Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 5

Could We Get Tales News at the Bandai Namco Summer Showcase?

Did the Not-E3 showcases ever really end?

We had a few showcases last week and Anime Expo coming up later this week, and now in between we also have the Bandai Namco Summer Showcase announced for this Wednesday.

The showcase will be held on July 2 at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET. It will feature a new My Hero Academia game and a bunch of already-announced games (including Code Vein II and Little Nightmares III), but could there be other surprises as well?

I’ve been patiently waiting for the announcement of a new Tales game from Bandai Namco, and this could be the place where we learn about a new remaster.

After all, they already said the next Tales remaster will be announced this summer. That makes a summer showcase feel like a pretty likely choice.

On top of that, the official Tales Twitter account posted on May 19 about the first three games in the series in honor of the 30th anniversary, and every week since then they’ve posted about the next few games in order, until today’s post about Xillia 2, Zestiria, Berseria, and Arise. Setting up these posts to end right ahead of the summer showcase also feels like it’s perfectly preparing for the next game’s announcement.

I love the Tales series (even if I still have a ton of them in my backlog), and I’ve been excited to see what they’ll announce next. Personally, I have my fingers crossed that the next remaster is a Japan-exclusive title getting translated for the first time, but we’ll see.

Do you think the Bandai Namco Summer Showcase will include Tales news?

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Could We Get Tales News at the Bandai Namco Summer Showcase? appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

No Ace Attorney News (But We Have TGAA Anniversary Art)

All right, so the Capcom Spotlight yesterday didn’t have any Ace Attorney news.

It was a long shot anyway, but I admit I felt hopeful when they deviated from the announced four games to discuss a few other titles as well.

Nevertheless, the closest we got to Ace Attorney news was them mentioning it being on sale.

On the other hand, we do have some new art to enjoy!

This year is The Great Ace Attorney’s 10th anniversary, and now that we’re getting closer to the anniversary itself (July 9), they released a beautiful piece of tenth anniversary art, as well as a store where you can buy art and other merchandise, like acrylic character standees.

I still have high hopes for The Great Ace Attorney’s anniversary year and believe we’ll get some sort of exciting announcement, whether it’s a game (please) or something else.

In the meantime, that art is beautiful, and I’m really tempted by some of the merch…

Do you think we’ll get a big announcement to celebrate The Great Ace Attorney’s 10th anniversary this year, or is this art and merch the most we’ll see?

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post No Ace Attorney News (But We Have TGAA Anniversary Art) appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Aksys Will Announce New Games at Anime Expo

Not only do we have a couple showcases coming up this week, but next week is Anime Expo, where we’re sure to get a few announcements as well.

At the top of the list for me is Aksys Games confirming an Anime Expo show on July 3 that will include upcoming games and “a few new surprises.”

Aksys is a big one for me because of the otome games they localize (as well as others, like the Death Mark games). Last year, their Anime Expo show featured the announcements of Mistonia no Kibou, Utaka no Uchronia (which now has the English title Illusion of Itehari), and the Switch port of 7’scarlet.

7’scarlet is out, and Illusion of Itehari has a September 18 release date, so that leaves Mistonia as the big unknown right now. Maybe we’ll get a release date for it, as well.

I also have my fingers crossed for more otome localization news. Personally I’d love to see Over RequiemZ or Byakko get picked up, although if they don’t, you never know when Idea Factory might announce some new otome localizations, too. (Last year, Idea Factory has their own event around the same time as Anime Expo, but I haven’t seen anything announced like that yet this time.)

In non-otome news, it would be nice if the new Death Mark DLC was brought to Steam, since that’s the version of the game I have… and of course, they might have some complete surprises, too.

What are you hoping to see announced at Anime Expo?

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Aksys Will Announce New Games at Anime Expo appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Last Week for Dark Fantasy Otome Volontés Localization on Kickstarter

About a year ago, I backed a Kickstarter campaign for a dark fantasy otome game called Volontés.

I don’t back crowd-funding campaigns quite as often as I did for a while there, but every now and then there’s still one that catches my eye enough for me to back it. This was one of those games.

