We’re a year away from the May 2026 launch of Grand Theft Auto VI. It’ll be a lot, even though we should be able to expect more insights and announcements over the coming months to help us learn more about what to expect. That does mean that we might need one or two open-world games to welcome into our lives while we wait, but fortunately there are plenty of options to scratch the GTA VI itch.

Best Grand Theft Auto game to play while waiting for GTA VI: GTA: Vice City  4o426j

I know a lot of people are going to perhaps take issue with my suggesting Grand Theft Auto: Vice City instead of GTA V as the best entry in the series to play ahead of GTA VI. Hear me out. First, this is also an absolutely exceptional open-world game. It’s among the best installments Rockstar made, right up there with GTA V and GTA: San Andreas. We also get to hear the fantastic Ray Liotta as our antihero Tommy Vercetti as deals with the mob. But even more critical is that this is an opportunity to visit Vice City again before returning to it as the new location with Lucia and Jason.

GTA: Vice City is available on the PS2, Xbox, PC, and also showed up on mobile devices.

Best open-world game with a medieval setting to play while waiting for GTA VI: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 16l5c

This is another suggestion that could be controversial, but I have my reasons for it. Yes, I believe Skyrim is the superior game. However, it’s one of the most popular open-world games in the world and available on every possible platform. Odds are, you’ve played it. The original Oblivion came out in 2006, which means folks maybe missed it, and the new remaster is a fantastic update with tons of quality of life adjustments and visual enhancements based on Skyrim. It’s well worth a look if you need a game to play while waiting for GTA VI. 

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is available for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

Best open-world game with a more modern setting to play while waiting for GTA VI: Yakuza 0 6v315e

I can’t recommend Yakuza 0 highly enough. It’s a wonderful entry point for the series, due to introducing Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima. We’re seeing them as young, up-and-coming yakuza, which sometimes fits in with the characters climbing the ranks in Grand Theft Auto games. There are tons of side activities to engage in around the city, again just like in GTA. Plus, the execution makes the city and its residents feel like a priority, which is great.

Yakuza 0 is available on the PS3, PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and the Director’s Cut will come to the Switch 2 on June 5, 2025. 

Best open-world game with a futuristic setting to play while waiting for GTA VI: Cyberpunk 2077 136n6k

CD Projekt Red open-world games are known for the same sorts of details and optional side activities and quests as Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto games, and Cyberpunk 2077 is a good pick to play while waiting for GTA VI. It features an incredibly futuristic story with unusual modifications you can pursue. It’s far enough from its original release that it’s in fantastic shape at the moment, complete with a Phantom Liberty add-on you might have missed if you only played at launch. 

Cyberpunk 2077 is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and the Switch 2 version launches on June 5, 2025. 

Best open-world sci-fi game to play while waiting for GTA VI: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition 56h2o

Listen, I will take any opportunity to hype up Xenoblade Chronicles, and Xenoblade Chronicles X is a fantastic installment. There’s character customization. There’s a city to explore. A world to survey. Skells to pilot. Tons of mission to undertake. Allies to find. It’s a huge game with an intricate story, and the new Definitive Edition helps wrap up some loose ends.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is available on the Wii U, and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is on the Switch.

Grand Theft Auto VI will come to the PS5 and Xbox Series X on May 26, 2025. 

The post 5 Open-World Games to Play While Waiting for GTA VI appeared first on Siliconera.

It’s the second anniversary of Honkai: Star Rail, and fans both new and old may be wondering which characters they should pull for in 2025. Here is a list of some of the best general units you can get in the game. Note that these are basic and don't necessarily all fill the same role in a party.

As of the time of writing, Honkai: Star Rail heavily favors characters who either specialize in AoE attacks or high HP and HP reduction. This means shielders, like Aventurine, and single-target DPS characters, like Feixiao, aren’t as universally useful. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the meta of the game shifts, and the game mode and DPS of choice will change which character you prioritize. For example, Huohuo will have a hard time working with Castorice, but she shines when paired with Aglaea. Choosing characters based on your individual needs is sometimes more important than picking whoever is topping the tier lists.

For this article, we focused on picking characters who are easy to raise or use for F2P players, excel in multiple modes in the game, and have generic enough kits that you can use them with almost any archetype. Though we didn’t include any 4-stars, honorable mentions do go to March 7th (Hunt), Pela, and Gallagher. HoYoVerse hasn’t released any new 4-star characters since Moze, but they’re still good units to invest in.

The Herta 6n5t17

The Herta is a great DPS who matches the current AoE meta. However, even if the game shifts away from that, you can still use her in modes like Apocalyptic Shadow or Pure Fiction, as they prioritize killing as many enemies as possible in a short amount of turns. Though not her optimal team or build, you can get away with using F2P units and a Light Cone other than her signature. Unlike characters like Acheron or Castorice, The Herta can still put out some good damage with those compromises.

Tribbie 4q5s6j

Tribbie is a fantastic universal character who can increase all allies’ All-Type RES PEN, as well as how much DMG the enemy takes. She can also double as a sub-DPS with her follow-up attack, which uses ally Ultimates as the trigger. The simple activation cost for Tribbie’s follow-up attack, as well as the fact that literally any composition or archetype can make use of her buffs, means that Tribbie is well worth the investment no matter who you want to use or pull.

Ruan Mei 4iq4d

Ruan Mei and Robin have been some of the best Harmony s in the game since they came out, and the jury is out as to which is better. While Robin provides ATK, Crit DMG, and DMG boosts, as well as Advances Forward the entire party’s turns after she uses her Ultimate, we recommend Ruan Mei a tiny bit more, because of the more general usage of her buffs. For reference, Ruan Mei increases SPD, All-Type RES PEN, Weakness Break Efficiency, DMG, and Break Effect. She can also extend the duration of Weakness Break for one turn. Not everyone wants Crit DMG, but everyone wants what Ruan Mei’s selling.

Lingsha w26

Lingsha is the “I’m a healer, but...” meme personified as a cute dragon lady. Like Ruan Mei, she’s a great universal healer who does especially well on Break teams. Not only can she double as a sub-DPS who can also heal with her summon, she can also increase how much Break DMG enemies receive with her Ultimate. Unlike other sustain units like Huohuo or Aventurine (unless you have his E1), Lingsha even has a panic button (her Ultimate and/or Ember’s Echo) when you’re in a pinch.

Huohuo 3u551d

Even a year after this article hyping her up, Huohuo remains one of the best sustains in the game due to her auto-heal, cleanse, and Energy Regeneration. She can also increase the party’s ATK. While characters who don’t use a typical Ultimate charge, such as Feixiao and Castorice, exist, the overwhelming majority of the roster do. She doesn’t have the sheer versatility and damage output as Lingsha, but she’s still well worth the Stellar Jades.

Honkai: Star Rail is readily available on the PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices.

The post Best Characters in Honkai: Star Rail in 2025 appeared first on Siliconera.

If you're itching for something new to do in World of Warcraft, you don't need to wait long. Patch 11.5 releases on April 22, 2025 (or April 23, 2025 in Europe), with plenty of new content added throughout April, May, and June. Here's everything you have to look forward to.

What's new in World of Warcraft Patch 11.1.5? 4w6c6m

World of Warcraft patch 11.1.5 will continue The War Within Season Two on April 22, 2025 with the following features and events:

• 'Nightfall' scenario and Flame's Radiance faction
• Winds of Fortune experience and reputation buff (April 22 - May 20)
• New Cooldown Manager system
• Horrific Visisons return (May 20)
• Dastardly Duos six-week boss event (June 3)
• Children's Week update
• New colorblind settings for item rarities
• Ability to purchase multiple Trading Post items at once
• Option to rename guilds
• New Warbreaker animation for Warriors

Nightfall 1d2b4h

'Nightfall' is the main draw of Patch 11.15, continuing the ongoing The War Within story. In Nightfall, you work with Flame's Radiance, a new faction, to push back against Sureki (Nerubian) forces through an alternating scenario and quests.

Raising your Renown with Flame's Radiance and partaking in Nightfall and related quests gives you access to new rewards, including:

• Armor sets (including white Hallowfall armor!)
• Weapons
• Color variations for the Delver's Dirigible
• World buffs in Hallowfall and Azj-Kahet
• Flame's Radiance tabard that changes appearance with Renown

Winds of Mysterious Fortune 31365c

All players receive the Winds of Mysterious Fortune buff from April 22, 2025 to May 20, 2025 (April 23, 2025 to May 21, 2025 in Europe). This buff provides 20% bonus experience from level 10-79, a 200% bonus to major Dragonflight Renown, and a 100% bonus to select The War Within Renown.

