VR Tech Times

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a great game – you can read  Game Informer's  review here to find out why we liked it so much. However, it's massive. Taking place over multiple continents on the Planet (or Gaia as it was retroacively called) with various party members, a bunch of open-world areas, and lots of side activities and minigames to partake in, you're going to be playing this game for at least 50 to 60 hours before you roll credits (I reached the ending at 80 hours).  When you've seen the story through, you might not be ready to hang up the ole' Buster Sword. Fortunately, Rebirth has New Game Plus. Well, kinda – it's complicated.  Here's How New Game Plus Works In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth After you beat the game, you'll be prompted to make a save file (heads up, you can only make 10). This will be your completed run save file and it will be marked forever with a teal tag that says Chapter Selection when viewing the file. We won't show it...

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is finally out, and it's a treat, especially for fans of the original game – you can read  Game Informer's  review here to find out what we loved and didn't love across our 80 hours with the game. However, regardless of whether you're a long-time fan or not, one thing new to everyone playing Rebirth is Queen's Blood.  Introduced early in Rebirth, Queen's Blood is an in-universe card game that seemingly everyone around Gaia's various continents plays, from Junon to Nibelheim and elsewhere. And after spending dozens of hours playing it, I can understand why - it rules. It's easily my favorite game-within-a-game ever, and one I hope spins out into its own thing in some form, be it a digital card game, a physical one, or something else.  It can be a difficult game, though, but it's one worth learning. It's both satisfying in its own right but also unfolds across a mysterious side story that plays out through the game...

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is chock full of activities to do when you aren't controlling Cloud, chasing after Sephiroth, and trying to save the planet. With multiple open world zones to explore, there are dozens of objectives to complete ranging from Queen's Blood matches to treasure caches to combat challenges and more. It's safe to say completing everything Rebirth offers will take 100 or more hours, and that's before you add in dozens of minigames to the game's slew of offerings.  With so much stuff to do, though, not everything sticks the landing and that goes for side quests too, which range from fine and forgettable to great. If you're looking to get the Platinum trophy, you'll need to complete every side quest, but if you're just trying to play through the game's best offerings, we have you covered – here are the best side quests.  Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's Best Side Quests Note: If you consider the names of the game's open-world...

Remedy Entertainment, which released Alan Wake 2 to critical acclaim in October, has acquired the full rights to the Control franchise from publisher 505 Games. Released in 2019, Remedy developed Control but it was published by 505 Games, which also had a stake in the franchise's rights at the time. Now, after a roughly $18.4 million purchase, the entirety of the Control franchise belongs to Remedy.  This includes the original Control game, its in-development sequel Control 2 , the multiplayer spin-off Project Condor , and all future Control products.  "The Control franchise is in the core of Remedy," the studio writes in a statement released today. "Having acquired the full rights to Control, Condor, and Control 2, Remedy is now in a position to make the right product and business decisions focusing on long-term franchise growth."  With this deal, all publishing agreements between 505 Games and Remedy in regards to the Control franchise are terminated ...

The Renault Megane E-Tech has been spied in India for the first time. The Megan E-Tech is the French brand’s answer to the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric, and is sold in many European markets. Megane E-Tech sits on CMF-EV platform Gets multiple battery pack options No details on India launch Renault Megane E-Tech: what is it doing here? Sources tell us that this particular unit has been imported to India by Renault themselves, and is being meant for internal testing and usage. The brand was evaluating the car for an India launch earlier, but, at the moment, there is no update on those plans. Renault Megane E-Tech: what exactly is it? Essentially a production version of the 2020 Megane eVision concept, the Megane E-Tech borrows its design, albeit with a more toned down look. It gets cladding along the lower periphery, with contrasting inserts on the bumpers, depending on the exterior colour. It gets Renault’s OpenR display on the inside that includes an L-shaped arrange...

Skoda Auto has approved its next phase of investment for India, which will go into the upcoming compact SUV and battery electric vehicles, says Klaus Zellmer, CEO of the company. The new investment will not only lead to a 30 percent expansion of production capacity, but also expand the addressable market for the brand to almost 50-60 percent of the fast-growing passenger vehicle market in the country. New investment to go towards compact SUV and EVs Skoda India targets 5 percent of market share by 2030 50 percent of Skodas made outside of Czech Republic come from India With the addition of the compact SUV , Skoda Auto has set itself a target of selling 1 lakh vehicles annually by 2026, and gain a 5 percent market share by the end of the decade. The all-new compact SUV for India will be launched in a years’ time and it will be based on the MQB A0-IN platform, which the company officials claim is developed for India and will open the new chapter.  Kickstarting its “new era” i...