Unfortunately, the campaign failed, so although the developers were still able to refocus their efforts and release the game in Japan, English localization wasn’t possible.

Now it’s out in Japan, and there’s a new Kickstarter campaign for its localization. It’s a Switch game, although there is a potential Steam port if the campaign makes its stretch goal.

Volontés is about a young woman whose village is attacked and destroyed, but she’s rescued by a mysterious figure who proclaims her to be the Moon Witch. It sounds like an intriguing story, and the art is also beautiful.

I haven’t seen too many reviews of it since it’s only out in Japan, but what I have seen is positive. I really like the looks of it, and I hope it can get localized. At the time that I’m writing this post, the campaign is almost at 80% of its funding goal, with 6 days left to go. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

So if a dark fantasy otome game sounds interesting to you, head over to the Volontés Kickstarter page and take a look!

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Last Week for Dark Fantasy Otome Volontés Localization on Kickstarter appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Capcom Spotlight Set for June 26 (Is There Hope?)

There wasn’t a Capcom Showcase this June, but a Capcom Spotlight live stream has been announced for next week.

It will take place on June 26 at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET and last approximately 40 minutes, and it will feature information on Monster Hunter Wilds, Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and Street Fighter 6.

So of course, I’ll be hoping against hope for Ace Attorney news.

Like I mentioned last time, Capcom Spotlight streams usually focused on already-announced titles, while the bigger ones that have new announcements are called Capcom Showcases. It was at a Capcom Showcase that the Apollo Justice Trilogy was announced, for example.

But it isn’t as if there are never new announcements during a Capcom Spotlight. That last one included the announcement of the Onimusha 2 remaster, and since Ace Attorney is a more niche series, I could see it being slipped in amongst news about their bigger games.

(Besides, I’m still suspicious of the mysterious van Zieks captions that we never got any explanation for.)

I’m interested in Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, so I’ll be watching regardless, but I’ll have my fingers crossed for Ace Attorney news at the same time.

Do you think the Capcom Spotlight will have any new announcements?

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Capcom Spotlight Set for June 26 (Is There Hope?) appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

The Donkey Kong Bananza Direct Convinced Me

The Donkey Kong Bananza Direct was this morning, and I went into it hoping to see a bit more variety than what was shown off during the original trailer and Treehouse streams.

And… I got my wish!

The new trailer not only officially revealed Pauline (whose involvement was leaked earlier), but it also showed more varied environments, more platforming and gameplay mechanics beyond smashing things, Bananza transformations with different abilities, and more.

It looks so fun. Any doubts I had about it are gone. It looks like exactly the sort of 3D platformer I’ll love.

There’s also outfits and customization options for both DK and Pauline, and spots called Getaways where you can rest and listen to music. On top of that, there’s a whole separate mode called “DK Artist” where you can use the Switch 2’s mouse controls to sculpt and paint.

I was already interested in Donkey Kong Bananza, but now I’m completely sold. Looks like I’ll be getting a Switch 2.

Well, with how big my backlog has gotten, I think I’ll still wait until there are a couple more exclusives I’m dying for. I have plenty to keep me occupied in the meantime. All the same, I can’t wait to play Donkey Kong Bananza.

What are you thoughts on this more extensive look at the new Donkey Kong game?

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post The Donkey Kong Bananza Direct Convinced Me appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Donkey Kong Bananza Direct Announced for Wednesday

I was a little disappointed that we got through “Not-E3” week without a Nintendo Direct, and while we still don’t have a general Direct announced, we do have a game-specific one.

Nintendo has announced a 15-minute Donkey Kong Bananza Direct for this Wednesday, June 18, at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET.

Of all the games shown when the Switch 2 was announced, Bananza interested me the most (just not enough to drive me to buy a Switch 2 at launch). I’m looking forward to learning more about it in the Direct and hopefully seeing more of the gameplay loop beyond destroying things to find collectibles.

