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Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Team Discuss Updating the Series After 25 Years
The video game industry has changed quite a bit since Fatal Fury's hiatus. The team discuss updating for the modern fighting game community.
― The Fatal Fury series made its debut in 1991 with Fatal Fury: King of Fighters around the time when other fighting game franchises were starting to appear or hit their stride. The biggest ones we know and love today, including Street Fighter, Tekken, and Mort...
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO Producer Explains the Long Wait for More
Jun Furutani promises characters from Dragon Ball Super movie and the Dragon Ball Daima series.
― The Dragon Ball franchise is one of the most recognizable properties in the world, with a variety of manga, TV shows, and video games created out of it. The Dragon Ball Sparking video game series was incredibly popular in Japan. Known as Dragon Ball: Budokai Tenkaichi series internationally, it garnered ...
Assassin's Creed Shadows Makes Great Use Of Its Two Protagonists
With a series focusing on stealth, trickery, and assassinations, you'd think there'd be an Assassin's Creed game in Japan, right? It took a while, 17 years to be exact, but we're finally here.
― Assassin's Creed has been a household name in the gaming industry ever since it debuted in 2007. With a series focusing on stealth, trickery, and assassinations, you'd think there'd be an Assassin's Creed gam...
Director Kawata and Producer Hirabayashi of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Our Summer Game Fest coverage continues with a look at the Japanese mythology-inspired Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess tower defense game.
― Capcom's upcoming tower defense game, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, caught my eye during Summer Game Fest's presentations for its visuals and folklore motifs. The single-player action game combines stellar strategic gameplay, a detailed environment, cloth...
Monster Hunter Wilds Brings Players Back to Nature
The embedded appreciation for nature—and its interconnectivity—in Wilds marks an exciting new addition to the franchise.
― Monster Hunter fans rejoiced at Capcom's newest trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds at Summer Game Fest 2024. While the cinematics amped up the adrenaline rush of the hunt for the new beasts, the preview at Summer Game Fest Play Days demonstrated how that'll play out in the game. Wi...
Metaphor: ReFantazio Feels like Home for JRPG Players
. As much as I've enjoyed the sleek designs ATLUS is now known for, gameplay is more than just aesthetics. Thankfully, Metaphor breathes new life into the JPRG genre.
― At the Summer Game Fest Play Days, attendees played a trial version of ATLUS and Studio Zero's upcoming game, Metaphor: ReFantazio. Development and planning for Metaphor began right after the first Catherine game and has been touted a...
An In-Depth Preview of Rusty Rabbit Game with Writer Gen Urobuchi and Producer Yuichiro Saito
Rabbits, robots, and religion collide in Rusty Rabbit. We sat down with Gen Urobuchi and Yuichiro Saito to discuss the deceptively fuzzy new game.
― Gen Urobuchi's latest game caught the attention of gamers and anime fans alike with its recent story and character trailer. NetEase first teased Rusty Rabbit with a concept trailer at Tokyo Game Show 2023, and now both Urobuchi and producer Yuichiro Sait...
Straight Shooting with Game Creator Suda51
We sat down with game creator Suda51 ahead of his MomoCon appearance to talk about his new game Hotel Barcelona, his current must-watch TV shows, and more.
― The renowned Suda51 has been responsible for countless cult-favorite video games. From the psychedelia of Killer7 to the hells of Shadows of the Damned, from the sunny streets of Santa Destroy in No More Heroes to the blood-soaked setting of the...
The Story of Suikoden
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes promises to revive the Suikoden series in everything but name, but what's so great about Suikoden that it's worth reviving? Well, read on…
― It's 1996, and the PlayStation is just starting to take over the game industry. It has many genres covered: racing, fighting, action, sports, puzzles, train-conducting, deep-sea diving, fire-fighting, and so forth. But what abou...
Exploring the World of the SAND LAND Video Game
Explore ruins, infiltrate enemy areas, cruise the dunes, and more in this video game tie-in to the airing anime series.
― The world is still mourning the loss of the beloved artist Akira Toriyama. His unique worlds and love of fantastical machinery have captured the imagination of fans worldwide for decades. Fans, at the very least, can look forward to one last hurrah from Toriyama in the form of the...
Collect 'Em All: Other Video Games About Catching Monsters
On the heels of Pokémon and Palworld, Jean-Karlo looks back on years of monster collecting, from Megami Tensei to Dragon Quest Monsters.
― Pokémon is undoubtedly the king of the mountain when it comes to the collectible monsters subgenre of RPG—or "Mons" games, as fans call them. And while it's also currently the world's leading multimedia franchise, there's still something to be said about the many ...
Reflecting on Aerith's Death on the Eve of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's Release
“Did you hear that there is actually way to save Aerith from getting killed by Sephiroth?”
― Spoiler Alert! This piece is going to cover spoilers from pretty much every single Final Fantasy VII thing that's come out leading up to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, including the original game, Advent Children, Crisis Core, FFVII Remake and even Rebirth's trailers. “Did you hear that there is actually way to ...