Unfortunately, Windows of Mysterious Fortune does not apply to Undermine reputations or the new Flame's Radiance faction.

Cooldown Manager 3hgp

A Cooldown Manager is being added to World of Warcraft's UI, allowing you to "view certain cooldowns and buffs in separate customizable HUD elements." While many players have AddOns for cooldown and buff management, having this baked into WoW's UI is an excellent quality-of-life change.

Horrific Visions 6p86g

Horrific Visisons, a fan-favorite feature from the Battle for Azeroth expansion, is returning with new difficulties, masks (optional affixes), and rewards on May 20, 2025.

In Horrific Visions, players enter a corrupted version of Stormwind or Orgrimmar and must fight through the city while taking down Old God forces and maintaining their sanity. You can brave the horrors alone, with a party, or with an NPC follower able to take the role of a Tank, Healer, or DPS.

As well as new and returning cosmetic rewards, Horrific Visions reward Season 2 gear up to Heroic difficulty items. The higher the difficulty, the better your gear.

Dastardly Duos 3q13w

The new Dastardly Duo event runs from June 3, 2025 to July 15, 2025. In this event, players will battle against robotic bosses from the past — at the same time. If you can face two (or sometimes more) bosses at once, you'll be able to earn various cosmetics, toys, and gear.

Each week introduces new bosses, up to a total of ten by the end of the event. Powerups will also be available from earning Achievements and by purchasing them from Wodin.

Children's Week 6c3f3f

As outlined in the 2025 Roap and 11.1.5 splash screen, an update to Children's Week is on the way. We'll have to wait and see what this entails, however.

When does The War Within Season 3 start? 2y3s6x

With a much faster content release schedule than previous years, The War Within will also have a second smaller patch before the release of Season 3. 11.1.7 is set for a Spring 2025 release, promising new quests, content, system updates, and another Turbulent Timeways event.

World of Warcraft Patch 11.2 and The War Within Season 3 begins in Summer 2025, though the exact release date has yet to be announced.

World of Warcraft and The War Within expansion are available on PC and Mac.

The post World of Warcraft Roap for April – June 2025 (Patch 11.1.5) appeared first on Siliconera.

April Fools’ Day is here once again. April 1, 2025 marks the day in which game companies make some intriguing, funny, and sometimes questionable jokes that shouldn’t be taken seriously at all. Here are all of the best game April Fools’ Day jokes regarding English games in 2025 you should know about.

Zenless Zone Zero Xbox Tease 5v3913

Zenless Zone Zero went for the tongue in cheek “joke” this year that appears to also be seemingly true in a way. The announcement of a new Bangboo arrives in the fake in-game event “An Outstanding Partner.” This Bangboo’s name is XBOO and it certainly carries the classic Xbox logo and green aesthetic.

While XBOO is fake, this joke might actually be hinting at an official Xbox release someday down the line. This is one to certainly keep an eyes on at least.

Fantasy Life i and Life Crossing: Fantasy Horizons 6k684o

Level-5 is hard at work on the release of Fantasy Life i, but the developer took the time to both market the game and jest at another game in the process. A really well done trailer showcases the supposed announcement to Animal Crossing: New Horizons known as Life Crossing: Fantasy Horizons. While fake, it honestly looks great with the different animal creatures and the like, but, thankfully, we’ll get Fantasy Life i in the near future.

FFVII Ever Crisis Academy 5l5h3h

This announcement appears to be a joke, though it arguably shouldn’t be. The mobile game FFVII Ever Crisis teased a supposed Academy event. This reimagines the cast of the beloved JRPG as high schoolers at academies. You get Cloud looking like a baseball star, Barret as a teacher, and Aerith and Tifa looking great. Plus, there is a rival Shinra school with Sephiroth and others.

Unfortunately, this is most likely just a joke given its announcement window. It is a shame, though, since it has a lot of stunning art associated with it for the characters.

Palworld: More Than Just Pals d601b

Palworld is celebrating April Fools’ Day with a game joke you might be familiar with. Once again, PocketPair is showing off More Than Just Pals. This is the same visual novel from 2024’s joke where you get to romance humanoid versions of the Pals. It is even more elaborate this time with a Steam page for the spin-off game. I don’t want to get your hopes up, but this once joke may actually turn out to be real down the line, which would be spectacular.

Dave the Diver Remastered 4l6m1i

As you might expect, a remarkable indie title released in 2023 certainly doesn’t need a remaster. Rather than joke about the seemingly endless collaborations it has, Dave the Diver joked for April Fool’s Day about a remastered version. This supposed version is coming out for the YS7 and Ybox Series X/L. You’ll have to wait a while for this fake remaster, though, as it is set to arrive in 2049.

The post Here’s the Best English Game April Fools’ Day Jokes 2025 appeared first on Siliconera.

The PS5 has been out for a while now, but that doesn’t mean that developers have stopped making games for the PS4. It’s still going strong, and we’ve had a look into the console’s library to find our favorite 3D turn-based JRPGs. If you’re looking for a game to play on your PlayStation 4 then we have 10 must-play JRPGs listed below.

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age 2xn71

Dragon Quest is one of the most iconic series of all time, and when it comes to turn-based JRPGs it’s one of the first series that will likely come to mind. However, the most famous games in the series are the original pixel art games. While 3D designs were introduced in Dragon Quest IX, it only reached its full modern form in one of the series’ greatest entries, Dragon Quest XI.

If you love the combat in other Dragon Quest games, then you’re getting more of that here, alongside the other Dragon Quest hallmarks. You’ll explore a wide-open world full of secrets, speak with NPCs, and feel the world change seemingly separate from your actions. It wraps everything fans have loved about the series for decades in a gripping and fresh new story.

Persona 3 Reload 541n59

Persona is one of the most popular series of turn-based JRPGs, and Persona 3 is a personal favorite – despite the original not allowing you to control your teammates. Persona 5 Royal is perhaps the more obvious choice for this slot – and it is incredible – I was surprised to find that the excellent remake Persona 3 Reload was simultaneously released on PS4 as well as PS5.

Aside from shiny new graphics, and a UI so beautiful it will make you weep, Persona 3 Reload adds new battle elements including the much needed alterations to the game’s difficulty. There are more Personas, items, and fusions than ever before, and you don’t have to worry about upsetting people and reversing their social links. Persona 3 is a must play, and if you’re used to the comforts of Persona 5 then Reload is the version you’ll want.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth 4g34o

Another extremely recent release that is also available on PS4, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is one of the best games in the Yakuza series. While games in the series are usually action RPGs, this changed with the also brilliant Yakuza: Like A Dragon, where our new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga perceives every street brawl as a turn-based battle. Despite being ed by the original protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, both of our guys take turns when they fight.

In Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Ichiban travels to Hawaii to find his biological mother after being told where she lives. He finds that she has gone missing, and after a chance encounter, he teams up with Kiryu to solve the mystery. It’s not only a heart-warming story, but it has all of the goofy side quests, must-play mini games, and karaoke that the series is known for.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 6l2pz

When it comes to turn-based JRPGs, Valkyria Chronicles 4 is instantly intriguing with its dreamy yet comic book-style aesthetic. Unlike other JRPGs, which are set in high school, and / or epic open world exploration, Valkyria Chronicles is based on war. The series as a whole is about your army’s strategic plays, and the bonds between your units.

Valkyria Chronicles' strength as a series has long been its robust post game. There is almost more to do after you roll credits than before, and Valkyria Chronicles 4 really pushes the boat out on this. Alongside more battles, there are six more recruitable characters, and even characters you can bring back from the dead. If you’re looking to try out the series, the fourth entry puts its best foot forward.

Metaphor: ReFantazio 6a1k3n

One of the best games of 2024, Metaphor: ReFantazio, released on PS4 as well as PS5 making it the perfect game for this list. The team that created Metaphor contains many of the developers from the modern Persona series, and it shows through the structure of the gameplay. Metaphor is more high-fantasy than high school, but you will still split your days between crawling dungeons and bonding with your party .

When the king is assassinated it is decided that the next king will be decided democratically. In an effort to prevent the king’s assassin Louis from taking the throne, you decide to run for the position. You and the few followers that you recruit travel the world, helping citizens in different towns around the country. Metaphor keeps the spirit of Persona, but includes a lot of learnings from the series’ weaknesses.

