Inquiring minds REALLY need to know: Should people quit Modern video games entirely NOW at this point?

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Lavon Samuel Davis

New GameStop rental scheme lets you play unlimited number of pre-owned games | TechSpot

 

I dropped the news near the end of the previous post shortly after it went public but both Playstation and Xbox have announced they are getting rid of physical discs: In 2027 for Playstation and 2028 for Xbox. This is to say nothing of Playstation silently updating the EULA (End-User Licensing Agreement) in Europe that stipulates if you don’t log into your Playstation Account for 3 months, it will be deactivated. If you then don’t log into it for 3 years, your Playstation account will be deleted and can’t be recovered. If you previously bought DLC, it will no longer be usable even if you have the physical disc. Why? Because Playstation purchases are tied to accounts, not the console. Meaning just because you previously purchased the digital content doesn’t mean it’s permanently yours to keep even if you own the physical disk.

In other words, buying no longer means owning as far as the industry is concerned…AND things are going to get a LOT more expensive moving forward.

Grand Theft Auto VI Was Delayed Again - Here's The New Release Date

That brings me to GTA6.

Apparently, the game already made over $3 Billion on just preorders. It is the highest-grossing preorder revenue in history–a record I believe will likely be broken by the end of the decade. Then, Rockstar Games announced last month the most anticipated game of the decade will NOT get a physical disc release on Playstation or Xbox consoles. This was announced AFTER preorders began, the overwhelming majority likely expecting it to be for a physical disc. What it means is everyone who preordered the game in person will be picking up a download voucher. A voucher for a game that has an eventual expiration date.

Why does the industry suddenly want to get rid of physical media? Doing so solves three problems for them:

  1. Mass Production Costs: Mass Producing physical discs and cartridges costs money at the end of the day.
  2. Secondhand Stores: The industry doesn’t make a cent from secondhand purchases weather the seller is Gamestop or a friend of yours.
  3. Price Caps: Games sold digital SHOULD cost less but they always cost the same as physical disks or more.

In other words, the industry has big financial incentives to go 100% digital. Not just on the PC but Consoles as well.

It’s ironic: I’ve been saying on this blog for the last few years that a Second Industrywide Crash was imminent. Now we have a much clearer picture on what led to it.

Know what else is ironic about this? If the industry doesn’t change course on just going all-digital, they will lose their own legal arguement on “Not having a monopoly” over video games as this violates anti-trust laws worldwide. It’s been been debated for decades in regards to mobile games and new debates started over the last 10 years in regards to Streaming Services. This is something entirely different in comparison because we’re talking about consumers basically being forced to spend hundreds of dollars on hardware and then an additional $80-$100 per software that will likely include additional DLC content you will have to pay more money for per software that you don’t actually own or have the right to access for life.

Know what you’d call that in any other situation? A Multi-Level Marketing Scam (MLM). Yet for 30 years, we told the industry they could do it to us. First it was paying extra for expansions after buying the base game. Then it was cosmetics and “Season Passes”. Now it’s straight-up content that should have been in the base game in the first place–see The Sims 4 for a textbook example. The recent releases of these “Complete Edition” and “Definitive Edition” versions of video games with all previously released DLC included at no extra cost proves it’s 100% about getting additional profit after the initial sale.

 

GameStop: What Happened, and What It Means

 

Getting back to Gamestop. Did you know this aggressive shift to digital gaming by the industry was primarily about killing Gamestop? It makes sense when you keep in mind game companies don’t get a cent from Preowned Sales and makes and average of $25-$30 from every preowned game sale. The Season Pass, online accounts, DLC, annual subscriptions, etc. is 100% about ensuring even if someone buys a game preowned, the publisher still makes money from digital content sales. THAT is why so many games are shipped the way they are across all platforms: It’s about ensuring even if the original owner sells the game, they still profit from the next owner.

This is also what makes Gamestop’s response to the industry looking to cut out physical games by the end of the decade potentially brilliant: They’re bringing games from older consoles back to their stores. From NES to PS3 and everything inbetween.

For those who might not know, there is only ONE Gamestop left in the City of Boston as of July 2026. Fortunately for me, it’s 15 minutes from my house (30 minutes using public transportation and walking) and it’s where I bought my Switch 1 consoles. I recently stopped by to pick up physical copies of Persona 5 Royal and FFI-VI Pixel Remaster on the Switch 1 which I already have digital copies of on Switch 1, PS4 and Steam (I also have the original base version of Persona 5 physical on PS4 from its original release). I also have Persona 3 Portable digital on 3 platforms (PSP, Steam and Switch 1) as well as Persona 4 Golden physical on PS Vita (its original release) and digital on Steam and Switch 1. The one Switch 1 game I know I’ll have to buy a physical copy of online is Skyrim. I’ve seen it listed on Ebay but to play it safe, I’m gonna order it online direct from Amazon next month. I got the game digital on Switch 1 but I have it physical on PS4. I alsodid the Anniversary Edition upgrade on Switch 1, PS4 AND Steam so I’ll just need to get a physical Switch 1 copy and I’m set.

Before I continue, I’ll go ahead and say the obvious: Even physical games don’t last forever. Collectors are WELL aware of that. The difference at least ownership can’t be eventually revoked by the publisher for any or no reason.