Another Code, Ace Attorney, and Adventure Games 20 Years Later
The game genre's success has had highs and lows. Is the Nintendo Switch ushering in a new era of sleuthing?
― A new year of game releases has begun, and with it, the first wave of new titles by various developers and publishers. Among these offerings have been several action-heavy titles and role-playing games but, in contrast, Nintendo and Capcom have done something rather different to start 2024 b...
The Best Anime of 2023 - This Year in Video Games
Jean-Karlo slides in to finish the year with the best games and biggest developments in the industry!
― 2023 is finally in its casket. Many would quickly call 2023 one of the best years of gaming in a while, owing to the slew of phenomenal titles released this year. This, however, ignores the almost 7,000 employees laid off from various gaming studios across the nation this year alone. It also ignor...
New Shiren the Wanderer Game Director and Project Manager Talk About Going Back to Basics
Fans enthusiastically told Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island game director Keisuke Sakurai that the first Shiren game was their favorite, and he listened.
― Recently, at a hands-on event in Tokyo, I was able to meet with Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island's director and project manager, Keisuke Sakurai and Hideyuki Shinozaki. We talked a bit ab...
Two Hours Hands-on with Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island
This throwback to "Nintendo hard" games of yesteryear is unforgiving, but that could be just the right challenge for retro game fans.
― The Shiren the Wanderer series, itself a subseries of the popular Mystery Dungeon franchise, has been on hiatus with no new games being released since 2010s The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate on the Nintendo DS. However, thanks to the success of that game's Ni...
The Newest Pokémon DLC is the Biggest Yet
The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Part 2 offers an expansive new area to explore with plenty of new adventures for franchise fans.
― Despite some issues, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games have innovated a lot of things for the franchise. At the time of this writing, these are the Pokémon games I have spent the most hours on. The recent Teal Mask DLC was enjoyable for its simple story and interesting ch...
The Case For Remaking .hack//IMOQ
With more people than ever talking about the idea of the first .hack game series making a potential comeback, it’s worth examining why so many people want more of this iconic 20-year-old JPRG.
― Years before there was Log Horizon, Sword Art Online, or even Stay Alive, .hack told compelling stories set against the backdrop of MMORPG players being trapped in a game—or in some cases, being made comatose...
Final Fantasy XVI Producer Naoki Yoshida on the Game's Anime Influences and Design Philosophy
Find out how various anime served as inspirations for the final game.
― Final Fantasy XVI is a major departure from the Final Fantasy games of old. We had the chance to talk with Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida about why this is and how various anime served as inspirations to the final game. The Final Fantasy XVI universe seems dark and very adult, perhaps more than usual for this license. ...
WarioWare: Move It! Video Game First Impressions
I got to try a half-hour of the new WarioWare game at the 2023 Nintendo Holiday Tour. Once directed to the hidden area, I and other press members were in for the world's wackiest workout.
―
Do you ever find yourself nostalgic for the Wii era? Motion controls might not have been the best fit for all or even most games, but there's something to be said about how fun they could be for party gaming. Few...
Bringing Under Night 2 to the Arena: A Chat with Arc System Works CEO Minoru Kidooka
Kennedy speaks to Arc System Works CEO Minooru Kidooka about Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes], Guilty Gear -Strive-, Arc System Works' 35th anniversary, and more.
― Founded in 1988, Arc System Works (or ArcSys for short) is the game developer/publisher behind many iconic anime fighting games such as BlazBlue, Dragonball FighterZ, and Guilty Gear—whose most recent entry recently surpassed 2.5 milli...
A Glimpse Into Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes]
Kennedy speaks to French Bread's Kamone Serizawa and Seiichi Yoshihara about the upcoming Under Night sequel: Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes].
― Founded in 1995, French Bread is the game development studio behind anime fighting games such as Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax, Melty Blood, and Under Night In-Birth. They were present at EVO 2023 with Arc System Works, where they announced that they're...
'We Are Limitless': Talking to Arc System Works about Guilty Gear -Strive- Season 3
Kennedy speaks to Arc System Works’ Ken Miyauchi, Akira Katano, and Kenta Asano about Guilty Gear -Strive- season 3.
― The latest entry in the heavy metal-inspired Guilty Gear series, Guilty Gear -Strive- is without question the largest Guilty Gear game yet—and one of the largest fighting games of the current generation overall, amassing more than 2.5 million players. At EVO 2023, Arc System Works an...
A Look Back on the Armored Core Series
It's been a hot minute since Armored Core has been a “thing,” so we've assembled a basic primer for the series for anyone wondering what the commotion is about.
― FromSoftware's entire reputation in the latter day has revolved around its Souls games, and not undeservedly: their intentionally oblique design and borderline-spiteful difficulty have captured the imagination of an entire generation of fan...
