Final Fantasy 9 is officially getting a new release in May 2026, and this time the spotlight is entirely on Vivi. Square Enix has announced a brand-new illustrated picture book set in the world of Final Fantasy IX, with the 48-page release launching on May 19, 2026, for $17.99 USD.

For long-time fans of the 2000 RPG, this isn’t a remake or remaster. It’s a character-focused story that expands on Vivi’s life before the events of the original game, offering fresh lore centred on one of the franchise’s most beloved characters.

Vivi Returns In A New Illustrated Prequel Story

The new book follows Vivi after he is rescued from the ocean by his grandfather, Quan. Players will remember this emotional starting point from the original game, but this release dives deeper into what happened next.

According to Square Enix’s official description, the story explores how Quan, initially believing Vivi might be food, eventually realises he is something far more special. From there, the two build a peaceful life together, sharing meals, forming friendships, and gradually shaping the worldview that defines Vivi when players first meet him in Final Fantasy IX.

The narrative builds toward the moment of Vivi’s departure, setting the emotional groundwork for the journey that unfolds in the original PlayStation classic.

Original Final Fantasy IX Creators Are Involved

One of the most reassuring details for fans is the creative team behind the project.

Kazuhiko Aoki, who served as an event designer on Final Fantasy IX, is writing the story. The illustrations are being handled by Toshiyuki Itahana, the original character designer for the game. That direct creative continuity gives this book strong ties to the original tone and visual identity of Gaia.

Early previews describe the story as gentle and heartfelt, very much in line with the character-driven storytelling that made Final Fantasy IX stand out when it first launched in July 2000.

Release Date, Price And Language Details

The illustrated book is scheduled to release on May 19, 2026, with a retail price of $17.99 USD.

The currently listed edition on the Square Enix store is in Japanese. However, given the global popularity of Final Fantasy IX and Vivi in particular, an English version is widely expected. Square Enix has not yet formally confirmed an English localisation, but anticipation is already building across fan communities.

For those wanting to revisit the original game ahead of the book’s release, Final Fantasy IX remains available digitally on modern platforms, including PlayStation storefronts.

Expanding Final Fantasy 9 Beyond The Game

This new release highlights Square Enix’s continued push into cross-media storytelling. Rather than revisiting the title through another port or remake, the publisher is expanding the universe through illustrated fiction, deepening character backstories while keeping production relatively focused.

Vivi has long been considered one of the most emotionally resonant characters in the entire Final Fantasy franchise. Exploring his childhood and relationship with Quan offers both nostalgic value for veteran players and a softer entry point for new readers who may not have played the original RPG.

With May 2026 approaching, fans will likely be watching for pre-order details and potential international editions. If the reception is strong, this could open the door to more character-focused stories set in the world of Final Fantasy IX.

The post Final Fantasy 9 Vivi Book Announced For May 2026 Release appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Pearl Abyss Releases Extended Gameplay Overview

With just weeks to go before launch, Crimson Desert has received a substantial new showcase. Developer Pearl Abyss has published a 15-minute gameplay and features video highlighting the game’s story setup, open world structure, and several previously teased mechanics in action.

The footage centres on protagonist Kliff and the continent of Pywel, presenting the clearest look yet at how exploration, combat, and traversal come together in Pearl Abyss’ first single-player project.

Kliff’s Story And The World Of Pywel

The video introduces Kliff as a warrior of the Greymanes, a northern faction from the region of Pailune. The narrative begins after a fragile peace collapses, scattering the Greymanes and forcing Kliff to reunite his people while reclaiming their homeland. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear the conflict stretches far beyond one faction, drawing the entire continent of Pywel into escalating political and supernatural turmoil.

At the centre of that threat is the Abyss, a mysterious realm whose corrupted fragments are crashing into Pywel. Some groups seek to exploit this power, while Kliff’s journey pushes him toward restoring balance and stopping those abusing the Abyss for their own gain.

Five Regions And A Fully Open Structure

Pearl Abyss confirmed Pywel is divided into five distinct regions: Hernand, Pailune, Demeniss, Delesyia, and the Crimson Desert itself. While the main quest follows Kliff’s personal journey, players are free to explore these regions in almost any order.

