Sony Interactive Entertainment and Santa Monica Studio revealed new information about their upcoming action game God of War Laufey, sharing the pre-order goodies, the Digital Deluxe Edition details, and more.

God of War Laufey Pre-Order Bonuses

Pre-orders are now officially live for God of War Laufey, and if recent pre-orders are anything to go by, you’ll likely need to pay around PHP 500 to secure a standard physical copy of the game at local retail stores in the Philippines.

Pre-ordering, either for the physical copy or digitally, will reward you with these bonuses:

• Last Wish Armor Set

• Phranque Golden Leaves Appearance (cosmetic) 

• In-game resource pack

God of War Laufey Digital Deluxe Edition Details

If you want more out of your purchase of the game, the Digital Deluxe Edition gives you more cosmetics and other bonuses, including access to the game’s digital mini artbook and official soundtrack.

The God of War Laufey Digital Deluxe Edition contains:

• Dark Alchemy Armor Set

• Dark Alchemy Blade

• Dark Alchemy Bow Scales

• Dark Alchemy Catalyst

• In-game resource pack

• Digital Mini Artbook

• Official God of War Laufey Digital Soundtrack

In the official post, we are given details of one of Laufey’s weapons, the Serpent Bow. She can fire either from the hip or while aiming, and will feature different arrow types.

All pretty vague and expected when bows are concerned, but it’s clear it’s not just a ranged weapon but another tool for extending combos. What’s interesting about the post is how players can customize her arsenal, as she can customize her blade and bow not only for looks but also for the element attached to those weapons.

They then also mention different Catalysts, which will feature different perks and effects. All pretty vague, but we are slowly getting an idea of how God of War Laufey will play.

God of War Laufey launches on the PS5 on February 16, 2027.

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

This weekend was a renewed focus on Onimusha: Way of the Sword, an action game where I am now 20 hours in and realizing that this is a solid Game of the Year contender. Each time I progress through Musashi’s journey of ridding the world of the demons pouring out of Hell, I’m realizing that Capcom didn’t take any shortcuts when reviving one of their classic IPs. They reinvigorated it to a point that it’s capable of standing alongside their top franchises. Some thoughts.

The Effects of Onimusha Parrying

There’s a lot popping out from the overall presentation to even how the game feels when playing it. Everything about the game makes me appreciate Capcom’s level of detail, and the importance of the game’s parry system, which is simple on paper but effective thanks to how it is displayed on the screen.

Way of the Sword has simple controls where you have a fast attack, a heavy attack, dodge, block, and blocking at the moment an attack would land triggers a parry. Simple stuff as far as action games are concerned, but the delivery brings everything about Musashi’s arsenal to the next level.

Parrying is a spectacle in itself as Musashi can parry most attacks, and when you execute it successfully, you are rewarded with Musashi’s expertise with the katana. A parry on a boss or even small enemies has unique animations, and successful parries reduce the enemy’s stance bar. When reduced to zero, it allows the player to execute a painful attack that comes with a satisfying animation of the main protagonist dishing out a punishing blow to an enemy. Parry an attack from behind and you get a slow-mo parry of him deflecting it without turning his back, while certain attacks that are parried see Musashi redirecting the flow of the enemy blade to leave them exposed for a chain of attacks.

The sound of the blade clashing during a parry, the sparkle seen between the blades clashing, and the camera angle that slightly shifts to add more focus to the parry, all of it makes a timely press of the block button make you feel like a winner, a feeling that actually helps build momentum during difficult encounters.

It’s nothing like The Blood of the Dawnwalker or even Wolverine, both recent games I played that focus on melee encounters, with both also having the ability to parry. Wolverine has parry but can get lost in the chaos of attacks you can unleash as Logan, while Dawnwalker does have more weight, but nothing like I described with Way of the Sword.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword Has Game of the Year Potential

Onimusha: Way of the Sword would have felt like a completely different game if the parrying didn’t have this much detail when executed properly. It truly shines during boss fights as we get these unique animations, and Onimusha’s parry also has two versions of it, with one being more rewarding for doing so as it’s a tiny bit harder to execute since it involves two buttons instead of one.

Then, we have Musashi, a Capcom protagonist that is just pouring with so much personality in both the game’s cutscenes and in combat. The facial animations of the game’s protagonist are so defined that you know when he’s struggling, confused, or irritated. Musashi is seen mostly blowing on his open main sword hand before a fight, and dealing a massive horizontal blow that would result in cutting a demon in half can sometimes see him lose his balance just a bit. The way he moves, reacts, and stays idle as others converse stands out more than other protagonists, making it hard not to notice these types of mannerisms.

This is quite an impressive delivery from Capcom, as the Onimusha franchise has been dormant for years, and they could have easily released a new title and just marked it as the company’s version of the soulslike formula. But no, they intentionally avoided that path to deliver an action game closer to the original games, and I believe they succeeded in doing this. More importantly, they did it while making it challenging, as this game can kick your ass, especially in boss fights. It’s not on the same level of difficulty as Elden Ring, where you can stay on a boss for hours or days, but you will need numerous tries to get some attacks memorized to win a fight.

There’s more I can say about Way of the Sword, but I’ll save it for the full review, as I am so close, and honestly wish it won’t end any time soon.

How was your weekend?

Respawn Monday #12: Why Beast of Reincarnation Felt Rough at the Start

Respawn Monday #13: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Long Weekend

Respawn Monday #14: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Beta and my Return to R6

Respawn Monday #15: How Time Works in The Blood of Dawnwalker

Respawn Monday #16: Jean Fart Gas and Onimusha Goodness

Respawn Monday #17: Still Processing the Madness that is Control: Resonant

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

I’ll never forget that fateful day in 1997 when my Grandma came to visit from the States and brought over a copy of StarFox 64, complete with the Rumble Pak. I was ten years old at the time, and my love for this on-rails, mission-based arcade space shooter quickly turned to obsession. I scoured for fanfic and fanart on the early Internet and joined videogame forums in part because of my love for the original StarFox 64 and desire to seek out games like it.

StarFox 64, for the uninitiated, sees you piloting the experimental Arwing starfighter as Fox McCloud, head of the titular mercenary team, in a quest to retake the Lylat System from exiled mad scientist Andross, a Planet of the Apes Dr. Zaius wannabe reject who nevertheless has shown great genius in turning the tables of the Cornerian Army and enslaving the solar system, populating planets with on-rails and all-range levels, unique foes, and troublesome and iconic boss fights.

One of Nintendo’s Most Memorable and Iconic Translations

My younger brother was watching closely and internalized the majesty of StarFox 64 on an even deeper level, going so far as to call Fox McCloud, a confident leader who takes up his late father’s mantle to risk it all in saving the entire Lylat System, the modern epitome of the heroic archetype. But it’s not just the furry and feathered team who are exceptionally well-realized and voice-acted.

The localization of StarFox 64 is as flawless as its over-the-top performances, walking a fine line between campy and theatrical. So how do you follow that up? Turns out, they never did. The subsequent writing, puns, and acting never topped this title. And you can’t fault either Nintendo, Rare, Bandai Namco, or Platinum Games, who all made progressively less successful sequels. They honestly did their best with what they were given (not enough time or money). 

And after nearly three decades, one of which is dormant, imagine being a game developer tasked by Nintendo to accomplish the impossible: reboot StarFox 64 for a new generation. One might think that perhaps trying to top StarFox 64 might appear to be a fool’s errand. I am extremely grateful to Velan Studios for taking on this challenge and not just delivering on but blowing away fan expectations with a remake that faithfully captures nearly everything iconic about the original StarFox 64, delivering on its promise in surprising ways.

One of the Greatest Space Dogfight Archetypes

StarFox 64 is not just my favorite videogame. It is one of the greatest works of art mankind has ever produced, top to bottom, succeeding in every element a game can excel at - gameplay, story, design, music, sound design, and as an entertainment package on the whole. I’ll die on that hill, as I have been for almost thirty years now. To wit, Nintendo, seeing the buying power of the Millennial parents in Universal Studios and LEGO sales data, have inevitably decided to trot out Fox McCloud for one more Lylat War tour.

I was over the moon at this sudden announcement in the form of a random mid-week Nintendo Direct, long-rumored but much anticipated. Watching the reveal on my phone in the middle of a work day, it took me all of five seconds to forgive Nintendo for remaking my all-time favorite videogame rather than giving us a new entry. Why shouldn’t we have a modern HD remake of StarFox 64, given the technical state it was in, with it being prone to bouts of slowdown?

But Isn’t the Slowdown Part of the Charm and Challenge?

My main question then became whether this new StarFox could retain 64’s pace and rhythm without certain quirks, like the very specific weight to Arwing movement and the iconic slowdown that was a result of the N64’s limitations but made certain very clutch situations doable. To this end, Velan Studios are acquitted by more clear timing windows thanks to a silky smooth 60fps gameplay and extremely responsive controls that can thankfully be customized, so you can swap the Y and B buttons for quicker button travel time when performing aerial maneuvers. The cut-scenes run at 30fps, but that’s barely noticeable.

Somersaults and U-turns can now also be activated with a single button press on the d-pad, a very welcome addition. I actually think that most tough time-based challenge maneuvers feel easier to pull off reliably here, as I remember the slow framerate really getting in the way of my reliably activating the Meteos and Sector X warps in the original. Not only can you go into cockpit mode again, but you can stop the screen from flipping whenever you turn. Instead, the HUD moves to indicate your position. It’s a brilliant move that makes first-person flying actually feasible for once.

Growing up, my brother and I didn’t know about the whole advanced scoring system where you’re supposed to use unlocked charged shots on surfaces to get an additional bonus hit, but even so, I think we got scores in the 1,600-1,800 range. That is very achievable here even without min-maxing, as I managed near 1,400 on my first go-around, on a suboptimal pathway, and felt that I was just beginning to see the ceiling of what was possible, score-wise, with this new game.

In terms of other changes, you need to actually lose Slippy on Sector X now in order to change course to Titania. Also, restarting a level will not utilize any of your extra lives, which somewhat blunts the challenge. I wish there were a way to turn this off to preserve the original game’s challenge, but that’s a very minor nitpick. 

Is This More the Fantastic Mr. Star Fox, or “A Fox In Space”?

The primary new addition to the game are fully-voiced cut-scenes that take place between levels and show off both the decisions Fox and company must make, as well as flesh out the characters themselves. The visuals have been updated to more closely resemble the SNES ads and promotional material, evoking a more animalistic style, and therefore a more grounded presentation, that may be kind of an acquired taste. While I would have been happy to see a more StarFox Assault-like art style, this isn’t badly realized. I feel like future entries might want to tweak certain details, but New York-based developer Velan Studios wisely limits the models’ movements and emphasizes facial expressions, restricting between-mission cinematics mostly to the bridge of the Great Fox mothership. The cinematic intros and exits to each level are rendered faithfully as well, with some new camera angles that really show off the world they’ve recreated and built up, adding fresh new details here and there to really sell it all.

My sole complaint with this game is that some of the most iconic sequences just don’t hit the same. The ending of Katina is perhaps the most egregious. In the original game, once you downed the Saucerer boss, there was a break in the soundtrack, and Bill would yell out “Yee-haw! You did it!” as everyone scrambled to avoid the ship exploding in a screen-blinding blast. The entire fight felt bigger in the original StarFox 64, despite way worse graphics. The ending of Macbeth was also a little dampened, as the track switch happens rather quickly and loses its once-awesome cinematic power. 

