Operation Backlog Completion 2025
Jul 162025
 

The next Pokémon Presents is set for July 22 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET, which means we’re less than a week away.

The last Pokémon Presents back in February showed pretty much nothing of interest to me besides Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which left me with mixed feelings.

What will be shown at this one?

Another look at Legends feels like a safe bet. It’s coming out on October 16, so they’ll want to feature it.

And they always have a section devoted to mobile games and things like that, so I expect to see those as well. But what about some new announcements?

Gen 10 is probably the biggest question.

A lot of fans think they won’t announce the next generation ahead of Z-A, but I’m not so sure. A tiny teaser trailer might not be enough to overshadow it.

But how about a new Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game? The last one released was Rescue Team DX in 2020, and that was a remake. The last entirely new entry was Super Mystery Dungeon all the way back in 2015. It sounds to me like we’re more than due for a new game. And it would provide me with good incentive to finally start one of them, too!

What are you hoping or expecting to see announced in next week’s Pokémon Presents?

Jul 142025
 

Bandai Namco recently filed a trademark for Tales of Destiny.

Now, trademark news doesn’t always lead to an announcement, but don’t forget that we’re supposed to learn about the next Tales remaster soon.

Could it be Tales of Destiny after all?

Tales of Destiny is the second game in the Tales series. After being released for the PlayStation in 1997, it was remade in 2006 for the PlayStation 2, and then a Director’s Cut of the remake came out in 2008. Although the original was localized, the PlayStation 2 versions remained exclusive to Japan.

If it does get remastered, I hope it’s the Director’s Cut. I have the original Tales of Destiny (although I haven’t played it yet), and I’d love to be able to play the Director’s Cut.

We now have a handful of contenders for which Tales game will be remastered next.

Last July, retail listings for a Tales of Xillia remaster sparked speculation that Xillia would be the next remaster after Symphonia, so it was quite a surprise when the Nintendo Direct a month later did include a Tales remaster… Tales of Graces f.

That was followed by the announcement that Bandai Namco plans to remaster Tales games consistently, then last month they said they’d announce the next remaster this summer.

Earlier this year, a Tales of the Abyss trademark was filed, and now Tales of Destiny has a new trademark as well. Those feel like the most likely possibilities for the next announcement, unless the Tales of Xillia retail listing amounts to something after all.

But who knows? Maybe they’ll take us all by surprise and announce Tales of Eternia or something like that.

Which Tales game do you think Bandai Namco will reveal as the next remaster?

Jul 112025
 

Gust and Koei Tecmo have announced the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack for PS4, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, and PC.

It includes DX additions of all three Atelier Ryza games, along with new story content exclusive to these versions.

I was surprised, since Atelier Ryza still feels like a new game, but I suppose the timing isn’t that different from the Mysterious DX games compared to the originals.

Sadly, it looks like it will be a digital-only release in the west. As for the physical Japanese copies, the PS4/PS5 versions will support English, but the Switch version won’t. (The Switch 2 version is digital-only in Japan as well.)

The trilogy is due out in 2025, and more information will be revealed on August 4.

I enjoyed Atelier Ryza, but I haven’t played the second and third games yet. I probably won’t buy the trilogy pack unless the new story content looks exceptionally worthwhile or the DX versions of the second and third games are significantly better.

(I’ve heard 3 had an awkward translation, so maybe that’s something they’ll address.)

Meanwhile, there’s also a new trailer for Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist and the White Guardian showing the gameplay systems.

Do you realize that with Atelier Yumia having come out in March, Atelier Resleriana RW set for September, and now the Atelier Ryza DX Trilogy announced for 2025 as well, that’s a whole three Atelier releases coming in the same year? I know they release games fast, but wow.

I remember when I thought the mobile game would give me time to catch up on all the Atelier games in my backlog. It didn’t. But hey, I’m sure I’ll catch up eventually!

Are you planning to pick up the Atelier Ryza Secret Trilogy Deluxe Pack? What are your thoughts on the new Atelier Resleriana trailer?