Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Final Fantasy VII Revelation New Trailer, Witcher 3 Free Upgrade Announced

 Video Games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,
Aug 262026
 

I was going to talk about Gamescom highlights, but this year’s Gamescom was so devoid of things that interested me that I don’t even have the heart.

It was nice to see Mega Man: Dual Override, and Control Resonant looks good, and Pony Island 2 looks as weird as it rightfully should, but I spent a lot of the show tuning it out because I wasn’t interested.

(Also, why were there trailers for Gamescom itself partway through the show??)

The biggest highlights were saved for the very end. As announced ahead of time, there was a new trailer for Final Fantasy VII Revelation. This one mainly focused on the Weapons. It looks like all of the Weapons might play a role in the story now, although the official description in the press release says the optional superbosses will return in “ultra-challenging endgame battles as an homage to their original forms.”

I’m not positive if that means we’ll fight them in the story and as optional superbosses or if the optional ones are only optional, but it sounds like the former to me.

I’ll probably stop watching Revelation trailers now to avoid spoilers, although hopefully I’ll have actually played Rebirth by the time we reach Spring 2027.

Meanwhile, The Witcher 3 also made an appearance, first with the announcement of a remastered edition that will be available to all owners of the original for free. You know a game has been in your backlog for too long when it gets an enhanced remaster before you even start it. At least this means I’ll get the original two expansions for free, since they’re included in the upgrade.

Meanwhile, the new expansion Songs of the Past received a trailer and a 2027 release window. Hey, maybe by then I’ll have played…

Never mind, I’m pushing my luck hoping I’ll be caught up in time for Final Fantasy VII. Let’s not get too crazy by thinking I’ll catch up on The Witcher too.

These were some nice highlights from an otherwise unmemorable Gamescom for me. On the bright side, at least fewer new games I want means more time for me to work through my backlog.

What did you think of Final Fantasy VII Revelation, The Witcher 3 Remastered, and the other Gamescom announcements?

Rune Factory 6 and New Story of Seasons Teased

 Video Games  No Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Aug 242026
 

Today is the 20th anniversary of Rune Factory, and earlier this month was the 30th anniversary of Story of Seasons, so Marvelous held an anniversary live stream in celebration.

The live stream was in Japanese, although an English version is planned for later today.

Anyway, near the end of the live stream, they showed two teasers for upcoming games in the series they were celebrating.

First, a teaser for an upcoming Story of Seasons game showed a little bit of the town and animals. At first I thought this was the same game teased in their June 2024 showcase, but now that I look into it more, that might have been the Grand Bazaar remake after all. I’ve already seen discussions about whether the game being teased here is a new game or another remake.

Second, they showed a teaser for Rune Factory 6 showing a beautiful castle-like town. Rune Factory 6 was first teased alongside Guardians of Azuma, so it’s nice to see it being shown again.

I’ve never gotten into either the Story of Seasons or Rune Factory series, despite starting Rune Factory 4, but they interest me. They’re the sorts of series I want to give another chance to see if I can get into them this time. (Guardians of Azuma in particular looks interesting to me.)

Now, as I mentioned earlier, there will be an English anniversary live stream later today, at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. It will be streamed on Xseed’s Twitch channel. I assume it will just be an English version of what was shown in the Japanese live stream, but we’ll see.

What are your thoughts on the new teasers for Story of Seasons and Rune Factory?

Alien Isolation 2 Will Be Playable at Gamescom

 Video Games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Aug 212026
 

We talked about Alien: Isolation 2 earlier this year when its first teaser was released, and it left me cautiously optimistic.

I loved Alien: Isolation, and I’d love to see a sequel that lives up to it.

That’s what has me a little nervous. It was such a good horror game that it’s easy to imagine a sequel not hitting those same highs. On the other hand, it could be a sequel that keeps its strengths while improving on its low points.

Well, we should be able to better judge the sequel next week, because Creative Assembly announced that the prologue will be playable at Gamescom.

(I actually forgot Gamescom was this close.)

That should result in some good previews that give us an idea of what to expect.

Meanwhile, the Gamescom Opening Night Live stream will be on August 25 at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET, with a pre-show 30 minutes earlier, so I’ll be sure to tune in for that. Hoping for Ace Attorney news, of course.

Are you looking forward to Gamescom?

 Older Entries