Operation Backlog Completion 2024
Jun 292022
 

As we discussed on Monday, we have another cluster of video game events and showcases this week.

The first two have now taken place, the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase on Tuesday and then Square Enix’s Star Ocean: The Divine Force broadcast early this morning.

So let’s dive into what was shown, starting with the Nintendo Direct.

Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase

Despite not being a full-blown general Nintendo Direct, this week’s Partner Showcase was actually quite good. In fact, this might be the best Partner Showcase they’ve ever had, although I’d have to go back to refresh my memory on the others.

The Partner Showcase, which you can watch here, began with another look at Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.

Next, however, they announced that Nier Automata will be coming to the Switch. I enjoyed Nier Automata, so if you haven’t had a chance to play it, this is a great opportunity. (Meanwhile, the question of how Square Enix got Automata running on the Switch but could only manage cloud versions for Kingdom Hearts remains a mystery.)

They announced an adventure game called Lorelai and the Laser Eyes that could be interesting, and then Super Bomberman 2. They followed that with the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, which includes all 10 Mega Man Battle Network games.

Pac-Man World is also be remade as Pac-Man World Re-Pac. I wasn’t familiar with Pac-Man World at all before, but it looks like it could be fun.

The next games were a cute co-op game called Blanc, a brand-new Monkey Island game called Return to Monkey Island, and Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, which got an October 20 release date. Sparks of Hope also got its own gameplay showcase today.

After that, they showed side scrolling roguelite Little Noah: Scion of Paradise, train simulation game Railgrade, and RPG Time: The Legend of Wright, which we may have mentioned in the past. That game looks interesting, and it’ll be out on August 18.

They devoted a fair chunk of time to Sonic Frontiers, which I’m not interested in personally, although I know it’s a big game. Disney Dreamlight Valley got a new trailer, and so did Live A Live – which has a demo available now, too!

Remember when Story of Seasons got a Doraemon crossover? I guess it did well for them, because it’s getting a sequel, Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom. After that was a new trailer for Minecraft Legends and then one I’d been waiting to see more of for a while now, Dragon Quest Treasures.

We first discussed Dragon Quest Treasures when it was announced during the Dragon Quest anniversary event, but we didn’t know much about it. From the new trailer, it looks like a monster-collecting action RPG with a focus on searching for treasure. It will be out on December 9.

Then they had a short montage of Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, No Man’s Sky, A Plague Tale: Requiem (cloud version), and a game called Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions.

Oh, and Portal 1 & 2 are now out on the Switch in the Portal Companion Collection. Those are also great games you should check out if you haven’t had a chance to before!

Surprisingly, Square Enix stole the spotlight with a farming life sim RPG, of all things! It’s not one of my favorite genres, but Harvestella looks beautiful and interesting enough that I’m really curious about it. It will be out on November 4.

Ah, the five seasons… winter, spring, summer, fall, and DEATH.

(Seriously, though, Harvestella looks impressive. You also can choose between a male and female protagonist, although they look so similar I wouldn’t be surprised if you missed that.)

Finally, they wrapped up the Direct with the announcement that no, the Switch has not been left out after all! Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal are all coming to the Nintendo Switch. Like with the Xbox announcement, Persona 5 Royal will be first, on October 21.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force Broadcast

Meanwhile, Square Enix held a broadcast this morning to share new trailers and details for Star Ocean: The Divine Force.

And you know what? It looks really good!

The characters’ faces look a little odd, but overall the new trailer is impressive.

In addition to the new trailer, they also released a video focusing on the characters and combat, and another showing the first 8 minutes of the story from Raymond’s perspective. You’ll be able to choose between either Raymond or Laeticia to follow as the main character.

Although the broadcast was only in Japanese, these videos were made available in English as well.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force will be out on October 27, and I’m definitely interested now.

(It will be available for pretty much everything except Switch, so maybe I shouldn’t have paired them for this post. Then again, maybe it balances it.)

What are your thoughts on the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase and the new details about Star Ocean: The Divine Force? Which games from the Direct are you most interested in?

Jun 272022
 

So Nintendo finally announced the next Nintendo Direct, but since we have another cluster of game showcases, I decided to consider this separate from the Not-E3 events instead of continuing them.

(It would be confusing to call this Not-E3 Round 2, though.)

Nintendo announced a Nintendo Direct Mini for tomorrow at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET. It is a Partner Showcase about upcoming third-party games.

So… not exactly the general Direct we were hoping for, but Partner Showcases can still include great announcements. (In retrospect, maybe I should have included Sony’s third-party showcase as part of Not-E3 after all.) I hope Bayonetta 3 is considered to be third-party, since a release date is still one of the main things I want announced.

Meanwhile, I will once again hope for Ace Attorney news!

The next day, on June 29, Square Enix is holding a broadcast about Star Ocean: The Divine Force at 4 AM PT / 7 AM ET, but I think will only be in Japanese, so I’ll wait until the details are translated.

Then when the weekend comes, Anime Expo 2022 begins. So far, three video game companies have announced Anime Expo 2022 showcases. Bandai Namco’s will be on July 1 at 8:30 PM PT / 11:30 PM ET, Aksys Games has a showcase on July 2 at 2:45 PM PT / 5:45 PM ET, and Spike Chunsoft follows on July 2 at 5:45 PM PT / 8:45 PM ET.

In the middle of the Anime Expo events, Square Enix will also have another broadcast, a DioField Chronicle live stream on July 2 at 4 AM PT / 7 AM ET.

All of those could potentially have exciting news, so I’m looking forward to them!

Which of these upcoming events are you most interested in? What announcements do you hope to see?

Jun 242022
 

It didn’t quite make the winter release window that was announced last year, but Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse Remastered is almost here!

Total Eclipse will be out in English for the first time on July 20. The release date was announced yesterday.

It is a Muv-Luv spin-off set during the events of Alternative that follows a test pilot named Yuuya who is assigned to a top-secret project and deals with conflicts with his new team members as well as international intrigue.

This remastered version is only the main story of Total Eclipse and does not include “Burning of the Imperial Capital,” or Teito Moyu, a prequel story that was part of the original Total Eclipse release.

However, all the way back in 2016, the Muv-Luv localization Kickstarter campaign announced that the extra funds would go toward translating Teito Moyu as well as another project. Here’s hoping those plans haven’t changed!

I’ve enjoyed the previous Muv-Luv releases, so I’m looking forward to Total Eclipse and whatever else they have in store for the future.