t1z4l

Multiversus will be shutting down on May 30, 2025, Player First Games confirmed. Season 5 will be the game’s final season, after which all online features will end and the game will be delisted. Those who own it will still be able to play, however.

The final Multiversus season will begin on February 4, 2025, and then conclude on May 30, 2025. After this, all for the game will be shut down. In addition to online player servers, all microtransactions will become unavailable as of January 31, 2025. This means that both of Season 5’s new characters, Aquaman and Lola Bunny, will be available exclusively through gameplay. Aquaman will be available as the first tier reward of the Battle , while Lola will be a daily calendar reward. If players have already purchased Gleamium, they will still be able to use their remaining balance for purchases during the season.

While Multiversus will be delisted at the end of Season 5, players who during this final season will be able to play the game offline after the shutdown. This means players will still be able to play against solo against bots or via local multiplayer. This includes all previously purchased content. It is unknown if locked characters will be easier to obtain as a result of these changes.

Multiversus is a Smash Bros style fighter that has faced significant criticism since its launch. Despite a successful beta launch in 2022, the game’s huge player numbers quickly dropped off. This is often attributed to the game’s aggressive monetization systems that restricted the game’s roster, which is likely why the game is now being shut down.

Multiversus is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X until May 30, 2025.

The post Multiversus Will Shut Down in May 2025 appeared first on Siliconera.

Putting aside any personal thoughts about a certain Harry Potter creator for a moment, I surprisingly enjoyed Hogwarts Legacy as one of my favorite games in 2023. With fond memories of both that game and the classic Quidditch World Cup title from the original Xbox, I went to review Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions with a hopeful heart.

In the end, I find that Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is a worthy rendition of the fictional magical sport. The star of the show is the gameplay, which translates the broomstick sport to video game form in a hilarious and incredibly fun way. In some aspects, it almost feels like my new obsession in how I shamefully played Blitzball for about 40 total hours alone in Final Fantasy X.

For those who might not be too familiar with the sport, Quidditch is essentially soccer or basketball but on broomsticks. Wizards and witches fly around on their broomsticks ing around the ball (known as a Quaffle) in hopes of scoring in one of the three enemy goals.

However, this basic idea has quite a few intriguing twists to shake everything up. For one, there are different roles in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. You have the three Chasers, which are the characters who try to score with the Quaffle. Then every team has a Beater that has their own ball they can throw at enemy players to try and knock them out.

Of course, there is also a Keeper who protects the goals from being scored on. Finally, there is the Seeker — my favorite role — that fans will well from the Harry Potter movies. This is the role that goes after the coveted Golden Snitch to score a healthy 30 points for the team.

All four of these roles come together to form a compelling and often complex gameplay style. There is so much to dive into from a gameplay perspective that it takes time to master each role. This is because, to developer Unbroken Studios’ credit, every role feels rightfully unique. The Chaser is the most standard, focusing on boosting, tackling, ing, and scoring.

But then the Beater takes that basic movement system and adds its offensive ball on top of that. It becomes even more of a skill-based experience with this role. It is all about eliminating other players, quite violently at times.

Keeper is quite simple but it has some intriguing hooks, too. Your movement is less free compared to the others, as you focus on shifting between the hoops. But there are layers to this defensive role, like intercepting and tackling others. In addition, you can lay down rings across the pitch for your team. These act as buffs that let your team gain extra boosts, providing a leader-like role.

While the Seeker is by far the most straightforward, it is also sometimes the funnest. Your entire goal is to locate the Snitch then chase it around the field. This is done through golden rings the Snitch drops for you to through. These let you boost indefinitely as you through them and get closer to it. Once you charge up a bar before your opponent does, you can snatch it. The challenge here comes from how fast the Snitch moves and the constant dodges you have to do to avoid other players, which makes it a blast to play.

I absolutely adore the gameplay of Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions to the point where I have been obsessing over it in my free time every day since I got it. However, the gameplay only gets you so far. Unfortunately, while the gameplay foundation is as solid as it gets, the content lets it down. At least at launch.