A massive sweep of layoffs has rocked various Sony first-party studios today, including Naughty Dog, Guerilla Games, and Insomniac. Another victim is Firesprite Games, the UK studio behind The Playroom games and The Persistence, and an additional casualty from that studio is reportedly a new Twisted Metal title. According to Bloomberg ’s Jason Schreier , Firesprite had a Twisted Metal game in the works that has now been canceled. He reports that the game was a live-service title was very early in development, so it was not yet officially greenlit. You can read his full report here .  NEW: As part of today's mass layoff, Sony has canceled a Twisted Metal live-service game that was in development at UK-based studio Firesprite, Bloomberg has learned. Firesprite will also lay off an unspecified number of people. https://t.co/pvCDsS7yxe — Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) February 27, 2024 Twisted Metal was PlayStation’s original flagship series, launching a couple of months afte...

A video game based on the Paranormal Activity film franchise has been announced. Developed by Darkstone Digital, makers of the 2022 horror game The Mortuary Assistant, along with publisher DreadXP and Paramount Pictures, the upcoming game is slated to release in 2026.  Like the films, Paranormal Activity will feature found-footage-style gameplay as well as a “Haunt System,” which dynamically changes the types of scares that unfold based on players’ actions. Unfortunately, a brief teaser trailer doesn’t do much but show some logos, so we may be waiting a while to see the game in action.  “We are thrilled to work with Paramount Game Studios and to have the opportunity to bring the world of Paranormal Activity to gamers everywhere,” said Epic Pictures CEO and DreadXP producer Patrick Ewald in a press release. “The films are steeped in rich lore and creative scares, and under the stewardship of creative director Brian Clarke, DreadXP’s Paranormal Activity video game will honor...

Rajesh Jejurikar, executive director and CEO, Mahindra and Mahindra , has confirmed at the company's last earnings call that the Thar 5-door will go on sale sometime in the middle of this year. Thar 5-door will get multiple powertrain options Will be loaded with features and tech Expected some styling cues from the Thar EV concept The upcoming Thar 5-door, which could get the “ Thar Armada ” moniker upon launch, will be built on a separate production line from the Thar 3-door , which already has a long waiting period. This development was also confirmed by Jejurikar. “The Thar 5-door will have a separate line, as we've shared earlier, and will launch sometime in the middle of this calendar year.” Mahindra Thar 5-door: what else is known? A lot is known about the Thar 5-door already, including its design details , powertrain and features list . It will also share some parts with other Mahindra models, including the Thar 3-door and the Scorpio line-up. Expect fresh det...

The Indian auto industry has never seen as much uncertainty and volatility as we have since the boom in EV popularity over the last few years. It’s not the vehicles themselves that are to be blamed, but the sheer unpredictability that has surrounded the FAME subsidy, which has been the life-blood of this emerging space. So far, we’ve seen the subsidy abruptly increased, decreased, allegedly misused, subsequently denied and everything in between. Now, there’s a new flavour of uncertainty afoot. This is an election year, and while the interim budget has allocated an additional Rs 1,500 crores to the overall FAME II subsidy fund , it remains to be seen what happens after that – and what happens after the election, when the final budget comes into play. As things stand, there is possibly going to be a period of no subsidy benefit between March 31 – when the current FAME II subsidy expires – until the point when a new scheme is announced post the formation of the new government....

Vanillaware makes excellent games, from GrimGrimoire to Odin Sphere to Dragon’s Crown . However, it wasn’t until its 2019 release, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim , that the developer’s name became synonymous with “you should play this team’s games.” It’s hard to tell what, exactly, made 13 Sentinels the breakout title for Vanillaware, shipping more than 1 million copies worldwide as of August last year, making it the studio’s best-selling title. The easy answer is probably its beloved story, both in how it plays out and how it’s infused into the game’s real-time strategy mech combat. Publisher Atlus and Vanillaware released it in 2019, so when the team announced its latest title, Unicorn Overlord, last September , it was easy to conclude that this was the studio’s next big focus. And it is, but curiously, I learned in an exclusive preview of the game Vanillaware conceived it during the development of 13 Sentinels, with its creation handled in parallel with that game, albeit with a differe...