Alongside the central storyline, the world offers faction-driven quests, large-scale battles, fortress sieges, and smaller character-focused missions. The studio has emphasised that exploration is not optional filler, but a core part of how the story and world unfold.

Traversal, Dragons, And A Missile-Firing Mech

Movement across Pywel appears deliberately varied. Kliff travels on horseback, climbs terrain, and uses a grappling hook to chain mid-air jumps and reach elevated areas. Later in the game, traversal expands dramatically with the ability to glide, ride a dragon across vast distances, and pilot a missile-firing mech capable of levelling enemy positions.

Pearl Abyss also highlighted hidden treasures, ancient mechanisms, environmental puzzles, and optional points of interest designed to reward players who stray from marked objectives.

Multiple Playable Characters And Combat Variety

As the story progresses, two additional playable characters join Kliff. While their names and backstories remain undisclosed, the video shows each brings a distinct combat style and weapon set.

One appears as a swift female warrior wielding a massive claymore alongside a flintlock-style firearm. The other is a heavily armoured bruiser, using a large axe and a cannon-like arm weapon. Pearl Abyss confirmed all playable characters feature unique skills, weapons, and fighting styles, adding variety to both combat encounters and side quests.

Enemy encounters range from rival soldiers and sorcerers to beasts and mechanical foes, reinforcing the game’s blend of medieval fantasy and unexpected technology.

Open World Size Compared To Industry Giants

Earlier this month, Pearl Abyss addressed ongoing discussion around the scale of Crimson Desert’s open world. Speaking on the Gaming Interviews YouTube channel, the studio compared Pywel directly to two genre benchmarks.

According to Pearl Abyss, the playable area is at least twice the size of Skyrim and larger than Red Dead Redemption 2. However, the studio was quick to downplay raw numbers, stressing that meaningful activities and interaction matter more than map size alone.

Unlike those games, Crimson Desert allows full aerial traversal via dragon flight, helping players move quickly across the enormous landscape. Pearl Abyss also clarified that traditional RPG choice-and-consequence systems are limited, with role-playing emerging instead through player-driven exploration and progression choices.

From MMORPG Roots To Single-Player Release

Originally planned as a prequel to Black Desert Online, Crimson Desert evolved into a standalone single-player experience. The new footage reinforces its ambition, blending sword combat, magic, grappling hooks, large-scale battles, crafting, fishing, hunting, and even physics-driven interactions rarely seen at this scale.

Pearl Abyss has confirmed the game has gone gold, locking in its global release date.

Release Date And Platforms

Crimson Desert launches on March 19, 2026, for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Mac. With this extended gameplay showcase, Pearl Abyss has set clear expectations for a massive, mechanically dense open-world adventure that leans heavily on exploration and player-driven experiences.

The post Crimson Desert 15 Minute Gameplay Video Shows Open World Scale And New Features appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

A New Way To Explore Jianghu On The Go

Where Winds Meet has already made waves on PC and PS5, but NetEase is now gearing up to bring its open world Wuxia RPG to mobile. The global mobile version launches on 12 December 2025, giving players the chance to continue their adventure anywhere, whether they’re mastering the Sword, Fan, or rope-based combat styles.

As winter’s breath settles, a new path opens.

Where Winds Meet Mobile launches December 12, 2025 (UTC).
Cross-play & shared progress with PC and PS—a portable Jianghu in the palm of your hand.

Mobile pre-registration is now open on the official website, Apple Store, and Google… pic.twitter.com/CoCt4Wwiuq

— Where Winds Meet (@WhereWindsMeet_) November 30, 2025

The game has been live in China across all platforms since its original release, but this global launch brings mobile players into the fold at last. With the world already filled with striking player-made characters and a huge amount of freedom in how you approach combat and exploration, the mobile release is shaping up to be a major moment for the community.

Global Mobile Release Date Confirmed

NetEase has officially confirmed that Where Winds Meet Mobile will go live worldwide on 12 December 2025 for both iOS and Android devices. The announcement was shared across social channels, noting that winter marks a new beginning for wanderers keen to explore Jianghu from the palm of their hand.

