Headed up by Hideo Baba Role-playing game fans have a pair of new names to try and remember. One is “Studio Istolia,” a Tokyo-based studio recently formed under Square Enix, and the other is “Project Prelude Rune,” the RPG intellectual property the group is creating. FormerTalesseries producer Hideo Baba is on board as both the studio head and the producer ofProject Prelude Rune. Per Square Enix Holdings, “The name Istolia originates from the Greek word, ‘story’ and is central to the studio’s primary value....

Things and Stuff So today I’ll keep this fairly short. It turns out that I actually couldn’t just flip a switch to turn back on Vs Saxton Hale mode on the server, seeing as I need to update it. Eventually it will be done, alongside adding in some new maps. That brings up the question, what maps do you want to see on the server? Is there anything you hate with a passion and wish would go away?...

I don’t have children, but I sit in as a substitute paraprofessional, so I can confidently say that the big one-O is a turbulent year for kids. Ten-year-olds need to deal with changing bodies and challenging thoughts, and sometimes, the best thing to do is give them a good book. Books are often called windows into other worlds, and they are, but they can also be mirrors through which we can see ourselves from a new perspective....

A HOOT Tobias Fünke really needs to listen to himself when he talks. But he did come up with a hell of a catchphrase, so we’ll let it slide. You guessed it: the new speedrunning craze inMario Kart 8 Deluxe(which is still a wildly successful game with over 33 million sales under its belt) is called “Blue Yourself.” It involves trying to hit yourself with a blue shell as quickly as possible, and there is a fierce competition going on right now in theMario Kartcommunity....

Movement, yes, combat, no If the firstMirror’s Edgehad zero combat mechanics, I’d be happy with it. But EA is still going with that angle withCatalyst, noting that “fluid combat is the one key pillar in the gameplay.” If you say so! Though the removal of gunplay is a good start. But that’s just one side of the coin. The “movement” video makes the game look as fantastic as ever, and I’m really anxious to see what they can do with the new game world and the time trial functionality....

All caps because that stings more Tommy Refenes, half the development team ofSuper Meat Boy, made a reaction video over the weekend. That’s a rebellious thing to do because popular YouTubers The Fine Brothers are currently in the process oftrying to trademarkthe word “react.” Soon enough, reacting to things on the Internet will be for the lawbreakers and the do-no-gooders. Maybe that’s a bit exaggerated, but it’s definitely an Internet Hot Topic right now — enough so that mocking the Fine Bros....

Helping with Avatar is its first project Ubisoft’s family just got a little bit bigger. The French publisher announced that it’s opening a new studio in Sweden’s capital city. Ubisoft Stockholm joins the ranks of Ubisoft subsidiaries, and it’s being led by one of the most experienced people in Swedish game development. Seemingly headhunted by Ubisoft, former EA DICE general manager Patrick Bach has signed on to serve as Stockholm’s studio manager....

Boku no Mario In recent years I playedPersona 3andPersona 4and loved them, but I have yet to see their anime adaptations. I hear great things about them (aside from theGoldenseries) but just need the time to sit down and check them out. Likewise,Ace Attorneyhas an anime based on the first two games in the series and I want to get to that at some point given how engrossing those stories are....

Cblogs of 10/1 to 03-06-2025 -Queen of Philosophytakes a look back at 30 bloody years ofMortal Kombat. -taterchimptakes us on a fun travelogue of Dublin, Ireland. -PhilsPhindingstakes a look at the musical connections between Pop and theMega Manseries. -PhilsPhindingstakes a look at the musical connections between Pop and Sega’sShadow Dancer. -Queen of Philosophyrings in the weekend with another TGIF article. Thanks for the blogs this week, folks! And thanks toLord Spencer, as always, for taking the time to provide us with this week’s recap....

Baldur’s Gate 3is a long, long game. So long, in fact, that most players should expect tospend between 75 and 100 hours on asingleplaythrough, as per Larian Studios itself. How long is each of the game’s Acts, though? Even though we’ve got an official estimate from the developer itself, there’s beensome hubbubaround the length of the Acts themselves practicallysince day one. There’s a grand total of three main Acts inBaldur’s Gate 3, and the main source of these disagreements lies in the game’s remarkable flexibility and openness to player input....

Clear out space in your cargo hold To celebrate the release of upcoming sci-fi shooterStar Wars Battlefront II, Sony Interactive have announced a competition that could see one lucky Australian resident take home their very own, full-size, “Han Solo in carbonite” statue. The replica, made by great-but-pricey manufacturers Sideshow, is instantly recognisable to fans of the legendary movie series,. The statue stands over seven feet tall and is valued at around $8,000AUD....

Things are getting Steam-y in here! XSEED is one of my favorite publishers as they have brought out some titles I would have otherwise missed, like the fantasticYsseries. Now the company is announcing that they’re bringing some of those titles to Steam. BothYs: The Oath in FelghanaandYs Originwill come to the PC via Steam soon. The former already has a date and price: March 19, and $14.99.Oathgets Steamworks features like Achievements and Steam Cloud support....

Despite being a puzzle game,Blue Princehas a useful crafting system that can be utilized in the Workshop. The Workshop room allows you to utilize different items that might not have any use on their own. As you gain access to new areas and locations, you’ll find items that will have little to no use on their own. This is where the Workshop room comes in, as you can combine different items to craft useful tools....