But most of all, Andross’ voice is very different to the point of being jarring, and he sounds less like a cunning manipulator and more like a Saturday morning cartoon villain. There’s also a crucial moment at the very end of Venom 2 that simply doesn’t hit the same way. Fox also seems more like a heartless mercenary towards General Pepper now, somewhat trivializing the seriousness of their mission. In any case, it’s really not too bad overall, but worth mentioning because it does harsh the vibe a little, especially because otherwise, the Star Fox team is excellently realized.

More Than Just A Fresh Coat of Glossy Paint

While the core gameplay experience is faithfully recreated, some may lament that StarFox doesn’t include any new single-player levels. Count me in with that crowd, as I think that Velan have shown that they’re more than capable of playing in this universe, and I’d love to see some DLC down the line.

In the meantime, what they have included are a few nice easter eggs. There’s a Challenge mode now, where you can replay already beaten levels and take on certain challenges (such as down X amount of a certain type of enemy, make it through a certain section without taking damage, etc.). These add significantly to the replay value, especially the Expert Mode challenges, which are nothing to shake a stick at. I am still working on Expert Mode medals and challenges, and that says something regarding their relative difficulty, which requires mastery.

The game also supports couch co-op play, with one player taking on the role of the pilot and the other functioning as the gunner, each using a different Joy-Con controller. This was a great way to introduce my son to the game, as we would take turns on the different roles. I can see people try-harding this method to achieve high scores, as the ability to move independently of your reticle opens up way more opportunities. I tried playing this mouse mode alone, but the awkward button placement on the Joy-Con and reliance on using the mouse Joy-Con buttons to pull off aerial maneuvers such as boosting and braking made it tough for my hands. Perhaps if Nintendo one day released a proper Joy-Con mouse with programmable buttons a la the Razer Naga, I could see myself seriously attempting a solo mouse mode run.

Additionally, there’s the Holoviewer, which acts as an in-game art gallery and dossier with unlockable content, providing information on the ships, the pilots, and the world in general.

The newly recorded soundtrack provides the game’s score the operatic heft that it was always reaching for, and even adding vocal accents to certain key battles for a final gut punch of dramatic effect.

Split-Screen Multiplayer - Not At Launch, But Coming Soon

September’s Nintendo Direct confirmed three very welcome new maps for the multiplayer mode, as well as the addition of local split-screen multiplayer, which I was hoping would be there right from the start. In any case, it’s great to know that StarFox will continue to be supported via updates, because the multiplayer mode is quite simply excellent. While I did enjoy the original multiplayer on a basic level, in that you could unlock both the Landmaster tank and on-foot fighters, the maps were bland and had the characteristic N64 fog, and an update was sorely needed.

Nintendo and Velan Studios redesigned the multiplayer from the ground-up to be a 4 VS 4 team battle, with gameplay modes unique to each of the three released maps. All of them are worth playing, and all have been a blast to play online or offline, whether with friends or randos. You’ll pick up power-ups, attempt to hold key zones, shoot down your foes, and tactically plan your approaches and exits, keeping track of everyone on the map as best as you can. It’s a fun and frantic time and I recommend it highly to those who love dogfighting games.

The multiplayer also has the ability to utilize the Nintendo Switch 2 camera in a unique way, by tracking your facial movements and mapping them onto your in-game character. It’s a fun addition especially for GameChat, but despite picking a camera up on sale, I haven’t really taken the time to mess with it.

The N64’s Most Timeless Classic Improved In Nearly Every Way

I was skeptical at first, but StarFox won me over in so many ways. I fell in love with my favorite game all over again, and in ways that I never expected. StarFox delivers a fast, fun, frantic, and focused arcade shooting experience, preserving and in many ways enhancing what makes it timeless, unique, and singular in the highly technical on-rails shooter genre. There has been no game from my childhood as worthy or in need of such a loving remaster as this one, and while the jury’s out on the presentation and cinematic scenes, every one of the gameplay tweaks has been for the better.

Literally the only thing that could make this better for me would be slightly tweaked cinematics, and the addition of DLC levels, perhaps even remastered versions of the levels from the original StarFox, or even StarFox 2. And who knows? If this sells well, maybe we’ll even get more of Fox McCloud’s adventures (especially seeing as how the GameCube classic StarFox Adventures was just released on the NSO service). A guy can dream.

Verdict: 5 / 5 (Exceptional)

PROS

• Faithfully recreated gameplay and levels now run at 60fps with much better draw distance and consistent performance

• Excellently reimagined multiplayer mode with 3 fun levels and 3 more yet to come

• Additional challenges for both Normal and Expert Mode playthroughs encourage mastery and extend the playtime

• Delightful new recording of the soundtrack enhances the epic vibe

CONS

• Some of the game’s key cut-scenes and iconic moments just don’t hit the same

• Not everyone will be on board with all of the character redesigns and changed dialogue

What I’ve Played

•  Played about 10 hours of the Campaign and 7 hours of multiplayer

• Got all medals on Normal Mode, 10 on Expert Mode

• Beat all Normal Mode challenges, still working on Expert Mode challenges

About the Author - Joseph Choi

Filipino-American gamer, professional shepherd and farmer, author, and filmmaker/videographer living in Central California. First consoles were the Game Boy and Sega Genesis, and I've been gaming since then, with a focus on Nintendo and Sony consoles.

I’ve spent over 40 hours with Control: Resonant, and what I said in my review-in-progress remains true. This is easily my favorite title from Remedy Entertainment, as the world of the unexplained paranatural continues to pull me in. The final act of the game was a visual overload and a flex of Remedy’s ability to create complex level designs and turn them into a fun open-world playground. 

*This serves as the second part of my review of Control: Resonant. The review-in-progress covers all other aspects of the game from gameplay, traversal, more context on narrative and characters, to the performance and visuals seen in the game. This finalizes the review with a verdict and adds more about the game that I observed in the second half of the game, spoiler-free.

If you want my full opinion of the game, check out the Control: Resonant Review-in-progress

The world of Control is a fascinating one, as this isn’t about good or evil, or a protagonist going against an antagonist with destructive goals. Control: Resonant is all about humans being thrown multiple curveballs at once when it comes to what’s real and what is possible. It’s a conflict and change we just so happen to be in the middle of, and we are all trying to understand it just enough to survive. 

Half the time, characters are just dumbfounded by what's happening, then seconds later accept what’s in front of them and move on to how to deal with it. Be it an entity that speaks in riddles and influences people near it, a mold endlessly growing and mind controlling those who eat it, or something else entirely, it’s all weird and fun to see through as I slowly grew to enjoy the idea of the Objects of Power and the entities that weirdly find their way into our own reality. 

The funny thing about this world is that it’s not that hard to follow when everyone around you is just as confused. Each time Dylan explores something new, he reports back to his handler Zoe, and it’s mostly her either reassuring him that it's normal, even when it's not, and that they knew about it, or being completely shocked by what we found. It’s a nice back and forth between a person that was imprisoned for years and a representative of an agency that specializes in these sorts of situations. 

A Backstory that Didn’t Do Anything Different

During the second half, we get a deeper understanding of the Faden siblings and their role in what is happening to the city. It doesn’t necessarily explore new ground, as sci-fi enthusiasts will see similar beats to popular shows and other games, making it a bit of a letdown, as I was hoping for a more unique backstory to support Dylan and Jesse Faden’s history with the government organization known as the FBC. 

Control: Resonant tries to carefully balance its story beats to not completely feel overwhelming, but still feel a bit relatable to some degree. It really helps that most characters are just as dumbfounded as Dylan and us, as no one has a clear understanding of everything that’s happening. It felt like we are all learning as we go, and that helped when taking in this world and accepting each beat that occurs. 

I’m Not Stuck in With You, You are Stuck Here with Me!

Beyond story beats, I really enjoyed my time with the game, as doing all the side activities with fun narratives kept me looking around well after the credits rolled. 

Combat evolved to the point where I could really flex, as the later parts of the game felt trivial, going from dying every now and then due to being overwhelmed to mopping the floor of every enemy I encountered. 

Even the final encounters were not a big challenge, but were more of a spectacle to witness. The enemy designs, especially the Resonant bosses, are a good mix of modern, weird, and body horror, showcasing Remedy’s specialty. While I was hoping for a big challenge towards the end, it didn’t diminish the overall experience, as the whole experience was a fun spectacle and a nice final act to all the weirdness. 

The exploration of what’s possible in Dylan’s builds continued right into the final section of the game, where the resource to reset talent points and skills became one of the most valuable resources you can obtain. 

The Final Location was Insane

The final location in the game was insane to navigate and is a twisted space that encapsulates the uniqueness of this world. I don’t want to spoil it but it utilizes the concept of gravity manipulation and the many traversals that give Dylan full control of his movement either on the ground or while in the air. It was a trippy space that was fun to understand and navigate. It was such a big highlight, and confirmed my decision of delaying my full review because this section was worth taking in at my own pace.

I couldn’t recommend Control: Resonant enough, especially to those coming off either Alan Wake 2 or Control. This sequel captures Remedy’s unique specialty in the video game space, as there’s no other studio that can deliver a sci-fi world like Control. 

It may look a bit too much visually, which is a reasonable reaction, as it sometimes feels like the game is set inside a kaleidoscope. There are certainly moments where the visual overload can be a lot to take in, and the story doesn't always reach the same heights as its strange world. By the end, I had also become powerful enough to make most encounters feel trivial. 

But it grows on you, as once you give it a chance, it can easily be one of your favorite open-world action games that doesn’t involve magic or the supernatural. Sometimes, just accepting something that can’t be explained isn’t always a bad thing.

Verdict: 4.5 / 5 (Near Exceptional)

PROS

• Amazing level design and fun use of Dylan’s movement abilities.

• Captivating visual designs in both enemy designs, bosses, and certain environments only the Control series can deliver.

• Freedom of choosing your combat style is present early on and encourages experimentation.

• Dylan and Zoe are a likeable pair that serves as the perfect guide to the weird.

CONS

• Backstory of Dylan is significant but doesn’t explore anything new in the sci-fi space.

• Frame rates can dip randomly during busy moments in combat.

• Bosses are more of a visual spectacle than a challenge to overcome.

What I’ve Played 

• Finished the main story after 40 hours of play

• Explored New Game+ for a few hours

• Cleared most side stories and have leveled up each area to at least level 5

*This review is based on a PS5 review copy provided to the reviewer

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

Xbox gave us the second major update of the ongoing Xbox reset and it’s a rough one as 268 employees have been affected across various studios.

Xbox's Latest Restructuring Changes

Here's a snapshot of the reorganization:

• - World's Edge and Rare will move under Activision. Nearly half of World's Edge was reportedly laid off.

• - Obsidian Entertainment will move under Bethesda, with its current projects continuing.

• - Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios will merge into one studio focused on the Forza and Fable franchises.

• - Compulsion Games, Undead Labs, and Double Fine Productions have transitioned to independent management.

• - Ninja Theory to close after two separate deals fell through, it is said Microsoft and the studio is still finding other options

• - Activision will develop the next Halo game with a new, purpose-built team.

• - A small team at Halo Studios will remain to support the Halo community and existing games.

• - Microsoft Casual Games will move under King.

• - Arkane Lyon's future is still uncertain

The painful reality of this is that they are not even done with the reset, so expect more major changes in the coming months. Xbox says the actions completed since July have brought it roughly three-quarters of the way through the previously announced restructuring.