The PC and PS5 versions went live globally in mid November, so this mobile launch neatly rounds out the game’s cross platform availability.

How To Pre-Register On iOS And Android

Pre registration is now open across all major platforms, and it’s the easiest way to make sure you’re notified the moment the game goes live in your region.

iOS

• Open the App Store
• Search for Where Winds Meet
• Tap Get or Pre-Order
• The game will automatically download once available

Android

• Open the Google Play Store
• Search for Where Winds Meet
• Tap Pre register
• Enable Auto install if you want it downloaded instantly at launch

You can also sign up through the official website if you prefer. Early registration doesn’t unlock bonuses, but it does guarantee you won’t miss launch day.

Full Cross-Play And Shared Progress

One of the biggest strengths of Where Winds Meet is its seamless platform ecosystem. The Chinese edition already supports full cross play and cross progression across mobile and PC, and NetEase has confirmed that the global version will follow the same model.

That means you can play on PS5 or PC at home, then pick up exactly where you left off on your phone while you’re out. You’ll be able to interact and team up with players across all platforms, making the world feel alive no matter where you choose to play.

Device Requirements For Mobile

To give players a clear idea of what to expect, NetEase has shared baseline device requirements for iOS. Official Android requirements are still to come, but the Chinese version offers a reliable early reference.

iOS Requirements

• Requires iOS 15.0 or later
• Supports iPhone and iPad

Android Requirements

The Chinese build recommends:
• Android 7.1 or later
• At least 8 GB RAM

These numbers may shift slightly depending on optimisation for the global release, so treat them as approximate guidelines rather than finalised specs.

What Makes The Mobile Version Special?

The mobile release isn’t a stripped down version. It features the complete Where Winds Meet experience, including the same open world, combat system, and detailed AI driven character customisation found on PC and PS5.

A big highlight is the game’s use of AI to tailor NPC conversations and world interactions, allowing each player to experience unique story moments. With cross progression, your character, cosmetics, and progress carry over seamlessly, ensuring no time is wasted switching between platforms.

For new players, the mobile version makes it easier than ever to step into the world as a travelling Wuxia swordsman, explore its sprawling landscapes, and experiment with different combat arts.

While You Wait

If you want to prepare before launch day, you can browse the available outfits, check out the cosmetic banners, or redeem in game codes for bonus currency. It’s a good way to get ahead before bringing your character to mobile.

Where Winds Meet Mobile arrives on 12 December, and with the full experience now playable across PC, PS5, and mobile, this winter is shaping up to be the perfect time to begin your journey across Jianghu.

The post Where Winds Meet Mobile Launches This December With Full Cross-Play And Shared Progress appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

A Growing Trend of Outsmarting AI in a Hit Wuxia RPG

Where Winds Meet has only been out for a few weeks, but players have already discovered a surprisingly easy exploit. Instead of solving riddles, hunting down items, or completing fetch quests, fans are tricking the game’s AI NPCs into giving out free rewards, simply by confusing them or claiming they’ve already done the job.

Set in ancient China, Everstone Studios’ free to play Wuxia RPG has become a massive hit thanks to its open world, stylish combat, and a huge roster of characters to meet. Many of these NPCs use detailed voice acting and scripted dialogue, but others rely on AI powered chat logs. These AI NPCs are designed to hand out weekly gifts and simple side quests, yet players have quickly realised just how easily they can be manipulated.

How Players Are Fooling the AI NPCs

Most of these AI NPCs exist to assign small tasks, thank you for completing them, then add you as a friend who sends weekly gifts. But the AI driven conversations have proven extremely easy to derail.

One method circulating online involves replying to an NPC’s request with a question based on its own words. If an NPC asks you to find an item, answering with something like “Where should I find the item?” can trap the AI in a loop. Before long, the NPC gives up and marks the quest as complete, even if you never lifted a finger.

Another popular trick, dubbed the “Solid Snake Method” by players, is even simpler. By repeating the last few words the NPC said, but turning them into a question, you can break the AI’s logic until it surrenders the reward.

Image Credit: Hakkix- on Reddit

Players have also been using text-based roleplay cues inside asterisks, such as “tells him the correct answer” or “shows sincerity”. Surprisingly, the AI often accepts these as legitimate solutions, even when no actual answer was provided.

