Posted by: xSicKxBot - 7 hours ago - Forum: Lounge
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News - Crazy Taxi: World Tour Dev Defends GenAI Use
Sega's newly announced Crazy Taxi: World Tour game is among those made in part with generative AI, and now the franchise's original creator, Kenji Kanno, has defended his studio's use of the controversial technology.
He told Kotaku, via a translator, that the game's artists would use generative AI to generate ideas, and then they would "draw the actual thing."
"So actual creators, everything from programming to assets, everything is made by an actual human. It’s only used as a reference for them to look at and then they would actually create the actual thing that would go into the game," he said.
Kanno went on to say he anticipates that generative AI will become more of a "hot topic" in the future than it already is today in the gaming landscape.
World Tour's use of generative AI was first discovered by way of the game's AI disclosure on Steam. It states that generative AI "support tools" were used during the game's development, and that, "No AI was used in reference to the performers in the game." The game's publisher, Sega, said it uses generative AI technologies as a "support tool" for developers with the aim of allowing them to "focus on more creative tasks."
A spokesperson for Sega told Game Informer that the developers used generative AI to create "background assets" in World Tour, and that AI assets were still reviewed by the development team.
Industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, who is the director of research and insights at Niko Partners for the Asia and MENA markets, said the use of genAI technologies is "more accepted" in Asian markets.
"They're going to see massive backlash in Western markets," Ahmad said of developers based in Asia.
He added: "The real question of course is whether there will be a material impact on sales." So far, Ahmad said he has not observed much evidence about a negative impact on sales for games where genAI use is disclosed. He cited examples like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Arc Raiders, and Call of Duty.
"But it does come down to how it's used," Ahmad said. He has also talked about how AI usage is very commonplace across the entire games industry.
World Tour is the first entry in the main, non-mobile game series since 2002's Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller. The Unreal Engine-made game has players racing around the world to hunt down the villains who stole the iconic yellow taxi. The game is set for release in 2027 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2.
Posted by: kkyu123 - Yesterday, 05:26 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Suika Game (スイカゲーム), widely known as the Watermelon Game, is a casual puzzle video game that became a massive global phenomenon. Originally developed by Aladdin X as a built-in app for their projector systems and later released on the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, it has captured the hearts of millions of players worldwide.
Here is a complete breakdown of what makes the game so special: ? Core Gameplay: Merge & Evolve
The gameplay is heavily inspired by 2048 and Tetris, combined with a dynamic physics engine. The rules are incredibly simple: "Merge smaller fruits to create larger ones, with the ultimate goal of making a giant watermelon."
Drop Fruits: You control a cloud at the top of a rectangular container and drop fruits one by one.
Merge and Upgrade: When two identical fruits touch each other, they fuse (evolve) into a single, larger fruit of the next level, earning you points.
The Challenge: Every time fruits merge, they generate physical force, causing other fruits to bounce, roll, and shift unpredictably.
Game Over: If the fruits pile up and cross the top boundary line of the container, it's game over.
? Why is it so Popular?
Easy to Learn, Hard to Master: Anyone can understand the game in 10 seconds, but achieving a high score requires careful positioning, strategic planning, and a bit of luck.
The "Deceptive" Physics: The physics engine is notoriously quirky. A tiny cherry rolling into the wrong spot can trigger a chain reaction that completely ruins a perfect run—or saves it!
Highly Addictive ("Cozy Stress"): It features cute graphics, cheerful music, and low-stakes gameplay, yet it delivers a thrilling sense of tension as the container fills up.
The Streaming Boom: The game became a viral sensation largely thanks to VTubers, Twitch streamers, and YouTubers whose dramatic reactions to near-wins and sudden losses made it highly entertaining to watch.
Whether you have 5 minutes or 5 hours, Suika Game is the perfect blend of cozy relaxation and puzzle-solving excitement.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - Yesterday, 12:25 AM - Forum: Lounge
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News - Persona 6 Is Finally Official After Years Of Waiting
Following a series of leaks earlier this week, Sega and Atlus have officially revealed Persona 6, the next mainline entry in the long-running RPG series.
