Last year in our recap of the Summer Game Fest 2025, Stranger Than Heaven left a lot of questions in its vague reveal trailer, originally titled “Project Century”. All was known was that the game took place in the early 1900s and a nameless character who appears to have a connection to the underworld of its era.

Over a year later and we now have fleshed out expectations of what Stranger Than Heaven is bringing for fans of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and their games. Originally a hesitant confirmation by series frontrunner Masayoshi Yokoyama, Stranger Than Heaven will follow the origins of the Tojo Clan by supposed founder, Makoto Daito.

In the trailer, we see Daito and close friend Yu Shinjo arriving in Japan by boat from America, who are surrounded by characters featured throughout the game, spanning five different eras from between 1915 to 1965. Throughout the different decades will also take the player through five cities, including the familiar Kamurocho and Sotenbori as seen in the Like A Dragon games.

Stranger Than Heaven features an exciting cast lineup of Yu Shirota, Dean Fujioka, Akio Otsuka (who previously voiced Koichi Adachi in Yakuza: Like A Dragon and Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth), rapper Snoop Dogg, and Ado—an up-and-coming singer who recently concluded a very successful world tour outside of Japan. Additionally, the game will feature a faithful rendering of a legendary late actor in the Yakuza genre, Bunta Sugawara, voiced by Takashi Ukaji.

Stranger Than Heaven Trailer

Stranger Than Heaven is due out in Winter 2026/2027, which a typical release window of previous Like A Dragon games. It will be available for Playstation 5, Xbox Series S|X (which will be a Day One release on Xbox Game Pass, including on PC) and Steam.

The post “Stranger Than Heaven” Shows Off Story Synopsys and Cast appeared first on Centaku Media.

Quick Impression:

I discovered this album during my initial discovery of vaporwave; specifically the future funk subgenre—smooth, rare samples, produced for fun by like-minded artists who appreciate music from the era of city pop and early 90’s house. Coral City’s intro compilation is definitely a must-listen if you enjoy new retro-wave and it’s adjacent styles.

Personal Hook:

You could say it’s all over the place, but it’s just. so. right. It does not disappoint as it moves from it’s smooth intro track (Welcome to Club Coral), to beat-heavy, catchy dance entries (The Refresher’s “About Girls”).

Artist Shoutout:

It was because of this album I discovered Skibblez (Azure) and My NamE (So I Dance) in furthering my discovery future funk in the mid-2010s.

Mood + Recommendation:

If you’re looking for something different and obscure to either unwind or get down, especially on the side of future funk, then look no further than Coral City – Volume 1. I totally recommend getting this on your PC or device to give it a listen. It is available on Bandcamp to obtain with a “Name Your Price” model—meaning the base price is $0: free for everyone! However, it is worth giving just a little if you can for the amazing effort put into this album! Check it out below!

The post Music Spotlight: Club Coral’s Coral City – Volume 1 appeared first on Centaku Media.

The first Final Fantasy XIV FanFest of 2026 recently held in North America in Anaheim, CA, revealed the next expansion in the series at the highly anticipated keynote with Evercold, kicking off a new story arc following the events of Endwalker released in 2021 and immediately kicking off following the conclusion of the previous expansion released in 2024, Dawntrail.

A lot of new information was revealed of what to expect in the upcoming expansion, due out in January 2027—a change from the usual release window of June-July as with the previous expansions, with the exception of Endwalker. In Evercold, the level cap will be raised from 100 to 110; players can expect a more simplified rotation system of skills to use during battle, as well as new features to cater to those who identify as casual players to allow for catching up on character progression.

Lastly, two new jobs were teased that will be further detailed at the next Final Fantasy XIV FanFests, the next one following the Anaheim stop will be held in Berlin, Germany on July 25 & 26. More details relating to Evercold will be revealed in Berlin, as well as the final stop in Japan at the Tokyo FanFest October 31-November 1.

One more announcement revealed during the Evercold reveal keynote was the upcoming alliance raid crossover. Where previous alliance raid themes were twists of previous Final Fantasy games such as the Final Fantasy XI crossover in the post-Dawntrail patches; the next one will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, titled: “Ghosts of Desire”.

For those who are readers of Centaku Media, check out the video posted by our very own VTuber, Nakaichi, of their reaction to the Evercold trailer reveal!

[Source: Square Enix Press Release]

The post Final Fantasy XIV’s “Evercold” Expansion: What We Know So Far from the Anaheim FanFest appeared first on Centaku Media.

The Pokémon Presents stream revealed three new games coming for the Switch, Switch 2, and even on mobile devices for iOS and Android. One of them is the reveal of a title that was previously teased prior to the launch of the Switch 2: Pokémon Champions. To many, it’s a throwback to the era of Pokémon Stadium!

Pokémon Champions was previously announced during Nintendo’s Pokémon Day 2025 livestream on February 27. During the July 2025 stream, a trailer launched with an estimated release date, which turned out to be April 8, 2026.

Original Announcement Trailer

The game features multiple game modes from Private and Ranked battles, as well as formats for battling with single or double Pokémon. Additionally, you can use personally captured Pokémon using the Pokémon Home services from previously released Pokémon games that uses the service. Otherwise, a team can be constructed through a recruit feature similar to rentals in Pokémon Stadium. Players can crossplay between the Switch and mobile devices.