In 2022 shortly after I bought my OLED Switch, I found out about a devastating issue inherent in 3DS consoles that scared the everloving shit out of me: If you keep the console shut down for months, there is a very high chance the console’s SD Memory Card and Internal Memory could become corrupted and unreadable. Meaning in my case, I could lose over a decade worth of progress on not one but TWO 3DS consoles just like that. I bought every premium minigame in the Streetpass Plaza as soon as they became available and since I have two 3DS consoles, I can just Streetpass with myself every day. I keep my 3DS consoles in sleep mode in my bedroom but they are both turned on.
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This is to say nothing of an apparent inherent but known issue with certain physical 3DS games including Pokemon OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire which I also own both of physical. Apparently, if you don’t run certain games at least once every few months, there is a chance the game card will become corrupted and the 3DS will not be able to load the game. I did have this happen with my physical copy of Persona Q and it forced me to buy a second copy digital so I could finish the game. Given I plan to repurchase Pokemon Sun and Moon by the end of this year, my 3DS usage will increase accordingly. I actually did buy Sun and Moon when they were current but they were among the large collection of video games I was forced to sell in late 2018 due a financial situation I was dealing with at the time. I always planned to repurchase those two specific games largely due to the connectivity they have with 1st and 2nd Gen 3DS Virtual Console games that I also have–and that Nintendo never rereleased on the Switch 1 or 2 for some odd reason–as well as Pokemon Bank (still currently working for those who have it). I do still have UltraSun and UltraMoon physical on that note though.

 

GOG.com

 

GOG.com–GOG is short for Good Old Games on that note–has been getting a lot of new interest from PC Gamers since the Playstation announcement. Specifically from those who’ve been using Steam for years. Why? Because unlike Steam, all PC games you buy from GOG are not only yours to keep for life but are DRM free AND do not require an internet connection to play single player. This is actually also true for most of Steam’s games but some publishers do push DRM in games released on the Steam platform. Publishers claim they are protecting their games from piracy. Consumers point out the most popular DRM requires an internet connection even when playing a game in single player mode. Publishers claim always-on DRM is necessary even when playing Single Player to streamline regular stability updates to the game and collecting “diagnostic data” for errors and crashes. Consumers point out spyware is often embedded into the DRM which collects user data beyond the stated paramaters.

Steam, which boasts over 147 million monthly active users and over 200 Million registered accounts worldwide is actually the second-biggest PC Platform in the world. Second only to Roblox (see below). I recently made a GOG.com account and downloaded the Desktop client to both of my computers. You can import Library metadata from Steam, Xbox Live and Playstation Network (and a few other platforms) but that does NOT include free licenses to download the games you bought on the other platforms via GOG.com though. You can simply use GOG.com to view your game history.

As it happens, the overwhelming majority of Steam games I own are PC ports of console games I already own. Meaning the games I buy via GOG.com would be games I want to own for life no strings attached.

Here’s my short list:

  • Skyrim: Anniversary Edition (Of course)
  • Kingdom Two Crowns
  • Kingdom New Lands
  • Final Fantasy VII
  • Kingdoms and Castles
  • Hyperdimension Neptunia: Rebirth 1-3
  • The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel I-IV
  • The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky 1-3
  • Stellaris
  • Symphony of War
  • Stardew Valley
  • Star Ocean: The Second Story R

I only included games from my Steam Library though I do have almost all of them on other platforms as well. GOG.com boasts over 12,000 games but not most of my Steam library is over there yet including Clannad and most of the Final Fantasy series. Of the above listed games, Skyrim and Star Ocean are my top priorities since they are both currently on sale. I’m not in a rush in regards to both games though so I’ll probably buy them sometime next year or I get a financial windfall, whichever happens first.

 

Roblox

 

I’ll end with this because it’s looking more and more likely Roblox–or rather its model–is hastening the second industry-wide crash I’ve been eluding to. With over 151.5 million daily active users, around 380 million monthly active users worldwide and an estimated over 11 Billion registered accounts (many older or inactive IDs include automated bots FYI), it is the biggest online platform in the world. Not Steam. Not Battle.net. Not Playstation, Nintendo or Xbox. Roblox.

If that part I pointed out about the Roblox being flooded with bots isn’t bad enough, the platform is also FLOODED with imitations of imitations of simple but popular existing games like Mecca Chameleon that exist specifically for the microtransactions. To anyone who knows their gaming history, that last sentence should sound VERY familiar. I am referring to the crash of ’83. What happened back then? Atari, Intellivision and ColecoVision FLOODED the market with shovelware. VERY BAD shovelware that was also buggy and often released without being tested. Atari’s versions of E.T. and Pac-Man will always be remembered as the straw the broke the camel’s back but the signs were in plain sight and IGNORED. The crash tanked the U.S. Market so hard, Atari abandoned it completely. Japan’s console market survived albiet barely in comparison. The crash paved the way for Nintendo to singlehandedly rebuild the home console market in their image two years later: The Family Computer, or FamiCom in Japan and the Nintendo Entertainment System or NES outside of Japan. It was a home video game console marketed as anything but and it worked.

I’ve seen many industry insiders say things like “That can’t happen again. Lessons were learned.” For a about 25 years, yes. Nintendo, Sega, Sony and Microsoft all learned during that first 25 years (1985-2010) QUALITY matters as much as if not in many cases more than QUANTITY. Nintendo standardized quality control. Software developers like Trip Hawkins (EA and 3DO) hated it because in their minds, “Quality Control” infringed on their “creative freedom”. Sega offered more “freedom” early on when they challenged Nintendo with the Genesis but eventually, even they adopted standards. Mostly because the crash of ’83 was still fresh in the minds of the industry and consumers. Unchecked ambition and greed was considered “risky”…until it wasn’t. What things? The release of the iPhone in 2007. Three years in 2010, Apple took over the handheld market. By 2013, it prettymuch dominated the handheld market.

Unlike video game consoles and PCs, prettymuch most of the world had a smartphone or two by the mid-2010s. Emphasis on “most of the world” and I mean compared to even Nintendo’s handhelds. There’s just no way for even Nintendo to realistically compete with a handheld device more powerful than their Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS consoles that people literally had to have. One thing the mobile market taught the industry that consumers as a whole have been paying for ever since–both literally and metaphorically–is people are willing to pay more for convenience and cheap fun. No longer do companies need to heavily invest in making several big budget games a year that are not even guaranteed to sell enough to break even. Now they only really need to plan on making such games every few years at the most. That’s both good and bad. It’s good in the sense it means quality games are not rushed. It’s bad in the sense inbetween, we’re getting shovelware and gacha.

Roblox is the face of this new reality. A very proud face at that.