What Elden Ring Fans Need to Know Before Playing Armored Core VI
ANN was able to talk with Yasunori Ogura and Masaru Yamamura—the producer and director of FromSoftware's newly released mecha action game, Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon.
― Recently, ANN was able to talk with Yasunori Ogura and Masaru Yamamura—the producer and director, respectively, of FromSoftware's newly released mecha action game, Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon. With the recent success of Eld...
Crafting the Story of Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout with Yashichiro Takahashi
We sat down with Yashichiro Takahashi, who wrote the first and third Ryza games and produced and wrote the Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout anime, on his experience contributing to Ryza and her world.
― The Atelier series has always had a cadre of loyal fans, but the Secret trilogy starring Reisalin Stout truly thrust the entire series into the spotlight. The trilogy might have ended with the rele...
8 Hours Hands-On with Fate/Samurai Remnant
Fate/Samurai Remnant is the newest upcoming game in the ever-growing Fate franchise. How does Fate's brand of magic fit into Japan during the events of the Keian Uprising in 1651?
― Fate/Samurai Remnant is the newest upcoming game in the ever-growing Fate franchise. Recently, I had the opportunity to spend over eight hours with the game—progressing through the lengthy prologue and most of the game's ...
Fate/Grand Order's New 'Memorial Movie' is Emotional Visual Storytelling at Its Best
This nearly four-minute anime music video tells a surprisingly emotional tale and adds to the overall Fate lore by showing what it's like to be summoned from a servant's point of view.
― As part of Fate/Grand Order Fes. 2023, the most recent yearly Japanese convention celebrating all things Fate, we got our newest bit of Fate anime: the Fate/Grand Order - Memorial Movie 2023. Released both at the con...
Rune Factory 3 Special Game Preview
Rune Factory 3 Special looks about as good as it ever will. The character models look far better on PC than they ever did on the DS, with all the charming outfits and designs freed from those tiny grainy screens.
― The Rune Factory 4 Special port gave Rune Factory fans the world over a whole new slew of chances to try out a lovely farm sim/RPG that had been tragically overlooked on the Nintendo 3DS. ...
Anime Expo 2023 - Stirring Up Mysteries with Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Creator Kazutaka Kodaka
RAIN CODE topped Japan's video game sales charts during its debut release, edging ahead of Final Fantasy XVI. Building off its success, we asked its creator about the neon rain-soaked world and if he plans to create more games in the series.
― Game creator Kazutaka Kodaka is well known for his specific brand of "strange," from the conniving murder-teddy of Danganronpa to the wild criminals of Akudam...
Anime Expo 2023 - Final Fantasy Artist Yoshitaka Amano Discusses Next Big Projects
The acclaimed artist is working on his next anime work, ZAN, described as "Ocean's Eleven meets Dante's Inferno."
― Yoshitaka Amano is a man with a seemingly endless drive. He is in high demand, so there's no shortage of ambitious projects to take on. Such a packed slate takes hard work and focus, so you'd be forgiven for thinking such hardened resolve would be paired with a serious, no-nonsense att...
Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening
Much like the famed warlord, Bandai Namco set their sights on the heavens above in honor of the celebration of Nobunaga's Ambition's 40th Anniversary. It's a big game for a big number—so, how does it stack up?
― Few strategy games have the sheer legacy and weight of the Nobunaga's Ambition series. Much like the famed warlord, Tecmo Koei set their sights on the heavens above in honor of the celebratio...
Game Preview - Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
The quirky game from the creators of Ace Attorney is back with a fresh coat of paint. Christopher Farris tests out fan-favorite adventure puzzler.
― It's been well over a decade since Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective possessed the Nintendo DS. The adventure game from Shu Takumi (the same creative mind behind the DS mainstay Phoenix Wright) proved to be a solid cult hit in its time, and now, with a rema...
Preview - Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg
While the 1997 original never came to the United States, Gust is working on a remake of the beloved Atelier Marie RPG. Let's go back to the start and see how the series invites players to take things at their own pace.
― While the Atelier series has seen a recent rise to fame, courtesy of the Atelier Ryza trilogy games, the franchise has always enjoyed low-key popularity among RPG enthusiasts. Its or...
Hands on With April Fools' Game Fate/Grail League
A testament to the existence of the annual Fate/Grand Order April Fools' game, which was only playable for one day. Play baseball with your favorite Servants!
― Type-Moon has been famous for its April Fools' jokes since all the way back in 2005. In the past, these have been anything from fake movie posters to in-character Fate series live streams. However, in more recent years, Type-Moon has released...
Suiting Up to Battle Dinos in Exoprimal
So far, Exoprimal has a fantastic foundation to work with. The game looks amazing, the matches are hectic and fun (if a bit long-winded), and there seems to be a good story on the horizon.
― Team-based hero shooters have to do a lot of work to get out from under Overwatch's massive shadow. Capcom is looking forward to establishing a contender with their upcoming Exoprimal, with a bonus: it's not just...