The good thing to come out of this is that Compulsion Games, Double Fine Productions, and Undead Labs found their outs during this whole reset, so they get to stay as studios and work on future titles. Undead Labs, specifically, is still on track to release State of Decay 3 under a new publisher, and it will still be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one.

Ninja Theory and Arkane Lyon Face an Uncertain Future

The really bad thing is the state of studios Ninja Theory and Arkane Lyon. Ninja Theory lost two separate deals to save the studio, and if they don't find a solution, Microsoft could shut it down. Microsoft has begun consultation on a proposed closure while still exploring other paths forward. Arkane Lyon is also on the chopping block, with consultation still underway and expected to continue through the end of the year.

It's rough to see, but It feels like Microsoft and Xbox grew too big, too fast, and the company's heavy investment in Xbox Game Pass is now coming back to bite it years later. One could hope this is the worst it can get, but I wouldn't be surprised if the next wave is just as brutal.

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

Bungie has heard the constant feedback from their fans for weeks. Good or bad, it was loud enough to give the studio a clear understanding that there’s a dedicated player base for Destiny 2, and with that, they announced that they are working on restoring vaulted content currently not available in the game.

Bungie Will Restore Vaulted Destiny 2 Content

This announcement was made months after the studio released what was supposed to be their final content update for Destiny 2. Not so final anymore, as Bungie has now changed course and begun work on restoring some of the content that was previously vaulted.

“As we shared in the video, we are beginning the work of bringing vaulted Destiny 2 campaigns, destinations, and raids back into the game, where they will be available to all Destiny 2 players.” says Bungie in their announcement post.

“Bringing this content back is not as simple as restoring old files. Changes made to Destiny 2 since Beyond Light require us to update lighting, encounters, combatants, and other underlying systems. That work will take time, but it is necessary to ensure returning content meets the stability and gameplay standards of Destiny 2 today.”

If done right, a new player can play Destiny 2 from start to finish narratively, as it’s currently not possible in today’s latest build. The original reasoning behind the DCV was to make the game more sustainable and manageable as Bungie continued adding new content, while making room for new content. In 2020, Bungie vaulted the base campaign Red War, along with destinations including Mars, Mercury, Io, and Titan, as well as Curse of Osiris and Warmind. Forsaken and the Tangled Shore were later vaulted in 2022. Some raids and other activities were also vaulted over the years.

It’s not clear how much will be restored and what will be the first to be unvaulted, but Bungie does plan to share more in the coming months.

The Future of Marathon

With Destiny 2 getting some support back, the future of Marathon doesn’t look as bleak as many would hope. Despite the delay of the September update, Bungie is shifting their focus toward expanding the game beyond the extraction shooter space, which is why the next update will have a permanent PvE mode. They even scrapped the planned seasonal content.

We don’t have a clear picture of everything Bungie has planned, but the studio has outlined a significant roadmap for the coming months, with a smaller update in October followed by the larger Symbiosis update in December.

Somehow, Bungie has a plan, and it feels like it doesn’t involve completely scrapping one title for another, as there was one line that was very important to hear for both Destiny and Marathon fans:

“Marathon is an important part of shaping where Bungie goes next, but it was never intended to replace Destiny.”

It never made sense to have Marathon without Destiny 2, and hopefully the player base that still has faith in the studio realizes they need both to move forward.

Finally, some good news, but time will tell.

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

This weekend focused on Control: Resonant, my latest coverage, which I approached as a review-in-progress because I wasn’t finished with the game’s final act. I didn’t want to rush it, as I was enjoying exploring each area of this twisted version of Manhattan, especially the last area. Thankfully, I finished the game last Sunday at my own pace, and it was worth it. Some thoughts.

Clearly My Favorite Work from Remedy Entertainment

Remedy is known for the weird, and they leaned on that when Control was released. Alan Wake 2 was a solid entry, but I love how expansive and densely convoluted the whole story and its world has become. From the Pattering, Objects of Power, the threat of the Hiss, and the backstory that haunts the protagonist Jesse Faden, Resonant is such a compelling sci-fi epic that nailed the landing, leaving me wanting more.

It’s a unique game in the sense that this isn’t about good or evil. A protagonist versus an antagonist. This is just humans trying to understand what’s happening in front of them and being caught in something far bigger than themselves. Jayden’s backstory is the only relatable element that lingers and slowly emerges on the right moments, and the focus on him in particular gives more weight and context to why the first game even happened.

The Urge to Keep Exploring

I knew I was enjoying the open world and its combat when I felt the urge to just not do the main quest. I wanted to see why an FBC agent wanted me to save his pet cat, why the expert in Mold went AWOL, and I wanted to face every possible boss available.

The biggest win is the game’s traversal, as Remedy played around with the manipulation of gravity and the perception of what the right side is up so much that the camera was constantly rotating to match my current orientation, which makes this game a big no-go for those who get dizzy easily.

It really established the freedom of movement early on, as instead of double jump and double dash being upgrades later in the game, you have them after the game’s tutorial. It then opens up even more, as I mentioned, as you will constantly find yourself zipping from one ledge to another, executing Hiss, floating to avoid danger, then dishing out abilities in the most effective way possible. It’s been a blast, and it’s one of those games that I might just go for the Platinum on PlayStation.

I’ll stop here, as I won’t delve any deeper. I want to save any other thoughts on Control: Resonant for my full review, which will be out in a couple of days. But my review-in-progress does cover the broad strokes in case you were wondering why I highly recommend it.

I have other games in the pipeline that I want to share, but thanks to moving to a new place last week and other commitments in life, all my free time was thrown at this game. Will have more soon.

How was your weekend?

Respawn Monday #11: Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, Street Fighter 6 Week

Respawn Monday #12: Why Beast of Reincarnation Felt Rough at the Start

Respawn Monday #13: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Long Weekend

Respawn Monday #14: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Beta and my Return to R6

Respawn Monday #15: How Time Works in The Blood of Dawnwalker

Respawn Monday #16: Jean Fart Gas and Onimusha Goodness

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

This is the sixth platform Bandai Namco and From Software have ported Elden Ring to, and they have become exceedingly efficient at it. A solid contender for one of the greatest games of all time, the Hidetaka Miyazaki-directed Elden Ring took the world by storm in 2022, with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion dropping the following February. I played the game originally on my PS4, then on a more souped-up gaming PC, where it ran flawlessly. The long-awaited Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 marks the third time I’ve taken the plunge, and while I was mostly expecting the game to be comparable to the PS4 version, I was very pleasantly surprised by the results… mostly.

Two New Classes, Lots of New Toys

Right off the bat, I was quite curious about the two new classes and weapons introduced in this expansion. I opted first for the Heavy Knight, which kits you out with the Steel Armor set and the new Hefty Scimitar, and also tried a bit of the Idus Knight, a more balanced dexterity-based build with Faith and Mind, which starts with the Silver Grooved set and Shield, and Idus Sword. Both swords are unique to the expansion, but I found the Idus Sword to have more utility in general if you’re comfortable with its thrust damage attack. The Hefty Scimitar has a great moveset, but IMO is outclassed by other heavy Strength-focused options available in early game, such as the Claymore and Greatsword. There are also three skins for Torrent and four new armor sets, plus new gestures as a pre-order bonus.

I mostly played my Heavy Knight character, quickly tackling side content from memory. I was surprised at how well I remembered the old shortcuts. After tackling most of the Weeping Peninsula and making the mad dash to Caelid for the Greatsword, I snuck up the path to bypass Stormveil Castle to make it to Liurnia of the Lakes early and level-up before tackling Godrick the Grafted (I don’t like using Spirit Ashes or Summons for bosses). My plan is to hit Rennala, and then Starscourge Radahn, in that order. I also dipped my toes into the DLC and got summarily bodied.

Plays Surprisingly Well For A Handheld

All throughout, I paid special attention to the performance, since that was always going to be the deciding factor for those on the fence. I was expecting the worst, but Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition has been extensively polished after its first GAMESCOM showing and it delivers when and where it counts. It runs at an unlocked framerate with a cap of 40, but realistically, you’ll almost never hit 40fps. The game generally targets 30-35fps, with occasional dips under 30 that make it more stable generally than the PS4 build. 

Camera movement felt smooth to me, with none of the frame pacing, screen tearing, or motion headaches that I typically associate with titles on the original Nintendo Switch. In very rare circumstances where you’re surrounded by foes, their frames may drop even below 20, with enemies appearing almost like stop-motion animation puppets from Ray Harryhausen’s Jason and the Argonauts or The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. However, I rarely ever felt like my own performance was affected by the framerate. In other words, it was never a guessing game as to whether the game would eat my inputs.

In terms of draw distance, objects such as trees and bushes render sooner than the PS4 version, thus limiting the amount of pop-in, but overall, the foliage detail is lower than on PS4 to maintain performance. The density of small objects such as grass on the plains are also noticeably reduced in comparison to the PS4 version. Shadows may be a little blurrier, too, if you look at them closely. However, the Switch 2 trades off graphics for performance, and it acquits itself well when it comes to performance under pressure, keeping things smooth during the game’s intense boss battles so you never feel like you’re dropping inputs due to frame pacing.

Lighting-Fast Loading and A Wealth of Content… For A Price

On the more positive side, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition has fast load times that are second only to the PS5 platforms, slightly edging out the Xbox Series S and X. Needless to say, loading is significantly faster than on PS4, with the longest I’ve had to wait being 12 seconds and the average being far less (6-10 seconds). This suits handheld gameplay especially well.

While Tarnished Edition translates the Elden Ring experience passably to Nintendo’s little handheld that could, it does so with several understandable graphical and performance caveats, especially given the fact that it does not use DLSS but instead uses From Software’s proprietary upscaler, which results in an uneven dynamic image resolution that fluctuates depending on what’s happening on-screen. This isn’t at all a dealbreaker and you may not even notice it a lot of the time if you play handheld (I typically play on a TV), but it is noticeable on a 4K TV and certainly does constitute a slight downgrade from what’s available on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, at least.

With all of this said, Elden Ring remains one of the greatest games of all time, and this version is no slouch. To quote King Theoden, Tarnished Edition can at last go to the halls of its forebears, in whose mighty company it will not now be ashamed. I recommend Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition to those interested in either reliving the Elden Ring experience on the go, embarking on the punishing DLC after a lapse, or even those trying From Software’s masterpiece for the first time, since the new classes are a big help in the early game. I just wish that the asking price wasn’t so steep. I think that the $79.99 MSRP is a bit of a pill to swallow, but considering that it’s for a platform where third-party games typically go on sale, this is one release you’re going to want to keep your eyes on.

Verdict: 4.5 / 5 (Near Exceptional)

PROS

• The Elden Ring experience in the palm of your hands, running at a fairly stable framerate that provides a smooth experience

• Two new classes, new weapons and armor, and new skins for Torrent

• Excellent loading times that are second only to the PS5 platforms

CONS

• Some details such as the quantity of grass seen in the Lands Between are downgraded from even the PS4 release

• The resolution fluctuates and the upscaling tech used is not optimal

• In some circumstances, when the screen is filled with enemies, they will have lower framerates

What I’ve Played 

• 7 hours of the base game, 1 hour of the DLC

• Experienced both of the new classes

• Had a couple of online experiences

*This review is based on a game code provided by Bandai Namco.

About the Author - Joseph Choi

Filipino-American gamer, professional shepherd and farmer, author, and filmmaker/videographer living in Central California. First consoles were the Game Boy and Sega Genesis, and I've been gaming since then, with a focus on Nintendo and Sony consoles.