Now’s the time for folks to start stockpiling games both physical and DRM-free digital. When the crash hits, it’ll be too late.

 

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Posted in Blog, Brendan Aurabolt, News, Nintendo, PC, Playstation, Retro Gaming, Serene Adventure, Video Games, Way Back When, Xbox | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s Now Officially in the Public Record: As far as the industry is concerned, you don’t “own” the games you buy digital OR physical

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Lavon Samuel Davis

Explaining Stop Killing Games: Who They Are and What They Stand For

 

This is easily the biggest public admission to come out of the video game Industry since the Electronic Software Association’s (ESA) founding almost 40 years ago.

For those who might not know, the ESA represents the collective video game industry in the United States. Both legally and as a lobbyist body. In reaction to new legislation introduced in California and the European Union (EU) by the Stop Killing Games Movement, the ESA recently came out and said consumers do not own or have a legal right to the video games they buy as far as they’re concerned. Games you invested your time and money in that get shut down or are otherwise rendered unplayable is by design and is 100% intentional.

I wrote about this here two years ago but the ESA gave a full-throated “FUCK NO, NEVER!” to the Video Game History Foundation’s (VGHF) request to legally allow digital preservation of classic video games on the basis of historical and cultural preservation. Legally, you can make and own a digital backup of physical games you already own for personal use on your computer. The caviat is if the game has some type of DRM and you use third party software to remove the DRM, that is actually illegal. The ESA took someone to court and won to establish the legal precident for that.

Most veteran gamers who are paying attention probably realized this by now but these are some dark, uncertain times for the industry as a whole. I’ll blunt: The industry-wide collapse some have been warning of since the beginning of the decade likely started with the release of the Switch 2. It’s not just the video game industry but the general attitude of corporations in general–especially in the U.S.–is to pass the rising costs of everything on to consumers. Most in the U.S. don’t know this but while the Switch 2 costs $450–soon $500–in the U.S., it still sells for $350 in Japan. The extra $100 is Nintendo passing on the costs of the current administration’s Tarriff War directly onto American consumers. Same with Switch 2 games costing as much as $100 in some cases. Mind you, this is true for digital games as well as physical games. Don’t even get me started on the 1TB Steam Deck now selling to $950. Yes, really. I mean I get it, the price is largely to scare off potential scalpers. The problem is no one is seriously going to pay THAT much for a console that sold for half that price when it was last in stock.

People are getting fed up and this is why we’re seeing a growing number of folks aggressively hunting for older consoles and games for them. This is to say nothing of a surge in people openly pursuing emulation and acquiring R@Ms for the first time in numbers I haven’t seen since the mid-2000s. The ESA’s two-finger salute to consumers is nothing more than another nail in the coffin for the industry. Even worse is all of the nails are 100% self-inflicted. In recent years, some have been loudly talking about The crash of ’83 online. The similarities between then and now are impossible to ignore now. People are just DONE with paying more for less.

Longtime industry devs took notice 10 years ago and now I see why many have been leaving big companies to start their own studios. They saw this coming and got out early. They saw what was coming and left when they could have stayed for money and the IPs they’re known for. Instead, they chose creative freedom. They will be the ones to rebuild the industry after this second crash hits. When the Crash of ’83 happened, the U.S. was the center of the console market. When Nintendo revived the console market in the U.S. in 1985, Japan became the new center. Nintendo built itself as a cultural powerhouse but this shift was cemented with the rise of Sega and later Sony entering the console market.

Most Western gamers don’t know this but the Japanese video game companies not really giving a damn about preserving their own history is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and philosophy. When a work is completed and put out there, they don’t look back. They just move on to the next thing. This why most video game consoles made by Nintendo, Sega or Sony do not have backwards compatability. It’s not just because of technical limitations. It’s because they don’t dwell on the past like most Westerners do but I won’t digress further.

 

Preservation of Games & Game Culture | Games @ UChicago | Year of Games

 

What I will say is everyone who held onto their retro gaming collection or recently started building one probably now feels vindicated. More so given the string of devastating losses Stop Killing Games have been taking in both the U.S. and EU courts over the last month. The ESA is not fucking around. They are working to crush the Stop Killing Games Movement in court everywhere they can as thoroughly and as early as possible.

Something that’s been picking up steam on social media in June is the saying “If buying isn’t ownership, piracy isn’t stealing.” Given Playstation just removed over 500 Movies and TV Shows consumers bought digitally without no refund offered or given–and even worse, no advance notice–people are rushing to buy Blu Ray Players right now. The rising costs of streaming services were already pushing people in that direction. Now it’s accelerating and the rising demand comes almost 10 years after media companies drastically cut back on how many DVDs and Blu Rays they mass produce while stores prettymuch eliminated their movie and music sections.

Speaking of Playstation. They just announced on July 1 they plan to go digital only by 2028. Yes, really. “You will own nothing and be happy” prettymuch. Like I just said: “If buying isn’t ownership, piracy isn’t stealing.” You literally CAN’T do this and expect people to just “accept it”. See, this was the danger some tried to warn the world about all the way back in 2003 with the launch of iTunes after Napster’s RIAA takedown. Some people warned that there would come a time when the content providers would push consumers into buying digital with no consumer protections.

What we’re seeing now is exactly what some tried to warn about 23 years ago: Digital content you bought can be removed from your account with no advance notice or warning and no refund offered. In other words, they take your money and then later, they LEGALLY take what bought with it. In best, that’s called a scam. Are worst, it’s straight-up theft. I’ll use this example that sounds insane but makes the point: Imagine let’s say you buya refrigerator in 2005. 20 years later, the manufacturer comes to your home to take it back because “it’s too old” or “It’s no longer being supported”. They not only don’t provide you with a replacement but tell you that if you don’t voluntarily let them take it, they’ll be back with law enforcement to take it by force.

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? 10 years ago, yes. Now? Maybe not as much.

