Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Two States of Play Announced for September 3

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Aug 312026
 

Sony has announced not one, but two States of Play for September 3.

The State of Play will be held on September 3 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET. Once it ends, it will be followed by a State of Play Japan.

Now, despite that setup, apparently the first State of Play doesn’t necessarily mean no Japanese games, because the blog post says it will conclude with Final Fantasy VII Revelation. And the State of Play Japan will show games from “studios in Japan and Asia,” so that might not be entirely Japanese games, either.

So the way they’ve named these States of Play is a little confusing, but I’m hopeful there will be announcements I enjoy. Then again, States of Play are pretty hit-or-miss for me, even when it’s a State of Play Japan, so we’ll see.

On top of that, I’m still annoyed about Sony’s decision to move away from physical media. If the State of Play included the announcement that they’ve changed their mind, that would be enough to satisfy me on its own, but I really doubt that’s going to happen.

(And no, we’re not talking about the new Ace Attorney 7 rumors, because the “leak” is an anonymous forum post. As optimistic as I am about Ace Attorney, that’s not credible enough for even me to talk about.)

Anyway, are you looking forward to the States of Play?

Let’s Talk About the Stranger Than Heaven Gameplay Footage

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Aug 282026
 

With Gamescom in progress, there have been previews and video footage of Stranger Than Heaven’s gameplay demo.

Now, I’ve been on a bit of a roller coaster with Stranger Than Heaven.

I was excited for it when it was first announced, then all the negativity surrounding Kiwami 3 dampened my enthusiasm, then the Stranger Than Heaven showcase back in May left me excited again, and then the reveal in June of Tupac being in the cast list left me asking, “What are they doing?”

So instead of instantly preordering it, I dropped back to waiting for more information with cautious optimism.

Getting back to the matter at hand, Sega released a 12-minute video showcasing the Gamescom demo footage, so let’s take a look.

I love the setting and how it makes use of different eras and cities. The three shown in the demo look fantastic. It seems like each will really have its own atmosphere, and I love that.

Combat is the major focus of the demo, and it looks slower and more deliberate than Yakuza combat. Blocking attacks also looks like it’s designed to be very deliberate.

We’ve heard about how you control left-hand and right-hand attacks separately, and that extends to blocking, too. It looks like you press a button to block and then the shoulder button for the arm you want to block with. That’s unusual, and I’m not sure how that will feel to play.

This game’s combat could take a lot of getting used to, especially for someone like me who… isn’t very deliberate when it comes to Yakuza combat. If they release a public demo like they have for the past few Yakuza/Like a Dragon games, I’ll probably try it despite skipping the others. Stranger Than Heaven’s combat looks like something I’ll want to try for myself.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on the Stranger Than Heaven gameplay footage from Gamescom?

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

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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?

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