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Is it March already? Where has the time gone? (Oh yeah, it was about Forspoken and Octopath Traveler II and Fire Emblem Engage and Dead Space, etc.) It’s been a strange week here – trying to keep up with the seeping Microsoft/Sony/Activision Blizzard drama. But now the FTC makes Sony bangs are records of exclusivity, and European regulators appear to be backing off. It’s all giving me a headache right now.
I’m not sure what’s going on at Square Enix. First it absorbs Luminous after the lukewarm response to Forspoken, and now CEO Yosuke Matsuda is stepping down. Square Enix has had an interesting few years, from selling the Eidos scraps to Embracer and focusing on NFTs and blockchain technology. This is also not exactly related, but Yuji Naka this week admitted to insider trading while working for Square Enix years ago. It’s nothing but unfortunate news for the company this week.
In another bizarre news report, it looks like the Olympics have finally deigned to recognize esports and will continue an official series from this month. Well, sort of – instead of adding popular esports titles to the lineup like League of Legends or Dota 2, the International Olympic Committee added even more niche titles. Gran Turismo, Just Dance and even virtual chess are understandable additions, but Tennis Clash, Virtual Taekwondo and Tic Tac Bow keep me scratching my head. First, in which universe is a mobile title better for virtual tennis than Wii Sports? Second, why do so many of these esports have to be virtual (and probably worse) versions of Olympic sports that already exist?
On the personal side, I can finally shift the focus to Like a Dragon: Ishin! now that I’m done with my review of Octopath Traveler II. I will probably also play Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, but I can say with some confidence that it will take me longer to finish that game. That said, I’m hoping to play my fill in the coming weeks, as one of my most anticipated games – Resident Evil 4 Remake – is coming out soon and I need to clear my schedule.
What to play this week
What’s new:
- Wo Long: fallen dynasty
- Bendy and the Dark Revival
- Lot 2: Lightfall
- Scars above
- jump
- Dungeons of Aether
- Voltaire: The vegan vampire
New on subscription services:
- F1 22 (Xbox Game Pass)
- Trüberbrook (Xbox Games with gold)
- Sudden Strike 4 – Full Collection (Xbox Games with Gold)
- Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition (Prime Gaming)
- Citizen Sleeper (Amazon Luna)
- Guacamelee! 2 (Amazon Luna)
- Megaman 11 (Amazone Luna)
- Sail Ahead (Amazon Luna)
- Pack Your Stuff: Couch Chaos (Amazon Luna)
- Monster Hunter Rise (GeForce Now)
- Industry Rise (GeForce Now)
- Kimono Cats (Apple Arcade)
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