PS3, PSP, & PS Vita Stores To Be Closed Soon, According To Report

 

I was just about to wrap this up when I just found out the PS3, PSP and PS Vita digital stores will all be shut down in 2027. The PSP digital store was already shut down a few years ago but you could still buy PSP games via the PS3 and PS Vita. Now all three are being shut down.  So much for my plans on buying a new PS3 and Vita as there were some games I was hoping to finish, many I bought digital originally. I actually still have some Vita and game cards and the memory cards from both of the Vitas I once had as a promise to myself that one day, I would buy new handhelds. I was forced to sell them along with my PS3, Wii, Wii U and Xbox 360 for a personal matter in late 2017. I always believed I’d be able to buy those consoles again within 3 years. Now, that’s impossible with the online stores for all of them shut down and games that would likely require an update on first play possibly not working.

We already know Nintendo and Xbox are not giving up on making digital-only consoles. Now, Sony is letting us know two years in advance that they’re going to stop making physical Playstation 5 games entirely on January 1, 2028. To those like myself who have a PS4 and never got a PS5 by choice, buy physical while you can as they’ve already started to phase out cross-gen releases. If you have a PS5, Switch 2 or Xbox Series X|S now, buy as many physical games as you can NOW while you still can. Otherwise, consider investing in pre-PS3/Xbox 360/Wii consoles. I’m talking about the PS2, Gamecube, Dreamcast, N64, Nintendo DS, Playstation 1, Game Boy Advance, PSP and earlier consoles.

 

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You know, Hideo Kojima predicted this five years ago on Social Media. In a pair of Xitter posts he made on August 5, 2021 Kojima warned there would soon come a time when those who buy digital media would no longer “own” it as it would be cut off with no recourse for the consumer. Those tweets are getting renewed attention now with good reason. The timing REALLY sucks for gamers who rarely buy digital in particular and more so those who usually buy physical in person.

I’ll be blunt: Gaming as we knew it is prettymuch dead and it was the industry itself that killed it. Emphasis on “as we knew it.” Piracy and Emulation will do what the industry refused to do for decades–give us access to games from older consoles–and at this point, I am for it. I’d rather buy a third party handheld, load it with the retro games I want from reliable sources and have that over what the industry is pushing consumers into.

I was already 70% against buying a Switch 2 mostly because of Nintendo forcing people into buying digital. It’s true I have maintained a Steam account for over 15 years now but almost all of the games I play on Steam I also have a copy of on another console. It helps I have a comparatively “small” Steam Library as well. I also didn’t forget Valve has repeatedly said loudly in recent years “FUCK NO” to the idea of people transferring ownership of their Steam account to someone else for any reason which includes when you die. Meaning at the end of the day, you gave likely thousands of dollars to Valve to build a Steam library that you truly do not “own” and becomes worthless when you die.

Valve has made it clear they will suspend Steam accounts people try to transfer to others for any reason because legally, you do not have the right to transfer ownership of the digital library you spent money to build. Why? Because you don’t actually “own” it. It’s in the fine print they know no one reads which states Valve reserves the right to revoke access and the use of user accounts for any or no reason without notice and no refunds are offered or given. As a reminder, some games available on the Steam platform does have DRM that requires an internet connection just to play them.

I’m at the point where I feel like I now have no choice but to repurchase some of the games in my Steam library via GOG.com and other platforms that don’t have DRM strings attached. I buy the game, I decide how I use it. Period. About 10 years ago, I copied the contents of my Civilization IV Complete Edition Install CD to multiple USB Drives. I don’t need the disk to play the game BUT now I no longer need the disc itself when I install the game. The disc is not needed to run the game after it’s been installed and I was pissed Civ V came with Steam integration on that note (I do have the install disc for Civ V as well).

All that said and in closing:

BUY ALL ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA PHYSICAL.

The ESA prettymuch confirmed Digital Games are an industry-wide scam. Of course, this also extends to other kinds of digital media from movies to tv shows to music to books. It’s well known that Amazon has removed books people purchased from their libraries and portable devices via software updates. Yes, really. In the real world, that’s called stealing at best. At worst, it’s censorship. All in the name of “convenience”.

…Ironically, we did this to ourselves.

 

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Posted in Brendan Aurabolt, News, Serene Adventure, Video Games, Way Back When | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Review: World of Warcraft: Midnight

Posted on June 13, 2026 by Lavon Samuel Davis

World of Warcraft®: Midnight™

 

As before, I write the review after having completed the leveling experience for the first time.

11 Expansions and 22 years later, World of Warcraft is back! Despite the game-breaking bugs and glitches that were reported during both Alpha and Beta that made it to Live–I mean the kind of stuff that prevents story progression on that note–public perception so far has been largely positive. Despite the obvious preset pacing due to the next expansion already being known, a lot of lessons learned during The War Within were applied to Midnight. With both the Voidspire and March on Quel’Danas raids now having been cleared, we are now on the road to The Last Titan lorewise. More on that later but the story endings to both raids make it obvious: We don’t “win” at the end of Midnight. In fact, we literally can’t–or rather already “lost”.

Like The War Within, you will get a +5% EXP buff to your Warband for each character you level to max up to the first five (+25% total). After you level your first character to max, you will then be able to skip the intro quest chain at Quel’Danas on future level 80 Characters in addition to that. I’m an altoholic–I have two WoW accounts though I rarely have an active subscription to both due to the costs–and with Player Housing now being introduced, folks now have good reason to go back and play through the 20+ years worth of WoW History.

On that note. Now’s a pretty good time for anyone who’s NEVER played WoW before to give it a shot. The game is much more newcomer-friendly than it was when I first started back in 2007 which was late Burning Crusade era. The game peaked during Wrath of the Lich King but has managed to withstand competators many were quick to label as “The WoW Killer” from League of Legends to Warhammer to Star Wars The Old Republic to Genshin Impact and so many others. Blizzard even found time to do Starcraft II + two expansions, Overwatch, Overwatch 2, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, Diablo III + Expansions and  Diablo IV + Expansions as well as remaster Warcraft III, Warcraft II, Warcraft I, Diablo I AND Diablo II along with releasing the original versions of ALL of those classic games while working on WoW. WoW may be Blizzard’s best cash cow but it’s clearly not the only one these days.

