It has largely been an uneventful week, at least regarding the things I care about, which can only mean one thing: Christmas is upon us. For most of us this means a solid week or two of video games. Especially if you are a fan of a certain critically acclaimed MMORPG that has a free trial.
Final Fantasy 14 is finally emerging from the darkness of Dawntrail
Yes, Patch 7.4 has arrived in Final Fantasy 14, and finally, we are starting the journey to leave the dumpster fire that is Dawntrail behind us. There were some good bits, no matter how hard Wuk Lamat tried to ruin them. The whole expansion took a nose-dive halfway through, however, and never recovered. It should remain a fantasy setting; that is all I will say.
Amongst all copious amounts of patch notes, there is one other big thing we must address: Glamour. Amazingly, all classes and levels can now Glamour whatever gear they want. This understandably led to a stampede at the Market Boards and more price gouging than a Nintendo exclusive. I am also particularly fond of the fact that a DC in Deep Dungeon is no longer an instant fail. Unless you were in a fight, then you are done for.
PowerWash Simulator 2 will be heading to the Land of Ooo
I am a man who loves his cartoons. From the old school of Looney Tunes to the newer mania of The Amazing World of Gumball, and of course, the masterpiece of Adventure Time. I thought that the Final Fantasy 7 crossover in PowerWash Simulator 1 was the peak. It is not, as the sequel will be heading to Ooo in 2026.
It is slated to release in Spring, and I can’t wait. PowerWash Simulator is an incredibly fun game, and one you really wouldn’t expect. It is such a dull-sounding premise, but you can truly lose yourself in it. And it is so relaxing. It genuinely got me through a very low time. And soon I shall be enjoying cleaning BMO, or the Ice Kings’ castle, and no doubt the Treehouse. Genuinely one of the standouts for 2026 already.
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter remake will be released Fall 2026
Despite the fact that I can’t sit still long enough to complete a game, I adore series with deep lore and interconnected stories. And one of the best in that Nihon Falcom’s Trails series. My first experience was with Trails of Cold Steel, the academy one, before I went back to experience Joshua and Estelle’s journey in Trails in the Sky. They recently remade that classic, and soon we will be getting the sequel.
Even better, it is coming quicker than expected. Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is slated to release in Fall 2026, which gives me all the time I need to actually play the first remake. My reluctance to play it before was due to not being sure they would continue remaking the series, but it seems like they might be, and fairly rapidly. Some excellent news for me, not for my bank balance.
Bethesda shows off upcoming Starfield DLC behind closed doors
For some reason, I feel like I am in the minority when I say I love Starfield. It is the entire reason I brought an Xbox Series X, and I had a fantastic time. Sure, it was not groundbreaking, and it felt a little empty, but I still have a lot of fun when I boot it up. And I am very happy to be getting another DLC for it, at some point.
According to Jez Corden over at Windows Central, or his sources anyway, Bethesda showed off the DLC to a select few lucky people. To paraphrase Aaron Burr, I want to be in the room where that happened. Reportedly, the flying in Space parts will be loading screen-free, although what that entails, who knows. Will we just get long cutscenes instead, like the Mass Effect elevator? Fingers crossed, the first half of 2026 drop date is accurate.
Lenovo is reportedly developing a Legion Go 2 with SteamOS
Some more third-party knowledge, this time from Windows Latest, Lenovo is reportedly preparing a Ryzen Z2 Extreme Legion Go 2 with SteamOS. Fantastic news, because I can tell you from experience, the Windows version sucks. In fact, anyone who has used a Windows handheld can tell you it is not fit for purpose.
I have only heard good things about the SteamOS performance itself on the Legion Go S, so this is very exciting. Although, for my money, I don’t think it is worth getting any of these models. I managed to get mine standard Legion Go 2 running with the Xbox FSE, and it is miles better than Windows 11. But I still wouldn’t buy one, even when this SteamOS version is released. It will probably be around the £1,000 mark like the current Z2 Extreme, and for that, you could just buy a Desktop if you aren’t travelling on a plane for work every day.