Arc System Works World Tour Crowns Two New Champions
Players credit netcode use for helping level the playing field internationally.
― Last weekend, DNF Duel and Guilty Gear -Strive- (GGS) awarded winners, Mocchii and GO1, for coming out on top after a grueling day of hard-fought battles. The sold-out event featured the chance to experience the World Tour finals in person alongside the top qualifying players. While living out the excitement alongside ...
Top 10(ish) Games To Look Out For On Nintendo Switch Online
Need some help deciding which classic games to try on Nintendo Switch Online? We're here to tell you about the best games available and which upcoming titles to look out for!
― Nintendo's Virtual Console on Wii, Wii U, and 3DS was an amazing gift: a way for players to buy, download, and enjoy classic games from a variety of old consoles. Not just old Nintendo hits, but even classics from the Turbogra...
Inside Bandai Namco's First Akihabara Arcade
On March 1, the Namco Akihabara-ten arcade opened at the site of the recently closed GiGO Akihabara Arcade #4. This is Bandai Namco's first-ever Akihabara arcade, so ANN dropped by on opening day to see what it had to offer.
― On March 1, a new arcade, the "Namco Akihabara-ten," opened at the site of the recently closed GiGO (formerly Sega) Akihabara Arcade #4 across the street from Akihabara Station...
PREVIEW: Arcana of Paradise - The Tower Game
Arcana of Paradise - The Tower looks simple at first glance, but its straightforward appearance belies a satisfying deck-builder roguelike.
― Arcana of Paradise -The Tower is a real-time roguelike deckbuilding survival adventure published by SHUEISHA GAMES and developed by TASTO ALPHA. Originally set to be released in late 2022 under the title The Tower: To the Bottom, the newly renamed Arcana of Pa...
PREVIEW: Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key
With Atelier Ryza 3's release fast approaching, fans can look forward to an emotional send-off to Reisalin Stroud.
― With Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key, fans are staring down the end of the story of the young upstart alchemist Reisalin Stout –“Ryza” to her friends. The Atelier Ryza trilogy has maintained the Atelier franchise's tradition of cozy atmosphere with charming charac...
PREVIEW: Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
As a horror title, Mask of the Lunar Eclipse excels at eliciting jump scares, but the ghost design is pretty stale.
― Anime News Network was provided with a preview build for this title. The following impressions are based solely on the game's first three chapters. This preview was played on 'Normal' difficulty. Next month, Koei Tecmo will release Fatal Frame: Mask of the Luna Eclipse for the first t...
What in the World is a Final Fantasy XIV World Race?
Find out why this fan-made event has resulted in some of the most exciting moments in this Final Fantasy XIV and MMO history.
― Final Fantasy XIV's newest “Ultimate” boss fight was released on Tuesday. With it, competitors, streamers, viewers, and casters are gathered once again to commentate and celebrate a fan-made event that has resulted in some of the most exciting moments in this game's history,...
PREVIEW: Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
There's difficulty in terms of enemy mobs, surprise enemies with bumped-up Morale, and bosses that require mastery in deflection, but Wo Long is surprisingly welcoming to even the most inexperienced of Souls-like players.
― While Koei Tecmo already has one foot in the “Souls”-like genre courtesy of their Nioh series, it seems they want to take a second bite at the apple with their upcoming “masocore”...
How Yakuza and Real-World History Collide in Like a Dragon: Ishin!
Richard Eisenbeis talked with game directors Hiroyuki Sakamoto and Yasuaki Uehara about what it was like to combine Like a Dragon's Yakuza-centric stories with the historical events surrounding the last days of the samurai.
― A few weeks back at Sega's HQ here in Tokyo, I got to sit down with both the director of the 2014 Japan-only Like a Dragon: Ishin!, Hiroyuki Sakamoto, and the director of the up...
ANN's Most Read News and Interest Articles of 2022
We bid one last goodbye to 2022 with our top stories from the year.
― 2022 was a very different year compared to 2021 and 2020. The pandemic continued, but it no longer dominated the headlines, and its effects were much less apparent in most of our readers' countries. Although it didn't make the top ANN news itself, one of the biggest stories worldwide was, of course, the return to “life as usual,” o...
The Best Anime of 2022 - The Best Video Games of 2022
Jean-Karlo began his tenure at This Week in Games this year and he's closing 2022 with his top five. Find your next video game obsession right here.
― 2022, the year of the Farm Sim and people asking how Japanese was too Japanese for a Japanese video game. While much of the year was graced by Elden Ring's inescapable impact, it's important to remember that other games quietly came out and sat with u...
Hands-On with Like a Dragon: Ishin!
These are just some of the crazy experiences I had in under an hour of playing. It really felt like there was some adventure around every corner, and I had no idea what would happen next.
― This last weekend, I was able to drop by Sega HQ in Tokyo to spend an hour with the latest build of Like a Dragon: Ishin!, the upcoming remake of 2014's Japan-only Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! It turned out to be a rather...
