This week, the fated day of prophecy has arrived; I purchased a Switch 2. Right now, I only have one game, Pokopia, but I have been enjoying the hell out of it. It took up most of my free time last week, and I love having Riolu and Eevee as housemates. Having said that, there is still time for the Wayward Roundup, so let’s crack on.
Blizzard is assisting in the creation of Fable
Fable is a series that is dear to many Microsoft fans’ hearts. Especially Fable 2, I would say. It has humour, choices that matter, and most importantly, a delightful dog. Many of us are waiting with bated breath for the new Fable to arrive, and it appears that it will be packing some top-notch cutscenes.
Blizzard has been assisting with the cinematics development, and if you’ve seen a Blizzard cinematic, you know this is incredible. Just as an immediate example, Diablo 4 has some insanely beautiful cutscenes. Whilst we all cross our fingers that it doesn’t get delayed, at least we will know it’ll look divine.
Asha Sharma says the Game Pass price is too high
Sticking on the Microsoft train, a glimmer of hope for the gaming community. Since taking on the mantle of Microsoft Gaming CEO, all eyes have been on Asha Sharma to see how she revives the struggling Xbox. Or, to see if the former CoreAI President was going to inject more of that virus. So far, so good it seems, and if reports are to be believed, there may be an exciting change coming.
In an internal memo, Sharma stated that the price of the Game Pass has risen too much. An obvious statement, but an interesting one for the person best poised to change that. There has been no knee-jerk reaction based on this statement, which is a positive. It shows Sharma is not just rushing in. But hopefully this stance leads to a positive shift, even if it is an ad-supported tier. You can strip out the bloody Fortnite Crew subscription for a start.
Broken Sword 2 Reforged smashes Kickstarter target
If you are a fan of point-and-click adventures, you will probably know about Broken Sword. You will definitely have heard of the dreaded goat from the first game. Well, in 2024, The Shadow of the Templars, the debut entry, got a remaster. And it appears appetites are high for the same to happen with the second title in the series if Kickstarter is any indication.
Within 15 minutes of the collection for Broken Sword Smoking Mirror: Reforged going live, it smashed its target. And this isn’t an AdventureQuest Worlds: Infinity situation where they set it as $1 for the headlines. The target was £50,000, and at the time of writing, the collection sits at £446,467. A worthy cause for an excellent series.
007 First Light has been delayed for Switch 2
If there is one game I desperately don’t want to be delayed, it is 007 First Light. It is scheduled to release on my birthday right now, which I am pretty sure makes me the next James Bond. Delusions of grandeur aside, it has been confirmed that a delay will occur, but only for Switch 2.
As much as I love IO Interactive, it was announced a little disrespectfully, to be honest. In so much that it wasn’t really directly addressed, just slyly slipped into a TwiX. At least make it a separate one, saying sorry, but Switch 2 delay for this reason. Have a bit of class,
Resident Evil Zero may have online Co-Op
One of the best things about Resident Evil Zero was the ability to swap control between Rebecca and Billy. It was a fun change to the usual formula that could be a little frustrating, but it was fun nonetheless. It appears, however, that in the remake, someone else may be taking the reins of your least favourite of the duo.
As shared on TwiX by Marcox, a technical leak uncovered code for Online Co-Op in “Project Chambers”. Unless Capcom is making a dressing sim, it is safe to assume this relates to Zero. I have had a lot of fun playing Resident Evil with friends, so I do hope this becomes a reality. Speaking of, we need Sheva to make a comeback.
Square announces Final Fantasy VII: Ascend the Shinra Tower
Not technically a video game, but it’s about Final Fantasy 7, so I’m counting it. Towards the climax of Disc 1, you had to climb Shinra Tower. There was the brute force option, or a long and pretty amusing slog up some incredibly long stairs. The whole section had boss fights, intrigue, and a kick-ass escape sequence. So it only makes sense that Square is teaming up with Arclight to create a board game based on the experience.
Called Final Fantasy VII: Ascend the Shinra Tower, it is based on Arclight’s Cat and the Tower, where you climb an unstable tower. You will have to help Cloud reach the top, using teammates to counterbalance the swaying tower. It will be released in Japan on November 6, and its short length might make this a fun party game. If gamers ever had parties, we are a quiet bunch.
Atlus removes “Origins” and “Duality” descriptors from Persona merch
Finally, the rumour mill. Atlus has been busy with Persona remasters recently, with Persona 3 Reload in 2024, and my beloved Persona 4 currently getting the same treatment. Not to mention the ongoing works for Persona 6. And rumour has it, we might be getting some classics back.
For the 30th anniversary of the series, Atlus put out some merch for Persona 1 and 2, where it all began. They came with the taglines of Origins and Duality, respectively. Yet, these descriptors have now been removed, and it appears the Streisand Effect is still alive and well. Rumours are swirling of some upcoming remakes and remasters with those names. It would be cool to have them back, but without confirmation from Atlus, this could have just been the product line indicators. Right now, this is just proof that a fandom will latch onto anything.