 

Haranir Allied Race Guide - World of Warcraft - Icy Veins

 

One nice change from how the Earthen are unlocked as a playable race in The World Within is with the Haranir, all you have to do is complete the story zone for Harandar for the first time. When you do, the Haranir will be unlocked as a playable race. Like the Earthen, Dracthyr and Pandaren they are a Neutral race meaning both Alliance and Horde get them. As noted in the above picture they get the following classes:

  • Warrior
  • Hunter
  • Priest
  • Druid
  • Shaman
  • Rogue
  • Warlock
  • Mage
  • Monk

Given Void Elves got the Demon Hunter class during the Midnight prepatch and Dracthyr got 6 classes during The War Within (Warrior, Hunter, Priest, Rogue, Warlock and Mage), I wouldn’t be surprised if some races got new classes mid-expansion though all races past, present and future are 100% guaranteed to get those 6 classes moving forward.

On a related note. Something to watch is Blizzard is considering adding new specs to existing classes presumably in the near future. There’s some discussions about it over on MMO-Champion’s forums.

One more thing before I forget. For those who might not know, originally Harandar was going to be a part of TWW. This is evidenced by some storyline references to The Titans and Owena being introduced in TWW…before suddenly disappearing without a trace or mention until Midnight. Most likely Harandar was going to be a mid-expansion zone like Undermine but Blizzard changed their minds early in the expansion’s development. Fortunately, we got it in Midnight and Harandar’s story was tweakened to fit in Midnight.

This is not the first time Blizzard bumped planned content down the road. Karazhan was originally going to be the last raid for Vanilla WoW but when they were almost done, they decided to just include it with The Burning Crusade when it launched. At least we got the content in both cases: A whole zone promised for WoD was famously cut after all.

 

World of Warcraft Teases Return to the Least Popular Expansion in History

 

Getting to the finale for the March on Quel’Danas raid. Yes that’s Sylvanas Windrunner in the foreground facing down Xal’Atath at the Void-corrupted Sunwell. For those who might not know, this wasn’t even her first appearance during Midnight: We actually do go to the Maw with Arator who is hoping to recruit her earlier in the expansion. She declines her nephew’s request to return to Silvermoon and drops an ominous reveal: The Shadowlands is “too orderly” compared to the true realm of death she peered into.

Shadowlands quickly replaced Warlords of Draenor as the most hated expansion EVER despite having three raid tiers and a TON more content. A lot of the hate has to do with the IRL turmoil Blizzard was dealing with when that expansion was current but I won’t digress into that. That aside, Sylvanas canonizes a popular fan theory I’d seen online for years: Blizzard is trying to retcon Shadowlands. Not that it happened but its existence. Three expansions later, Sylvanas talking about wanting to find out the truth about the Shadowlands suddenly makes the events of that expansion relevant lorewise albiet more indirectly. The former Banshee Queen states The Shadowlands is too orderly and “convenient” to be the true realm of death.

“Orderly”…there IS one cosmic force that is closely associated with that: The Titans. Coincidentally, the next expansion IS titled The Last Titan.

 

The Last Titan will send us to a fully updated Northrend

Speaking of.

That brings me to the aforementioned expansion to follow Midnight, The Last Titan. All roads lead (back) to Northrend. Here’s just a few reasons why we absolutely have to go back there in TLT:

  • Like on Dun Algaz, there are massive passages leading deep underground on Northrend. Passages that lead straight to Azeroth’s World Soul. They’re actually mentioned in the Northrend Campaign (WotLK) though we didn’t go there during the events of Wrath.
  • The Scourge is STILL a threat (!). In fact, some are now becoming void-aligned.
  • Iridikron WILL return and is patiently waiting for Xal’Atath to provoke The Titans into returning to Azeroth.
  • The Burning Legion WILL return and by extension, so will Illidan Stormrage.
  • The Arathi Empire looms in the background.

It is going to be a fairly loaded expansion to say the least and it will have to be loaded to close out the Worldsoul Saga.

 

 

WoW Classic Anniversary Edition Prepares for The Burning Crusade with the Expansion Pre-Patch | The Ancient Gaming Noob

World of Warcraft Season of Discovery is the best WoW experience I've had in a decade | Windows Central

 

I’ll be honest: You can only replay a 20-year old version of WoW with no modern conveniences for so long.

I can say this because I started playing WoW in 2007 during the tail end of Burning Crusade. With Cataclysm’s release in 2010, the pre-Cataclysm versions of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor were lost forever. This was a very controversial move to fans of the original 1-60 version of WoW who’d already felt the modern conveniences introduced Wrath (Dungeon Finder, etc.) “ruined WoW”. Speaking of Dungeon Finder and Raid Finder in particular. As someone who mained a Paladin Tank through the first three expansions, Dungeon Finder saved WoW and was needed in Burning Crusade. That is not my opinion. That is a fact. Blizzard resisted introducing Raid Finder until the end of Cataclysm because of the loudmouths ranting about “Keeping WoW Pure”.

Know what WoW was like before Dungeon Finder? Exactly what you see in Season of Discovery, Hardcore and TBC Classic: People flooding Trade Chat for hours trying to find people around their level to run an instance with. Me aside, back then most players only played ONE character at a time. Those who ran an alt or two alongside their main often didn’t want to have to bother to switch characters as that would mean putting progression of their main on hold. As a reminder, leveling 1-60/70 in Classic/TBC is very slow and this is compounded when you can’t run dungeons while leveling. Oh and yes I know Group Finder was made as a go-between compromise but it’s VERY unreliable for people who actually care about time management.