There is, thankfully, a singleplayer experience. It involves a training mode and four cups, ranging from the Weasleys’ backyard all the way to the iconic World Cup. However, you can absolutely go through all of these in a matter of two to three hours in total. And once you’re done, there isn’t much reason to go back to them outside of challenges.

This is certainly a game that runs its course with a couple of hours of game time. The real hook then comes from PvP, but even it lacks in the content department. There is only a single 3v3 game mode right now available, which feels underbaked. We know a full 6v6 mode is on the way in the future, but this game is built for that. Letting every player on the team play a dedicated role just makes sense. Not having that at launch is a shame.

It is also unfortunate because there are some neat systems at play outside of the modes. For one, there are plenty of skins and characters to unlock. Fortunately, you don’t need to pay a dime extra for any of these, either. There are no microtransactions available, which feels refreshing. The challenges, while basic, give some structure and slight reason to come back with cosmetic rewards.

It is just a shame there aren’t more modes, both offline and online, to enjoy. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions lays such a brilliant foundation with its impeccable gameplay execution of this fictional sport. Every role feels meaningful, unique, and worth playing. It starts out so simple but has enough complexity for only the most dedicated to master.

While this foundation is great, though, it only goes so far. Despite having the potential to be my next online gaming obsession, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions will, unfortunately, take a backseat for now until more worthwhile content and modes arrive.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions is available right now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It will also release for Nintendo Switch sometime in Holiday 2024.

The post Review: Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions Thrills Despite Lacking Content appeared first on Siliconera.

The gameplay trailer for Beetlejuice in MultiVersus has been revealed, along with his release date. He will be ing the roster on August 20, 2024.

The new gameplay trailer shows off Beetlejuice’s MultiVersus moveset, which should be familiar to anyone who has watched the original 1988 Tim Burton movie. He can summon a sandworm through a door, turn his arms into bendy hammers and shapeshift into horrifying forms. In addition, other characters will receive Beetlejuice-inspired alternate costumes featuring his iconic black and white stripes and pale skin. Characters shown wearing these outfits include Joker, The Iron Giant and Harley Quinn.

Here's the full trailer:

While not featured in the gameplay trailer, Player First Games has confirmed that Beetlejuice will be voiced by Christopher Swindle in Multiversus. He previously played the character in Lego Dimensions. His other voice acting credits include Genshin Impact and Starfield.

Beetlejuice is the latest character to be added to Multiversus, a Super Smash Bros style fighter starring various Warner Bros characters. Other fighters on the roster include Bugs Bunny, Batman, Shaggy from Scooby-Doo and Agent Smith from The Matrix. Beetlejuice’s appearance in the game comes just ahead of the film’s sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which arrives in theaters on September 6, 2024.

MultiVersus is out now for PS5, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Beetlejuice will be added to the game on August 20, 2024.

The post Beetlejuice MultiVersus Gameplay Trailer and Release Date Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.

A new trailer for Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns is out, showing some of the new characters and stages, as well as the return of Animalities. It’ll come out on September 24, 2024.

The DLC will feature new story chapters, as well as Kombat Pack 2. The first trio of characters will be available at launch and the second batch will come out some time later. Cyrax, Sektor, and Noob Saibot are in the first release. Meanwhile, Ghostface (Scream), Conan (Conan the Barbarian), and T-1000 (Terminator) are in the second half. As a note, unlike in the previous Mortal Kombat games, Sektor and Cyrax are both female. They’re also people inside of robotic suits rather than actual robots like in the past. All players will also receive a free MK 95 skin for Scorpion.

You can watch the trailer for Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns here:

Animalities will also return in Mortal Kombat. These first appeared in Mortal Kombat 3 in which the winning character turns into an animal to brutally murder the opponent. Some of the animals that appeared in this trailer are a giant praying mantis, a hippopotamus, a skeletal T-rex, and a gorilla.