Disgaea 5 1f2p6s

Disgaea 5 is one of the darker entries in what has historically been a goofy JRPG series. You still have the Prinnys – human souls trapped in a penguinesque bodies that are obsessed with the word dude – but there is the overarching sense of foreboding. You get the feeling that the game is taking itself a bit more seriously even if you don’t.

Disgaea 5 is a mix of visual novel, and 3D isometric strategic battles that can be quite challenging if you don’t get to grips with how the combat system works. All of the Disgaea games tie together, but you can enjoy each as their own standalone game, up to and including the most recent Disgaea 7, on PS4. A fantastic series to lose your life to.

Final Fantasy IX 295u6e

Almost every Final Fantasy game is available on PS4, though most are excluded from this list as the early games are in 2D, and the later games are action RPGs. In our list of the best 3D turn-based JRPGs on Switch we included Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy VIII – both of which are excellent games – but we thought that Final Fantasy IX also deserved the love, particularly given the long-standing rumors that a remake is on the way.

Final Fantasy IX takes everything learned from the previous games of the series, and works as a nostalgic trip down memory lane for long-time fans of the series. The developers took players’ favorite parts of the other games in the series, and mixed them with a new and heartfelt story making it one of the best Final Fantasy games.

Digimon Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory 4s113d

You’ve likely heard something along the lines of Digimon being a more mature version of Pokémon, and while it definitely has darker themes, the combat systems are not at all similar. They are both creature collectors, but how those creatures grow stronger, and your team works together is completely different. Digimon not only grow stronger, but they grow weaker and stronger again to reach their final forms, and you battle with three at a time.

The actual ‘mons aside, Digimon Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory is far darker than even Drampa burning down the houses of bullies with them inside. It’s deep and emotional and the polar opposite to Pokémon’s surface level stories, and it’s all the stronger for it. It’s very narratively deep and feels almost like a visual novel with how extensive the story-telling is. If you want a deep JRPG adventure, then Hacker’s Memory is definitely worth playing.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III 3c6e4e

The Legend of Heroes is a long-running and iconic JRPG series, and Trails of Cold Steel is one of its most iconic subseries. If you’re new to the Trails of Cold Steel, you should probably start at the beginning as the story carries over between entries, but we’ve picked the third game here as it’s probably the strongest. Trails of Cold Steel III’s introduction will catch you up, but you owe it to yourself to play the whole subseries.

The games in the Trails of Cold Steel series tell an epic adventure. In the third game our characters are a little older, and the war is over, but there is still political tensions hiding just beneath the surface. It’s heavy on the story, and how the characters live and interact with each other, but also has a deep combat system. If you’re a fan of turn-based party combat, and how the characters synergize in battle, then this is the choice for you.

Blue Reflection: Second Light 3q841

The least well-known series on the list, Blue Reflection didn’t receive much hype when it launched back in 2017. It was seen as a mediocre JRPG with your standard themes of high school girls and the power of friendship. However, the sequel Blue Reflection: Second Light allows the series to step into its own, with powerful storytelling, and touching characterization.

It’s clear that lessons have been learned from the mediocre reception to the first game. Combat system has changed from the original to make it more complex and engaging. The same goes for the characters, which are not only more fleshed out, but the juxtaposition between the intense battles and the girls’ touching relationships make for a stark contrast. One to try.

Let us know what your favorite JRPGs for the PlayStation 4 are in the comments below!

The post Best 3D Turn-based JRPGs on PS4 appeared first on Siliconera.

When it comes to cozy sandbox life sims about anthropomorphic animals, Animal Crossing is king. In recent years, though, especially as it’s more widely available now, Hello Kitty: Island Adventure has gotten people’s attention. While there’s nothing stopping you from playing both, some people might only have time for a single one. So which one should you pick?

Pros and Cons of Animal Crossing: New Horizons 711s64

One of the biggest pros in Animal Crossing: New Horizons over Hello Kitty: Island Adventure is the level of personalization you can have on your island. Not only do you have more freedom in what villagers you have wandering around, but you can also completely overhaul the entire island if that’s what you so wish. A lot of creative people have released some really cool content, such as turning their island into an autumn-core paradise or transforming it into a Showa-era Japanese city.

Because Animal Crossing: New Horizons lacks real set goals outside of expanding your town, filling up the museum, paying off your debts, and beautifying the place up, you can spend all day playing it if you wanted to. Perhaps since it’s a live service game that encourages repetitive s, a lot of content in Hello Kitty: Island Adventure is time-gated. For example, you can catch fish all you want, but you can only trade it in or gift it a set number of times a day. This arbitrary lock on how much progress you can accomplish per day may frustrate some players. That being said, Animal Crossing: New Horizons can devolve into that in the early stages of a playthrough as well.

It’s not all perfect, though. A big draw of these cozy life sims is the characters inhabiting your town or island or what have you. Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a lot of cute animal friends to potentially move in. But the New Horizons iteration of villagers only have so many lines of dialogue they can say per personality type, and there isn't that much variety in the game. Their canned, repetitive dialogue can get really boring really fast. A lot of my favorite villagers happened to all share a personality type, so I was reading the same jokes or comments every day until I finally moved some out. The lack of bite in some villagers’ personalities also caused a lot of players to become unhappy in the early days of New Horizons, especially if they played previous entires in the series.

Pros and Cons of Hello Kitty: Island Adventure 1l2w48

Continuing on from the con I gave for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the characters feel more fleshed out and unique in Hello Kitty: Island Adventure. Even if you read a lot of of the same dialogue lines through your play sessions, it’s not like everyone talks in the same way. Talking to Hello Kitty feels distinct from Keroppi, who also felt like his own character from Pochacco or Daniel.

While I personally consider it a con, some people might like the more quest-oriented play style of Hello Kitty: Island Adventure. Unlocking your island over the course of days or weeks requires more steps than simply collecting Bells and materials. You might have to befriend a certain villager first (which is yet another time-gated mechanic) or complete a prerequisite quest. It might feel more like an RPG than an open-ended life sim. But some players who have trouble staying entertained in a life sim might prefer the somewhat more rigid structure and increased level of activities Hello Kitty: Island Adventure.

Hello Kitty: Island Adventure is also receiving active updates, which introduce new customization options, furniture or clothing, and villagers. This might appeal to someone who's already invested a lot of time in Animal Crossing and are bored of it now.

But if the sheer levels of personalization in Animal Crossing are one of its strongest points, then the lack of customization in Animal Island is its weakest. You don’t have a lot of room to exercise in creativity when it comes to what regions you want and where on the island. This makes sense considering the different relationship you and everyone else have with the island, as well as its scale. When making your avatar, you can only use the parts the game gives you, too.

This last point is very subjective, but I prefer the visuals of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The aesthetic of the game can feel too mobile-y, and the models for the Sanrio mascots don't always match with their appearance on merchandise or in other media.

Which One Should You Play? 4e2i49

If you want to play a game to play over long sessions at once while providing you an outlet for your creativity, then I recommend Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I personally prefer the co-op in this game more too. It’s always fun to go to my friends’ islands to check out what they’re doing with it or who they moved in. Since there’s no limit on how many Bells you can make per day or anything, you can spend a lot of time just fishing or crafting together, whereas I never stayed long in Hello Kitty: Island Adventure’s co-op mode.

The more quest-heavy nature of the game works well with Hello Kitty’s friend mode. You can complete tasks or fill up a checklist with your friend to unlock some special actions or bonuses. This is really cool, don’t get me wrong. I just personally would prefer to do what I wanted with my buddies without feeling like I have to perform certain tasks for better quality-of-life in my co-op gameplay. Speaking of quests, the RPG-like style of Hello Kitty Island Adventure might cater to some people more than the open sandbox of Animal Crossing does. Though I prefer Animal Crossing and recommend that one, Hello Kitty: Island Adventure has its own pros that might make it someone else’s dream game. 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available on the Nintendo Switch. Hello Kitty: Island Adventure is available on the macOS, iOS, Apple TV, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. PS4, and PS5 versions will come out in 2025.

The post Hello Kitty Island Adventure vs Animal Crossing: Which Should You Play appeared first on Siliconera.

Western RPGs like Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect, Fallout, and Dragon Age are all well known for having dating and romance options, but they are less common in JRPGs. While many JRPGs have romantic storylines, it’s less common that they have dating sim elements where you can choose from a variety of different partners. If you’re looking for a JRPG to play with dating sim or romance options, here are 10 of our favorites.