Pokémon Champions looks to close the gap since the release of Pokémon Stadium 2 on the Nintendo 64 and Pokémon Colosseum on the Gamecube for those who prefer to have a battle-focused Pokémon game. Although Sword and Shield and Scarlet and Violet have served it’s purpose during the era of the first Switch, it’s exciting to see a stand-alone Pokémon battle game for the first time in 20 years! It will also be used in future live Pokémon championship events, replacing the current gen Pokémon games such as Scarlet & Violet.

Pokémon Champions Overview Trailer

Pokémon Champions is now available on both Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. The game will be available for iOS and Android devices later in 2026.

[Source: Pokemon Channel]

The post Reminder: Pokémon Champions is Now Available appeared first on Centaku Media.

Nakaichi kicks off a longer playthrough of Final Fantasy VIII, a second masterpiece of Square Enix’s PS1 era Final Fantasy games originally released in 1999. This is Nakaichi’s second time playing through after an ill-fated attempt in the early 2000s leaving them without many options for recovery after arriving on the fourth and final disk. Over 25 years later, it’s time the finish what was started.

Part 1 launched on May 1st, with new episodes planned every Wednesdays and Fridays at 1 PM EDT. The entirety of our Final Fantasy VIII Let’s Play will be posted to the playlist above. Also note that this is the Steam version originally released in 2013, and NOT the Remastered version released in 2019.

Here is the summary of Final Fantasy VIII:

It is a time of war.

Galbadia, a Global Superpower, has declared war on Dollet, a country whose training academy is home to two personalities: the hot-headed Seifer and the ‘lone wolf’, Squall Leonhart. Both are equally at conflict with each other as their country is with Galbadia; to others, Squall appears lacking in team spirit, while Seifer lacks the discipline of his rival. However, a chance encounter with the free-spirited Rinoa Heartilly turns Squall’s universe upside down; having thrived on discipline, Squall find the carefree Rinoa fascinating. He also begins to dream that he is Laguna Loire, a Galbadian army soldier…

Meanwhile, a sorceress manipulates the most powerful men in Galbadia. Will Squall and his party succeed in defeating this maniacal sorceress and saving their world?

What part does the mysterious Laguna play? Only you can decide what happens next, as the greatest Role Playing Adventure of all time returns…

Be sure to follow Centaku Media on Twitch and make sure notifications are turned on! ICYMI, subscribe to the VOD channel on YouTube for our gameplay archives of past streams. Join our Discord server and follow us on Instagram and TikTok for stream and content updates. Subscribe to our main YouTube channel for stream highlights and original, exclusive videos.

The post New on Centaku Media: Final Fantasy VIII (Let’s Play) appeared first on Centaku Media.

Keeping the energy from our first Let’s Play project, Nakaichi is currently playing through Mirror’s Edge, which was released by EA and DICE in 2008 for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. 18 years after it’s release, Nakaichi goes down memory lane, revisiting a game that sadly was not very well received despite it’s cool mix of parkour and high-adrenaline action.

Part 1 launched on April 10th, with new episodes planned every Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 1 PM EDT. The entirety of our Mirror’s Edge Let’s Play will be posted to the playlist above.

Here is the summary of Mirror’s Edge:

In a city where information is heavily monitored, agile couriers called Runners transport sensitive data away from prying eyes. In this seemingly utopian paradise, a crime has been committed, your sister has been framed and now you are being hunted. You are a Runner called Faith and this innovative first-person action-adventure is your story.

Mirror’s Edge delivers you straight into the shoes of this unique heroine as she traverses the vertigo-inducing cityscape, engaging in intense combat and fast paced chases. With a never before seen sense of movement and perspective, you will be drawn into Faith’s world. A world that is visceral, immediate, and very dangerous.

Live or die? Soar or plummet? One thing is certain, in this city you will learn how to run. From the makers of the groundbreaking Battlefield franchise, Mirror’s Edge is an action-adventure experience unlike any other.

Be sure to follow Centaku Media on Twitch and make sure notifications are turned on! ICYMI, subscribe to the VOD channel on YouTube for our gameplay archives of past streams. Join our Discord server and follow us on Instagram and TikTok for stream and content updates. Subscribe to our main YouTube channel for stream highlights and original, exclusive videos.

The post New on Centaku Media: Mirror’s Edge (Let’s Play) appeared first on Centaku Media.

Those who prefer to binge all available episodes can do so now, thanks to the playlist I made of all 8 parts of our playthrough:

If you’re curious of the next LP project that our VTuber, Nakaichi is working on, here are a few hints:

• The game was released in 2008
• The game has a sequel released 8 years later that even Nakaichi has yet to play!
• The attached picture is from the game cover featuring the main character

Stay tuned this Friday at 1 PM for the launch of the next Let’s Play series on the Centaku Media channel on YouTube!

Additionally, I’m starting a longer LP series, which will be the first for the channel. The only hint I can provide is that it’s a PS1 entry of a long-running J-RPG franchise that I haven’t played in at least 20+ years. Lastly, there might be a tweak at the end of the month depending on how productive I am with working on episodes. But as of April 8th, all LP uploads will be on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1 PM ET.

The post Blurb: Centaku Media Let’s Play Project: Series 2 Teaser appeared first on Centaku Media.