Operation Backlog Completion 2026
Mar 272026
 

We’ve got a strange assortment of topics to talk about today, so let’s start with Stranger Than Heaven.

As we discussed on Monday, yesterday’s Xbox Partner Preview was announced as having “an in-depth look” at Stranger Than Heaven.

Well, it wasn’t quite an in-depth look.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when it turned out to be a single trailer along with the announcement that an actual deep dive will be coming on May 6 at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET. The trailer did explicitly confirm multiple eras, however, so that’s something new we learned.

In fact, it confirms 5 eras (1915, 1929, 1943, 1951, and 1965) and 5 cities, so it sounds like it will be a pretty big game. The 1965 shot in the trailer also clearly shows Kamurocho.

The trailer didn’t answer most of my questions, though, since I really want to know more about the story. I’m intrigued by what was shown, but hopefully the May 6 broadcast will show a lot more.

Moving on, this morning was the Blue Reflection broadcast announced last week, and although I didn’t watch it live, I woke up eager to find out what the news was.

(Actually, I woke up yesterday eager to see what the news was, too, because I misremembered it as being on the 26th, but anyway…)

There was a new announcement, although not a whole new game like I hoped. They announced Blue Reflection Quartet for the Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PC, a collection that includes Blue Reflection and Blue Reflection: Second Light as well as a game version of Blue Reflection: Ray (the anime) that tells “the climactic arc of the anime” with 3D exploration in the Common and a console version of Blue Reflection: Sun (the mobile game) with the main story adapted alongside new characters stories.

It will be out on July 30, although it’s a digital-only release in the West.

Some additional information from the live stream and website, translated and summarized by fans on Reddit, includes the fact that the first game will be censored slightly compared to its original release, which is disappointing.

Still, I’m interested in the Ray and Sun content included in this collection, so I’ll probably get it eventually. In the meantime, I hope this collection is build-up to a full third game, and not a sign that the series is over.

Finally, let’s talk briefly about the Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream demo. The demo came out on Wednesday, so I downloaded it that evening and tried it out, and I had a blast. There isn’t much to do in the demo, only create 3 Miis and go through a few basic tasks with them, but I played it for the whole evening and woke up wishing there was more demo content. I’m already itching for the full release after that little taste. If you’re curious about Tomodachi Life, definitely try the demo.

April 16 can’t come fast enough. I’d better get to work on my backlog so Tomodachi Life doesn’t shove all my partly-completed games out of the way. At least it’s the sort of game best played in short bursts between other games (is what I could say more confidently if I hadn’t played the demo for literal hours despite its tiny amount of content).

So, how do you feel about Stranger Than Heaven, Blue Reflection Quartet, and the Tomodachi Life demo?

Mar 232026
 

There’s going to be an Xbox Partner Preview on March 26 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, and one of its featured games will be Stranger Than Heaven.

Stranger Than Heaven, in case you’ve forgotten, is the upcoming new game from RGG Studio originally revealed under the working title Project Century before being given its official title.

We’ve seen two trailers for it so far, one set in 1915 and one set in 1943.

Both have been scant on details, so there are a lot of different theories right now. Personally, I’m a fan of the theory that the protagonist is immortal and the game will follow him in different eras across 100 years (hence “Project Century”). Other people think it could actually be set in the Yakuza universe and be a prequel story leading up to the formation of the Tojo Clan.

(Then there are the Daidoji theories, but let’s not get into that.)

Well, between the Xbox Partner Showcase having “an in-depth look” at Stranger Than Heaven and an official Twitter account appearing for the game, it sounds like we should be getting a lot of answers soon. Even if the preview only takes a look at gameplay, it can’t be too much longer before we learn what the game is actually about.

All the controversy surrounding Kiwami 3 left me with negative feelings, so here’s hoping Stranger Than Heaven looks fantastic and lays any lingering fears to rest.

What do you think we’ll see from Stranger Than Heaven on Thursday?

Dec 272024
 

One of the most exciting announcements for me from the Game Awards is also the most mysterious – Project Century.

A new game from RGG Studio, the developers of the Yakuza series, Project Century has received almost no information beyond the initial reveal trailer.

(Sega hasn’t even posted the trailer themselves.)

Most of what we know is the little we can glean from the trailer – it’s set in 1915, appears to take place in a Japanese city, and features brawler combat that looks even more brutal than that in the Yakuza series. At a couple points, we see the protagonist fighting with weapons; at another point, he attacks with a bottle and then performs another attack using the broken bottle as well.

In between the fighting, the trailer also has a short clip that shows him escorting a woman, although whether that hints at some sort of date mechanics or a story sequence or something else entirely is too much to guess from such a short section.

The protagonist wears a jacket (probably a happi coat, though I’m no expert) that features the logo and name of a company, “Yashima Boueki Kaisha,” or “Japan Trade Company,” which Sega recently filed trademarks for.

We got a closer look at the protagonist’s coat when RGG Studio tweeted a picture of Snoop Dogg wearing it, and studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama tweeted a picture of himself wearing it as well. This could imply Snoop Dogg will play a character in the game, although we don’t have enough information to say that for sure.

Finally, one thing that stands out to me from the trailer is that at the end when it shows the working title “Project Century” alongside the protagonist, we can see he has very vividly blue eyes. They almost glow, although it could be a stylistic effect, since we never get a look at his face during the trailer proper. Either way, the blue eyes still stand out to me. Is the protagonist only part Japanese, maybe?

Since the reveal, fans of come up with all sorts of theories. Some think it’s an entirely new IP, while others think it could be set in the same universe as the Yakuza series. (It’s worth remembering that Judgment was first revealed under the working title “Project Judge.”) People have guessed that it could show the origins of the Tojo Clan, or possibly the Omi Alliance, since 1915 would line up with the Omi Alliance’s origins. Others thought this could be a historical spin-off starring an ancestor of Yagami, from Judgment.

A handful of new details have now been shared online, the most important of which are that the protagonist is not based on a specific actor and that all our theories are wrong.

Yes, apparently Yokoyama said he’s seen the theories about Project Century and they’re wrong.

Considering the sheer number of theories people have suggested, it’s impossible for them all to be wrong (ex. it’s either connected to the Yakuza series or it isn’t; those can’t both be wrong), so it’s probably safe to interpret that as meaning the most popular theories bandied about since the trailer are incorrect.

It makes me wonder if it could be something entirely different from what we’ve been thinking. Maybe it’s an alternate history or another world, something wild that doesn’t fit with what we think we know.

Whatever the case may be, I’m looking forward to when we finally learn more about Project Century. What do you expect from this mysterious new game?