Developer Remedy Entertainment’s Control: Resonant is a mind-twister that keeps questioning what’s real and what’s possible. I’ve spent over 30 hours with the game so far and I’m pulled in by the sheer amount of weird science that has engulfed their version of Manhattan. I’ve explored every nook and cranny, have gotten lost, overwhelmed by the Hiss, and I'm loving every minute I’m playing this game , as this is easily my favorite game in Remedy’s world.

*This serves as the first part of my review of Control: Resonant. The full review covers the latter parts of the game without spoiling anything, and giving a full verdict of the game as a while. This finalizes the review with a verdict and adds more about the game that I observed in the second half of the game, spoiler-free.

You can find the rest of the Control: Resonant review here.

With life and other responsibilities happening last week, like my visit to Ubisoft Philippines, I couldn’t give my full attention to Control: Resonant, which is why this is a review-in-progress with no final score waiting at the end of this piece. 

But I can confidently share my thoughts on the game and why I would highly recommend Remedy’s latest, as I feel like I’ve played a good amount of the game from its main story, side content, and other secrets tucked away in this sci-fi open-world adventure game. What’s left is pretty much what is waiting for me in the final section of the game, any possible content after completion, and, of course, how the game concludes, so expect a follow-up completing my full thoughts in a couple of days.

Control: Resonant Review-in-Progress Highlights

• 30+ hours played: I'm still enjoying Control: Resonant enough that I don't want to rush toward the ending just to meet the review embargo.

• Weird science at its best: Remedy's bizarre world and unexplained phenomena remain the game's biggest draw.

• Exploration is excellent: Manhattan's confusing but rewarding level design encourages you to figure things out rather than constantly following markers.

• The Aberrant keeps combat fresh: Its ability to transform into different weapons, combined with Dylan's powers and artifacts, offers plenty of room for experimentation.

• Combat can get chaotic: Enemy encounters can overwhelm you, while visual effects and enemy attacks can sometimes make it difficult to see what's happening.

• The side content shines: Several side stories have the feeling of standalone Fringe episodes, with environmental storytelling being one of the game's strongest elements.

• The visuals are a mixed bag: The environmental design and effects are excellent, although some character models and objects look dated, and I experienced occasional PS5 framerate drops.

• No final score yet: I'm still working through the final portion of the game and want to experience the conclusion before giving Control: Resonant a complete verdict.

What Cannot Be Explained Must Be Contained

The Control series has always featured a unique modern weird science world. A game where everything is possible, and it’s okay if it doesn’t make sense. Up is down, chairs float, bodies multiply, and other questionable occurrences that science can’t explain are what Control is all about. The Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) is at the heart of all the weird as it specializes in handling and studying all that occurs. Seven years after the events in Control, Control: Resonant starts with you playing as Dylan Faden, the brother of the protagonist in the first game. The weird and crazy phenomenon contained in the Oldest House was released in Manhattan, and we now have an open world playground where everything has been altered one way or another.

Dylan was a major plot point in the first game, as the source of his abilities stems from why he was locked away, tested, and eventually hated or feared by FBC agents. Right off the bat, instead of Dylan celebrating freedom, his sole focus is to stop the Hiss, a hostile interdimensional force that the FBC has been trying to contain for years. He partners up with an FBC agent named Zoe, and together they go out to help out in containing what was unleashed into the city with the use of his unique abilities.

Dylan felt naturally timid with a mellow demeanor, but the game gives players the choice on how Dylan replies, from being annoyed or angry to being sympathetic to a situation or character. It doesn’t change the outcome in any way but I do appreciate that I can choose how Dylan should react based on what I felt about the situation. It’s a nice touch to keep the player engaged as there’s a lot of back and forth between the many characters you find in the game, especially Zoe, who is constantly in radio contact with you as Dylan is always asking questions and reporting his findings in his explorations.

The fun thing about Dylan’s personality is that this is a guy caged for seven years, so we have human moments where he just takes the time and arranges a location to be a perfect subject for a sketch. There’s not much bitterness seen in Dylan as he’s an FBC experiment attached to a terrible incident that resulted in him being locked up in the first place. He’s looking to make things right in a way, and his hatred for the Hiss is strong enough that he’s more than willing to team up with his captors. 

Zoe is a more likeable character than Dylan, as she acts like the guy in the chair, a handler who hates corporate processes and protocol and relays info from one mission to the next. If something weird happens, Dylan reports it, and Zoe reacts just like anyone would react to something that can’t be explained. She acts like the missing context, as Dylan is in the same shoes as us; we don’t know what is normal, how the Patterning works, the fact that Altered items roam free in Manhattan, and that people should not eat the Mold. Dylan is thrown into a world he barely understands, and the presence of the Hiss and all the weirdness just make it more confusing. It’s a nice back-and-forth between the two core cast members, as there’s really no villain beyond the Hiss, at least based on where I am so far. One plot still remains hidden, and 30 hours in, it’s still lingering in the back, waiting to be revealed.

Fringe, the Video Game

I’m eager to see how it unfolds, but I’m getting distracted by the game’s many stories hidden away in each location. Each major side story feels like it would fit nicely in an episode of the TV show Fringe, and it was fun seeing how it starts and ends, as this is where the game’s environmental storytelling tends to shine. I’ve encountered searching for a set of speakers that were scattered all across Manhattan, affecting a civilian, only to find something terrible after collecting them and finishing the “ritual”. I’ve encountered a doomsday prepper that has booby trapped certain areas that make FBC work harder for agents, and even found a team of agents dying one by one as each slowly had their head explode after examining an area with a strange orange glow.

It’s all weird and hard to explain, and I love it. Even the side activities that populate the open world have a similar tone of the weird. While the game has basic activities like clearing enemies and protecting NPCs from waves of enemies, they have more interesting activities like puzzles that require a bit of brain power to unlock a hidden door or catching a camera that freezes anything in front of it when it takes your picture, making it a fun traversal activity where you have to figure out how to go behind it to catch it.

All of these types of activities, plus opening containers, slowly level up the state of the location and, in turn, reward you with talent points, an upgrade to the location’s vendor, and more. It’s a simple and encouraging system that rewards exploration, so the mundane activities still feel like it’s worth it as it contributes to unlocking new rewards for that area. 

Getting Lost in Manhattan 

The traversal and level design are what puts this open world game on a whole new level, as I’m always lost or asking “how do I get there?”. I hope this sense of confusion and lack of handholding is intended because it helps with the atmosphere this game has, as I understood this is a world of the unknown, a place that’s familiar but not all at the same time. I appreciate that the developers are giving faith to players, as I felt like I was left to just figure it out, and each time I take a step back to think it through, I was left with this satisfaction that trumps the tiny bit of frustration that builds up at first when I hit a wall. All the tools and clues are always present, and despite all the weirdness, Remedy Entertainment was able to deliver a good balance of retaining the game’s obscure nature while not completely compromising the player’s inability to understand where to go and what’s possible. 

As you progress through the game, its level design and traversal become more complex. Right off the bat, the game gives you a lot of freedom in Dylan’s movement, as you have a double jump, double dash, and even have the ability to levitate to reach large gaps right at the first hour. Later on, the game opens up more as you get the ability to change the orientation of your gravity, allowing you to walk on walls or ceilings, to even propel you towards certain ledges if you are close enough. It feels like each location in the game is a big puzzle with a unique theme surrounding it, as certain areas feel like they were deeply inspired by the movie Inception.

Combat also features that same feeling of freedom right off the bat as Dylan wields the Aberrant, an Object of Power that is able to take the shape of any kind of weapon Dylan chooses. It’s just a metal bar with a sharp end at the top, and can morph into different weapon types from a massive hammer, a metal whip, to a drill-like spear, metallic punching gloves, to a sythe, and more. I also appreciate the small details that after each attack, the pieces that make it a hammer or an axe just peel off and fall to the ground, reverting back to its basic original metal bar form.

A Weapon That Can Be Anything It Wants You to Be 

I love the freedom to mix and match as you can pick the form the Aberrant will take when doing your primary attack, secondary attack, and the combo finisher after doing a three hit primary combo string. Each possible form has its own set of pros and cons as one can apply the Weakness status effect to forms like the hammer able to break the armor off enemies more easily to attacks able to build up Power (used to do abilities) much faster.

I’m constantly experimenting as Dylan will eventually be given abilities after beating a Resonant, the game’s massive boss encounters, which serves as its own fair share of unique abilities like being able to create summons to fight alongside you for a limited time, launch a massive projectile towards an enemy, or imbue your attacks to apply burning to those who get hit. You then have artifacts that add unique properties to cater to a build, or add exclusive defenses such as weakening the damage of build up of a negative effect, for example. Or add more challenge as I did come across an artifact that adds a lot of power generation after every melee hit, but at the expense of making every damage you receive from enemies hit 20% harder.

It’s a decently layered progression system as each chosen form for the Aberrant has a simple perk tree to improve that particular form. Dylan isn’t a one-trick pony, thankfully, as the possible combinations give a nice amount of variety and playstyles to choose from.

As for combat, it’s easy to pick up as it doesn’t go as crazy as a Devil May Cry game as combo strings are simply three hits, but you can chain multiple attacks and juggle enemies into the air. Your time to damage them feels earned as enemy encounters usually feel like its you against the world, with numerous enemy types attacking you all at once, so you can easily get overwhelmed if you are not careful.

It can be challenging as I’ve died suddenly thanks to not prioritizing the right enemy first as unique and bigger enemies tend to just spawn lesser ones endlessly, giving the bigger ones the most obvious target. But still, it’s easier said than done as you have floating enemies attacking from afar, shooting laser beams, and ones that rush at you with no care in the world, all the while having smaller enemies lobbing rocks at you, so I felt like I was constantly bobbing and weaving to stay alive.

The challenge is what makes the combat enjoyable, while it isn't particularly unique, the Aberrant’s nature of changing forms keeps things interesting as I've reset my abilities at least three times so far for the sake of trying the different forms and abilities.

It can at times get harder to see during combat as there’s a lot of blurriness to some Hiss enemies, and dashing does also emit this blur effect. Bright lights can show up during blows, and enemy attacks have their own particles, so it can be busy  a bit too much that you can be overrun by attacks and effects all at the same time.

Bosses are a spectacle in Control Resonant. Each location has a Resonant boss that when beaten, gives Dylan a new power to add to his arsenal. These are not necessarily difficult compared to some encounters found in the outside world and in quests, but they are a treat for the eyes as this is where Remedy flexes their ability to create unique monster designs I have never seen before. It’s a visual horror show from a floating head connected but also divided into three pieces, to other upsetting monster designs that fit nicely in a world where science struggles to make any sense of why things work the way they do. There’s one in particular I wish I could share with you as it’s a boss I just encountered an hour before writing this as it’s probably the best looking one yet.

A Visual Overload 

Control: Resonant is a visual overload both in presentation and visual design. We have bright lights with striking white and red colors, weird shapes and particles that populate the world, with floating bodies affected by god knows what. I played the game one time in the dark and had to stop a bit because the brightness and colors are so striking that it actually distracted my wife doing something else across the room.

Even the audio can be a bit weird. Some lean towards the weird, but break off as Zoe is a music nut, so we get a treat of some tasteful tracks that actually gave me a well-deserved break from the unfamiliar.