Image Credit: kamijoan on Reddit

Why This Works, And What It Means For AI In Games

The exploit highlights one of the major challenges of using AI driven NPCs in games. While Everstone Studios aimed to make the world feel more alive, the reliance on text-to-speech and lightweight language models has made the NPCs extremely gullible.

Players and developers in comment threads note that the studio is likely using a simplified or cost efficient LLM due to the scale of a free to play game. More complex models would cost too much to run, especially with millions of players chatting to NPCs daily. Even then, experts point out that highly advanced models can still be fooled.

The result is a system that looks immersive on the surface, but crumbles when players push against it.

Will Everstone Patch The Exploit?

Some fans believe the issue is unfixable without dramatically increasing server costs. Others argue that additional context about the player’s game state could help the AI determine whether tasks were actually completed.

For now, though, the exploit remains active, and players are using it to speed through side quests and collect as many NPC friends as possible. Weekly gifts may not be essential, but if you can befriend 100 NPCs quickly, the bonuses become surprisingly handy.

And until Everstone decides to crack down on this quirky loophole, players will keep experimenting with new ways to outsmart the game’s AI companions, one confused chatbot at a time.

The post Where Winds Meet AI NPCs Are Getting Fooled by Players For Free Rewards appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

A Legendary Return to the Mojave

Fifteen years after its release, Fallout: New Vegas is heading back to the spotlight with a brand-new 15th Anniversary Bundle, set to launch for PC in June 2026. Pre-orders are now live through the Bethesda Gear Store, giving longtime fans and new Couriers alike the chance to relive one of the most iconic post-apocalyptic adventures ever made.

Welcome back to New Vegas and enjoy your stay with this 15th Anniversary Collector Bundle. A must-have for every Courier! @Fallout https://t.co/ozmnOnrwkJ pic.twitter.com/RHsdpLkhbS

— Official Bethesda Gear (@BethesdaGear) October 23, 2025

Described by Bethesda as “a celebration of every Courier who’s ever braved the desert,” the special collector’s edition brings the Mojave Wasteland right into your home with a mix of nostalgia, craftsmanship, and memorabilia pulled straight from the game’s most memorable moments.

What’s Inside the Anniversary Bundle

This isn’t just a game re-release, it’s a full-blown tribute to Fallout: New Vegas and its enduring fanbase. Here’s what comes inside the 15th Anniversary Bundle:

• Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition (PC Digital Code): Includes the base game plus all six DLCs — Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, Lonesome Road, Courier’s Stash, and Gun Runner’s Arsenal.
• Victor Statue (8” PVC): The friendly Securitron from Goodsprings stands tall and ready to roll.
• Doc Mitchell’s Evaluation Cards: A 7×7 cardstock set inspired by your very first steps in the Mojave.
• Vault Boy Enamel Pin: Poker chips in hand and that classic grin — Vault Boy’s betting big on your luck.
• Mojave Express Patch: A woven, iron-on patch representing the Courier’s iconic delivery service.
• NCR Recon Patch: Show your allegiance to the New California Republic’s finest.
• Collector’s Big Box: A retro-style display box made exclusively for this anniversary release.

Image Credit: Bethesda Studio

This limited collector’s set is priced at $154.99 USD, with pre-orders available globally on the Bethesda Gear Store. It’s expected to ship in June 2026, with digital codes distributed at the same time.

A Celebration of Choice and Consequence

Fallout: New Vegas has long been praised as one of the greatest role-playing experiences ever crafted. Its story of survival, freedom, and political intrigue across the Mojave still resonates today. Whether you sided with the NCR, Caesar’s Legion, or carved your own path as an independent Courier, every choice mattered, and that legacy continues to inspire RPGs more than a decade later.

Bethesda says the bundle serves as both a thank-you to fans and a reminder of what made New Vegas so special: a world shaped entirely by the player. From the Strip’s flashing lights to the desolate outskirts of Goodsprings, the anniversary edition captures that spirit in physical form.