During last week’s Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase , it was revealed that the 2021 action Metroidvania Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knight is getting a sequel in the form of Ender Magnolia: Bloom of the Mist. The initial trailer provided a vague 2024 launch window, but we now know it's hitting Steam Early Access first on March 26.  Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is set within the same universe as Ender Lilies but takes place in the magically saturated Land of Fumes. A mind-warping toxin has been unleashed from the magic-infused soil and dangerous Homunguli ravages the land. It’s up to protagonist Lilac, an “Attunder” capable of cleansing Homunguli, to save the day. You can check out the game's new trailer below. Like Ender Lilies, Ender Magnolia is a dark fantasy Metroidvania in which Lilac is paired with another entity who actually handles the killing: a Spirit Reaper capable of killing Homunguli, which, in turn, adds their abilities to your arsenal. The sprawling 2D...

Exactly 50 days after signing a comprehensive memorandum of understanding ( MoU) with the Tamil Nadu  government on January 6, 2024, Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast today had the ground-breaking ceremony of its integrated EV plant at Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) in Tamil Nadu. The plant site spans 400 acres within the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) industrial estate.  The groundbreaking ceremony saw the presence of M K Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu; Dr T R B Rajaa, Minister for Industries, Government of Tamil Nadu; V Arun Roy IAS, Industries Secretary, Member of Parliament – Thoothukudi constituency; Ministers of state, MLAs (Members of Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu), senior representatives from the State government and the VinFast India leadership team. VinFast's Plant construction begins less than two months after MoU is signed India will have VinFast’s fourth plant, after Vietnam, USA and Indonesia VinFas...

Volkswagen could bring back the popular Scriocco sports coupe in the future as an EV. The brand is currently studying internal design, engineering and manufacturing proposals for its return as an electric car with 1970s inspired styling and a possible dual-motor, four-wheel-drive R flagship. Volkswagen Scirocco EV: what could it be? The two-door is a part of a sports car project being discussed that also includes a fourth-generation Porsche Boxster / Cayman , a production version of the Cupra Dark Rebel coupe concept and a fourth-generation Audi TT, an insider has divulged to our sister publication Autocar UK. They suggested it could be launched by 2028 if ultimately granted production approval by Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schafer. The three-door Scirocco is envisaged to sit above the second-generation ID 3 hatchback that's set to adopt the Golf name and be sold alongside a restyled ninth-generation version of its combustion-engined hatchback sibling when it appears in 2027...

I know the Ninja 400 is overpriced, but I have always been a fan of the Ninja look and with the recent discounts being offered, I decided to take the plunge, even though there are more affordable rivals available. But now the Ninja 500 is launched and I’m confused about whether I should just pay full price and get the new bike. R Sharma, via email Autocar India says: We reviewed the Ninja 400 a few years back and found it to be a very likeable and fun to ride bike that was held back by its price. However, with dealers offering Rs 40,000 off , the bike does become a little more appealing. The new Kawasaki Ninja 500 comes in at an introductory price of Rs 5.24 lakh, which is exactly the same as the undiscounted price of the 400. For that, you get a new face inspired by the new ZX-6R, as well as new fairings and a redesigned tail lamp. The display is new (still an LCD unit) and it gets Bluetooth connectivity. As for the engine, it has grown to 451cc and while it makes the same 45hp,...

When it launched last June, Street Fighter 6  immediately earned critical acclaim , differentiating itself from its predecessor. With 18 fighters and a wealth of single-player content on offer, Street Fighter 6 gave players plenty to enjoy in its earliest days, but that’s not stopping the team from pursuing a post-launch content plan similar to the one that eventually righted the ship with Street Fighter V. Last July, the SFV debutant Rashid joined the roster, followed by new challenger AKI in September. During Capcom Cup X, we went hands on with Ed, the latest Street Fighter 6 DLC character, before he joins the fight this week. Ed first appeared as a non-playable character in Street Fighter IV before joining the actual roster in the second wave of Street Fighter V’s DLC. Raised by Shadaloo as a potential replacement body for M. Bison, Ed can wield Psycho Power, which he uses to great effect in Street Fighter 6.   As a protege of Balrog, Ed uses a combination of boxi...