It really leans heavily to obscurity and the unknown, and Remedy doesn’t tone down the look and feel of the game as it even goes weirder and stronger as you progress. Just like in level design, it just gets more complex the further you go. The more you complete the game, the more questions you have about everything.

It’s not the most visually striking game out there today as character models and other objects look rather outdated or not even rendered smoothly at times, but it makes up for it in environmental design and effects, because you are in a fight, everything starts flying like chairs in a restaurant to railings coming off and being collateral damage. There’s so much debris that can fly around and be manipulated by what is going on around them that it can be as busy as what’s seen in the first game. 

Due to this, I did experience sudden framerate drops on the PS5 version of the game, but not consistent enough to derail you and force a restart the game. It’s hard to replicate, but it’s possible to happen during busy moments. If it doesn’t happen, Resonant can easily run at 60 fps with performance mode, while graphics mode delivers a bit more visual fidelity to the environment for the cost of lower frames. Standard stuff for the naked eye.

No Rush for the Final Verdict, But I’m Close

At this point, I can easily recommend Control: Resonant  for those that love the weird and the unexplained. The ones who appreciate Black Mirror episodes, a game that keeps the assist at the bare minimum, and allows you to explore the game on your own terms and do combat in your own way. It’s been a blast so far that despite my busy schedule, the first five hours made me realize I’m enjoying the game, and that rushing it for the sake of making the embargo feels like a disservice. With over 30 hours so far, I don’t feel like i’m forcing myself or finding the good parts of the game. 

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

Last week I was invited to tour Ubisoft Philippines’ Bonifacio Global City studio and was given insight into the Filipino team’s significant contributions to the recently released Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced, a game I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting through a now-modernized lens.

I knew that this team was responsible for the game’s Harpooning side activity, the forts you get to conquer with the Jackdaw, as well as recreating key locations like Kingston. I wasn’t aware of how much responsibility and ownership this team had for this project.

“Ownership” was a word that was used quite often in their presentation during the studio tour. Before they highlighted their work on Black Flag Resynced, we were given insight into the studio’s humble beginnings on the De La Salle University campus in Santa Rosa, Laguna, cramped in small spaces, simply making a mark in the Ubisoft ecosystem while trying to attract the amazing talent growing in the Philippines.

10 Years Strong

This is Ubisoft Philippines’ 10th anniversary since the studio was established, and for as long as I can remember, the studio’s main focus was all about talent acquisition and talent growth. When they made an appearance at video game conventions, featuring their games wasn’t the goal; it was to attract future employees for the company and its newly formed studio at the time.

I asked what their biggest turning point was, and Ubisoft Philippines’ Jam Gatan shared that one of the biggest indicators was seeing the growth of new hires through the years, with associate leads who came into the studio as mere interns and Lead Artists who came in as fresh graduates.

“The first five years was really about building the team; the last five years, growth has become about growing the team’s capabilities,” says Jam Gatan, Ubisoft Philippines’ HR Manager for Talent Management.

It was clear that the tour wanted to point out the emphasis on fun in their work culture, with a workspace that feels like it’s a place where future developers can thrive, which is rare in the Philippines as studios aren’t as abundant as in other countries.

When you enter the studio, you are greeted with their recent artwork and a display of the projects the studio was involved in. Further in, you see their accolades as a company, then arcade stations featuring various video games from Tekken to other titles. We then see board games displayed, a popcorn machine, and art created by their local artists giving Ubisoft the Filipino touch. They even have a hidden meeting room, which can be accessed by pulling the right object that serves as the room’s door.

Welfare activities like outdoor company outings, the usual insurance offers, and leaves that allow developers to be given time to take care of themselves when needed were also highlighted. There are also opportunities such as going overseas to visit other Ubisoft studios, simply giving local talent exposure to foreign processes in game development.

With 10 years now behind them, that focus on talent acquisition has shifted naturally as the studio grew. They are always open to finding newer talent, but now they are seeing the fruits of their labor, as Ubisoft Philippines feels equipped with a team that can handle bigger tasks. Black Flag Resynced is a clear indicator of this.

The Meaning of Ownership

Black Flag Resynced is the studio’s 13th project, but this one is extra special as they had significant creative ownership over multiple features. While the broad strokes are universally agreed upon by each of the teams involved, Ubisoft Philippines was encouraged to share ideas and suggest ways to improve its assigned areas. It’s not just asset creation and implementation; the team was involved in pretty much all aspects of the particular parts of the game they were responsible for.

Kingston, a major city in Black Flag, was modernized by the Filipino team. And it wasn’t just the look and feel, as the team worked on mission quests, enemy pathing, and all manner of object placement to make parkour as smooth as the rest of the game. One developer even joked about how he played the same mission hundreds of times during development. Even applying the look of each NPC in the game to the guns Edward uses was handcrafted in the Philippines.

The studio’s audio team also contributed to the game’s sound, like gunshots. The team shared with us a video showing Ubisoft Philippines and Ubisoft Singapore, the lead studio on Black Flag Resynced, collaborating in Cebu, Philippines, to record gunshots for the remake.

Triple-A titles from Ubisoft like Black Flag Resynced were always a multi-studio effort. With Ubisoft studios found in different parts of the world, it’s no secret that different teams collaborate to develop a game. I just wasn’t aware that, in this particular project, entire sections could be handled by one studio, which felt daunting from a managerial perspective. With a process like this, it feels like consistency is key to success, and based on what I played in Black Flag, inconsistency wasn’t felt during my time with the remake.

But it felt like the team was given room to be creative. With a multi-studio project, a blueprint is likely set in place: a vision for how the remake was going to be built. Within their assigned sections, Ubisoft Philippines was able to contribute ideas on how to approach specific tasks and develop certain aspects of the game.

The section of the tour where they explained the changes made to the Harpoon side activity showed that their role was beyond modernizing the feature. The team went into detail on how the animals would react when speared by Edward, how the boat would move, and so on.

This was also true with how they tackled the forts in the game, applying a bit of detail and touch by allowing Edward’s men to be part of the raiding party, and even expanding the fort battles to go beyond what was originally present in the original game. The animation team also showed how they were responsible for certain animation sequences, showing us a behind-the-scenes video of local developers acting out a certain choreographed attack, then using that as a reference point when modernizing one of Black Flag’s major boss encounters.

It didn’t feel like Ubisoft Philippines was simply brought in to support the vision of the remake; they were given the opportunity to be part of the creative conversation.

“We Want to Carve a Niche for Ourselves”

I asked what they hoped to achieve in the next 10 years, and studio manager Sashi Menon answered by saying they want to carve their own niche. I was joking about whether the ambition in the future is to lead a project, but their answer felt more reasonable: to find the studio’s specialty and own it. Each studio within the Ubisoft ecosystem has its own set of specialties, and finding that niche for the 10-year-old studio feels like a reachable target in their current position. With Black Flag Resynced, it feels like another major step for this studio to find that niche, as they were thrown into new territory and succeeded in delivering what was expected with such a project.

I asked some developers what they were working on today and was given a safe answer that didn’t result in much besides a small chuckle between me and those present. That reply was expected, as I wanted to throw a curveball during the interview. As I roamed the studio floor, I didn’t see actual development going on during my visit, which makes sense, as you don’t want foreign eyes looking at their current work.

But growth was clearly presented during the tour. Just like Black Flag Resynced, the Ubisoft Philippines local development team was built from scratch and nurtured into what feels like a respectable studio that could earn further responsibilities and ownership in projects in the coming years. It has always been clear as day that talent in the Philippines for any form of video game development work is present; Filipinos just need the opportunity to thrive in this vicious industry, and Ubisoft Philippines is doing just that.

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

Bungie announced that they are delaying Marathon’s next major update from September 22 to December 8, merging the plans made for the September update into the Symbiosis update. They are also stepping away from seasonal content.

October 6 Refresh

The game will receive its second reset on October 6, resetting the game’s overall economy by wiping each player’s storage and progression, effectively putting players on an even footing once again.

The October refresh will come with a new Rewards Pass, quality-of-life improvements, and balance changes.

The PvE-lite mode Vault Breaker will also return for a limited time during the new refresh.

Bungie plans to conduct more experiments from October to December.

December Symbiosis Update

The Symbiosis update launches on December 8 and will feature a permanent PvE experience and an update to Perimeter, the game’s first map. It will also add a new social space with a firing range, a new Runner shell, and an experimental PvP Team Deathmatch mode.

This is not the type of update I was hoping to see from Bungie, as it’s clear that they are not focused on making a unique experience. Instead, they have shifted toward making an experience that hopefully sells.

This is all reactive in my eyes, as the studio now only has Marathon to work on since support for Destiny 2 ended in June.

I enjoyed this extraction shooter because of how satisfying the shooting is and how intense fights can be. The world was mysterious and left me eager to learn more, but it’s now clear more than ever that there’s no real vision spearheading this live service game at this point. It feels like Bungie is throwing whatever they can at the wall until something sticks, thus the many experimentations going on during seasons.

A social space? PvE-only content? The comparisons with their other live service game will continue, as the identity is also being stripped from Marathon.

It’s clear the extraction shooter space is niche and difficult to keep players engaged each season. Only a handful of games have been able to find their footing. For Marathon, it’s clearer than ever that there’s not much runway left for it to take off from.

Them dropping seasonal content gives me the impression that they are throwing everything they have at the game in the hope of seeing an uptick in player interest.

With this kind of announcement, I doubt I would find myself sticking around or even considering trying the game in December. Maybe I’ll drop by during the October reset, but knowing there’s not much waiting for me besides a refreshed economy, I won’t be surprised if no one shows up either and takes a long vacation until December, or gives up entirely.

You can check my thoughts on the game when it launched in March.

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

Another busy week. I have a lot to share: not only did my Marvel’s Wolverine review launch once the embargo lifted, but I’m also playing Onimusha: Way of the Sword and visited Ubisoft Philippines for insight into the country’s first triple-A studio.

I’ll share my time with Ubisoft in the coming days, but first, the online chatter that has consumed Sony’s new PS5 exclusive, and Onimusha being a master class at delivering a satisfying parry system.

Some thoughts.

Stop Guiding Me, GAME!

Of all the things that are sticking out about Marvel’s Wolverine online, one of the weirdest is the player disdain for a gas trail showing the player the right way to progress. Jean’s fart gas, as now described by the vocal online community, started when Skill Up’s review criticized the game’s mechanic of guiding a player, a system that no one liked the moment it was shown in action in trailers and preview gameplay footage.

The mechanic is simple: thanks to Wolverine’s heightened senses, he can smell and track where to go, and that led Insomniac Games to make a guide system around Logan’s known abilities.

This ability is then used when the game wants to highlight something important. Interactable objects and collectibles will be highlighted by this gaseous marker, giving the impression that Wolvie can sniff out characters, objects, and other important items.

I never thought this was a bad idea, or an intrusive one. I didn’t feel annoyed or feel like it was watering down the experience. Other systems are doing a better job at doing that for the game, but the guide system? As I was reviewing the game, I barely thought of it as either a pro or a con. It just feels like a standard altered to fit the character.

But for those online, and for some reviewers, this is a major turnoff, which is a weird stance to have. It has become so heated and exaggerated that it feels like people might cancel their pre-orders because they are being forcefully guided by a system that can’t be turned off, despite the game having an impressive array of accessibility options.

To each their own on how they want to experience their game. But this is blown out of proportion, because if the studio magically caves and patches the game with the ability to turn off the mechanic, it’s very likely they’ll have a different criticism to focus on. This isn’t about inconvenience; it feels like genuine hate beyond the game in question. It runs deeper.