Fire Emblem: Awakening 5f6f3d

When people think of JRPGs with romance options, many think of the Fire Emblem series, which has long allowed people to marry certain units and strengthen them. Fire Emblem: Awakening gets exceptionally deep into the romance options, and you almost need a spreadsheet in order to organize everyone optimally. Not only will you be planning out your marriage – and the spawn that ultimately comes from that relationship – but the marriage and children of your other units. Certain marriages will produce offspring with different traits that can give an advantage in battle, making romance strategic.

Persona 3 Portable 67712c

Almost since the beginning the Persona series has had romance and dating options – more on that later – but they became far more overt with the modern series. In these games you can romance as many people as you like, but just be aware that if you invite them out for a date at the same time, they tend to not vibe with it. We’ve chosen Persona 3 Portable to represent the series, as it has a male and female MC with different dating opportunities. One of the cheesy things I love about this is that if you date one of the characters that dies mid-game, there is a post game dialogue that lets you know they are just in a coma. There aren’t many JRPGs where smooching will save lives.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 5qu1f

Most of the games in the long-running The Legend of Heroes series have some dating or romance aspects, but the Trails of Cold Steel subseries takes it to a new level. There are four games in Trails of Cold Steel and while romances start fresh in every game, there are bonuses for characters that you romanced in other titles. In the first entry, if you choose someone to take to the dance near the end of the story, they’ll receive an EXP boost in the second game. It doesn’t just offer you additional cutscenes, but a few sweet rewards for your affections.

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age 2xn71

Dragon Quest hasn’t always had romantic or dating options, but Dragon Quest XI added the option to date certain characters in the post game. It’s still completely optional, but it adds an extra layer to the after credits quests for those who are deeply invested in the game. After you’ve finished the main story you’ll be asked to rebuild Cobblestone and once done, you can choose another character to live with forever. While you can only technically marry Gemma, you can choose to cohabit with a number of other characters giving you some options. 

Yakuza: Like A Dragon 2i5u1y

Most of the Yakuza games don’t have dating sim or romance options outside of hostesses and that always felt more friendly than romantic. Yakuza: Like A Dragon switched this up with its personality stats that dictate which of six women our protagonist Ichiban can date. While it’s completely optional, dating certain NPCs and party has huge benefits, and there is even a side story related to dating all six women at once. For a man who fails so completely in love in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth he’s quite the lothario in his debut game.

Summon Night 6: Lost Borders s2m6o

Many of these games have dating or romance elements as an aside to the story, but Summon Night as a series is known for being part JRPG, part visual novel, and part dating sim. This is the series you will want to jump into if you want the dating to be at the core of your gameplay. At the end of every chapter someone will you up on the rooftop, and you can decide how much you vibe with them. While Summon Night 6 has some localization issues, you should try out the series if you want the quintessential JRPG meets dating sim experience.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 2d5a1w

Just like in the original Final Fantasy VII there are some hidden dating and romance options in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Things you do and say with different party throughout the game will determine how they feel about you, and this culminates in a date that you have at the Gold Saucer. In the original FF7 you could date Tifa, Aerith, Yuffie, or Barrett, with Aerith being the standard option – sorry Tifa fans – but Final Fantasy VII Rebirth adds two new options. Cloud can also date Red XIII in Rebirth, or if you haven’t shared enough romantic moments with any of these characters you’ll share a romantic date with the boys: Cid, Vincent, and Cait Sith. Yes, at the same time.

Unicorn Overlord o4r13

Unicorn Overlord is one of the best games of 2024, and it also is the JRPG with the most dating and romance options. It’s all about recruiting characters and organizing them into armies to fight for the cause, and almost everyone you recruit can be romanced and married. In fact out of 70 recruitable characters you can smooch more than 60 of them. You need to build your bonds with everyone, by giving gifts, eating with them or having discussions, and maxing out your rapport means you can hand over the Ring of the Maiden and marry them. Aside from showing your love to that character they gain +5 in every stat, so there are definite benefits to falling in love.

Tokyo Xanadu Ex+ 4w3o1y

Technically Tokyo Xanadu Ex+ isn’t a dating sim in the sense that you don’t pledge yourself to one person, but you do choose which characters to spend your time with, and there isn’t enough time to get to know everyone. Finishing your bond with a certain character will give you a special final scene and item near the end of the game, giving you more incentive to spend as much time as possible with your favorites. There is a canon choice here that gives you more insight into the ending, but if you have a favorite teammate, you’ll want to make sure you spend your time with them as well.

Persona 2: Innocent Sin 6v506j

The modern Persona series – Persona 3 onwards – put romance and dating at the forefront as an integral part of the gameplay. However, romance options began with Persona 2: Innocent Sin where our protagonist Tatsuya can choose to date Maya, Lisa, or Jun. Yes, Persona 2 had a same sex dating option, which the modern series will not give us for some reason. Your choice of romantic partner doesn’t have any major outcomes on the story, and if you play Persona 2: Eternal Punishment you’ll know that Maya is Tatsuya’s canon romantic partner, but it is still a beautiful touch to this early story.

Let us know what your favorite JRPG that has dating sim options is in the comments below!

The post Best JRPGs with Dating Sim Romance Options appeared first on Siliconera.

Otome is one of the most popular genres of visual novel, and there are plenty of girl seeking guy romances to keep us entertained this year. If you’re looking for something to play that will make your heart pump, we’ve listed all of the otome games and other games with otome-style romance that are launching in 2025.

Otome Games Releasing in 2025 2o3t1q

This year is sure to please otome fans, with dozens of games scheduled to be released. The list includes both Japanese and Western romance games releasing for PC and/or Nintendo Switch in 2025. Click on the links if you want to see our reviews.

• January
  • Genso Manege – PC, and Nintendo Switch – January 31
• February
  • Velvet Bite: Softly With Teeth – PC – February 14
  • Him, the Smile & bloom – PC, and Nintendo Switch – February 27
• March
  • Despera Drops – Nintendo Switch – March 6
  • Falling for Yaoguais – PC – March 13
• April
  • Battlefield Waltz – Nintendo Switch – April 8
  • Love in an Enchanted Realm – PC – April 23
• May
  • 7’scarlet – Nintendo Switch – May 15
• June
  • The Red Bell’s Lament – Nintendo Switch – June 5
• July
  • La storia della Arcana Famigilia – PC, and Nintendo Switch – July 24
• October
  • Drops of Death – PC
• 2025
  • Project Code: Neon Mafia – Nintendo Switch
  • Project Code: Kaleido Tower – Nintendo Switch
  • Bustafellows Season 2 – PC and Nintendo Switch
  • Mistonia no Kibou: The Lost Delight – Nintendo Switch
  • Utakata No Uchronia – Nintendo Switch
  • Imperial Grace – PC
  • Eternal Glory – PC
  • Talents – PC
  • Neverlander – PC

Games With Romance Options Releasing in 2025 116b5l

The following list of games are not strictly otome games, but have girl meets boy romance options. Again, you can click on the links to read our reviews.

• January
  • S4U: Citypunk 2011 and Love Punch – PC – January 9
• February
  • After Love EP – PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch – February 14
• March
  • Sugardew Island – PC – March 7
  • Fields of Mysteria update – PC – March 10
• May
  • Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma – PC, and Nintendo Switch – May 30
• June
  • Date Everything – PC, and Nintendo Switch – June

Let us know which game you're most excited for in the comments below!

The post All Otome Games Debuting in 2025 appeared first on Siliconera.

Best 3D Turn-based JRPGs on Switch

The Switch is well-known for its excellent selection of JRPGs, and traditionally these feature turn-based combat. However, in recent years, favor has turned to action RPGs and turn-based games have been pushed to the side; even Pokémon’s next game has real-time combat. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t excellent 3D turn-based JRPGs. On the contrary there are many excellent games on the Switch from the genre. Here are our 10 favorite 3D turn-based JRPGs available on Nintendo Switch. 

Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk 14366e

As we excitedly wait for the next entry in the series, Atelier Yumia, we had to add one of these games to the list. While the more recent entries in the Atelier series are all action combat, the series is best known for its turn-based roots. Most games from the series are available on Switch, but we’ve chosen Atelier Ayesha as the representative for this list, as the beginning of the glorious Dusk Trilogy.