Mortal Kombat 1 is readily available on the PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. The DLC Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns will come out on September 24, 2024—a little over a year since the game came out on September 19, 2023. 

The post Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns Will Bring Back Animalities appeared first on Siliconera.

Following a report by Video Game Chronicle, early access servers for the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League have been taken offline due to a bug that automatically completed the game the first time it was launched. Developer Rocksteady is performing maintenance and expects a delay of several hours before the game becomes available again. [Thanks, VGC!]

While the game is not set to launch until February 2, 2024, players who pre-ordered the deluxe edition would be able to enter a 72-hour early access period. Due to timezones and the launch schedule, New Zealand was the area this launched in first. However, players soon discovered that they had been awarded game completion status when they logged into it despite not having played before. The servers were taken offline soon afterwards.

You can find Rocksteady's official response below:

A video of the game's Co-op gameplay surfaced back in early 2023, around the same time it featured at Sony's State of Play event. There is also an unrelated anime series titled Suicide Squad Isekai in production by WIT Studio, expected sometime in 2024.

Servers for the Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League early access period are currently offline for maintenance following discovery of a major bug. The game is set to launch in full on February 2, 2024, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, with a 72 hour early access period for deluxe edition owners.

The post Suicide Squad Early Access Pulled Due to Game-Beating Bug appeared first on Siliconera.

Warner Bros. Games announced on social media that the Nintendo Switch version of Batman Arkham Trilogy will be delayed to December 1, 2023. The social media post announcing the delay stated that the game needed more time in development in order to offer the "best possible experience" to players.

Batman Arkham Trilogy was first announced during the June 2023 Nintendo Direct. It had been scheduled for release during Fall 2023. It was later announced to be releasing on October 13, 2023. The trilogy collection will contain the definitive versions of the games which includes the DLC story expansions released for each game.

The trilogy collection allows players to immerse themselves in gritty city of Gotham and play as the vigilante Batman to face off against iconic villains like the Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Penguin, and beyond.

The collection is set to contain Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight. Batman: Arkham Asylum originally released on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. Batman: Arkham City released on the same consoles as Arkham Asylum as well as the Wii U. Batman: Arkham Knight released only on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and PC.

Batman Arkham Trilogy will release on the Nintendo Switch on December 1, 2023.

The post Batman Arkham Trilogy on Switch Delayed to December 2023 appeared first on Siliconera.

NetherReam showed off Jean-Claude Van Damme in a new Mortal Kombat 1 trailer. The veteran martial artist and movie star will be appearing as a skin for Johnny Cage. The skin will be available as part of the Edition of the game.

The appearance of Jean-Claude Van Damme in Mortal Kombat 1 was first revealed at Summer Game Fest 2023. Series creator Ed Boon announced Van Damme’s appearance on stage in conversation with Geoff Keighley, but this is the first we have seen of him in actual gameplay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnMo1SUTal8

Jean-Claude Van Damme has a history with the Mortal Kombat franchise. The original team at Midway originally planned on making a game based on Universal Soldier, it felt apart due to Van Damme’s unavailability. When the project became Mortal Kombat, Ed Boon used Van Damme as inspiration for Johnny Cage. With Van Damme now playing the character, the inspiration has come full circle.

It’s not the first time Jean-Claude Van Damme has appeared in a major fighting game franchise. He infamously appeared as Guile in the 1994 Street Fighter movie adaption, alongside Raul Julia and Kylie Minogue. He was also digitised for the tie-in video game, Street Fighter: The Movie.

He is also not the only Hollywood star set to make an appearance in Mortal Kombat 1. Megan Fox was recently confirmed to be the voice and likeness for Nitara.

Mortal Kombat 1 will be released on September 14, 2023 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch.

The post See the Jean-Claude Van Damme Mortal Kombat 1 Johnny Cage Skin appeared first on Siliconera.