Mind you, I am also aware of the claim that came out early on that Dungeon/Raid Finder killed the social aspect of WoW. No it didn’t. You could play through several zones and not see another player. That or other players you encounter outside starting zones just want to be left alone. Wanna know what the s0-called “controversy” was REALLY about? The WoW Community gatekeeping content. THAT is ultimately why Blizz made a new raid tier. It’s also why Blizz recently introduced story versions of raids starting with Manaforge Omega (TWW).

How it works is you play through a portion of the full raid so you can see the story’s conclusion. Since you’re doing the story version solo, AI-controlled party members help you do it. In the case of that raid, you skip all the bosses but the last one: Dimensius himself. I’ve never actually beaten Dimensius because of that encounter’s unique mechanics which honestly I found very needless and annoying overall–WAY too many instant-death gimmicks–especially for the Story and Raid Finder versions of the raid. I’m assuming those will be removed by TLT goes live or rather I hope they are.

Getting back to the Classic Era versions of WoW. While it is true most high-level players in the Classic Era versions of WoW are willing to hook you up with some gold–someone gave me 1,000 Gold so I could get Outland Flying and a Mount a few months back–or tell you where to find stuff if they’re not terribly busy, it’s a different story when it comes to finding players around your level to run dungeons with. As a reminder, unlike with Dungeon Finder you need to manually go to the dungeon you intend to run. Most of the dungeons are far from repairs, shops and a graveyard and on that note.

In Retail/Modern WoW, when you die in an instance you respawn at the beginning of the instance. In earlier versions of WoW, if you die in an instance your ghost repawns at the nearest graveyard. Die in Deadmines? Respawn by Sentinel Hill. Die in Zul’Farrak? Respawn by Gadgetstan. If the Healer and anyone else who can rez dies, the run’s on hold until everyone can run back in. Don’t even get me started on dungeons with 2 or more entrances like Statholme and Scarlet Monestery. A dungeon that would take 20 to 30 minutes max on Retail/Modern WoW to clear could take 1 or 2 hours on Classic. More so if one or more of the party members kept dying or was new to the instance. Players just looking to quickly clear the instance won’t stick around for more than 2 or 3 wipes at the most.

This brings me back to what I said earlier about Community-enforced Gatekeeping. The Juxtoposition of Wrath-Era Gearscore Gatekeeping was you had to have a minimum Gearscore to be considered for raids. The problem was in order to get better gear, you had to do raids. You couldn’t do raids because your Gearscore was too low. It didn’t matter how good the player actually was: As far as the gatekeepers were concerned, anyone who didn’t have the minimum Gearscore they cared about was “too weak”. What that meant was players like me who were just below the minimum Gearscore requirement were shut out of endgame content when they were current. Raid Finder fixed that but by the time it was introduced, I was transitioning to Semi-Casual in Cataclysm.

I still managed to do endgame content when it was current up to Mists of Pandaria though. Largely thanks to SoO being 14 months long. I took long breaks in the second half of WoD and didn’t do Hellfire Citadel until after Legion went live. I actually didn’t do Antorius: The Burning Throne until two years ago. I haven’t done Ny’alotha or The Speulcher of the First Ones yet since I haven’t progressed enough to unlock them yet. I never played through any of Dragonflight yet on that note and need to play through more of Shadowlands as well as TWW’s endgame content. I’ve done everything Legion and earlier though, mostly solo.

 

World of Warcraft: Midnight Takes Players Back to a Refreshed Quel'Thalas in the Battle Against the Void - IGN

 

Midnight marks the first time I didn’t level a character to max level before going on hiatus. Mostly because right after buying 60 days prepaid time, I effectively wasted the $30 I spent to finish leveling a character to focus on other games. I do plan to resubscribe early next month but if things go the way hope they do later this month, I’ll get a 12-month subscription on both of my WoW accounts this summer. We’ll see. One thing I think is very likely this coming November is The Last Titan being formally announced. Midnight’s endgame content will also likely be revealed at that time. TLT would then likely be released next summer on that note.

One more thing I’ve recently noticed that’s becoming pretty hard to ignore is Xal’Atath prettymuch becoming Sylvanas 2.0. Sylvanas was prominent in three straight expansions: Legion, BFA and Shadowlands. Xal’Atath will be prominent across The Worldsoul Saga: TWW, Midnight and TLT. By Shadowlands, people were sick and tired of Sylvanas mostly because of how she was handled. I’m seeing the same with Xal’Atath at this point largely because everyone knows Xal’Atath “wins” Midnight and speculation is she becomes an ally in TLT. Lorewalker Cho can be sought out for Xal’Atath’s backstory–all of which happened in WoW on that note–and though she doesn’t have an iconic backstory like Sylvanas, her potential as a villain is clearly much higher than Sylvanas’ was and on that note.

This is a major spoiler or those who skipped Shadowlands but the reveal that Sylvanas’ soul was split in two when Arthas killed her would have landed much harder if it was handled differently. Mind you, it was eluded to with the reveal Uther’s soul was cut in two earlier in the expansion to explain why Uther’s soul can exist both in the Shadowlands and at Uther’s Tomb in the Western Plaguelands at the same time. In Shadowlands, we find out the version of Sylvanas we’ve known since her death in WCIII is her “Dark” half. When Sylvanas turns on Zovaal, he reveals he’s been holding onto her “Light” half all this time and gives it to her before leaving her to face the wrath of the people she recently betrayed or wronged.

It’s not that players didn’t already know Blizz had a redemption arc for Sylvanas lined up. It’s the way it was done that pissed off a lot of people. Sylvanas being condemned to tracking down the souls of everyone who died during The Fourth War (BFA) was a way to remove her from the story for now without outright killing her. We saw the same with Illidan and Denathrius. For those who might not know, Originally he was supposed to die in the raid. Denathrius was popular, Blizzard changed it so he’s sealed in his sword instead so he can be brought back at some point in the future.