There are other complaints, some valid, while some can be described as nitpicking by those who have only watched, not played, the game.

Onimusha Parry is Very Effective!

On the other side, I’m playing Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Capcom’s latest title that revived a beloved franchise. So far, it’s nothing but fantastic, with one feature sticking out and being the source of the fun: parrying.

It’s simple, as it works like any other parry mechanic: press the parry button right before an enemy attack connects, and you deflect the blow, leaving the enemy exposed. The beauty of how Way of the Sword does it is that it feels like there’s weight in your parry. Fail to do it right, you simply get hit. Do it successfully, and you are rewarded with unique animations that occur.

It’s not a simple block animation. We see Musashi’s expertise with the katana on display through the parry system, as how he deflects also changes depending on where the attack is coming from. Either from the side or behind, the parry animation is lovely to see and hear, a burst of dopamine that builds especially when you pull off one parry after another.

The parry system shines even further during boss encounters, as it seems like the best form of defense to slowly chip away and eventually expose the boss for a massive damage dump. The amount of effort put into the parry animations makes these boss encounters feel more cinematic. Some animations are obviously scripted, but I like how i’m the missing piece in the choreography. Bosses are such a big highlight for the game, as they are challenging and satisfying to clear. It’s almost the same feeling as beating a near-impossible boss from a Soulslike game.

I’m not done with the game, but Capcom is on a roll. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is yet another entry that is doing rather well in critical reception and player impressions. With their success with Resident Evil: Requiem and their new IP PRAGMATA, it’s insane that one company was able to find success with a new entry from one of their flagship franchises, from an entirely new series, and from even a once-dormant one.

More soon as I’m also reviewing a game still embargoed and will share what i’ve learned during my visit at the Ubisoft Philippines office.

How was your weekend?

Respawn Monday #10: Mistfall Hunter is an Extraction Soulslike Gem

Respawn Monday #11: Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, Street Fighter 6 Week

Respawn Monday #12: Why Beast of Reincarnation Felt Rough at the Start

Respawn Monday #13: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Long Weekend

Respawn Monday #14: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Beta and my Return to R6

Respawn Monday #15: How Time Works in The Blood of Dawnwalker

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

Insomniac Games’ latest superhero epic, Marvel’s Wolverine, sees the studio shifting its focus from Spider-Man to the most recognizable mutant in the comic book world. It’s a single player, story-driven adventure that’s bloody and brutal, but some of its gameplay and story choices water down the overall experience. The result is an enjoyable and well-crafted game, but one that doesn’t quite reach the same heights as the studio’s previous titles.

This game doesn’t present an origin story for Wolverine, but rather a launching-off point to signal an increased presence of mutants in Insomniac’s version of the Marvel world. This is before the X-Men even existed, as Logan returns to assist his former group Team X on a mission to rescue Nathaniel Essex, someone he deeply respects and feels indebted to. 

This begins a series of missions revolving around saving mutants from capture while uncovering the secrets of Bolivar Trask and more. I won’t say much beyond this, as Wolverine is very story-focused.  Between the slashing and big set pieces, we get the personal journey of Logan slowly recovering his memories, rekindling relationships with his former team, and forging new connections, particularly with Jean Grey.

A Wolverine in the Spotlight

Logan himself is portrayed well, but as written, he doesn’t have many layers beyond being loyal and dealing with a fragmented mind. He’s a likeable character, despite the things he does when the claws come out. At first, I thought that the game was leaning more towards portraying him as an antihero, but that thought went out the window as his motivations and moral compass never shifted.

Insomniac Games delivered a decent action adventure that does a good job at showing how it would feel to be in Logan’s shoes. His heightened senses are used as a guide toward the next objective, and also highlight key objects worth interacting with. This feels fitting for the character. The quieter moments where Logan gets to talk and learn more about certain characters were mostly a treat, but he mostly gets upstaged by the rest of the cast, as they typically deliver more standout performances.

The big standouts in this cast are Sabertooth and Troy Baker’s interpretation of Mr. Sinister (Essex). Baker has a respectable range at this stage of his career, and he does a great job managing the gradual evolution of Essex, as his demeanor and tone shift throughout the story. What happens to his character becomes a bit obvious, especially for those well-versed in the comics, but it’s delivered with such grace that I can see people going from liking the guy to absolutely hating him thanks to Baker’s performance.

Logan’s rival and buddy, Sabertooth, puts a smile on my face each time he enters the game. Despite being loud and angry whenever he enters a scene, his love-hate brotherly bond with Wolverine steals the show. The game perfectly captures their shared love of creating carnage and murder. Their rapport made a particular mission one of my favorites, as it added more weight to an event in the game’s third act, the specifics of which I won’t spoil.

Then there's the relationship between Jean and Logan, which went to places that surprised me. I’m not sure how hardcore fans will take it, but Insomniac Games has once again taken a bold step by giving a unique spin to these two iconic characters.

Each major twist involving these two adds another layer to the story, and one of them felt like a missed opportunity for what I thought would have been a good idea. What ultimately transpired leaves Insomniac with enough threads to pick up in a sequel, as Wolverine feels more like a launch point than a means to an end.

Insomniac’s best-looking game yet?

This is Insomniac Games’ third PS5 game, and the studio has become remarkably consistent at producing high-quality, story-based games without sacrificing visual fidelity or explosive set pieces.

The talent they have can easily rival other first-party Sony studios like Naughty Dog. The voice acting, animation, environments, and overall production value make Marvel’s Wolverine one of the most visually stunning video games I’ve played. There’s no denying that.

But as I went through the game, I noticed that the big set pieces meant to wow audiences didn’t land quite as well as moments in Marvel’s Spider-Man. For instance, in that game’s opening, Spidey had to improvise and stop a massive crane from falling onto helpless bystanders. The stakes were established.

Marvel’s Wolverine has plenty of explosive set pieces. They looked pretty and were well choreographed, but never had meaningful stakes or possible consequences should things go horribly wrong. A lot of what happens here involves Wolverine literally throwing himself into each situation. 

It was difficult at times to appreciate a hero surviving or succeeding in an impossible situation when you know that he can literally heal from almost any injury. Wolverine is a skilled fighter who can hunt people down using his heightened senses, and he’s deadly up close, but the game leans too much into his incredible healing factor rather than highlighting his strengths as an individual. 

This game made me realize that, despite all of this being fiction, adding a bit of genuine danger and stakes to a situation can put a lot more weight on the player or viewer. 

Even a perfect portrayal wouldn’t equate to consistent fun

Marvel’s Wolverine features combat that toyed with my feelings, as I felt like I was enjoying it in waves. 

In the beginning, with very few abilities unlocked, it felt like I was simply spamming attacks between dodges and parries. Things slowly get better and more enjoyable as your arsenal expands, but the satisfaction of landing a perfect parry or dodging barely has any impact that it can quickly be overshadowed in the brawl. 

I mostly felt like a man out of control and slashing uncontrollably, which does fit considering the game is meant to portray what it feels like to fight as Wolverine. It often felt like if I’d stopped attacking for even a moment, my chances of dying would go up every instant I wasn’t swinging Logan’s claws.

When it clicks, though, it feels fantastic.

You’ll find yourself leaping from one enemy to another, using an ability on one target before immediately jumping toward another to pressure ranged enemies, and so on. The game does a good job of making you feel overwhelmed, as enemies can attack together and force you to stay alert for the many audio and visual cues signaling the right moment to parry or dodge. Those are the best moments in the game’s combat, particularly in its second act when The Hand shows up.

Upgrading Logan is pretty straightforward, as I never felt like I was stuck at a crossroads between major decisions. There’s no multiple playstyles, as you are simply choosing whether you want the ability to trigger his healing factor with a press of a button now, or will instead opt for the spinning attack that, when upgraded, allows you to do it multiple times before it goes into cooldown.

The problem is that there are plenty of fights that feel repetitive, with the same combo strings and dodges being repeated over and over again.That repetition also shows up during the latter parts of the game, when you trigger Wolverine’s Berserker Frenzy state at max Rage. This state allows you to recover and heal faster, deal more damage, and execute enemies after a few hits. If you maintain this state, you become an unstoppable force, slaying enemies one after another. 

It’s brutal, and again, it fits the character’s fighting style and personality. But the more I found myself caught in this loop of death and murder, the less I wanted to do it, because I was mostly just pressing the execute button over and over again when the prompt to do so showed up.

It also didn’t help that the first batch of bosses you encounter feel like lengthy damage sponges, lasting a bit longer than they should. Thankfully, things improve in this department, as there are some amazing boss fights in the latter part of the game. The fight with Lady Deathstrike and bosses in the final act are Insomniac doing some of their best work.

There are stealth segments, but nothing forced. You can play it smart and clear an area without alerting them. It’s possible because there are tall grasses for you to hide in, and leaping onto an unexpected enemy doesn’t trigger anybody nearby. For me, I just treat it as an opportunity to lessen the numbers before getting into the fight. I mostly just dive in and get the action going.

A Straight Arrow

The whole game is a straight arrow. It consists of a series of missions mixed in with some relaxing segments. A time for the player to explore the base of Team X or see Wolverine interact and get more context about each character and their relationship with Logan. But there’s nothing much beyond side areas that hide collectibles. There’s no section to roam around freely as it’s really a typical action adventure moving from one level to the next.

As far as side content that would incentivize replaying certain missions, it’s mostly limited to collectibles and Nightmare Doors. These challenge levels task you with eliminating enemies in a certain way, clearing waves of enemies, or reaching a point in a stage as quickly as possible through traversal. It’s not a particularly balanced collection of distractions.

There are too many time-trial challenges, which is an odd choice considering traversal is one of the weaker aspects of Wolverine. If you compare it to what Insomniac did with the Spider-Man games, Logan’s traversal is basic at best.

Logan can climb, but there’s no real trick to it. You’re simply climbing as quickly as possible during these trials and picking a route that can shave off a bit of time if you want to earn the highest possible reward.

There’s not much skill involved, and for the game to have so many challenges built around traversal feels off, because the gauntlet challenges where you add new perks that can help or make things harder delivers the game’s most challenging encounters, so I was hoping to see more of that.

It took me around 16 hours to finish the campaign, although you can definitely hit the credits much faster. I was taking my time to look around and interact with everything I saw, and I always made sure I did every Nightmare Door on my first playthrough.

Accessibility is Insane

A staple of PlayStation exclusives is the sheer amount of accessibility options available, and Marvel’s Wolverine is no different. 

There are options for blind and deaf players, the ability to mute profanity, and settings to remove blood and gore. You can play the game in slow motion, lock onto enemies if you prefer a more Souls-like targeting system, and much more.

It is packed with options that make Marvel’s Wolverine playable for all kinds of players with different preferences and needs. None of the options I mentioned are enabled by default. They’re simply there for players who may need them to make their time with the game more comfortable or manageable.

Great Wolverine, But a Bit Uneven

Marvel’s Wolverine is a solid video game, and I enjoyed my time with it, but I left wanting more from both the game and the character. On the technical side, there were close to no hiccups, frame-rate drops, or anything else that made the game feel lacking in polish. If anything, I think it’s a bit too polished, which is a rare thing to say about a game these days.

But it has its drawbacks. I didn’t come out of the game appreciating Wolverine as a character more than I did before playing it. After the conclusion, I found myself more curious about the consequences of what happened and where Insomniac’s Marvel world could go next than I was about seeing what Logan would go through next.