Fallout’s Future Looks Bright

The timing couldn’t be better. The Fallout universe is thriving, with Fallout 4 also celebrating its anniversary, Fallout 76 preparing its Burning Springs expansion featuring Walton Goggins as The Ghoul, and the second season of Amazon Prime’s Fallout TV series on the way.

This collector’s set gives fans yet another reason to revisit the wasteland that started it all. Whether you’re reliving the journey or experiencing it for the first time, the 15th Anniversary Bundle ensures your next trip to New Vegas feels every bit as thrilling as it did back in 2010.

Pre-Order Details

Pre-orders for the Fallout: New Vegas 15th Anniversary Bundle opened on October 23, 2025, exclusively on the Bethesda Gear Store. Due to logistics, only the bundle can be purchased per order, and all shipments will be fulfilled once the item becomes available in June 2026.

If you’re based outside the U.S., the bundle will also be available through the Bethesda International Gear Store.

So, Courier, are you ready to take one last trip through the Mojave?

The post Fallout: New Vegas 15th Anniversary Bundle Celebrates 15 Years of the Mojave Wasteland appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The timeless tale of Pinocchio and his creator Geppetto took a twisty and dark road with the release of Lies of P in 2023.

A third person action adventure game with RPG mechanics and an unforgiving combat difficulty.

Beautifully designed you are P, a puppet with unique abilities. You are special. You’re the only puppet with human-like intelligence. The only puppet who is able to tell a lie.

Set in a 19th century cyberpunk-like world in a city known as Krat, where puppets that once served man went postal.

Now the developers have just released one epic DLC, that could have been a singular game release entirely, Lies of P: Overture.

P is warped back to the beginning. Overture is a prequel to the main game, before the puppets went on a murderous massacre.

Guided by a mysterious Stalker, P will uncover the reason why the cyber puppets went rogue.

This is a whole different Krat than we have seen before, as the adeventure takes you beyond the city and only you know of what the near future is about to hold.

Lies of P: Overture plays similarly to the original game, with RPG elements and that brutal unforgiving combat.

This new DLC is only accessible via completing the full game, up to Chapter 9. You of course need the original game and the patience and tolerance to forge through.

Expect to die. A lot. Lies of P is not a ‘run and gun’, combat needs to have a more strategic method in order to survive.

Lies of P is coming on to two years since release but is still one of the most beautifully styled games available. The Overture DLC simply adds to this, while maintaining the original playstyle and expanding upon the darkest Pinocchio story ever told.

The post Lies of P: Overture (Xbox Series X|S) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Square Enix has now released BRAVELY DEFAULT FLYING FAIRY HD Remaster.

Now available on the new Nintendo Switch 2, this HD remaster invites players to relive the epic journey with enhanced visuals and brand-new minigames.

Originally released in 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS, BRAVELY DEFAULT FLYING FAIRY HD Remaster brings the unforgettable story, iconic characters designed by Akihiko Yoshida (FINAL FANTASY TACTICS, NieR:Automata) and innovative “Brave & Default” turn-based battle system to the current generation of gamers for the Nintendo Switch 2 system. The HD remaster is perfect for long-time fans to revisit the world of Luxendarc and for newcomers alike.

The Nintendo Switch 2 system exclusive remaster contains two brand-new minigames that utilize the hardware’s mouse controls. In Luxencheer Rhythm Catch, a rhythm-based game, players will use the mice as light sticks and put on a rousing performance. In Ringabel’s Panic Cruise, players will use the mice to steer an airship while fulfilling various requests from your party members, putting players’ multitasking skills to the test. Players can earn various rewards by playing these minigames such as the new notes, an accessory to completely disable enemy encounters and costumes to change the characters’ appearances.

BRAVELY DEFAULT FLYING FAIRY HD Remaster is set in Luxendarc, a world where four elemental crystals maintain peace and balance. When darkness suddenly emerges from the Great Chasm that left a gaping void in the world, the warriors of light will embark on an adventure to save the world from calamity. Players will join Agnès Oblige, the vestal of the Wind Crystal, Tiz Arrior, a kind shepherd and sole survivor of the Great Chasm that engulfed his hometown, Edea Lee, the only daughter of the grand marshal of the Duchy of Eternia, Ringabel, an amnesiac young man with a mysterious journal that has chronicled future events and Airy, a cryst-fairy, on an epic journey to restore light to the crystals and bring peace to the world.