Getting back to Xal’Atath, though. Shadow Priests got Xal’Atath, Blade of The Black Empire as their artifact weapon in Legion. While playing the game, the sentient being inside the blade would whisper to the player during the events of the expansion. Drained from having her power used to help restrain the power of Sargeras’ sword, Xal’Atath reappears during the events of BFA where she gains her current body. She cuts a deal with N’Zoth: Her freedom in exchange for you. We see her indirectly reenter the story in Dragonflight where if you look very closely after Iridikron gets the Dark Heart, you see her silhouette in the background of his portal. In a quest chain we see during BFA near the end of the expansion, it’s revealed Xal’Atath was sent to Azeroth by The Void Lords to find out WTF was going on with The Old Gods who landed there. The Old Gods put aside their rivalry to bind Xal’Atath in the dagger but not before offering a deal to N’Zoth. A deal N’Zoth accepted in exchange for the player character earlier in BFA.

Fast forward to TWW. Xal’Atath blows up Dalaran over Khaz Algar, setting off the opening moments of that expansion. She forms an alliance of convenience with The Nerubians, regarding them as little more than sacrificial pawns. She also gets involved with Goblin politics in The Undermine. On K’aresh, Xal’Atath enters an alliance of convenience with us to defeat Dimensius. Right after he’s defeated, Xal’Atath steals his essence and uses it to summon the Void Storm she later uses to assault The Sunwell in Midnight. Between TWW and Midnight, we learn from a video Xal’Atath was formerly a Priestess of the Light when she was a mortal. Then the Void came and took everything from her including her original body. One recurring theme we see with Xal’Atath in Midnight is her trying to tell anyone who will listen “The Light isn’t 100% good” and to a degree, she’s not wrong. Everyone knows about The Scarlet Crusade after all.

All that said. I do think Xal’Atath is best kept as a villain or at least a wildcard. She fits that role quite well and more so given unlike every other Warcraft villain, Xal’Atath accounts for the player character lorewise. She traveled with one during Legion. She’s seen us overcome everything put in front of us. She knows we are inevitable. Iridikron seems to have caught onto this on his own given he straight up said “I’m gonna sit back and watch how things play out for the next two or three expansions.” Unlike past villains, Xal’Atath actually accounts for our eventual involvement with her plans. This also why she didn’t see Sylvanas getting involved coming. She was so fixated on keeping ahead of us, she admitted she didn’t account for Sylvanas possibly getting involved.

I don’t think most folks appreciate the fact we have an antagonist in Xal’Atath who not only recognizes us as Threat #1 from the beginning but factors our involvement into everything she does. It’s what made her temporary alliance on K’aresh make so much sense and why she allowed us to see the real reason she targeted The Sunwell: It was to use it as a gateway to send the void straight to Azeroth’s World Soul. Such an act is something The Titans can’t ignore which means we’ve entered the countdown to TLT lorewise. It’s now a question of what happens at the end of Midnight that brings The Titans back to Azeroth.

 

World of Warcraft: The Titan Keepers and their Connection to the Dragonflights

 

For those who might not know or remember, lorewise Sargeras killed The Pantheon when he turned on them ages ago. What Sargeras didn’t know was just before the deathblow as struck, The Titans relased their souls and launched them to the other side of the universe…and back. They return at the end of Legion and seal the Dark Titan away.

As has been revealed since Legion, Sargeras may have been defeated but the Legion is still out there. Severely diminished in power, yes but it’s still out there causing trouble. The Titans are keeping Sargeras contained but something that would draw them away from that would be something threatening Azeroth, which is clearly a very special World Soul. It hasn’t been outright said but Azeroth’s World Soul has the power to grant free will. The Old Gods started thinking for themselves shortly after arriving on Azeroth for example. Normally, they would’ve just corrupted the planet and its World Soul. Instead, they decided to fight with each other for control over it. We would see this happen with the Titans’ creations as well. The Earthen are inorganic, yes but they do have free will like flesh and blood races. It’s revealed they actually destroyed a Titan watcher that came to Khaz Algar to try to reprogram them and they said “Nah, bro.”

In closing, TLT’s premise is going starting to come into focus. We’re going to have various factions vying for control of Azeroth’s World Soul which itself is about Free Will. It will be quick the fitting capstone for The World Soul Saga to say the least.

 

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A year in, the Switch 2 is fast becoming Wii U 2.0 for very different reasons

Posted on May 6, 2026 by Lavon Samuel Davis

Nintendo Switch 2 – Game-Key Cards | Hardware | Nintendo UK

 

The reasons are three words: Game Key Cards.

This is one bait and switch both longtime gamers and most casuals aren’t falling for thankfully.

For those who don’t know, Game Key Cards do not contain the game. They are needed to download and then play the game. Nintendo came up with it for games that exceed 64GB which is the storage size for Switch 2 game cards. Instead of developing proprietary Game Cards that can hold more storage, they’re basically forcing consumers to buy multiple proprietary MicroSD Express memory cards. MicroSD Express Memory Cards max out of 2TB. Meaning after buying a few such games, you’ll be running low on storage space and need a second Memory Card.

Nintendo has two consumer-friendly options, one of which ProjectRekt showed them with the Switch 2 port of Cyberpunk 2077: Compress the game and make it small enough to fit on a standard Switch 2 Game Card. The other option that I just mentioned would be for Nintendo to simply develop higher-capacity Switch 2 Game Cards. Minimum 128GB or 256GB though 512GB or 1TB just to be safe. There’s literally no excuse for this from Nintendo in particular. It’s 100% a choice on their part.

Me, I’m not getting a Switch 2 anytime soon. Mostly over this but also because there’s no Switch 2 exclusives I’m in a rush to get and that includes the recently announced Pokemon Wind and Waves. I got most of the Switch 1-era games long after they were current as a reminder. The Switch 1 Pokemon games I got when they were current? Violet, Scarlet and Legends Z-A though it’s largely because I got my first Switch in 2022–3 years before the Switch 2’s release. If Nintendo wants to stay profitable, they will continue to release titles across both Switch consoles like Sony did with the PS4 and PS5. This is coming from someone who has a wish list of just Switch 1 ports like Xenoblade Chronicles and Civilization VII that I plan to buy physical before they get too rare or expensive on the secondhand market.