PREVIEW: One Piece Odyssey
When it comes to recreating One Piece's spirit, One Piece Odyssey is set to pull it off with flying colors.
― With One Piece set to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Bandai Namco is pulling out all the stops to ring in its birthday with the biggest, grandest adventure the Straw Hats could ever face. The result of their efforts is One Piece Odyssey, a JRPG set to release this upcoming January 12th. We w...
Interview: Gungrave G.O.R.E. General Director Kay kim
With Beyond The Grave's return to the world of video games, we have some burning questions for the team Gungrave G.O.R.E team. We were lucky enough to sit down with general director Kay Kim for a quick one-on-one with Grave's resurrectors.
― With Beyond The Grave's return to the world of video games, we've no doubt had some burning questions for the team responsible for Gungrave G.O.R.E. We were luck...
Interview: Star Ocean 6: The Divine Force's Character Designer Akiman
Akiman is a renowned character designer who was called upon to help create the world and cast of Star Ocean 6: The Divine Force. We were lucky enough to sit down with the famed artist to ask him a few questions about his time working on the game.
― Best known for his design work in Capcom's Street Fighter games, Akiman is a renowned character designer who was called upon to help create the world and ...
Interview: My Hero Ultra Rumble Producer Aoba Miyazaki
Find out more about My Hero Ultra Rumble's new mechanics and what sets it apart from other fighting games in the series.
― After the success of My Hero One's Justice, Bandai Namco brings us My Hero Ultra Rumble, a new action game based on the hit shōnen series My Hero Academia. Instead of fighting one-on-one, players will have the chance to put their quirks to the test in teams of three, as being a h...
Kazutaka Kodaka Talks About His New Game, His Writing Process, and Danganronpa
"I’d say it’s like if Quentin Tarantino directed a Disney movie. [Laughs] But that’s something you’d want to see, isn’t it?"
― Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE, the newest game from Danganronpa creator, Kazutaka Kodaka, is coming to the Nintendo Switch next year. We were able to sit down with him and talk about RAIN CODE and how he writes games—as well as his magnum opus Danganronpa. What is Mast...
PREVIEW: Gungrave G.O.R.E
Right away, Gungrave G.O.R.E. feels like a PS2 game—the action is still simple and very satisfying on a primal level, but still featuring clunky gameplay dating back from before character action games had been “figured out” as a genre.
― With Gungrave G.O.R.E., fans of third-person gunplay action can look forward to the return of Beyond The Grave, Yasuhiro Nightow's famed undead gunman. We were fortu...
Anime Influenced Some of 2022's Best Games
Callum May looks at the anime roots in games like Neon White, Elden Ring, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and more.
― While Japanese game creators have been fairly open about their anime and manga inspirations for decades, it's only more recently that Western developers have started to catch on. In particular, it's those in the indie space that have been showing their love for the medium the most, and that's never...
What's Valkyrie Profile All About?
A new and loosely connected game in the Valkyrie Profile series is on the horizon, so what’s the secret behind this cult-favorite series?
― It all comes down to dying. Every character who joins you, from the hardiest warriors to the most innocent newcomers, faces the final moments of existence in a world thick with strife, bloodshed, and sorrow. And death is no release for them, as they take up arms ...
Just What the Heck is Genshin Impact?
If you just heard about ufotable's new long-term collaboration with the Genshin Impact mobile game but don't know what all the hype is about, we have a primer here for you.
― If you look at the list of Twitter's most talked-about games of 2020, you'll see a bunch of names you probably expect: Animal Crossing, Fate/Grand Order, Final Fantasy, Fortnite… and a new title called Genshin Impact. By now, yo...
I-Sega-i: The Deep Gaming Cuts of Uncle From Another World
Heidi Kemps looks at the series' dive into Sega lore and how the console wars played out for gamers in Japan.
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©殆ど死んでいる・KADOKAWA刊／異世界おじさん製作委員会
©SEGA Uncle from Another World isn't your standard isekai adventure. It's a story about a man who, while in a coma for 17 years, finds himself in a dangerous and unfamiliar fantasy world. When he wakes up, he shares the stories about his otherworldly deeds w...
PREVIEW: Mato Anomalies
This dual-protagonist JRPG shows a lot of promise...but still needs its technical problems smoothed out.
― Boasting creative staff from both America and China, Arrowiz Studios is currently hard at work producing a brand-new JRPG: Mato Anomalies. We were fortunate enough to gain access to an exclusive demo of the game on PC courtesy of Arrowiz. Mato Anomalies takes place in a retro-futuristic version ...
Anime Expo 2022 - Interview with Digimon Survive Game Producer Habu Kazumasa
With an interesting mix of combat and visual novel-esque presentation, wrapped in a more dramatic, almost horror-filled tone, Digimon Survive looks to be an interesting addition to the franchise we all know and love.
― Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Digimon Anime, Digimon Survive presents a brand-new adventure set in a mysterious world where your choices matter. With an interesting mix of co...
Anime Expo 2022 - Interview with One Piece Odyssey Game Producer Katsuaki Tsuzuki
What epic story awaits in multi-platform One Piece Odyssey game? Find out more in our interview!
― One Piece Odyssey is an upcoming role-playing video game being developed by ILCA and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment set to release sometime in 2022. The game features an original, self-contained story with involvement by series creator Eiichiro Oda. At Anime Expo 2022, Anime News Network was gi...
Interview: Gundam Evolution Game Producer Kazuya Maruyama and Battle Director Ryota Hogaki
Kazuya Maruyama and Ryota Hogaki promised that the Gundam Evolution game will go in a new direction not previously seen in Gundam video games before.
― At Anime Expo 2022, we were invited to meet the creators of the upcoming game Gundam Evolution, which will be released on PC and various consoles for free this year. There have been many video games related to the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, from em...
What's The Deal With Darkstalkers?
Darkstalkers is back in the spotlight this month with Capcom Fighting Collection, but why does this long-dormant series have such a following? Let’s find out!
― The big fighting games of the 1990s are still going strong. Capcom has Street Fighter 6 in the works. SNK
released The King of Fighters XV earlier this year and brought back Samurai Shodown not so long ago. We've seen recent outings for Morta...
PREVIEW: The Mecha Action-Shooter Gundam Evolution
Anime News Network got a first look at the upcoming free-to-play game. Find out why our reviewer called it "a good mix of hectic chaos and tense anticipation."
― The Gundam universe has no shortage of video game adaptations, and this past week saw the five-day-long network test for Bandai Namco's newest take on the storied franchise. Gundam Evolution stands poised to be the franchise's first-ever fre...
Interview: The King of Fighters XV Creative Director Eisuke Ogura and Game Director Kaito Soranaka
We caught up with The King of Fighters XV creative director Eisuke Ogura and game director Kaito Soranaka to find out their thoughts, inspirations for the combat, and their dream team from across the SNK universe.
― The King of Fighters XV arrived last month with an ambitious new take on SNK's long-running series, packing in both new ideas and characters alongside a familiar lineup and voluminous ref...
How Hisui Became Sinnoh
Callum May jumps into the setting of Pokémon Legends: Arceus to see how the setting has developed over multiple games.
― There were only two months between the releases of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl and Pokémon Legends: Arceus, giving players the opportunity to explore the Hokkaido-inspired region twice within this short time frame. Our original 2006 introduction to Sinnoh hasn't been re...
What Happened to Sol Press?
The light novel, manga, and visual novel publisher's releases were pulled amid the company founder's disappearance, leaving team members unpaid.
― Sol Press was a North American localization company that specialized in manga, light novels, and visual novels. Founded in 2017, it had a lot of promise for a small publisher, licensing beloved niche titles like Chivalry of a Failed Knight, Blend S, and Is...
Ranking Pokémon's Evil Teams from Least to Most Justified
The Pokémon series has introduced numerous evil organizations over the years, but are there any that, dare we say it, had a point? Callum May investigates.
― Due to the game focusing more on catching than battling, this year's Pokémon Legends: Arceus was the first within the main series to not feature an evil team or organization. Instead, the player character works as part of the Galaxy Expedition T...
PREVIEW: Rune Factory 5
Jean-Karlo Lemus finds out what's new and what continues to work in the latest entry for the fan-favorite game series.
― Fan-favorite cult-hit Rune Factory 4 was only just recently ported to PC, but Marvelous and XSeed don't want fans to dawdle in the past for too long. This March sees the release of Rune Factory 5, the newest entry into the famed spin-off of the Story of Seasons series, on the Ninte...
Interview: Captain Tsubasa Creator Yoichi Takahashi and Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team Producer Ooki
Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team received a brand new story installment titled NEXT DREAM that is penned by none other than Captain Tsubasa's creator Yōichi Takahashi himself.
― Back in September, the football simulation game Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team received a brand new story installment titled NEXT DREAM that is penned by none other than Captain Tsubasa's creator Yoichi Takahashi himself. Anime News ...
What's the Deal With Disney Twisted-Wonderland?
Disney Twisted-Wonderland stands out among the other Japanese-developed collaborations because of how unabashedly otaku it is.
― Disney Twisted-Wonderland isn't the first time Disney has collaborated with prominent Japanese game creators on bold new interpretations of classic Disney properties. The most obvious example is, of course, Kingdom Hearts, but there have been other examples over the years: ...
Is Halo Legends Still Legendary?
With the release of the long-awaited Halo: Infinite, along with the 20th anniversary of the franchise, it's a pretty great time to be a Halo fan.
― With the release of the long-awaited Halo: Infinite, along with the 20th anniversary of the franchise, it's a pretty great time to be a Halo fan. As such, I think now would be the perfect moment to take a look back at Halo's often-overlooked venture into...