As the name suggests, the series is about people working in ateliers, and there is a strong emphasis on collecting resources out in the world in order to craft items and potions that you can use in battle. This means that the strategic layer to the game is evident both in and out of combat. One of the best things about Atelier Ayesha is that once you’re finished there are plenty of other games in the series to enjoy.

Super Mario RPG 6oi66

Everyone talks about Paper Mario – in particular The Thousand-Year Door – but the game that the series was built from hardly gets mentioned. Super Mario RPG originally launched on the SNES, when very few games were made with 3D graphics. It was a risk in many ways. There was not only the question of whether people would be interested in a turn-based Super Mario game, but the game also went against many long-standing RPG traditions.

Timing is crucial in Super Mario RPG, not only when you attack but when you defend as well. It adds an extra level of strategy to the game, and is something that few RPGs do. Separating it further from other RPGs is just how much damage is dealt and taken. Attacks often deal single-digit numbers, far from other bombastic RPGs that could see people hit for thousands. Super Mario RPG is not only one of the best turn-based JRPGs but the Switch version gives it several modern updates that fans love. The perfect place to start in your Mario RPG journey.

Persona 5 Royal d112l

For many people Persona 5 is the pinnacle of the always excellent Persona series, and Persona 5 Royal improves on the already excellent game. Persona 5 returns to the dungeon crawling formula of the original Persona games, with carefully crafted dungeons rather than the seemingly never-ending procedural abysses of the modern Persona series, namely Persona 3 and Persona 4. This is one of the main reasons that Persona 5 has risen above the pack.

Persona 5 tells a beautiful, complex, and exceptionally long story about the power of friendship overcoming the status quo. Royal not only adds a new protagonist, but new social links, and additional scenes giving fans of the game even more to sink their teeth into. It runs flawlessly on the Switch, and its length means that the home to handheld feature of the console makes it the perfect way to play. Become part of the Phantom Thieves, and change society’s hearts.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus 5x2s42

All mainline Pokémon games on the Switch are 3D turn-based JRPGs, and most of them are great, but we chose to highlight Pokémon Legends: Arceus as a completely fresh take on Pokémon’s formula. Instead of battling your way through a series of Gym Leaders before reaching the Elite Four and becoming the champion, you will be roaming around semi-open areas, catching Pokémon and studying them for the Pokédex.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus not only changes the focus to catching, but also changes Pokémon’s standard battle system. Battles are still turn-based, but they have an active system with Strong- and Agile-style moves. While the Pokémon and their movesets are the same as other games, what each move does is completely different in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. If you’ve tried out the mainline Pokémon games, and want something a little different, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the way to go.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses 6b3p4y

Fire Emblem is one of Nintendo’s flagship series, and Three Houses is one of the series’ best. It has all of the turn-based strategic battles that the series is known for, as well as the ability to bond with your teammates to level them up, but as the name suggests, Three Houses has three different paths you can follow, adding to its replayability.

Fire Emblem is well known for its brutal permadeath system, where if your characters die in battle, they die in real life too. However, Three Houses included a Casual Mode where nobody can be gone for good. You can still have the traditional experience, but if like many people the permadeath turned you off from the series, this is the perfect entry point.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 3c3c

The Legend of Heroes series is one of the longest running, beginning in the ‘80s, and many of them are available on the Switch. We have chosen Trails Through Daybreak to represent the series in this list, not just because it is one of the best, but because it is a great place to start as it begins a separate arc. Interestingly, Trails Through Daybreak is the only game on this list, which allows the player to choose between real-time combat similar to Nihon Falcom’s other major JRPG series Ys, or the turn-based combat the series is known for.

The series is known for its excellent characters and strategic combat, and Trails Through Daybreak exemplifies both of these. If you haven’t played the series before, you won’t understand every reference, but the developers have tried to make it one of the most accessible in the series in of the story and combat. It won’t take 30 years of video game knowledge to understand how good the intricate and complex writing is.

Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII Remastered 5lp6o

If you’re reading this list, you probably don’t need to be told how good Final Fantasy VII or even Final Fantasy VIII are. We’ll be holding our breaths a long time if we’re hoping for the excellent Final Fantasy VII Remake to come to Switch, but this console is one of the best places you can experience the original FF7. It can be purchased in a double pack with FF8, which is the game long-time fans of the series often point to as the best.

Both games have very different turn-based systems, which can create devastating synergies in different ways. FF7’s combat system is easier to use and more difficult to master. Creating devastating combinations requires good knowledge of Materia, Enemy Skills, and equipment that can link them in a way that stack. Conversely, FF8 is based on the Junction system, one that is difficult to grasp, but once you do, building up major damage is much simpler. Both can be purchased together at such a low cost, that it’s worth trying them out.

Monark 635t47

Monark received middling reviews when it was released, and that’s because people found the battles too difficult. However, the battles are actually one of Monark’s greatest strengths, and where it fails is in explaining its systems properly. Once you understand how it works, and how your characters best synergize, it is one of the most satisfying turn-based strategy systems out there. The protagonist of Monark can Resonate with the other party sharing buffs across all characters, leading to extremely devastating damage.

Similar to the Persona series, Monark focuses on the character’s personal stories. Each character is based on one of the seven deadly sins, and each has a dark past. Despite this, they all band together to take on the forces that are keeping the students trapped in school and sucking the life out of them. Created by former Shin Megami Tensei developers, this one is perfect for those who enjoy diving deeply into combat systems.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch 1m2vv

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is what happens when legendary anime maker Studio Ghibli teams up with the studio that created the epic turn-based JRPG Jeanne D’arc. Both Wrath of the White Witch and Revenant Kingdom are available on Switch, but we picked the first in the series as the best place to start. Ni No Kuni has an interesting battle system unlike the others on this list, it’s not just because it mixes turn-based and action combat.

Ni No Kuni’s combat features beastly familiars, and magical characters; think about it like if Pokémon let the trainers in the scrap. If you like the taming and training aspect of beastly battlers then this is another one you should try. Above all Ni No Kuni overwhelms players with its charm, and is a must play turn-based title.

The Caligula Effect: Overdose 5t2z5y

Written by Tadashi Satomi, best known for working on the original Persona series, The Caligula Effect: Overdose follows a group of people who have realized that they are living in the Matrix. Despite knowing that the world they inhabit is fake, there is no way to escape. First, they must take down the Ostinato Musicians, a group of people who want to keep the idyllic world alive.

Overdose adds a lot to the story beyond the original The Caligula Effect, including new party and chapters that you can play from the point of view of the Musicians. You grow closer to your teammates, and learn more about their lives both inside and outside of the world you can currently see. The Caligula Effect: Overdose has an active turn-based system where timing and sequencing play a major role in your success or failure. It can be difficult, but once you master it, it’s very satisfying.

Let us know what your favorite turn-based JRPGs on the Nintendo Switch are in the comments below!

The post Best 3D Turn-based JRPGs on Switch appeared first on Siliconera.

Do you have a bucket list of the various things you want to die before your time is up on this Earth? If you don’t or you just want to add some anime series to that list, I have some recommendations for you. Below, you’ll find the 10 anime series that I think every single anime fan should watch or at least try once before they die.

10 Anime You Must Watch Before You Die 4g5v2m

When it comes to determining the 10 anime series to watch before you die, I tried to broaden the spectrum and focus on series that are seemingly completed or at least have a fair bit to watch. In addition, I wanted to focus on various genres from action to romance to more depressing works. While not perfect, these are series that I think will impress and appeal to the most people at once.