Lots of new and old characters have already been revealed for Mortal Kombat 1. Like we know even people from entries like Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero will show up. We also know it will continue the tradition of guest stars by bringing in characters like Homelander and Peacemaker. So this week, we figured we'd talk about characters we'd like to see show up in Mortal Kombat 1.

It honestly might be cool to see another console exclusive guest character come up again. For example, Kratos appeared in the 2011 installment. Since there's the Twisted Metal TV show, what if Sweet Tooth showed up in Mortal Kombat 1. He'd fit in with the rest of the cast, and there could probably be some fun moves based on his experiences. -- Jenni

Like Jenni, I’m all for the crossover guest characters. One that I’d love to see in Mortal Kombat 1 is Michael Myers from the Halloween movie franchise. He’s one of the few missing horror icons after already getting Jason, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, and more in the past. On the superhero side, I’d like to see Batman or Superman. Mainly because it’s been far too long since the last Injustice game. -- Cody

The post Characters We Want to See in Mortal Kombat 1 appeared first on Siliconera.

Warner Bros. Games and DC used Sony's State of Play broadcast to showcase gameplay from Suicide Squad on February 23, 2023. Created by Batman: Arkham series developer Rocksteady, a new trailer showed off an extended look at the game's combat systems and 4-player cooperative gameplay. The new reveal arrives in late May 2023 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Check out the Suicide Squad co-op trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoXUE4TKHwc

In the trailer, the quartet is sent to rescue fellow supervillain Lex Luthor from none other than the Flash, who appears to be working with or for Brainiac, a Kryptonian menace. Each character uses their unique movement skills and combat abilities to take on groups of enemies, including battle tanks and robotic drones. They also destroy a massive, building-size robotic foe before managing to rescue Luthor from his captivity. They're confronted by the Flash before Wonder Woman intervenes, attempting to use her Lasso of Truth to force the Flash to tell her how to reverse whatever process is causing them to become a threat. The Flash says that "We have to die to save the world."

First revealed at the DC Fandome event back in 2020, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League stars the of Task Force X, a.k.a. the "Suicide Squad." It's a group of villains coerced into working for the government to tackle threats and perform missions that are too shady for the superheroes of the DC universe. In this case, Batman villain Deadshot, Flash villain Captain Boomerang, Aquaman villain King Shark, and the Joker's partner Harley Quinn are sent up against the Justice League itself. In a behind-the-scenes trailer, of the Rocksteady development team said that the story takes place five years after the conclusion of 2015's Batman: Arkham Knight, Rocksteady's previous game. Suicide Squad will also be the last voice performance for voice actor Kevin Conroy, who recorded his lines as Batman in the game before he died in November 2022.

Suicide Squad will release on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on May 26, 2023.

The post Suicide Squad Shows Co-op Killing of the Justice League appeared first on Siliconera.

Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia is an addition to the long-running Bakugan franchise that complements but doesn’t rely on the Bakugan: Armored Alliance anime or the franchise’s trading card game. We asked Kenny Ilko, Executive Producer at WayForward, about the process of developing a creature collecting game that is fun for fans of the series and newcomers alike.

Benjamin Maltbie, Siliconera: Fans of the show will find familiar elements, but the story in Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia is original. What approach did you take to mix the familiar with the new?

Kenny Ilko, Executive Producer, WayForward: Fortunately for us we were able to get early access to both season 1 and season 2 of the new anime series. This allowed us to really sit back and evaluate what events in the show could be either tied into directly or at least correlate to. Season 2 offered a unique opportunity to play off the idea of a Bakugan tournament or championship. While in Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia you aren’t directly interacting with that storyline, the concept anchors you to the anime’s world. And of course, it was an easy and perfect fit for the ever-social media present Awesome Brawlers (more specifically Dan) to give you tutorials in the game.

How did you decide on which Bakugan should be featured in Champions of Vestroia?