ANN's Most Read News and Interest Articles of 2021
The most read stories on ANN, from VTubers to Mushoku Tensei controversy.
― 2021 was a strange year as we all continue to navigate the changing landscape of the pandemic. Cons were back, albeit briefly, before the Omicron surge changed expectations once again. In the anime world, not all the surprises were negative. Somehow, against all odds, a deal was brokered to get Macross into the western world ...
Award-Winning Composer Kevin Penkin On Creating The Soundtrack For Grow:Song of the Evertree
Kevin Penkin rose to prominence within the anime scene after his evocative and captivating soundtrack for the Made in Abyss anime. His latest project is the magical sandbox video game Grow:Song of the Evertree.
― British-Australian composer Kevin Penkin rose to prominence within the anime scene after his evocative and captivating soundtrack for the Made in Abyss anime, which won him the Crunchyroll A...
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Is Actually a Perfect Game In Translation
That statement may come as a surprise for people who spent years wondering if the game would ever get an English localization at all, but at its heart, The Great Ace Attorney is an Anglophile's game.
― At its heart, The Great Ace Attorney is an Anglophile's game. That statement may come as a surprise for people who spent years wondering if the game would ever get an English localization at all. Since...
Delving into RPG Maker Horror in Translation with vgperson
Adam Wescott talks with prolific freeware game translator vgperson about the prolific RPG Maker indie horror game scene.
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Angels of Death anime visual Angels of Death is a spooky buddy-cop thriller about a young woman with a death wish and an edgy murderer escaping a hospital run by serial killers. Premiering in 2018, it ran for sixteen episodes and spawned this great installment of This Week in An...
PREVIEW: Shin Megami Tensei V
Atlus is priming to assault fans with another wave of demons with Shin Megami Tensei V, the next entry in the hallowed JRPG series coming this November 12th for the Nintendo Switch.
― Even though Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remix released just this past May, Atlus is priming to assault fans with another wave of demons with Shin Megami Tensei V, the next entry in the hallowed JRPG series comin...
Pokemon Masters EX Delivers on 25 Years of Nostalgia
Pokémon Masters EX has been my obsession throughout 2021 and what struck me the most was its events and storytelling.
― Back in August, Pokémon fans came away excited by brand new footage from both the somewhat open-world Pokémon Legends: Arceus title and the remake of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Yet the only thing I could think about following the Pokémon Presents livestream was, “Wow! They're giving...
PREVIEW: Shin Megami Tensei V Is Nocturne Enhanced
If you've played even one game in this series, you'll know roughly what to expect. SMT V once again takes its players to an apocalyptic, desert-ified Tokyo populated with capricious demons.
― In retrospect, the timing of the Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD remaster, which came out in English earlier this year, could not have been better. It served as a perfect refresher course of what makes SMT g...
Interview: Remake Our Life!'s True-to-Life Depiction of Creative Work With Frontwing Producer Yasuhiro Atobe
ANN spoke to producer Yasuhiro Atobe to learn about Frontwing's connection to the anime, and how its depiction of creative work rings true to life.
― Remake Our Life! tells the story of Kyōya Hashiba, a game industry worker. After encountering a dead end in his adult life, he travels back in time to his university days, where he strives to create things with his newfound friends. The visual novel dev...
The Game Designers Behind NEO: The World Ends With You
To celebrate the release of this hotly-anticipated sequel, we chatted directly with producer Tomohiko Hirano, Square Enix character design legend Tetsuya Nomura, and key character designers Gen Kobayashi and Miki Yamashita.
― It's been a long time coming, but the follow-up to Square-Enix's The World Ends With You is almost upon us. To celebrate the release of this hotly-anticipated sequel, we were gi...
PREVIEW: Akiba's Trip: Hellbound and Debriefed
Jean-Karlo revisits the vampire-stripping brawler for its 2021 update. Can you (and your fresh threads) survive an Akihabara filled with vamps?
― Bram Stroker's Dracula would have been a way different if Keanu Reeves had yanked off Gary Oldman's pants early in the film. But that's the main hook for Akiba's Trip: Hellbound and Debriefed, from XSeed and Marvelous. A remake of the 2011 Akiba's Trip, thi...
PREVIEW: Tales of Arise is a Classic Tale for a New Era
Heidi checked out the latest Tales game and found the makings of a stunning new entry in the beloved franchise.
― Folks, I have good news: Tales of Arise is, in fact, a Tales game.
Okay, that might sound like a stupidly obvious statement, but there has been some trepidation from the fanbase that Bandai Namco's Tales Studio might be trying to take the series in a more “Western” direction. It's not ent...
PREVIEW: Samurai Warriors 5
Samurai Warriors 5 focuses on the story of Nobunaga Oda, from humble beginnings as a foolish warlord with eyes bigger than his stomach to famed conqueror. Jean-Karlo sat down with the latest installment in the hack-and-slash franchise to see if the charm still holds.