I also tried to focus mainly on more recent anime since many people already know about the classics like Akira, Clannad, Cowboy Bebop, and Naruto. Without further ado, here are the 10 anime series I recommend to everyone to try:

• Death Parade: This is Madhouse at its finest. Taking place in the afterlife, each every two episodes or so focuses on a new set of people who die at the same time. They compete in fun little games before being judged for their actions. The revelations that come about during these seemingly innocent games provides some of the most thought-provoking and tragic anime moments of all time.
• Dr. Stone: One of the few modern masterpieces, this series takes place in the far future as people start to awaken from being petrified in place for thousands of years. Its storytelling is remarkably consistent alongside the welcome action as main character Senku reinvents science and technology in surprisingly realistic ways.
• Fruits Basket: If you want to see a romance series, look no further. The masterpiece manga series was made even better in its latest anime adaptation. It is so well-rounded, able to make you laugh one second, cry the next, and constantly cheer for this Zodiac-themed, animal-transforming family.
• Kino’s Journey - The Beautiful World: Episodic anime series tend to be some of the best and this is one prime example. Each episode focuses Kino and a talking motorcycle as the duo travels from town to town. It never overstays its welcome, while also teaching some unforgettable lessons about life, especially in the latter half. The less you know, the better here.
• March Comes in Like a Lion: No other anime takes a look at depression like this one. It follows an orphan boy who happens to be a genius shogi player. While it may appear like a sports or competition anime at first glance, it is actually a riveting and unforgettable look at mental health through the eyes of the incredible Studio Shaft.
• My Hero Academia: While not completely done at the time of writing, it is quite close. This superhero action-packed shonen series can appeal to anyone. However, its real value comes from the incredible action and characters that only get better as the series goes on.
• Spy x Family: Yes, this is still ongoing. But there are a couple of seasons, a movie, and still more on the way. Spy x Family is the quintessential anime for everyone. It has a bit of action with this spy and assassin-themed makeshift family’s shenanigans. But then it is also extremely heartwarming and hilarious the rest of the time. This is the feel-good anime series.
• To Your Eternity: No list about dying is complete without the anime that focuses on an immortal character. His journey across hundreds of years leads to some of the depressing yet meaningful plot development and characters I have ever seen.
• Violet Evergarden: This emotional masterpiece tells the story of a girl who experiences trauma and becomes half a mechanical doll, both literally and figuratively. She helps a different person in each episode. At the same time, she learns about herself, leading to some of the most tearjerking scenes in anime.
• Yuri on Ice: Even if you aren’t a sports anime fan, this is the one to watch. It tells the story of Yuri, a down-and-out former ice skater looking to return, and Victor, his renowned coach. The two’s connection with one another leads to one of the most memorable relationships in anime. Plus, the actual ice skating sequences from MAPPA are gorgeous along with having one of the best soundtracks. It is a shame, honestly, that we will likely never see a continuation of this series.

The post 10 Anime You Must Watch Before You Die appeared first on Siliconera.

Pokémon TCG Pocket is holding its next Wonder Pick event, and players can pick up a number of rewards including two new promo cards, and more cosmetics for your in-game battles, display boards, and binders. If you want to pick up some new goodies yourself, here is everything you need to know about the TCG Pocket Manaphy Wonder Pick Event.

Pokémon TCG Pocket Manaphy Wonder Pick event missions and rewards 2i1d3a

The TCG Pocket Manaphy Wonder Pick Event runs until March 30, 2025, and is broken up into two parts. The first half has five missions that offer Trade Tokens and Wonder Pick Shop Tickets as rewards.

Here’s the full list of missions for part one of the event which ends on March 23, 2025:

• Wonder Pick three times
• Wonder Pick four times
• Wonder Pick five times
• Collect one Snorlax card
• Collect one Manaphy card

Here are the cosmetics you can pick up in the shop for the duration of the event:

• Manaphy & Piplup backdrop – three tickets
• Manaphy & Piplup cover – three tickets
• Futuristic Device backdrop – three tickets

When part one is completed there will be another set of missions to complete, and more cosmetics will be added to the shop. The new shop items have not been announced, but judging by previous events it should include a playmat, card sleeves, and a coin.

Pokémon TCG Pocket Manaphy Wonder Pick rewards 1g5n31

During the event there will be two types of Wonder Pick available. Bonus Picks will feature either a Snorlax or Manaphy card, as well as two Wonder Pick Hourglasses and two Wonder Pick Shop Tickets. The cards available from Bonus Picks are usually the Triumphant Light Snorlax, Space-Time Smackdown Manaphy, but there is a chance for these cards to be the promo versions with new art.

Chansey Picks are rarer than Bonus Picks but only feature Manaphy and Snorlax promo cards. The ratio of Snorlax to Manaphy cards vary, and Chansey Picks cost two Wonder Stamina.

Pokémon TCG Pocket is available now for iOS and Android.

The post Pokémon TCG Pocket Manaphy Wonder Pick Event Rewards appeared first on Siliconera.

Seven-star Skeledirge Tera Raids are currently available in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, and will continue to run until Thursday, March 13, 2025. If you want to catch the powerful generation nine Fire-type starter for yourself, here’s the best Pokémon to counter the Skeledirge Tera Raid.

Skeledirge the Unrivaled 2u6p1t

There are two aspects that make Skeledirge so dangerous and difficult to take down. It’s already a strong Special Attacker, but it can quickly boost this by using Torch Song. This can quickly snowball, meaning Skeledirge will be able to grab one-hit knockouts before you are able to retaliate. The other difficult point is the ability Unaware, which ignores your stat boosts. This means you will need to lower Skeledirge’s defensive stats, and prevent it from boosting its offensive stats.

Skeledirge’s base stats and Rash nature mean that it’s best to enter this battle with a Special Attacker. While you can’t boost your stats, you can lower Skeledirge’s stats, so you’ll want a Special Defense lowering move like Acid Spray, Metal Sound, or Fake Tears. Skeledirge has a lot of sound-based moves as part of its set. Disarming Voice, Hyper Voice, and Torch Song, are all blocked by things like Throat Chop, and Soundproof.

Here are all the details you need for the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Skeledirge Tera Raid event.

• Level 100
• Nature: Rash (+SpAttack -SpDef)
• Ability: Unaware
• Tera type: Fire
• Moves: Torch Song, Shadow Ball, Stomping Tantrum, Hyper Voice

Skeledirge opens with Disarming Voice, and Flame Charge. It resets player stats at 80% time remaining and then puts up the shield. At 50% health remaining Skeledirge resets its stats and status, and uses Flame Charge again.

Malamar – Best for Skeledirge Tera Raid 1j2t1

Malamar can not take out Skeledirge the Unrivaled by itself, but it is one of the strongest Pokémon for this Tera Raid. Contrary will drop Skeledirge’s Special Attack instead of raising it when it uses Torch Song, and you can give it this ability with Skill Swap. Make sure you then swap Unaware onto one of your NPC teammates so you can take advantage of the lowered Special Attack.

Throat Chop can also prevent Torch Song (as well as Hyper Voice) while Normal Tera prevents Shadow Ball from hitting. This means that Skeledirge can only hit with the Physical move Stomping Tantrum. Malamar can not only give your team longevity, but it can boost Water-type Special Attackers, like Primarina or Tentacruel, with Rain Dance, and help any partner out with Helping Hand.

Here’s the set we recommend for the seven-star Skeledirge Tera Raid:

• Level 100
• Nature: Careful (+SpDef -SpAttack)
• EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpDef / 4 Attack
• Ability: Contrary
• Tera type: Normal
• Item: Leftovers
• Moves: Rain Dance, Throat Chop, Skill Swap, Helping Hand

Tentacruel – Best for Attack and in Skeledirge Tera Raid 5u1c

If you’re looking for a Pokémon that can take on the Skeledirge raid solo, Tentacruel can do it, but it also works well as a team player. While Unaware ignores your stat boosts, it won’t ignore its stat drops, meaning that Acid Spray is the perfect for lowering Skeledirge’s Special Defense. Tentacruel has naturally high Special Defense, and Throat Chop disables most of its moves including the terrifying Torch Song. Players should use Throat Chop on the first turn, and use it again every third turn after this.

If playing in a team of Special Attackers, Acid Spray will lower Special Defense even when Skeledirge raises the shield. Rain Dance will both boost Tentacruel’s damage with Surf, and lower the damage of any Fire-type moves that Skeledirge uses. It might take a few attempts to clear the raid solo with Tentacruel, but it is definitely possible.

• Level 100
• Nature: Calm (+SpDef -Attack)
• EVs: 252 SpAttack / 252 SpDef / 4 HP
• Ability: Rain Dish
• Tera type: Water
• Item: Shell Bell
• Moves:  Acid Spray, Rain Dance, Surf, Throat Chop

Kommo-o – Best for Solo Skeledirge Tera Raid 2i4a5x

If you want an easier time taking on the Skeledirge raid solo, then Kommo-o has the perfect mix of ability and movepool to take Skeledirge down. While Torch Song won’t affect Kommo-o thanks to its ability Soundproof blocking all sound-based moves, it can still boost Skeledirge’s Special Attack for Shadow Ball. This is why you want to start the raid with a few Throat Chops so you can terastylize to Normal-type, avoiding almost all of Skeledirge’s damage.

Metal Sound can lower Skeledirge’s Special Defense, however, it won’t work while the shield is up. Despite this, Normal Tera with Boomburst deals enough damage to get the barrier down fast enough so you can soften Skeledirge up with Metal Sound for future Boombursts.

