The Octopath Traveler games established a new line of "HD-2D" games at Square Enix, and fans of the series can look forward to a new Switch 2 release of the first two entries in the series--with a catch. While Octopath Traveler and its sequel have been available on the original Switch for years now, there'll be no upgrade option for players to continue their journey on Switch 2, meaning no discount or transfer their saves across.

Both games are lengthy experiences, full of optional detours and challenging quests, so starting from scratch isn't a tempting proposition. Throw in the fact that they still look pretty great for their age thanks to the timeless HD-2D design, making it likely that current players could skip the Switch 2 editions.

https://youtu.be/CbWT5KUr3FU

While numerous Switch games offer upgrade packs for their Switch 2 editions--some free, others costing a few bucks--the lack of one for Octopath Traveler could make it a very hard sell for fans of the RPG series.

Some people online have labeled this as an anti-consumer move on Square Enix's part, as this move rules out the idea of purchasing a cheap secondhand copy of Octopath Traveler and grabbing the upgrade. It also doesn't allow for anyone who purchased the game previously--digitally or physically--to cheaply upgrade.

Square Enix has been in hot water in the past for offering zero upgrade paths for several of its HD-2D games. Octopath Traveler 0 and the physical versions of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake all required players to commit to one Switch platform to play them, choosing either a last-gen or a current-gen version.

If you are planning to get Octopath Traveler 1 and 2 for Switch 2--and you're jumping in for the first time--there are some nice technical upgrades in this version. The package will be available in both digital and physical editions, with improved frame rates and resolutions on Switch 2 when it launches on October 1.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced comes with loads of fun new features that weren't included in the original game, including feet pics.

Okay, okay, feet pics probably weren't Ubisoft's goal when it implemented a robust photo mode that automatically saves and uploads players' photos to the official Black Flag Resynced Photo Mode website. But this is the internet, so of course the end result is feet pics.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaosSW-SXOC/

Via the Black Flag Resynced Photo Mode website, players can see photos taken by other players along with information like when and where the photo was taken. Over the weekend, a photo of a female NPC's feet went viral and is now the second most-liked image on the Black Flag Resynced Photo Mode website. 

The photo was taken in Dry Tortuga--a small in-game naval fort--and has amassed over 57,000 likes since user xR0ckettManx uploaded it on July 9. The only image more popular than xR0ckettManx's foot-focused masterpiece is a scenic seascape photo of a burning ship. It has over 80,000 likes, and zero feet.

Black Flag Resynced has enjoyed one of the best launches of an Assassin's Creed game in years (though it's not clear whether or not feet pics played a part in that), and while some players are critical of the game's microtransactions, the general consensus seems to be that Edward Kenway's story still absolutely slaps.

Games Done Quick is best known for its feel-good moments like a dog hitting a walk-off home run in a baseball video game while raising money for charity. However, this year's Summer Games Done Quick charity stream ran into controversy after GDQ announced a sponsored stream with SNK only to cancel it shortly thereafter due to players angered over the latter's ties to Saudi Arabia.

On Sunday, July 12, SGDQ announced it was partnering with SNK to stream a sponsored speedrun of Metal Slug in support of the franchise's 30th anniversary.

https://twitter.com/GamesDoneQuick/status/2076394968633975242

Under three hours later, GDQ reversed course and announced the cancellation of the stream citing "concerns from our community regarding this partnership, specifically the company’s majority ownership by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, and the human rights concerns tied to the Saudi government."

In subsequent posts, GDQ apologized to the streaming host and speed runners and pledged that it wouldn't accept any future sponsorships from SNK. The organization also reiterated its support for human rights and inclusivity before promising to "review and strengthen our process for evaluating future sponsors and partners, including closer examination of companies' ownership, to make sure they're aligned with our values."

Saudi Arabia already has a deep footprint in the gaming realm, including the developer of Pokemon Go. However, the biggest Saudi deal is the still in-progress $55 billion buyout for control of EA, one of the biggest video game publishers in the world. Video game unions have come out against the EA sale, and Saudi Arabia's involvement has also drawn the scrutiny of the U.S. Senate over potential "foreign influence." Regardless, the EA buyout is likely to receive approval even though players continue to protest against it.

EA Sports has announced that it has removed the CFB 27 microtransaction system that people hated from the get-go. In a statement, EA said, "We will remove all paid progression options from Road to Glory and Online dynasty."

For anyone just catching up, CFB 27 launched with a microtransaction system that allowed players to pay real money to instantly improve their coach or athlete in the Online Dynasty and Road to Glory modes. Alternatively, players could grind for this, but the effort would be substantial.

CFB 27 has done away with its most controversial MTX options.

It's also notable because Online Dynasty and Road to Glory were two modes that were largely untouched by microtransactions until this year. People mobilized a boycott of the pay-to-level options, and the #CFBPlayDontPay hashtag trended on social media. People on Reddit also said they would skip the game because this new in-game-purchase scheme has rubbed them the wrong way. 

EA said an "unfortunate side effect" of the removal of paid progression in the two modes is that some people will be left with a College Point balance and this balance cannot be applied to Road to Glory or Online Dynasty because of the removal of the paid progression systems. Unspent College Points can be spent in Ultimate Team or other elements of the game, however.