I believe they did well with the character. His claws feel brutal, his healing factor is constantly on display, and his relationships with characters like Sabretooth, Mr. Sinister, and Jean Grey give the story some of its strongest moments. It succeeds at making you feel like Logan, even if the game surrounding that fantasy isn't always as compelling. Its combat, structure, and lack of meaningful stakes keep it from reaching the heights of Insomniac’s Spider-Man games. Despite the technical excellence on display, Marvel’s Wolverine is the studio’s weakest offering yet.

Verdict: 3.5 / 5 (Great, With some caveats)

PROS

• Great portrayal of Wolverine’s ferocity in a fight

• Strong character performances like Sabertooth and Essex

• Fantastic visuals and animation

• Brutal, satisfying combat when it clicks

• Extensive accessibility options

CONS

• Combat can become repetitive

• Basic traversal

• Weak side content

• Set pieces lack meaningful impact

What I’ve Played 

• Completed the main story in over 16 hours

• Played the game again on the hardest difficult in new game +

• Did all Nightmare Doors and experienced each memory

• Almost achieved 100%

*This review is based on a PS5 review copy provided to the reviewer and played on a base version of the console

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

Street Fighter 6’s second DLC character in Year 4, following the release of Filipina Yasmine, is Arjun, who is now confirmed to release on October 13, 2026. Capcom revealed our first look at how the new character plays, with his concept revolving around breathing techniques.

Arjun is an Indian police officer, and his large frame initially made me think he’s mainly a grappler of sorts. It certainly looked that way at the beginning of the gameplay trailer with his heavy normals, but then he started doing his breathing techniques. He appears to have a decent projectile, armor properties, a command grab, and a variety of options to get in and apply pressure. He can also create stone pillars that can serve as combo extenders or even create mix-ups on wake up.

Just like Yasmine, Capcom’s team is doing an amazing job delivering unique character concepts for new characters as Arjun looks like a lot of fun, and possibly a pain to go against.

Here’s how Capcom describes his toolkit:

• Arm of Justice: a versatile winding punch that saps his opponent’s energy with variants for

  different attack strengths and an optional Follow-up

• Cruel Shoulder: a lunging forward shoulder tackle with different properties depending on the

  strength of the attack

• Breathing Ring: a ring of air made through body and spirit that he can follow up with Breathing

  Shockwave to send the ring forward as a projectile at various angles

• Divine Pillar: Arjun blows enough air into the ground to raise the ground into a pillar of earth,

  with the strength of the attack determining the distance and holding the button delays the

  pillar’s activation

• Justice Beyond: Using Cruel Shoulder to contact an active Divine Pillar allows Arjun to grab

  the pillar and swing it at his opponent in any direction

• Ghastly Interrogation: a command throw that only deals recoverable damage, but can deal

  normal damage if the opponent has already received recoverable damage

• Indomitable Defense: Arjun uses his yogic breathing to hyper oxygenate his muscles so he

  can turn any incoming melee strikes into counterattacks dealing recoverable damage

• Moral Breakdown: While Indominable Defense is engaged, Arjun throws both fists forward to

  deal recoverable damage on block or normal damage on hit

• Howling Destruction: Arjun’s Level 1 Super Art mows down foes with quick bursts of his

  breathing technique

• Instant Oblivion: Arjun’s Level 2 Super Art sends foes flying into the air and far away from

  him where he can set up a Divine Pillar

• Yaksha’s Order: Arjun’s Level 3 Super Art sees him disrupt his opponent’s inner ear before

  he performs a cinematic devastating attack

Arjun will be available to all Year 4 Character Pass and Ultimate Pass owners. He is the second DLC character coming to the game, with Year 4 still having two more characters planned: Final Fantasy VII’s Tifa and Bosch, the player’s rival in Street Fighter 6’s World Tour mode.

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

It’s been a busy weekend of gaming. In between packing for a big move to a new home, I started both Onimusha: Way of the Sword and The Blood of Dawnwalker, both fantastic games in their own right. I also spent some time polishing my Marvel’s Wolverine review (out September 10, 2026).

But the one thing that was a thorn in my side during my gaming sessions was the open-world game that gives you witch powers during the day, then vampiric abilities at night. Capcom’s latest Onimusha game will have to wait for a bit as the bug and how time works needs to be mentioned first. Some thoughts.

A Single Movement Bug Bothered Me

I’m over 10 hours into The Blood of Dawnwalker so far, and i’m enjoying this Witcher-esque open world game. But there’s this one bug that I encounter every single time I try to sprint.

When starting from a standstill, trying to move Coen diagonally with a controller causes him to slowly move in that direction, as if i’m triggering a slow walk. It was so apparent and consistent that it made me question whether my DualSense controller was experiencing symptoms of stick drift.

Apparently, it’s a known issue and people have shared a workaround for PC players using certain controllers, but on console, there’s no true workaround that I know of. Rebel Wolves have also yet to officially fix the problem.

Hopefully, it gets fixed soon because you do a lot of running in this game.

Dawnwalker Uses Time as a Resource

But beyond the annoying bug, The Blood of Dawnwalker is starting strong, particularly because of its unusual 30-day time system. I love the decision to make time a resource rather than simply giving players another open-world checklist to work through.

The main objective is for protagonist Coen to save his family, and he has 30 days to do it. Any quest, upgrade you unlock, or activity you complete advances time. Exploring the world, shopping, traveling, or even getting into fights in the open world does not progress time, leaving players to decide what’s most important to them.

It works rather well, and I love that starting a quest is now something you have to consider. But this is also a completionist’s nightmare of a game. From where i’m standing, it feels relatively impossible to do everything in a single playthrough.

That could explain why, on PC, the most downloaded mod for the game in Nexus Mod is one that increases the amount of time you have to save Coen’s family. A good amount of people hate it, which is fair, but give the system the benefit of the doubt before you strip it from your game.

Altering how many days you have to complete the main quest undermines the whole design philosophy of the game. I’d consider using a mod like this on my second or third playthrough, but I highly recommend sucking it up and experiencing the game the way the developers intended it to be played.

It’s also confirmed that it’s not the end of the game if you happen to fail saving the family.

For some perspective, I’m now 12 hours into my save file and at level 18. I’ve completed a series of activities, upgraded perks, and finished a good amount of quests, and I still have 26 days to go.

Coen doesn’t sleep. During the day, he roams as a human with witch abilities. When night comes, you instantly turn into your vampire self and roam until the sun rises, at which point you become human again.

It feels like there’s enough time, but I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t add a bit of pressure to my decision-making.

I’ve had moments where I’ve come across a monster lair that progresses time by one segment of the day. I actually decided to pass on one because I wanted to complete a specific quest first. If I did the lair fight, it would end the night and I’d become human again. I wanted to tackle that quest as a vampire instead.

It’s those decisions that make The Blood of Dawnwalker so addicting to play for hours. I find myself mapping out how to maximize each day: do minor quests during the day and hit vendors to buy and sell equipment (most shops are closed at night, obviously), then tackle the harder quests at night, when my best gear currently favors my vampiric side.

This back-and-forth between day and night is one of the game’s biggest highlights, and the use of time actually complements both sides of Coen.

It’s not a problem for me so far. I’m more bothered by the movement bug, which I really hope goes away soon.

There’s more to talk about, as the combat is fun but has its fair share of issues dragging it down, especially when playing on a slightly higher difficulty.

I’ll talk more about it soon.

How was your weekend?

Respawn Monday #09: Palworld Tokon Fighting Souls Beta

Respawn Monday #10: Mistfall Hunter is an Extraction Soulslike Gem

Respawn Monday #11: Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, Street Fighter 6 Week

Respawn Monday #12: Why Beast of Reincarnation Felt Rough at the Start

Respawn Monday #13: Kingdome Come Deliverance 2 Long Weekend

Respawn Monday #14: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Beta and my Return to R6

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

Developer Madfinger Games has announced that Gray Zone Warfare is transistioning from the pre-alpha to the alpha development stage with its major 0.5 update set to arrive this Fall.

"We’re incredibly excited to announce another major update that introduces game-changing features such as the hideout, crafting, drug smuggling, multiple playable characters, and incredible new locations," says Tomáš Nawar, spokesperson for MADFINGER Games. "The highly detailed design of these new locations will also significantly expand the game’s lore."

What to Expect From Update 0.5

Gray Zone Warfare’s 0.5 update will allow players to build their own hideout, giving them a place to invest resources earned from missions into various upgrades and advanced laboratories.

One example shared by the developers involved producing narcotics and then smuggling them off island. Successfully completing these runs will reward players with what Madfinger describes as “substantial rewards,” although the developer has yet to reveal exactly what these rewards will be.

The activity also comes with significant risks, as enemy factions will attempt to claim your contraband. As an extraction shooter, Gray Zone Warfare requires players to extract safely from missions, with death potentiall resulting in the loss of the gear brought into the mission.

Drug smuggling is just one example of what players can expect from the Hideout, with the developers pllanning to expand the feature further over time.

The update will also introduce major changes to the Lamang map, including several new locations designed to expand the game’s story and lore. These include a radar installation, a multi-level facility reportedly containing high-value loot, an asylum that explores the darker side of the island, and a military camp located on the edge of Ground Zero. The latter will feature tough enemies and secrets for players to uncover concerning the first expeditions into Ground Zero

Creating multiple characters

The 0.5 update will also introduce the ability to create up to four characters. This should give players more freedom to experience different factions or play alongside friends who have chosen a different faction for their main character.

Another major change is the separation of PVE and PVPVE progression. Players will no longer be able to farm equipment in PVE and then bring them into PVPVE mode, as both modes will now have their own progression systems and inventories.

Gray Zone Warfare remains in Steam Early Access and has now surpassed 1.7 million copies sold since its Early Access launch on April 30, 2024. The game will also be 30% off on Steam from now until September 15.

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

[Last Updated: September 2, 2026]

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The game is getting a free remaster on September 29, 2026 for those who own the game, while the Songs of the Past expansion is coming in 2027 and The Witcher 4 is currently expented in 2028.

But if you’ve already spent hundreds of hours exploring the Continent and you’re looking for something new, what game can scratch that same itch?

Finding a game that delivers the same feeling as The Witcher 3 isn’t easy. It’s not just the open world. It’s the memorable characters, surprisingly great side quests, meaningful choices, exploration, the combat, and that feeling that there’s always something worth discovering around the next corner.

Thankfully, there are plenty of open-world RPGs that can somewhat fit the Witcher 3 bill. Here are the games I’d recommend if you’re looking for something to play while waiting for the next Witcher adventure from CD Projekt RED.

Cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt RED’s next game after The Witcher 3 is a good starting point for this list, and is probably the easiest recommendation to make if you’re looking for something that can scratch the same itch.

The RPG had a horrendous launch, there’s no going around that as everyone knows that, but the studio stuck with it and accepted that they dropped the ball. After years of updates and the excellent Phantom Liberty expansion, Cyberpunk 2077 is no longer the joke it used to be on its first year. It has evolved into one of the best open-world RPGs of its generation.

Set in Night City, you play as V, a mercenary who becomes the unwilling host of Johnny Silverhand, a legendary rocker and anti corporate revolutionary whose personality has been preserved inside a digital construct implanted in V’s head.