• Level 100
• Nature: Calm (+SpDef -Attack)
• EVs: 252 SpAttack / 252 SpDef / 4 HP
• Ability: Soundproof
• Tera type: Normal
• Item: Shell Bell
• Moves:  Throat Chop, Boomburst, Metal Sound, Substitute

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are both available for Nintendo Switch.

The post Best Counters for Skeledirge Tera Raid in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet appeared first on Siliconera.

We are still in the midst of the TCG Pocket Gible Solo Battle Event, but you’ll need to get some other decks prepared for the latest Pokémon TCG Pocket Event. To celebrate the release of the latest TCG Pocket Expansion, Triumphant Light, there is a new in-game PvP battle event so players can earn emblems and rewards. If you want to take part in the latest battle event, here are the best consistent TCG Pocket decks.   

TCG Pocket Triumphant Light SP Emblem event rewards. 1e2y4t

There are numerous rewards for completing missions in the Triumphant Light SP Emblem event, but above all people want to earn those emblems. The event asks players to win five PvP TCG Pocket battles in a row, with a new emblem awarded at two, three, four, and five consecutive wins.

Players can also grab Shinedust for meeting certain matches won milestones, and Pack Hourglasses are rewarded for participating in versus battles. You can claim both of these rewards from the Missions menu.

Popular TCG Pocket decks – Palkia ex 6m2h39

Players are using a wide variety of decks at the moment, but Palkia ex is one of the most popular ones and you should be aware of its strategy. Water decks are particularly powerful at the moment thanks to the great number of options available to Water-types like Misty and Irida.

The Palkia ex deck is based on Energy acceleration to your main attacker, Palkia ex. Manaphy places two Water Energy onto your bench, and Vaporeon can move any Water Energy on the bench to the active spot. Further Irida will heal any Pokémon with Water Energy attached, while Misty can put extra Water Energy onto the field. Once Palkia ex has four energy attached, it can deal 150 damage per turn, which is enough to overwhelm most other decks.

To beat this deck you need to take out the cards around Palkia ex quickly. Defeating the Eevee before it evolves, and the Manaphy before it can use Oceanic Gift, really disrupts the strategy. Any Pokémon that hits hard, and fast will dismantle the deck before it gets going. 

Here’s the deck list we recommend for Palkia ex:

• Palkia ex x2
• Manaphy x2
• Eevee (Mythical Island) x2
• Vaporeon x2
• Misty x2
• Professor’s Research x2
• Irida x2
• X Speed x2
• Poké Ball x2
• Giant Cape x2

Popular TCG Pocket decks – Darkrai ex 4kb6e

The other main deck at the moment is based around Darkrai ex, and there are many different variations. The strategy for this deck is based on damage over time. Darkrai ex does 20 damage to your active Pokémon every time you attach a Dark Energy to it, softening them up for a bigger attack. The Weezing from the Genetic Apex set works well with it as it adds extra chip damage with Poison. 

When Weezing is about to be knocked out, it can be scooped with Koga and the Koffing set back down for the next turn. This allows the cards to be recycled through the deck without the opponent taking any points. This can quickly become frustrating, as damage doesn’t stick to this deck. Further, Rocky Helmet will deal damage back when the cards are attacked.

Darkrai ex decks rely on dealing small amounts of damage over time, and faster decks will outpace and overrun this deck. Decks that hit Pokémon on the bench can help take Darkrai ex out before it has dealt too much chip damage, and waiting until you can take out Active Pokémon in one hit will help with recoil damage.

Here’s the deck list we recommend for Darkrai ex:

• Darkrai ex x2
• Koffing (Mythical Island) x2
• Weezing (Genetic Apex) x2
• Koga x2
• Professor’s Research x2
• Cyrus x2
• Potion x2
• X Speed x2
• Poké Ball x2
• Rocky Helmet x2

Consistent TCG Pocket decks – Celebi ex 214gn

While Palkia ex, and Darkrai ex are the most popular TCG Pocket decks right now, there are two decks that we prefer for their consistency. In our opinion the best TCG Pocket deck remains Celebi ex, and it’s only become stronger thanks to the introduction of Pokémon Tools. Celebi ex can deal 50 damage for each Grass Energy attached to it, and Serperior doubles the amount of Grass Energy. You can see how this quickly gets out of hand.

Celebi ex’s main weakness is that it only has 130HP, but that’s not even a weakness anymore. The Giant Cape item can help Celebi ex survive previous one-hit knockouts, while Erika will heal Celebi ex for 50HP. This will keep Celebi alive for longer, and allow more Energy to be attached.

The key to beating Celebi ex is to take out the Snivy before it becomes a Serperior. Without the double Energy that Serperior provides, Celebi ex is a lot less threatening. However, if Serperior is online, you should change your target to Celebi ex, and try to take it out before it takes you down. Once the Celebi ex is knocked out, the Serperior in the back can’t deal nearly as much damage.

Here’s the deck list we recommend for Celebi ex:

• Celebi ex x2
• Snivy x2
• Servine x2
• Serperior x2
• Erika x2
• Professor’s Research x2
• Sabrina x2
• X Speed x2
• Poké Ball x2
• Giant Cape x2

Consistent TCG Pocket decks – Articuno ex 37464y

Articuno ex has fallen out of favor, but it is incredibly strong in the current Pokémon TCG Pocket meta thanks to its ability to hit Pokémon on the bench. Add in the huge amount of for Water decks thanks to Misty and Irida, and Articuno ex becomes a strong and consistent deck.

The introduction of Cyrus improved the Articuno ex deck, as it can pull up whichever Pokémon you want from the bench to the active. Articuno ex’s Blizzard and Greninja’s Water Shuriken allow you to damage Pokémon on the bench, which are then brought up with Cyrus for the knockout. Giant Cape and Irida will keep the Articuno ex healthy while Misty can accelerate Energy.

Without Misty, Articuno ex takes three turns to set up, which is a long time given how many cards can be set up with one or two Energy. Articuno ex can be taken out with two hits as a rule, which means it can be outpaced. 

Here’s the Articuno ex deck list that we recommend:

• Articuno ex x2
• Froakie x1
• Frogadier x1
• Greninja x1
• Misty x2
• Professor’s Research x2
• Cyrus x2
• Irida x2
• Potion x1
• X Speed x2
• Poké Ball x2
• Giant Cape x2

Pokémon TCG Pocket is out now and available for iOS and Android.

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Steam is currently holding its Visual Novel Fest where there are deep discounts on narrative heavy games. Lying at the intersection between books and games, visual novels allow you to make decisions that immerse you more deeply in the story compared to standard books.

If you're visual novel curious but don't know where to dive in, we have ten recommendations from Steam’s Visual Novel Fest to start you out on your interactive fiction journey.

Chaos;Head Noah 4v324v

Most people have heard of Steins;Gate. It's a legendary sci-fi visual novel where a self proclaimed mad scientist uses a microwave to change the past and save his childhood friend, jellifying more than a few bananas in the process. It's many people's introduction to the visual novel genre, but the team has many more excellent stories under its belt.

Chaos;Head Noah is a personal favorite with its shut-in antihero protagonist, who is suddenly and reluctantly plunged into solving a serial murder case after the killer begins to hit close to home. It's also available with its sequel Chaos;Child in a double pack, and both are worth picking up this week.

Chaos;Head Noah is $12.49 until the end of Steam’s Visual Novel Fest.

The House in Fata Morgana 38dm

The House in Fata Morgana was a meme as, for a long time, it had a perfect score on Metacritic. The joke was that not many critics had reviewed it, but everyone who had played it had decided it was worthy of a perfect score. As one of those few critics, I wholeheartedly agree.

The titular house and its residents are cursed to repeat the sins of their past, as you are guided through several intertwining stories of the residents’ histories. The characters transform in every sense, in a beautifully told character study of its cast.

The House in Fata Morgana is just $16.24 until the end of Steam’s Visual Novel Fest.

Scarlet Hollow 2r4m3

Before Black Tabby Games brought us the bitesize stories of Slay the Princess, they began with Scarlet Hollow. For readers who like their choice to really matter, this supernatural episodic horror has literally hundreds of permutations and branching paths.

A lot goes in behind the scenes and small decisions will completely change how characters react to you and treat you. This means you can start it several times, and be treated to a different story every playthrough. With the latest major update giving more choices than before it's the perfect time to dive in.