EA communicated the change to players on the evening of July 10, with the removal of the paid progression system being implemented on the morning of July 11. EA encouraged people to spend the points while they could, but there was not much time to do so.

"Your feedback on Road to Glory and Dynasty is that we've missed the mark with the introduction of paid progression options. This was added independent of deeper mode progression with the aim to give players more choice, but what you've said is that they're not adding the value we intended," EA said.

Also in the statement, EA said it will attempt to provide "greater transparency and communication" with the live-service plans for next year's game, CFB 28.

"We love this game. We love this community. We love college football," EA said.

While the paid progression microtransactions are now gone from CFB 27, the game still has microtransactions for the popular Ultimate Team mode. EA sells points in bundles that range from $5 to $150.

EA has offered paid progression systems before, as multiple Battlefield games have offered plays "Shortcut" bundles that instantly unlock all weapons, gadgets, and vehicle upgrades without having to grind to unlock them.

EA is in the process of selling itself to a group of investors led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The $55 billion deal is structured as a leverage buyout (LBO), and it's the largest LBO in history for any market category. The deal comes with billions in debt, and many believe EA will make massive cuts to service the debt.

The first two Call of Duty: Black Ops games have launched on PS5 and PS4, but they're not exactly the remasters that fans were expecting. Both games feature a high price considering their age--$40 each--while their respective DLC packs are being sold as optional extras, an odd move considering how most remasters include that content to sweeten the deal. To make things worse, it looks like the technical presentation isn't much to write home about either, as the PlayStation ports feature barely any noticeable improvements at all.

According to Digital Foundry, Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 have been updated to run at 1080p on PS5 and PS4, and that's it. No option for a 4K resolution on PS5 or the opportunity to push the framerate to 120Hz, no improved shadows or lighting, and no quality-of-life updates like you'd find in modern Call of Duty games at all. In comparison, the original Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 games get the resolution bump for free on Xbox Series X|S through the console's backwards compatibility program, while PC gamers have been creating custom mods for years now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUdEf79y7jw

As mentioned above, each remaster is being sold for $40, and their map packs cost $30 each. That's $70 per game, but it is worth mentioning that Activision is offering a discount to PlayStation Plus subscribers, dropping the price to $20 per game and $10 per map pack. Still, paying $60 per complete edition of a game is expensive, especially when they aren't that much of an improvement compared to the original titles.

"For a native PS5 title and a somewhat high-profile port, this is a deeply odd state of affairs. Even the game's obvious visual blemishes are preserved: shadow quality was necessarily poor back in the day, but why preserve that problem in the present day when so much more graphics horsepower is available?" Digital Foundry wrote.

Meanwhile, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 was recently revealed and will be out later this year. Unlike the 2024 and 2025 games, Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7, Modern Warfare 4 will not be available on Game Pass at launch, and Activision is busy reminding players in ads for the game. Modern Warfare 4 will launch for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 on October 23.

The Outer Worlds 2 game director and 20-year Obsidian Entertainment veteran Brandon Adler has reacted to Microsoft's recent mass layoffs at Xbox and other notable changes, which included the reported cancellation of Avowed 2.

Adler, who is the current game director on an unannounced project at Obsidian, said it was an "extremely difficult week at Obsidian" after the layoffs were announced on July 6. "Not only have I had to say goodbye to some amazing game developers, but I've had to say goodbye to some of my best friends. I truly feel for every one of them. Know that if you are looking to hire one of these former Obsidian devs, you are hiring some of the best people around--both professionally and personally," he said.

Something that made recent days more challenging, Adler said, was how "a bunch of cold take artists" commented on "what Obsidian is what it isn't," he said.

Specifically, Adler said he takes issue with people commenting on how Obsidian "isn't who they used to be" or that the company's DNA has changed.

"Most of the time they are not just wrong, but spreading an enormous amount of misinformation," he said. "In most circumstances, the people in lead or director roles are the same people that worked on games like The Outer Worlds, Pillars of Eternity, and New Vegas. Like, literally the same people. The through line from KotOR2 to our current games is pretty clear."

Obsidian is "of course not" the same as it was 20 years ago, Adler admitted, and that's because in life, "nothing stays the same." However, Adler maintains that "the DNA at Obsidian is the same was it always was."

The same studio DNA that led to popular and well-received games like Knights of the Old Republic, Fallout: New Vegas, Neverwinter Nights 2, and South Park: The Stick of Truth remains intact, he said.

"I'm extremely proud of our history and I am also excited for who we have become," he said. "Just remember, when you are seeing people spouting off about Obsidian, running their mouths about who we are now vs. what we were then, you are listening to someone crow about something with zero insight into how a game is made and who contributed to our previous games."

Adler started at Obsidian in January 2006 after spending four years in the United States Air Force where he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom as a senior airman. His first gig at Obsidian was a QA tester for Neverwinter Nights 2. He then became an associate producer on Alpha Protocol and later on New Vegas and The Stick of Truth.