Players can work strategically to control the flow of battle with the innovative “Brave & Default” battle system: Brave to expend Brave Points to increase the number of actions taken in turn, and Default to stock up a turn while shoring up defenses. With the game’s job system that features over 20 unique jobs, players can mix and match different jobs and abilities to experiment with a huge variety of party compositions.

Thrilling turn-based battles, which can be sped up by the player as desired, are enhanced further by a larger-than-life soundtrack from Revo, making BRAVELY DEFAULT FLYING FAIRY HD Remaster a can’t miss for RPG enthusiasts.

The post BRAVELY DEFAULT FLYING FAIRY HD REMASTER SWITCH 2 RELEASED appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

With games like Final Fantasy radically shifting their gameplay from the turn based awesomeness it used to have I have been itching for something a bit more old school.

There are plenty of urned based JRPG’s, but the epicness that Final Fantasy consistently achieves with some of that gameplay isn’t something easy to replicate. Well, Kepler Interactive has decided to make their version of a classic JRPG with turned-based battles, a story worthy of the awesomeness of Final Fantasy, and some nice inspiration from Persona.  And it’s excellent.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 kicks off on a dark day. The people on the island of Lumiere spend a day celebrating people of a certain age. That’s because for the last 67 years a strange being on an island in the distance shows a number go down one by one. When that happens, all the people of that age suddenly disappear into a bunch of flower petals. This year all of the people who are 33 die. That’s where the expedition comes in.

Our hero Gustav is 32, and he has to watch his ex die to this strange deity the Paintress. He joins the annual expedition where they send a bunch of people off to this mysterious island to try to stop the Paintress. People have rarely survived, but it’s worth a crack right?  This expedition goes off to the island where they see a mysterious man walk out. Excitement at seeing what appears to be a survivor soon changes as they get massacred by a bunch of magical beings.

What is really surprising is just how good the story is.

The whole premise is dark as hell, but the journey is punctuated with a cast that can be as oddball as they are perfect for each other. Very Final Fantasy, but a bit darker than even that series got.  I knew nothing about the game before jumping into it, and immediately felt that inspiration.  So I wasn’t shocked when I found out the creators were shooting for it.

The gameplay has you running around and exploring areas, with heaps of collectables, and venturing from location to location to further the story. You see enemies out in the open, but when you touch them it cuts away to a classic JRPG battle screen.

Here you have abilities you can use, attacks, items, you know, classic JRPG. One nice kicker though is that when you attack, you have little QTE prompts at times to do more damage which makes it super engaging. Added to this is that when enemies attack you can dodge or counter their attacks if you get your timing wrong. You will quickly find yourself underpowered if you take the hits in the face, but if you get your counters right you can smash the guts out of enemies a lot more powerful than you. Dodging has a nicer hit window, and it takes a lot of practice to start getting counters down, but it is well worth trying to figure out enemy patterns so you can nail those.

There is plenty of depth, from the simple to the complicated. For instance flying enemies can be hit by less attacks, but there is a cool mechanic where you can use your ability points to shoot an enemy. This doesn’t use your turn, but it does burn through your AP. This can be essential to knocking off those flying enemies, but using your AP on other enemies can be much more beneficial.  The more characters you unlock, the more battle styles that open up to you.

If you are getting smoked in battles, grinding is relatively easy. When you use a healing location, enemies regenerate. This means you can heal up, and go smash one of them over and over again. I also love that there is a difficulty setting you change throughout the game. The easier it is, the bigger dodge and counter window you have.  This means early game you can start with it easier, and scale it up as you get better at the timing.

It isn’t all perfect though. One minor, okay, major annoyance, is a lack of quest markers and maps in each location. It is very early Final Fantasy in that way, but man I was getting sick of running around in circles looking for where I was meant to go. The game can also drop the frame rate and jitter a bit at times, even on a PS5 Pro.  Super minor, but a thing nonetheless.

