys PC World for just £255 when you use code FNDDGAMING.
There's a real hint of necromancy about THQ Nordic. The mega-publisher has resurrected a few games over the past few years, with Kingdoms of Amalur probably being the one that made me go "Huh?" the most. Well, there’s more "huh" to go around, because they just opened up a new merchandise store and are selling Kingdoms of Amalur cushions with the game map on them.