He left Obsidian in March 2012 to join MEDL Mobile, where he worked on mobile games and apps. He returned to Obsidian in June 2013 to become lead producer on Pillars of Eternity. He was the gameplay design director on Avowed and then became game director on The Outer Worlds 2 with Leonard Boyarsky.

The layoffs at Obsidian reportedly went deep, with 25% of staff losing their jobs. A planned Avowed sequel was said to have been canceled, with Obsidian shifting focus instead to a new Fallout game from New Vegas director Josh Sawyer.

The annual TennoCon event was held on the weekend, and once again, developer Digital Extremes had plenty of announcements regarding its two games, Warframe and Soulframe. The highlight was an extended look at Warframe's Tau expansion, followed by a closer look at Soulframe's new narrative questline and player-requested content like mounts. In case you missed it, you can catch up on all the reveals from TennoCon 2026 below.

Warframe: Tau https://youtu.be/bRxDf7gu97g

The headliner for Tennocon this year was the new look at Warframe: Tau, the next major Narrative Chapter in the game. Players will get to explore a new Star Chart, the Tau System, and uncover the mystery of the Sentient ring city of Fornax. Amidst a constant downpour of black rain and infighting between criminal factions, a ruthless crime boss known as The Hunra reigns supreme and will need to be removed from the picture. The new expansion launches later this year.

New challenges require a new Warframe

As you'd expect, taking down a deadly network of smugglers and enforcers is no small feat, and players can equip a new Chimera Warframe, called Brysko. A sentient Warframe that looks like it came straight out of a hard-boiled detective mystery--and voiced by Critical Role's Matthew Mercer--Brysko's arsenal includes brass knuckle attacks, explosive playing cards, and an Exalted revolver magnum known as the Corecracker.

Warframe gets its first card minigame, Portau.

When you're not blasting gangsters, you can kick back with a round of Portau. Billed as a "sentient" card game, Portau blends the rules of poker with its own suite of Blooms, Cores, Moons, and Suns.

New enemies rise up

Alongside the new Environment of Fornax that features high-end casinos, grimy shipping docks, and dilapidated slums, players can also take on the Fornax Drowners. Similar to the Sentients encountered within the Origin System, they've evolved into a deadlier form, and they'll put your Warframes to the test.

Warframe is teaming up with Fortnite

From one free-to-play game to another, Fortnite players can now purchase the Excalibur outfit, an in-game cosmetic. If you've purchased certain eligible items, you'll also get the cosmetic skin as a freebie.

Updates aplenty in Warframe

Ahead of the launch of Tau, Warframe players can look forward to several updates. Iceblade of Narin adds a new story quest, location, an ice-elemental Warframe, and a customizable Orokin vessel for their journey to the Tau galaxy. The major update will also rework several Warframes and make them more powerful than ever thanks to a range of Deluxe and Prime variants, gameplay is also being overhauled, and there'll be new Nightwave missions to jump into. 

Soulframe recruits some Expedition 33 talent for its narrative. https://youtu.be/WiGRu3SQ-ZY

While the fantasy-themed world of Soulframe is still in its alpha stage of development, Digital Extremes did show off more of the game and the features that'll make it feel both distinct and complementary to Warframe. Set in a world of high fantasy, the new trailer showed off the creeping blight threatening the world of Soulframe, and Digital Extremes also teased the new Warsongs missions. This questline is out later this year, and it'll provide plenty of exposition and plot beats that set up the main campaign of Soulframe. The new arc also features the talents of actors Ben Starr as the new antagonist, Tempest Bayor, and Jennifer English as the player ally, Empress of Eidvel. If both of those names sound familiar, that's because the actors previously starred in Expedition 33.

Beyond Soulframe fleshing out its narrative even further, Digital Extremes will also continue to fine-tune the game with quality-of-life updates. Mounts are also coming to the game, alongside "Vegan Fishing" for some outdoor fun.

TennoCon 2027 already has a date

Next year's TennoCon event will be held roughly a year from now, July 16-17, 2027.

My Chemical Romance, the essential emo band of your teen years, played three headline shows at London's Wembley Stadium over the weekend, but one of them took a pause for vocalist Gerard Way to discuss Baldur's Gate 3.

Way noticed a fan's sign that read, "Have you ever played Baldur's Gate 3?" to which he responded, "No, I only ever played Baldur's Gate 1." He went on to add that he did play the Icewind Dale expansion, "But I just ran out of time."

https://www.tiktok.com/@katanaluciana/video/7661439271026396438?_r=1&_t=ZN-97yGCGsxQoA

Now, developer Larian Studios has responded to Way's revelation that he's not played the hit RPG. After initially posting on X, "What do you mean you haven't played the critically-acclaimed Dungeons and Dragons RPG, Baldur's Gate 3?" the studio went on to add, "There's a Baldur's Gate 3 code with your name on it if you fancy trying it."

https://twitter.com/larianstudios/status/2076633525164355679?s=20

So far, Gerard Way hasn't acknowledged the response from Larian, but given that it's one of the few games that received a rare 10/10 score in GameSpot's review, we'd wager that he should probably find the time to get acquainted with Astarion and co.