― The Dynasty Warriors games have an illustrious reputation for their consistency. Famed for being games where players can choose one o...
PREVIEW: Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis Beta
Myles got to try out three classes for Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis in what he's calling a "seamless open-world MMORPG experience with perfectly choreographed action."
― The MMORPG genre doesn't show up often in my gaming repertoire, and the Phantasy Star games have absolutely eluded my reach. That being said, after coming off of three days with the Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis beta, it...
PREVIEW: ConnecTank
The Natsume Indie Program has paired up with developer YummyYummyTummy to present a game that's shaping up to be one of the better multiplayer arcade romps of the year.
― Last week, I was able to attend a discord-hosted press conference debuting a preview of ConnecTank, an upcoming multiplayer puzzle game that plays like a cross between Overcooked and Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime. The game is a...
PREVIEW: My Hero Academia: The Strongest Hero Mobile Game
The game has just recently been released for English-speaking audiences this week, and I was lucky enough to sit down for a short demo with the pre-release version of the game, alongside some time playing on my own.
― My Hero Academia has been a juggernaut in the US anime and manga scene for years now, and it's spun off into darn near every media avenue available; spin-off novels and manga, feature ...
PREVIEW: Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster
The rise of the Shin Megami Tensei series in the US can be charted back to Nocturne on the PS2. Atlus and Sega are now remastering the third numbered SMT game for modern consoles and PCs. We sat down with the Switch version to check it out.
― With the meteoric popularity of the Persona games, it's easy to forget that they're a spin-off of the greater Shin Megami Tensei series. There have been more Sh...
Log Horizon, Undertale, and the Stories Game Mechanics Can Tell
Like Undertale, Log Horizon is a great example of a game-based story whose creator also pondered how game mechanics can be used to tell certain stories that couldn't be properly conveyed otherwise.
― I don't have a lot of time to play games nowadays, but I do think a lot about them, and some streamers I keep tabs on have been playing Undertale recently. Without spoiling anything too deep, there's a s...
PREVIEW: Story Of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town
Your relationship with the people of Olive Town is the game's real heart; that's what has given the brand the strength to carry on over all these years without getting lost in a sea of generic sim games.
― While downloading Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, I realized something: I've never actually played a Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons game. I'm familiar with the concept, mostly because it w...
Set Sail with One Piece Treasure Cruise Producer Tomoya Yoshizawa
Ahead of ONE PIECE Treasure Cruise's sixth anniversary, Anime News Network was able to talk to Producer Yoshi to discuss his favorite moments from the series and how the game has evolved over the last six years.
― The popular mobile game ONE PIECE Treasure Cruise is celebrating its sixth anniversary with a brand-new English-language campaign, "Operation: Bring Back Sanji ~Extremely Hellish Chaos?!~ ...
Touhou Project: From Fan-Made Games to Consoles
Created across 1995 and 1996 by one-man developer ZUN, the Touhou Project fandom has taken on a life of its own with doujin games of every stripe. Ant Cooke looks at some of most interesting creations in the series.
― Whether you're new to the Touhou Project series or a veteran of bullet hell games, you might've seen games like Touhou Luna Nights and Touhou Genso Wanderer on digital storefronts. Thes...
Video Game Preview: Exploration is Key in Harvest Moon: One World
Players are taking their farms on the road to new locations with unique flora and fauna in Natsume's newest entry in the Harvest Moon franchise.
― The Harvest Moon franchise is treasured as an easy-going series of farm and life sims bringing relaxation to players around the world. This March 5th, video game company Natsume brings us the most recent entry to this storied
series: Harvest Moon: One Worl...
Interview: Gust Brand Manager and Atelier Ryza Producer, Junzo Hosoi
Anime News Network had the opportunity to interview Gust Brand Manager and Atelier Ryza Producer Junzo Hosoi about the alchemy behind Atelier Ryza's success and charm.
― Despite being mostly a cozy, laid-back RPG adventure, last year's Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout has become a surprising smash hit since its release, having sold over 420,000 copies to date according to Gematsu. Now...
Just What the Heck is Genshin Impact?
With the game's major story arcs still being very unfinished, you might be wondering just what Genshin Impact's player base is spending so much time on. But once you set foot in Teyvat's big, open environment, you'll definitely start to understand: this world was built for lots of replayability.
― If you look at the list of Twitter's most talked-about games of 2020, you'll see a bunch of names you pr...
PREVIEW: Twenty Hours with the Princess Connect! Re:Dive Mobile Game
If the worst thing I can say about the game is that I'm annoyed I can't play more of it, that should give you a hint as to how much I have enjoyed it so far.
― Over the past week, I've spent easily 20 hours plowing through the smartphone game Princess Connect! Re:Dive. And despite giving it my all, I am nowhere near the current endgame—as you might expect from any mobile game with a “stamina” system...
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