Operation Backlog Completion 2026
Aug 052024
 

As announced, we got new information about Fate/Extra Record over the weekend, and it looks great!

Fate/Extra Record will be out on Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC in 2025, published by Bandai Namco.

(An English version still hasn’t been officially confirmed, and the old website now objects to a new one with no English option that I see. Still, it seems likely that it will come out in English eventually.)

Getting back to the trailer itself, the game looks great. Combat has been changed to a deck-building turn-based system, while the original used a rock-paper-scissors system where you had to select a sequence of actions for each turn that would then be matched against the enemy’s actions. This new system is quite a change, but it looks fun.

And this wasn’t the only Fate related news the weekend brought us.

Fate/stay night Remastered, which we were so excited to learn about earlier this year, will be out on August 8 for Switch and PC. It only costs $29.99, and it’s digital-only. That surprised me, since both Witch on the Holy Night and Tsukihime got physical versions.

Finally, its sequel Fate/hollow ataraxia has been announced for a remaster as well, also for Switch and PC. No release date was announced, but an English release has already been confirmed. There has been some theorizing that both remasters might be eventually bundled for a physical release.

I’ve been hovering on the fringes of the Fate series for a while now, so I’m excited by all of these developments. How do you feel about the latest Fate announcements?

Jul 312024
 

We’ve got a bit of an odd post today.

When we discussed the insane Nintendo Direct that included tons of exciting game announcements, one I only mentioned in passing was Fairy Tail 2.

At the time, I mentioned that I was interested in it because I enjoy Gust’s turn-based RPGs.

So you can imagine how surprised I was today when the latest Fairy Tail 2 screenshots were described by news sites as being from the upcoming action RPG. I thought it was a mistake until I visited Steam and saw its genre listed as both “Action” and “RPG.”

The description also says, “The battle system has been completely redesigned from the previous game, implementing real-time battles that are even more flashy and impactful.”

Now that I look back at the trailer, the narrator does say “engage in real-time battles” when combat is shown, but that section looks like turn-based combat to me. All the enemies are standing still as if it’s the player’s turn!

At the time, I think I just assumed it was a fast-paced ATB system along the lines of the one in Atelier Ryza. For the record, none of the Ryza games have “Action” listed as their genre on Steam. On the other hand, neither does Nights of Azure, despite that being an action RPG.

So in short, I have no idea. It looks like a turn-based RPG to me, it’s being called an action RPG, the specific mention of real-time battles seems to support that, and yet its combat system hasn’t been shown or described in enough detail to make it clear. Of all the “is this upcoming RPG turn-based or action” debates we’ve had, this might be the funniest.

Here’s hoping the next look at Fairy Tail 2 will show enough combat to clear up the confusion!

Jul 242024
 

It’s been four years since Type-Moon announced Fate/Extra Record, a remake of the PSP RPG Fate/Extra.

I’ve been interested in Fate/Extra ever since I played Fate/Extella, which takes place after it, so I was excited to hear it was being remade.

Getting more into the extended universe they all share after I played Witch on the Holy Night just made me more interested.

(I’ve also picked up the Tsukihime remake, although I haven’t played it yet.)

I’m not sure if they ever directly announced an English release of the remake, but the official website has had an English version from the start, so that’s at least a soft confirmation.

They’ve been pretty quiet since the announcement, with only tiny pieces of information here and there, but they recently announced that more information will be coming on August 4 during Fate/Grand Order Fes 2024.

While this might be an announcement of an announcement, I’m happy to know news is coming soon. I’ve got my fingers crossed we’ll get platform confirmations and maybe see some more gameplay.

Are you interested in Fate/Extra Record?