Another quirk that I both love and hate, is that the battle menus are super stylised. This results in it looking cool as hell as it pops up on the screen, but it’s difficult to read from a distance. This meant as I was playing on the couch, I regularly had to get up and read the screen closer, at least until I remembered which abilities were on the menu. It’s a little bit annoying, but it looks so gorgeous.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a fantastic game that is everything I didn’t know I wanted right now. With Final Fantasy on my mind at the moment for reasons outside of video games, it really hit at the exact right time for me to appreciate it as much as it deserves to be. This is a damn fine game that should appeal to classic JRPG fans and make for an interesting potential entry for new fans.

The post Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PlayStation 5) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

CE-Asia has released the AI Limit ‘Accolades Trailer’, which showcases media reviews and the game’s 92% positive rating on Steam.

Meanwhile, the developers of AI Limit announced that a new DLC is in development. Havenswell will offer players more to explore. Stay tuned!

Set in the distant future, AI Limit is a post-apocalyptic wasteland sci-fi Action RPG. Players take the role of Arrisa, an immortal Blader, and explore the city ruins to find equipment, relics, and, most importantly, the hope of a new life. They can combine spells, skills, and weapons in unique and creative ways to defeat ferocious monsters and powerful factions.

Since its launch on March 27th, 2025, AI Limit has received 12,029 reviews, 92% of which are positive. Players commend the design of the levels, enemies, and combat system.

You can read our review of AI Limit here.

The post AI LIMIT Unveils Accolades Trailer Alongside New DLC Reveal appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

What we’ve come to expect from an RPG, and the RPG gameplay sphere itself has evolved epically in the past twenty years, since Bethesda’s pioneering Oblivion.

Originally released in 2006 after Morrowind, an inpiration to any RPG video game that was to come after and now remastered, the adventure awaits once again in a richly detailed current gen remaster on Xbox and PC.

Playable in either first or third person, the story starts as Emperor Uriel Septim (voiced by Patrick Stewart) is killed by assassins, along with all his known heirs. Your goal is to find and protect his son, who has been brought up in secret and knows nothing of his heritage. The story will take you all around the game’s world, a province of Tamriel called Cyrodiil, through to Oblivion. 

The pace of play does an excelled job of guiding you from one point to another, with fast travel. You’ll come to rely on this often, if you didn’t play Oblivion back in the Xbox 360 days, the world is too large to go on foot if you need to revisit an area.

Absolutely nothing stops you, once the tutorial sequence is over, you can explore this vast world and take up the plot intermittently as you wish. 

Want to climb the ranks of the Fighters Guild or the Dark Brotherhood of Assassins? Go for it, Oblivion is your game. 

A huge amount of detail and time has gone into side-quests that most players may not even find nor finish. Wandering around a populated area is likely to turn up something to do at any given moment. Homes to rip off, people to annoy and job offers. Sniffing these out is all part of play. You can absolutely spend hundreds of hours just exploring and completing side quests, almost forgetting your main mission.

The combat system relies more on reactions and timing. Your stats affect your combat performance and you can assign spells or weapons to hot-keys so you do not have to pull up your menus constantly.

Stealth and archery are viable character choices just as much as the more traditional mage or warrior standbys and you can blend these aspects to suit yourself. Even the lock picking mini-game is still among the best of I’ve experienced.

Probably the most impressive part of this title is that ‘real world’ feel. Enter a bar in the evening, and you’ll be greeted by the hustle and bustle of the townsfolk relaxing. Oblivion’s towns are alive with genuine and individualistic activity. Sure we RPG players mostly expect this in any given game of this genre, but you have to realise that this game, although remastered, is two decades old.

Every location, no matter how irrelevant or mundane has books to read, chests to open, or loot to steal. Every little detail in the game feels hand-made. 

Visually we are greeted with a 4K masterpiece. A few months back I actually revisited the orginal Oblivion. It had aged, sure, graphically, but gameplay wise it still had the goods. The remastered version is a lot smoother and fluid, no jaggedness or in-game lag here and your distant horizons do not suddenly pop into view.

This is Oblivion how it was originally imagined. Now reimagined, remastered for those of us that loved the original, or for a new generation of Elder Scroll fans.

The post The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (Xbox Series X|S) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.