The trailer was incredibly sparse on details, showing only a dark, ominous environment that looked a lot like a cemetery, bathed in green light. The color is important, as green has been associated for Persona 6 rumors for years now. For reference, all mainline Persona titles have a color attributed to them, with red for Persona 5, yellow for Persona 4, and blue for Persona 3. Little else was revealed in the trailer, outside of confirming that the game will launch for Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Persona 6's reveal comes during a momentous time for the franchise, as it celebrates its 30th anniversary. While there hasn't been a new mainline game since 2016's Persona 5, the series has grown tremendously since then. Persona 5 received a massive overhaul in 2019's Persona 5 Royal, and Atlus has released several spin-off games in the last decade, including rhythm games, a dungeon-crawler for the Nintendo 3DS, a crossover with Dynasty Warriors, and even a well-received remake of Persona 3: Reload.
Additionally, Atlus is also working on a Persona 4 remake, which the company says will remain faithful to the original story while also being updated visually and mechanically for the modern age. It launches on February 28, 2027, with a new trailer debuting during the Xbox Games Showcase. If you're looking to see what all the JRPG fuss is about, Persona 5: Royal will be added to the Xbox Game Pass library on June 9.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 06-08-2026, 07:55 AM - Forum: Lounge
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News - Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Director Shares His Favorite Thing To Remake
Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy will reach its climax next year with Final Fantasy 7 Revelation. As with its two predecessors, the third game pays tribute to the original Final Fantasy 7. However, the game's director Naoki Hamaguchi, has a surprising choice for his favorite part to remake for a new generation of players.
"There's just so many scenes, elements that are an homage to the original that it's so hard to choose," Hamaguchi told GameSpot. "But if I were to speak on one, I'd like to talk about the Weapons ... When you think about the Weapons, you have to think about, 'Are we going to show them at actual scale? How are we going to achieve presenting them in Revelation?' In the original, when we see them in the world map, it's just not that strange to see them at that size. But when we think about the remake series, we did have to address how best to represent them and present them in that way. I think the way that we chose to do so will be a great one and fun one to experience for the players."
In both the original Final Fantasy 7 and Revelation, the Weapons are five giant mecha-kaiju that are summoned by Midgar itself to defend the world against Sephiroth and Jenova. Diamond Weapon, Ultimate Weapon, Emerald Weapon, Ruby Weapon, and Sapphire Weapon are technically alive, but they don't seem to possess any ability to reason. The old "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" adage doesn't apply here because the Weapons unleash destruction on everyone in their path. Ultimately, that will force Cloud and his friends to face them as well.
For context, Tell Me Why has a free demo, which is why it just says “install game”, but Episode 1 is free to keep if you go to the store page. !addlicense asf s/1670560
News - Vampire Survivors Studio Is Expanding In A Big Way, Starting With An “Evil
Vampire Survivors developer Poncle Games had some big news to share at the Future Games Show Summer Showcase, starting with the announcement of a new chapter for its hit game. Called Legacy of the Bloodmoon, this new expansion will be released later in the Summer season, and Poncle has described it as an "evil twin" to the previously released Legacy of the Moonspell add-on.
The new DLC adds 10 new characters, 16 new weapons and evolutions, a new extra-large stage, and more music tracks. Legacy of the Moonspell will also be expanded with new content and will be available at a reduced price, and an upcoming patch adds a new stage, characters, weapons, and Darkanas. Rolling out to PC via Steam first, it'll go live for other platforms at a later date, Poncle says.
The other big news was the formation of Survivaton, a new label at Poncle dedicated to its Survivors-like projects, and a Japan branch of the studio. Short for "survive a ton," the label focuses on internal projects built on the foundation of Vampire Survivors, including collaborations like Warhammer 40,000: Survivors. "Each project will aim to introduce major gameplay changes, content expansions, or genre twists exploring ideas substantial enough to stand as their own games," Poncle said.
Lastly, Poncle Japan will oversee local development initiatives and strategic partnerships across the region, serving as a bridge between Poncle's global operations and Japanese players, creators, and industry partners under the guidance of studio head Sawaki Takeyasu.
Since its launch a few years ago, Vampire Survivors has become a massive success story in games. The early-access PC release became a huge hit thanks to its easy-to-learn gameplay and deep systems, growing with new expansions, and even crossing over with popular Konami IP like Contra and Castlevania. Earlier this year, Poncle released Vampire Crawlers, a survivor-like spin on roguelike deckbuilders that was also well received by players and critics.
