Julius

Kojima's response to Reedus letting things slip:

Square Enix aired a stream for the game yesterday which lasted nearly two hours, and someone has kindly cut together the gameplay clips: Continues to look great

Welp, not sure if I have enough willpower to not look into picking this up: Astro is getting a Nendoroid!

Oh yeah don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good redemption arc, I just think a lot of the time they're pretty lazily executed -- "I ran into X from my past and so now I have doubts about this thing I've been doing gleefully for X amount of time" just doesn't really cut it for me, but that might just be me holding certain redemption arcs in such high regard comparatively (Vader, a certain character in an animated series that I won't name in case you haven't watched it, and heck, even to an extent, Kylo). We'll have to wait and see. I'm very excited for this, and again I'll take it as it comes and for what it is - I always manage to find something I enjoy in everything Star Wars, at least - and for what it's worth a potential redemption arc could be handled well (I mean I could be reaching to begin with, maybe I have nothing to worry about!)...but yeah, if it happened, I would basically be here for everything else. Given the character that the series centres around and Vader coming back, me crossing my fingers for Clone Wars era flashbacks, the last thing I want is a secondary arc - and a redemption arc at that - which distracts me from what I'm really here for? That's just me personally keeping my expectations in check. Ah yes, the phallic rock of the Dune Sea reminds me of the one in BOTW! Fun little ad. Don't know why it didn't clock for me before that the new droid is clearly inspired by a ladybird!

One week to go Yeah, that's honestly the slight niggling concern I have going in right now. I'll take it as it is, of course, but if they do have some sort of past relationship, my mind drifts to her making some sort of redemptive choice...which, eh, personally I think we've seen enough of the last 5+ years across Star Wars. If it creates friction with the Grand Inquisitor and the other Inquisitors - and even Vader - without having to resort to her making a redemptive choice, that could be cool, but yeah. It's not a massive concern of mine, but it's a niggling one, just because of characters/actions that a redemptive choice might include (especially with a character we've seen in the trailers that I didn't think we would see that much of).

A Daredevil TV series is in the works for Disney+: Bet he didn't see that coming (who am I kidding, this was inevitable, especially after the Netflix show was moved to Disney+)

In case there were any doubts: the inclusion of Platinum trophies have been confirmed too.

Oh, that's the good stuff, that's awesome! Weird it wasn't included in the tidal wave of news we got on Monday, but then again, just dropping little bits and pieces they know we want to hear between Monday just gone and when the service launches this coming coming Monday in Asia seems smart. At the very least, I think it'll mean more people talking about the service and trying to see what it looks like when it launches over there? I want to see if they've done anything fun with the trophy notification for these old games doubt it, but think it'd be neat!

You might even say Ragnarök is coming (but yeah it's nuts)

More of a cool piece of trivia than it is a sign of Xbox truly overtaking PlayStation, but the Series S singlehandedly outsold the PS5 last week (due to a shortage of PS5 availability): Interestingly, it looks like Xbox are seemingly getting there in terms of moving past the shortages? Series X has been in stock consistently for a little while now on Amazon.

Huh, this is weird: they're already detailing accessibility stuff. Yeah, I think it's safe to say it's still coming this year. Remember, we only got three months from release date confirmation to launch for the last game, so they don't fuss about with lead time; they could announce a release date next month for September/October?

Great set of penalties honestly, great to see "Aaron Ramsey was brought in to produce big moments" Everyone: oh he missing

Lenz shushing the Rangers fans, like that'll help

Can't remember the last time managers have come up to shake hands and thanks the refs while waiting for the coin toss, that definitely added some tension!

What a freaking save from Trapp! (EDIT: twice, the potential tap-in and free kick!) Absolutely, I'm honestly getting a little tired watching them been a very stop-start final, a lot of it down to the physicality. I think the lack of energy as the game has gone on due to fatigue is one of very few downsides to having two sides who don't often go deep in Europe coming face-to-face, and neither side being all that fitter than the other.

So, a new prototype of Shenmue 2 has been shown off, and the best part? You can play as Yu Suzuki! Awesome stuff

Yeah, definitely. Even more egregious is not getting a card at all, I mean not even a yellow? He was stretching that much - and his leg was that high - you'd think he was in a Thursday morning yoga session rather than the Europa League final!

I feel like that should be a red. It won't be because it's a final and it's so early - probably down to nerves, definitely not malicious - but that was clearly very dangerous. Peter Walton chiming in to remind us that he's an idiot. Also, someone should've told the Frankfurt team doc to pull up his joggers...

It always confuses me when indie developers make moves like this, because I feel like they're risking long-term gain and success for a very short-term, flash-in-the-pan moment in the spotlight? Like awesome, your game looks almost exactly like the remake of a critically acclaimed game which is nearly 30 years old now -- by arguably the strongest first party developer in the history of the industry, and taking heavy "influence" from a series with one of their most dedicated and larger fanbases. Now you've shot yourself in the foot because when people play this they'll only be comparing your game to Link's Awakening? Looking at this I feel the same way I do when I look at pretty much every Soulslike I'm all for drawing influence and inspiration - it's standard for any creative medium - and to be fair to them, they have a few interesting ideas (I like the idea of the little ball puzzle they have, reminds me of Screwball Scramble), but making a 2D Zelda-like which looks exactly like a Zelda game? I feel like it's about as surefire a way you can get to come out with a bang and then quickly vanish off the face of the earth. People have been screaming out for Earthbound or Pokémon in this style, so how about a JRPG? Or a farming simulator, that'd look great in this style? Or, if you're hell-bent on going with making a Zelda-like which looks like an actual Zelda game, how about you set the entire thing in a Dark World-looking setting, or something cyberpunk, so that even if the geometry and general look is the same, it at least looks somewhat different? You know...to stand out and so that you give yourself the best chance at success, and don't so directly ape off a massive game like the Link's Awakening remake?

Always love a decent interview. What Moses Ingram said when describing her character has me a little concerned, though... Hayden describing Anakin as "Jedi Knight, never a Jedi Master" had me cracking up, though Elsewhere: somehow, Kelly Marie Tran returns! To give an interview for AANHPI Heritage Month: A lot of love for her in the comments, which is always great to see

Still weirded out by the decision to schedule the Europa League final ahead of the Europa Conference League final rather than it being the other way around, but hey, it's football, so I'll watch Rangers have done a great job of turning their ship well and truly around the last few years, whereas Frankfurt have a stellar fanbase and it was fun seeing them tear Barça apart in the semis, so I'll probably be rooting for Frankfurt seeing as I've watched them more either way, hopefully it should be an exciting match, neither side is really an underdog so hopefully that helps them let loose and really go for it!

So Nomura is teasing news next month for VII's 25th anniversary... I think we all know what this means: along with all of the additions from Intergrade and the base game, you also get a Sephiroth wig, as part of Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission, the first PS6 exclusive

Awesome, thanks @Ronnie, will do eyes immediately drift towards everything to do with sand

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund (aka the Public Investment Fund, or PIF) has claimed a $3 billion / 5% stake in Nintendo. Hoo boy. The tweet mentions Capcom, but they've also claimed a huge stake in SNK previously too. Some choice quotes to give greater insight from the Bloomberg article on the subject: Nowhere near as aggressive as they were when acquiring stakes in SNK (where they were majority owner before scooping up almost all of the other shares in the company), so I doubt a complete takeover is on the cards -- likely just diversifying in the face of a future without oil. It also doesn't necessarily mean Nintendo had any say in this transaction, what with them being publicly traded. But still, diversifying with the bloodstained hands of a murderous and backwards family (and state). It's not exactly a great look.