With Keanu Reeves playing as Johnny, you’ll spend much of the game trying to figure out how to get him out of your head before his presence consumes you. Along the way, you’ll take on odd jobs for Night City’s various factions and characters, build V however you want, and decide whether you want to become a firearms specialist, a stealthy hacker, a cybernetic killing machine, or a combination of all three.

There’s no real timer in the game for V’s condition, so have the freedom to explore all that Night City has to offer.

It doesn’t have The Witcher 3 medieval high fantasy setting, and most of the game is set in one city, but it has the same attention to detail with its characters, side quests, and world building that make CD Projekt RED the best studio in the genre that it will be easy to get lost in this world.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Excellent characters, side quests, romances, major choices, and world building.

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 isn’t as dark and filled with magic and fantastical creatures, it’s actually humorous and grounded but delivers that perfect atmosphere of getting lost in that particular world. You have various side quests scattered around the game, points of interests that lead to interesting encounters, treasure waiting to be found, and a storyline that is borderline comical half of the time. You have to manage your equipment, tend to your hunger, clean your clothes, and make sure you get a good amount of sleep and not be a nuisance to the population.

I started playing it a couple of weeks ago and has become my wind down game before going to bed.

It’s one of those games that when you start playing, you didi’t realize it’s been three hours, and all you were doing was making potions and hunting animals for food.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: World building, major decisions matter, scale, and excellent characters

Ghost of Yotei and Ghost of Tsushima

Another open world banger that takes you in through not only the combat but the world Sucker Punch has created. It’s the best way to experience the samurai era, and while it doesn’t have the RPG elements similar to The Witcher 3, it does a good job in delivering interesting stories, satisfying combat, and an open world that’s fun to slowly explore.

You can go either Ghost of Tsushima for a samurai going beyond his samurai ways to strike fear on the invading Mongolian army, or be the jack of all trades warrior in Ghost of Yotei, where Atsu’s journey of vengeance pushes her to learn a variety of different weapon types in order to succeed in her mission. Different flavors, same level of quality, storytelling, and scale.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Satisfying combat, the exploration and level of detail in the world,

The Blood of Dawnwalker

If you’re looking for the game on this list that wears its Witcher 3 influence the most proudly, it’s The Blood of the Dawnwalker.

Developed by Rebel Wolves, a studio founded by several former CD Projekt RED developers, Dawnwalker is a dark fantasy open world RPG set in a fictionalized version of 14th-century Europe. You play as Coen, a man who has been transformed into a half-vampire and has 30 days to save his family from a vampire lord.

The game’s biggest hook is its day and night cycle system. Coen is human during the day and will have access to unique abilities and magic only available when the sun is up. By night, his vampiric side takes over as you now have a completely different playstyle to use in order to approach not only combat but exploration and even completing certain quests.

The first wave of reviews have been mostly positive so far, an impressive feat considering it’s the studio’s first project.

Based on what many are saying, this feels like the closest you’ll get out of a spiritual successor of The Witcher 3.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Dark fantasy setting, branching quests, interesting characters, moral choices and a medieval European-inspired open world.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

Of all the open world games, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is probably the best title that did a solid job embracing both the open world aspect, and the action RPG aspect due to how they changed how the gear system works and its abilities.

You’ll get The Witcher 3 scale but set in Ancient Greece. It’s not too overly stuffed like Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla but long enough that you can go over 100 hours by exploring and doing each side activity available. If you can tolerate the Ubisoft open world formula, this is the best title to scratch that itch.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Open world RPG elements, exploration and scale, fun combat

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is a no-brainer as it’s one of the titles that influenced the open world genre in terms of scale, the amount of content, and the various stories you can encounter by simply exploring.

The remastered was shadow-dropped earlier this year and it was amazing to play the game again after all these years. The same game, just with modernized visuals and systems. If you haven’t played Oblivion, you’re missing out as Bethesda did a good job at bringing back this classic to the spotlight once again.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: One of the games that inspired the open world formula, Interesting stories, densely populated world filled with stories and experiences.

Elden Ring

Elden Ring is a different beast all together, but it has two things it has in common with The Witcher 3, and that is exploration and atmosphere. Open world games shine when exploring aimlessly can lead you to unexpected content. You pick a direction and just go nuts. That’s one of the things I love about The Witcher 3, and Elden Ring captured that experience perfectly.

If you see a cave, you’ll come across a dungeon with unique rewards and a boss that might take you a few tries to beat. You might even come across an elevator that brings you to a massive underground region that is not talked about or hinted in the game.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Exploration, atmosphere, and rewarding discovery rarely seen in open world games

Outward Definitive Edition

The Witcher 3 is all about the adventure. Each region delivers a new experience as you go from one area to the next. Among all of the games mentioned in this list, Outward Definitive Edition is the one open world game that needs a bit of patience.

It’s not that visually appealing as other AAA titles, and it has decisions like not having a fast travel option to make it a difficult game to get into. This game requires a lot of patience and planning as you need to bring the right equipment and the right amount of items to survive not only the trip to your location but the return back.

The sense of discovery is satisfying as you are going in blind with a map that doesn’t show where you currently are. You need to recall how to go back, remember what the NPC told you when giving the directions to the dungeon, and survive the dangers waiting inside. It can be intense, sometimes frustrating, but the successful journeys give you this satisfying high not many games can deliver. It’s not for everyone, but it grows on you, and captures the beauty of open world RPGs.

Why it scratches the Witcher 3 itch: Exploration, the importance of preparation, and satisfying sense of going on an adventure

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

Developer Moon Studios has delayed the 1.0 release of its action RPG No Rest for the Wicked to March 2027. The game was previously scheduled to leave Early Access in October 2026.

“We are not quite there yet,” said Thomas Mahler, game director for No Rest for the Wicked, while addressing the delay in the video shown above. The team wants to spend more time polishing the game an make sure the 1.0 release launches with as few issues as possible as they are currently in a mad dash to get all the systems and content ready for the full launch.

More Open Betas Planned for 2026

The delay doesn’t mean players will have to wait until 2027 for new content. Moon Studios is planning additional open betas throughout the rest of 2026, giving the community more opportunities to play upcoming content and builds to help shape the final 1.0 release.

The next open beta is planned sometime in December 2026.

For those looking to purchase the game on Steam before it’s release, anyone who picks up the game before January 1, 2027 will receive the game’s Founders pack, which contains the Sayer’s Vow skin, the Spirit Cavern hideout, a Founder’s Badge, and public beta test access.

The 1.0 version of No Rest of the Wicked will be available on PC, PS5. The Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2 version is planned at a later date.

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

Rockfish Games has released the final technical update for its space action RPG Everspace 2, which not only improves the game’s performance across different platforms but also makes the game Steam Deck verified.

This final update brings over improvements the studio worked on while developing the game for Nintendo Switch 2. These include general performance optimizations, bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and minor new features. The developers also announced that the game’s performance on Xbox Series S has been improved thanks to the update.

New Everspace Game Coming

What’s interesting about this update is that despite being the final update for a game that has been in development for eight years, it looks like Rockfish Games isn’t done with the Everspace series just yet. The studio says it is “fully focused on the future of the Everspace series”, hinting that a new project is in the works and they plan to share more when the time is right.

Rockfish previously revealed that it received an eight million euro grant for their next project from the German government. While they haven’t officially announced what their next project will be, it is confirmed that it will be a new game within the Everspace franchise.

Everspace 2 is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC.

About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.

It’s the second long weekend in a row for those of us in the Philippines, but it was another busy weekend of playing games. I’ve already started covering Marvel’s Wolverine (review out September 10, 2026), returned to Rainbow Six Siege, and tried the open beta for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Some thoughts.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Is How I Expected It to Go

This weekend was very first-person shooter-focused. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 hosted an open beta on consoles and PC, so I gave it a shot and downloaded its 50+ GB beta.

The file size for a Call of Duty beta feels like a crime. But I carried on and submitted to the download needed to play the latest Call of Duty multiplayer offering. After spending around five hours with it, the verdict is about what I expected: I felt roughly the same way I have about every Call of Duty game I’ve played over the last five years.

It’s not bad, per se. It just isn’t getting me all that excited anymore both in engaging with the fast-paced gameplay or even the usual grind.

The feeling I had toward the franchise was different back then. Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2 were the series at its peak for me. Memorable maps, straightforward gunplay, and none of the ultra-fast movement we see today. Just arcade-y Call of Duty multiplayer fun.

When I played my first hour of Modern Warfare 4, I was reminded that the core of the series continues to stay the same. What I felt playing Black Ops 6 is almost exactly what I felt playing Modern Warfare 4. Advanced Warfare, World War II, even when the settings and features change, they all give me a similar feeling.

The same tension. The same frantic engagements.

Every corner can be met with someone sliding into you, jumping around, or dropping into a crouch to throw off your aim. It’s all fair. It’s just that everyone is playing the game in roughly the same way.

I get it. That’s Call of Duty.

But as a yearly franchise, it increasingly feels like it struggles to get me excited again. The campaigns haven’t really hit the mark for me in recent years, although I still enjoy jumping into Zombies when available, then finding a group of friends willing to spend full price on another shooter.

On paper, Modern Warfare 4 is a perfectly decent Call of Duty multiplayer game. Avid players will find plenty to praise or criticize, but from the outside looking in, I see the same game with a different coat of paint.

It feels like a series rotating features and game modes to hopefully keep it fresh for the majority of its player base. Like McDonald’s bringing back Twister Fries for a limited time, only for them to disappear and return again months later as if they’re a brand-new idea.

Modern Warfare 4 will sell. Of course it will. But I do wonder how long the community can tolerate the yearly structure, especially in today’s video game market where I consider games to be a very expensive hobby.

All I needed was one night with the beta to tell me I didn’t miss its overall gameplay structure all too much, and the latest game doesn’t feel like it does enough to pull me in.

The Return of R6

The same goes for the other game I spent a significant amount of time with this weekend: Rainbow Six Siege.

I’ve been playing this shooter since it was released in 2015, but in 2023, I stopped keeping tabs on it and logging in regularly. I felt burnt out. I loved the game, but after spending more than 1,000 hours with it, I needed to step away for a while.

The hours spent might not sound like much compared to people who play Siege every day, but it’s the only shooter that has ever gotten me that invested for years.

So why return?

My friends who regularly play the game never quit. They would always remind me that I was free to return whenever I wanted. Last Thursday, I finally impulse-downloaded the game.

Within one night, everything I loved about Siege was clear and front and center again.

The sheer number of Operators and gadgets remains intimidating, but it’s also exciting to experiment with. Every engagement feels like it has some sort of plan behind it. When I win, there are usually a series of decisions and actions that led to the outcome. When I lose, my team can usually figure out where we went wrong.

That’s something I’ve always loved about Rainbow Six Siege. There’s a reason behind what happens, and every match can be won in multiple ways; you just have to take a step back and figure out how.

Playing with friends amplifies that feeling in a way no other shooter has really managed to replicate for me.

Of course, Siege is still heavily monetized, and looking through its Discord or social media will show plenty of complaints about the game’s current state. But the game is alive and well. Despite all the noise, there’s still optimism and appreciation that it’s still being supported over 10 years later.

Solid Snake is now in the game. Two new maps I’ve never experienced are in rotation. And because I played so much Siege years ago, my account had enough resources saved up that I could purchase all the new Operators without spending any real money on my return.

We’ll see if my love for the game continues, but I have a feeling it will.

I’m already eager to answer my friends’ call in our group chat to party up and play a few rounds of Ranked.

How was your weekend?

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About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.