Operation Backlog Completion 2026
Jun 172026
 

We’ve got a new Xenoblade game on the horizon, and I couldn’t be happier.

Xenoblade Genesis is for me the most exciting announcement from the recent showcases. Even though I didn’t enjoy Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as much as many fans did, I still love this series.

Anyway, now that the initial excitement is past, I wanted to take a look at what we know so far about the upcoming new game.

There isn’t much beyond what was shown in the announcement trailer, which itself presents us with a few details about the world: there’s a force in the world called Anima, which is wielded by warriors called Vesselai, and the protagonist goes to a school called Leukos where it seems Vesselai learn to use this power.

What isn’t said directly in the trailer might even be more interesting. It appears on the surface to be a fantasy world, but between the six suns in the sky and the intriguing glimpse of the world curving at the end, it looks like there are some sci-fi elements here after all. The world being inside a Dyson Sphere or a similar structure is one of the biggest theories right now.

Meanwhile, a small handful of details have surfaced beyond the trailer. A rough translation of a Japanese tweet reveals the world to be called Anshar or Anshal, and the protagonist seems to be named Eleanor.

(Of course, sometimes names are changed in localization, so it’s possible these won’t be the names we get in the English version.)

It has also been described as being an entry point for the series that doesn’t require knowledge of past games… but I wouldn’t read too much into that. I actually hope this is a new story disconnected from the rest of the series, but they’ve said basically the exact same thing about every game, so that’s not confirmation of anything.

We know very little about Xenoblade Genesis, but the few details we do have are exciting. It’s already one of my most-anticipated upcoming games!

What do you think about Xenoblade Genesis so far?

Jun 152026
 

Let’s travel back in time two weeks to June 1, right before “Not-E3” took over our attention for a while.

EastAsiaSoft had a showcase that morning, and they kicked it off with an exciting otome game announcement: the localization of Hakuouki Shinkai: Ten’un no Shou, one of the Hakuoki fandiscs.

It will be coming west in early 2027 as Hakuoki Memoirs: Drifting Clouds.

This marks the third Hakuoki localization from EastAsiaSoft, as they released Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom followed by the spin-off Hakuoki SSL.

Following that with a fandisc is great, especially since we went so long without any Hakuoki fandiscs being localized.

Meanwhile… I really need to play Hakuoki.

It’s been on my list for so long. I bought Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms on the Vita but never started them, hoping for a combined release. Then when Chronicles of Wind and Blossom came out, I intended to play it… but I still haven’t. The Hakuoki releases are starting to stack up, and I need to get on it!

Are you planning to get Hakuoki Memoirs: Drifting Clouds?

Jun 102026
 

State of Play
Summer Game Fest 2026
Wholesome Direct 2026
Xbox Games Showcase 2026
Nintendo Direct

Miscellaneous Highlights

With the last of the showcases behind us, I’d like to mention a few other games that stood out to me from the smaller showcases. First up is Moonlight Pale, which was included in the Latin American Games Showcase. It’s a survival horror game, and it has an absolutely gorgeous art style.

Next up is Threads of Time, which was shown during Day of the Devs.

It’s a beautiful turn-based RPG that deals with time travel both in its story and its gameplay. I’m really curious about this one.

Now, the India Games Showcase was an unexpected standout, and I have no less than three games I want to highlight from it, starting with Abashed.

Abashed is a 2.5D psychological horror game that looks really good. I’m not sure where the story is going, but I’m intrigued by what they showed.

Then there’s Project Foxx, a fun-looking action game.

I’m having trouble finding the specific trailer that was played in the showcase, but here’s an earlier one.

Finally, there’s a new trailer for Raji: Kaliyuga, the sequel to Raji: An Ancient Epic, and I was impressed by it. It’s a dual-protagonist action game, and it looks like a huge step up from the first one.

I enjoyed the first Raji, although I found the ending disappointing because it felt like it was setting up for a sequel, and now I’m looking forward to that sequel.

These are a few of the games that stood out to me from amongst the showcases. What are some others games that caught your eye?