Ilko: This was primarily a list created by our friends at Spin Master. I don’t know the full inner workings, but what I do know is that they took a long, hard look at the Bakugan found in the anime as well as some of the fan favorites from the toy and created a list that just made sense. With over 80 Bakugan, there are a ton of options for fans who lean more on the Bakugan species and just as many for ones who lean more into the various factions. I’m not going to lie, one of my favorite Bakugan in the game, Darkus Cycloid, did not start there at the beginning of development.

Will the story be linear? And, if so, will it be part of a greater Bakugan canon?

Ilko: The story is primarily linear, but I say that with a lot of caveats. It consists of two story arcs that run in parallel. While ultimately both have a linear forward progression, there is a lot of bouncing back and forth that players can do freely. Additionally, there are a significant number of side quests that can be played at the leisure of the player. When you add to that the fact that you can revisit virtually every area of the game as it opens, I think players will find a lot to explore and enjoy at their own pace. And don’t forget to revisit all the shops. They offer new stuff as you progress!

What steps have been taken to make sure that this game can be a good first experience for players who might not have any experience with the Bakugan franchise?

Ilko: I think the biggest step we took is that we just assume everyone is new to Bakugan. We must take that approach anyway because the video game is full of unique mechanics tailor-made for the space. While there are certainly many aspects that fans of the animated series as well as the toy/trading card game (TCG) will recognize and appreciate, it’s not a requirement to be either to pick up and be successful at the game. The tutorial system drives all players through the basic mechanics of what makes up a Bakugan in Champions of Vestroia, how to build a team, and how to brawl. I think that if you like the monster/fighter genre in general or just enjoy an action RPG experience, there’s something here for you.

The core gameplay appears to be a mixture of action and turn-based mechanics, with an emphasis on using type advantages. It is an accessible looking system. How do you manage difficulty around a system like this?

Ilko: Very, very, carefully. I would argue that the emphasis is not on type advantages, though. It is one of the many layers of strategy that players will have to consider when building their team out and matching up in the brawl real-time. Because our goal was to always make the game accessible from both a skillset standpoint as well as a Bakugan familiarity standpoint, we knew that we would have to layer the tactics and strategy into the gameplay. What I think players will find is that the better the player you are, the bigger the gap in level you can be to compete. Some players may find themselves needing to be 2-3 levels ahead of their opponent while others might have deeper insight into the subtleties of the mechanics that allow them to faceoff with opponents 2-3 levels above them. We looked at balancing the game in a way that early on you can make more mistakes and be less strategic as you learn the ins and outs of the Bakugan, the factions, the Baku-Abilities, and the real-time mechanics of combat. By the end of the game we expect players to be able to apply more of that knowledge and experience to find success. In the end, I think the most advanced and skilled players will find new levels of challenge directly in online brawls.

When developing Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia, did you look at older games in the franchise for lessons or inspiration? If so, what are some of the things you learned from those games?

Ilko: We definitely took a long look at all the original video game titles as well as parsed any reviews and articles we could find about said games. While there was a lot of good stuff to take away from those titles, we really wanted to approach this new video game from a unique angle. We set out to establish a game that has the potential of becoming a franchise title that can be built on generation after generation. To do that, we knew it would be critical to establish mechanics and gameplay that gave fans of the show things they could relate to while not alienating fans of the toy/TCG. It went without saying that our focus would have to be on the brawling system to achieve that goal. This approach culminated in a real-time combat system with visuals and BakuCore collection that will really resonate with anyone familiar with the show; while those who might be more heavily into the toy/TCG recognizing all the familiar mechanics of team building, faction-based play styles, Team Attacks, and more. I think this approach also had a great side effect of naturally making the game accessible to anyone by assuming no one had intimate familiarity with all things Bakugan.

Thanks to Kenny for answering to our questions so thoroughly! Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia releases on November 3, 2020 for the Nintendo Switch

The post Talking Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia Story and Design with Executive Producer, Kenny Ilko appeared first on Siliconera.