That was my one concern about it from what they showed so far, that the gameplay looked like it could get repetitive. I’d like to see more of the platforming, for example.

Meanwhile, I also have my fingers crossed that we’ll get a general Direct after this. In the past they’ve sometimes done a game-specific presentation and then a full Nintendo Direct a week or two later, so I’m hoping that happens again. (Although… with all the games I have in my backlog, I’m not sure why I’m so eager for Nintendo to show me games I’ll want to buy a whole new system for.)

What are you hoping to learn from the Donkey Kong Bananza Direct?

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Donkey Kong Bananza Direct Announced for Wednesday appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Details on Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian Revealed

We last talked about Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist and the White Guardian back in November, when it was officially confirmed to be an offline, non-gacha game despite being set in the same universe as the mobile game.

At the time, fans speculated that it would be also have turn-based combat as a contrast to the more action-oriented Atelier Yumia, which came out earlier this year.

Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist and the White Guardian has now been revealed to have a September 26 worldwide release for the PS5, Switch, and PC (plus PS4 in Japan), and the speculation was correct. It looks like it has a more traditional turn-based combat system.

In addition to exploration, crafting, and combat, this game is also adding a new feature into the mix – shop management. Players will sell items at their shop and then invest the money in town development to progress the story.

It looks like a fun game, and it’s interesting to see them releasing two very different types of Atelier games in the same year.

Of course, I’m still nowhere near caught up on my Atelier journey, but I’m excited to see this nevertheless. Will I have played another Atelier game by the time this one comes out? …We’ll see.

(In completely unrelated news, it was announced yesterday that Bloober Team is remaking the first Silent Hill game. Maybe I called an end to Not-E3 season too soon!)

Anyway, what are your thoughts on Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist and the White Guardian?

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Details on Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian Revealed appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Not-E3 2025 Part 7: Miscellaneous Highlights

Table of Contents

State of Play
Summer Game Fest
Ball x Pit: The Kenny Sun Story
IO Interactive Showcase
Wholesome Direct
Future Games Show
Xbox Games Showcase
PC Gaming Show
Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

We’ve pretty much come to the end of the showcases, so all that remains is to cover a few miscellaneous highlights from the other showcases throughout the weekend. First up, I only mentioned Blighted in passing during the Summer Game Fest post, but after getting a closer look at it later on, it interests me more than I expected. The devs also said it has metroidvania elements, so I’m curious about that.

Then there’s Death and Faeology, which looks like an intriguing murder mystery.

Prison of Husks also seems interesting. Yes, we’ve seen a lot of souls-likes, but this one has a old PS1 sort of aesthetic that makes it stand out.

Wander Stars looks interesting, and I was excited to see a new trailer for Tormented Souls II. I loved the first game, and the sequel looks excellent so far.

And speaking of horror games, Shadow Sacrament: The Roots of Evil caught my attention as well.

A.I.L.A. is another horror game that stood out to me from the showcases.

And while not horror despite its spooky aesthetic, the action-adventure game Nightmare Circus looks like it could be a lot of fun.

I also enjoyed seeing the 3D platformer Junklands and the delightfully titled Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar. Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar describes itself as “a puzzle heist adventure with a quantum flavour” and “Portal with cats,” and if that doesn’t say it all, I don’t know what does. It looks pretty neat.

Finally, I enjoyed watching the trailers for Ayasa: Shadows of Silence, which reminds me a lot of Little Nightmares, and also the puzzle adventure game Ascend. Both of those look like games to keep an eye on.

So while there weren’t a lot of big-name titles that stood out to me from this year’s showcases, it’s nice to have some indie highlights here and there as well.

Meanwhile, that brings us to the end of this year’s Not-E3 (although Konami is having a showcase later this week and Koei Tecmo is hosting a live stream about Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian) unless Nintendo decides to hold a Nintendo Direct this week after all. What were your biggest highlights from the event?

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Not-E3 2025 Part 7: Miscellaneous Highlights appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.