Scarlet Hollow is just $18.74 through to the end of Steam’s Visual Novel Fest.

AI: The Somnium Files Nirvana Initiative 115q3e

We love both AI: The Somnium Files games, and both are standalone stories that are worth picking up. However, the sequel really nails the mix of sci-fi and murder mystery with the right balance to the twists where we didn't see them coming, but felt we should have.

A detective with the ability to enter the minds of the suspects and witnesses of the case to get right to the truth, it's still not easy to piece everything together. As you get closer to the truth, you feel there are even more parts to the story that you failed to uncover.

AI: The Somnium Files Nirvana Initiative is available for $17.99 during Steam’s Visual Novel Fest.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc o365c

Danganronpa is one of the classic visual novels for a reason. Thirteen ‘Ultimate’ students, teenagers that are at the pinnacle in their fields, are trapped together inside an abandoned school with no memory of how they got there. The only way out is by pulling off the perfect murder; one that your classmates can’t solve.

A mix between searching the school for clues, and presenting your arguments before a court of your peers, Danganronpa is known for twists and turns, and its ability to surprise the audience even into the third game in the series. All of the Danganronpa games are on sale during the event, but newcomers to the series should start at the beginning.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is available during Steam’s Visual Novel Fest for $13.99.

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games 2w4qn

A double pack of mystery games, The Nonary Games contains the first and best two games from the Zero Escape series. Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is the bite-sized entry into the series that gets the player used to going back in time, making different decisions, and following the thread of a different timeline. Once you are used to the game’s mechanics, you are ready for the real show; Virtue’s Last Reward.

Virtue’s Last Reward improves and expands on all of the ideas presented in 999. With more branching paths, and information that you have to between the various timelines, it takes the mystery and puzzle solving to another level. A beautifully wound narrative with a payoff that you feel you definitely deserve.

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games can be purchased during Steam’s Visual Novel Fest for $8.99.

Clannad 12k2j

Clannad is considered one of the best visual novels of all time, yet if you aren’t familiar with the genre you have probably never heard of it. Like many Japanese stories it takes place in high school, but what Clannad does differently is ground the teens with home lives that are less than picture perfect.

Clannad is a bishoujo, a romance game where a man falls in love with various women, but the romance of the story is just a part of the overall magic. It doesn’t matter if this is your romantic preference or not, Clannad is a story that will bring people with even the most hardened hearts to tears.

Clannad is available for $17.99 until the end of Steam’s Visual Novel Fest.

Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition 2p4q2w

Once you get over the ridiculousness of the name, Root Double is a mystery thriller with a unique pathing system. Rather than making dialogue choices, or choosing who to talk to, you decide how much you trust the person you are speaking to. It makes you act more conservatively about who you are ready to ally with.

The story is broken up over five interwoven routes that at first don’t seem to be related at all. As with the best mystery novels, things slowly unfurl over time until all of the pieces are in place. Root Double is one of the lesser known games on this list, but one that is worth picking up.

Root Double can be purchased for $8.74 during Steam’s Visual Novel Fest.

Psychedelia of the Black Butterfly 417111

Another romance novel, this time Psychedelia of the Black Butterfly is an otome, a romance story of a woman falling in love with men. Our protagonist wakes up in an abandoned mansion with a number of men, and none of them can their pasts. They also can’t leave the mansion, and need to unlock their memories to free themselves.

Like most of the visual novels on the list, Psychedelia of the Black Butterfly is best enjoyed when you’re kept in the dark, but like Clannad there is more to enjoy than just the romances between the various characters. 

Psychedelia of the Black Butterfly is available during Steam’s Visual Novel Fest for $7.49.

VA-11 Hall-A y1l6m

If you’re interested in mixing drinks and saving lives, VA-11 Hall-A is the game for you. You play the bartender in a futuristic cyberpunk basement, as you get to know your patrons, and the drinks they like. In fact, the best bartenders know their customers better than they know themselves, and you can use your discretion to earn big tips.

VA-11 Hall-A is a character study of our bartender, her colleagues, and the quirky cast of people who attend the bar. If you’re looking for a new group of friends to hang out with, then there are worse places you could choose to be.

VA-11 Hall-A is available during Steam’s Visual Novel Fest for $10.04.

Steam's Visual Novel Fest is on right now and ends on March 10, 2025.

The post Steam Holds Week Long Visual Novel Fest – Here Are Ten Games You Should Try appeared first on Siliconera.

Pokémon TCG Pocket has just added the Gible Solo Battle Event to the game with a number of sought after rewards for players. Not only is there a Full Art promo card up for grabs, but four other card variations, and a number of other rewards. If you want to load up on Hourglasses, Shinedust and promo cards, here’s everything you need to know about the TCG Pocket Gible Solo Battle Event.

Pokémon TCG Pocket Gible Solo Battle Event promo cards 4d522e

There are five promo cards that you can pick up as part of the event, and the chase card is the Full Art Gible. However, if you are building an Arceus ex deck, the event is an easier way to grab the Link Power Raichu card.

Here’s the full list of promo cards that are part of the Pokémon TCG Pocket Gible Solo Battle Event:

• Cherrim
• Raichu
• Nose
• Full Art Gible
• Staraptor

Winning a Beginner match gives you a 50% chance of being rewarded with a promo card, while Expert battles guarantee the promo card drop. Essentially, the more difficult the battle, the more likely you are to grab a promo card. Luckily, you don’t use any Stamina if you lose an event battle, so don’t worry about trying a few times before you succeed. Winning battles will also reward you with Shinedust and Shop Tickets.

Pokémon TCG Pocket Gible Solo Battle Event challenges and rewards 151z6k

There are different challenges at each difficulty tier, and you will likely need different decks in order to complete every challenge. Aside from promo cards, there are different rewards you can grab. These include Hourglasses for opening packs, taking part in more Solo Battles, and Wonder Picking.

Here is a list of challenges that are part of the Gible Solo Battle Event:

• Beginner
  • Knock Out with an attack from a Grass-type Pokémon 
  • Play three Basic Pokémon
• Intermediate
  • Two Knock Outs with attacks from Grass-type Pokémon 
  • Put your opponent’s Pokémon to sleep one time
  • Win this battle by turn 14
• Advanced
  • Win five or more battles
  • Win a battle using common Pokémon
  • Win a battle by turn 14
  • Win a battle without losing a Pokémon
• Expert
  • Win 10 or more battles
  • Win 20 or more battles
  • Win a battle using common Pokémon
  • Win a battle by turn 12
  • Win a battle without losing a Pokémon

Best decks for the Gible Solo Battle Event 27h1c

There are a few challenges that we want to focus on when building our decks for this event. We will need a deck consisting of Grass-type Pokémon, a deck using only common cards, and a deck that can put the opponent to sleep.

The strongest Grass-type deck at the moment is the Celebi ex and Serperior deck, which mostly uses cards from the Mythical Island expansion. Celebi ex does damage based on how much Grass Energy is attached, and Serperior doubles all Grass Energy. The best Celebi ex decks have a lot of healing, with Erika for and the Pokémon Tool Giant Cape. This deck is also one of the strongest for PvP battles.

Here’s the Celebi ex deck list that we recommend: 

• Celebi ex x2
• Snivy x2
• Servine x2
• Serperior x2
• X Speed x2
• Poké Ball x2
• Giant Cape x2
• Professor’s Research x2
• Erika x2
• Sabrina x2

The Celebi ex deck can be easily changed into a deck that only uses common cards. Dhelmise is a great common substitution for Celebi ex as it can deal 90 damage per turn when it has four Grass Energy attached. It also has a lot of HP making it difficult to take down quickly. We’ve exchanged the Giant Cape for Rocky Helmet to deal some extra damage. Here is the common card counter deck we recommend.

• Dhelmise x2
• Snivy x2
• Servine x2
• Serperior x2
• X Speed x2
• Poké Ball x2
• Rocky Helmet x2
• Professor’s Research x2
• Erika x2
• Sabrina x2

The final deck we need is one that can put the opponent to sleep. As you don’t lose Stamina when you lose a battle the best deck is one that is filled with er cards. Make a deck with a Jigglypuff that can put the opponent to sleep, and the other cards should be ers, Items and Tools. This way you will start with Jigglypuff in your hand, you can send your opponent to sleep and then immediately concede.

Pokémon TCG Pocket is available for free on iOS and Android.

The post Best Decks for Pokémon TCG Pocket Gible Solo Battle Event appeared first on Siliconera.