Not-E3 2025 Part 6: Xbox Games Showcase and PC Gaming Highlights

Table of Contents

State of Play
Summer Game Fest
Ball x Pit: The Kenny Sun Story
IO Interactive Showcase
Wholesome Direct
Future Games Show
Xbox Games Showcase
PC Gaming Show

Xbox Games Showcase & The Outer Worlds 2 Direct

Today’s showcases began with the Xbox Games Showcase. Now, I’m not much of an Xbox person, but sometimes they have some great third-party surprises, so I was hoping for some exciting announcements. They started out with The Outer Worlds 2, which will be out on October 29. I enjoyed the first one, so I’m interested in this.

(I’m not $80 worth of interested, though, which is the price it seems to be set at.)

High on Life is getting a sequel, which I didn’t expect, and there’s a third game in the Plague Tale series called Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy. They spent some time showing off the ROG Ally, which I might not have mentioned at all except that it including the tiniest Silksong tease.

There was also a new trailer for The Blood of Dawnwalker, a vampire game that looks interesting, although I’m not sure if it’s my sort of thing. Super Meat Boy 3D was announced as well.

And Ninja Gaiden 4 continues to look pretty cool. It’s coming out in October as well.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is getting DLC, but the next big surprise was from… Game Freak?? And it doesn’t look anything like previous Game Freak games. I’m pretty curious about this one.

Steampunk game Clockwork Revolution looks like it could be interesting, a sequel to Grounded was announced, and Bloober Team was there with a new trailer for Cronos: The New Dawn. I’m definitely keeping my eye on that one.

After that, new stuff was announced for The Elder Scrolls Online, and Dontnod announced a new science fiction game that looks interesting called Aphelion.

I’m also somewhat curious about the musical adventure game There Are No Ghosts at the Grand, although I’m not sure if I’d enjoy the gameplay or not.

The next announcements were a new expansion for Age of Mythology, a stealth action game called Mudang: Two Hearts, Planet of Lana II (I’m not familiar with the first one), and new content coming for Fallout 76. I was almost interested in Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive despite its odd title, but it seems it’s at least related to a gacha game, so we’ll see.

Animo and Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4 didn’t especially interest me, but the sidescrolling game At Fate’s End might be interesting. It’s from the team that made Spiritfarer.

Then it was time for the remaster of Gears of War, Gears of War Reloaded, and (much more interesting for me), the long-rumored Persona 4 remake, Persona 4 Revival. Now, I’m on team “Persona 4 is fine and doesn’t need a remake,” but I have to admit the short teaser trailer looks good.

And that was the highlight for me. They followed that with new content for Sea of Thieves, an Invincible fighting game, the announcement of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and Final Fantasy XVI coming to Xbox, a game from Double Fine called Keeper that admittedly looks interesting, and then the final announcement of the show was Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

After the showcase, they went into more detail about The Outer Worlds 2 and Grounded 2.

Then it was time for the PC Gaming Show!

PC Gaming Show

Lots of games are covered in the PC Gaming Show, so I’ll stick to the highlights here again.

The first game that caught my attention was Fresh Tracks, a rhythm game where you’ll be fighting the enemies you face to the beat of the song. The Rogue Prince of Persia is also leaving early access in August.

Mandrake also caught my attention, because even though it’s a life sim/farming game, it’s from the developers of Sunless Sea.

Demonschool continues to look interesting, too.

Meanwhile, I’m not sure if I’d enjoy DarkSwitch, but the cosmic horror elements at least got my attention. Likewise, I’m not sure I’d enjoy playing Hell Clock, but I like the trailer’s style enough that I’m sharing it anyway.

Blippo+ also stood out to me, because I watched the whole trailer and read the description on its Steam page and I’m still confused.

Overall, there wasn’t a whole lot that stood out to me this year, but maybe I overlooked some gems. If a game especially caught your attention, let me know.

That’s it for the showcases! What did you enjoy the most from today’s events? Here’s hoping we get a Nintendo Direct soon to round it out.

Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to share it with your social networks! The post Not-E3 2025 Part 6: Xbox Games Showcase and PC Gaming Highlights appeared first on Samantha Lienhard.