As a reminder, I don’t mind buying console games digital and more so when there are sales. On the hand, I am being mindful with physical games I don’t have to worry when the eShop eventually shuts down. I mostly buy digital games on the Switch and PS4 that don’t have a physical release, most of such games also getting released via Steam.

There actually is one game that I have both a physical and a digital copy of:

Amazon.com: Sid Meier's Civilization VI - Nintendo Switch : Take 2 Interactive: Everything Else

 

I saw a preowned copy on sale at Gamestop for $12 so I bought it. It was that simple. I play the physical version on my OLED and the digital version on my Switch Lite. I learned from that experience how to play the same game across two consoles at the same time. That’s good since I plan to buy Skyrim physical at some point in the future. When I do, I’ll continue to plat it digital on my Switch OLED but will play it physical on my Switch Lite.

On a relate note and I can’t believe I forgot to talk about this. No, I will not give Nintendo more money for Switch 2 Edition upgrades of Switch 1 games. I plan to exclusively play Switch 1 games on my Switch 1 consoles anyway. Yes, I’m keeping my Switch 1 and Switch 2 libraries separate on that note. I’ve had almost a year’s worth of time to practice rolling two Switch 1 consoles at this point. I’ll make it work.

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

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Nintendo’s Starfox/Lylat Wars 2026 announcement confirms what longtime series fans suspected for 30 years

Posted on May 6, 2026 by Lavon Samuel Davis

Star Fox (Switch 2) Announced, Releases June 25, 2026 : r/NintendoSwitch2

 

Today’s Starfox 2026 announcement confirms what many suspected after the ill-fated Wii U title Starfox Zero: Nintendo STILL hasn’t been able to make a Starfox game as good as Starfox 64 was 30 years later.

I’m gonna take you back in time to Christmas Day 1997. At the time, Nintendo 64 games went for $60-$70 which meant for most middle-class families, you were only guaranteed to get a new game on Christmas or your birthday. That year, we actually got a promotional VHS in the mail from Nintendo ahead of the game’s release. I still have that promotional VHS actually. What made Starfox 64 so iconic was actually the piece of tech introduced with it that has since become an industry stable: The Rumble Pak. You wanna know why your Playstation or Xbox controller vibrates, it’s because Nintendo made the Rumble Pak.

Anyways when you booted up Starfox 64, you got this opening video:

Easily one of the most iconic openings of the early 3D console era.

For those who might not know, Starfox 64–along with Starfox Zero and Starfox 2026–is a remake of the original SNES Starfox game. Released back in 1993, one could say the original SNES version was the spiritual successor to Nintendo’s very first arcade game Radar Scope. It was memorable though it was also constrained by the hardware it was made for.

Then Starfox 64 drops in 1997.

It was, to put it mildly one of the best-selling Nintendo 64 games ever done. Branching routes and Medal Hunting added hours of replay value. On a related note, which version of Venom and the ending you got was decided by which route you took. This is to say nothing of 4-player Split Screen VS Matches. I’ll put it like this: If you can get Medals in the Campaign’s Expert difficulty, you shouldn’t be losing VS. Matches to anyone who hasn’t.

All that said. Nintendo has released subsequent Starfox games since SF64. The Gamecube’s Starfox Adventures showed Nintendo’s willingness to move the series in a new direction. Me personally, I never played it because I felt it changed too much from what worked with SF64. I did see why I it was so well liked by many though. The followup game Starfox Assault was a direct sequel to Stafox Adventures but brought players back to the series’ roots in terms of overall gameplay. The return of 4-Player VS. Matches was awesome and more so given Starfox Assault introduced the ability to switch vehicles or move on foot on the fly, opening new strategies to plan for or exploit.

As mentioned earlier, the Wii U’s Starfox Zero was the second remake of the original Starfox game. In short, until today it made people think it prettymuch killed the series. Why? Because no new Starfox game had been released since. THAT’S how bad that game was. I played it and returned it the next day so yes I’d know personally. Coincidentally, Peppy’s original Englis voice actor died in 2020 from COVID-19. To people who loved his voicework in the series, it felt emblematic of the series that never got a game on the Switch 1. I’m not gonna bother talking about the Nintendo DS title Starfox Command though for me it was a mixed bag of kittens. Mostly due to the hardware it was made for. Same with the 3DS port of Starfox 64 (yes, the 3DS got a port of SF64).

I’ve played every game in the series as you can see. Today’s announcement confirms what everyone suspected about Fox’s appearance in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie: It was to be a tie-in to the release of Starfox 2026. I’ll put it like this: Starfox 2026 is not for people familiar with Starfox 64 or the other versions of the game. It’s for people unfamiliar with the series. Me personally, there isn’t enough new content in the game to justify getting it. More so as someone who played 3 other versions of this game. I mean I get it, weather or not there will be followup Starfox games depends on this game doing well commercially. I don’t see this game doing well commercially. More so given it’s largely “been there, done that” and anyone with a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pak Subscription can play Starfox 64 on the Switch 1 or Switch 2.

This announcement out of nowhere 8 weeks ahead of the game’s release tells me Nintendo is looking for a quick cash grab. We’ll see.

 

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Here’s some things you might not know or remember about the 3rd Gen Kanto games

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Lavon Samuel Davis

Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen Confirmed for Switch 2 - Release Date, Price & Features Revealed

 

As of this post, we’re days away from the (re)release of the 3rd Gen Kanto Pokemon games FireRed and LeafGreen digitally on the Switch and Switch 2. Like over 80% of the people who will be getting it, I played the games when they were current. I mentioned this in the previous post but FireRed and LeafGreen are actually remakes of the original Pokemon Red and Green. It also marked the first time a version of Pokemon Green was released outside of Japan. Its release came after Pokemon Coliseum on the Gamecube and was actually about making it possible for those who had Ruby and Sapphire to add the Kanto Pokemon to those games since they’d been released a few years earlier without backwards compatability to the earlier Pokemon games.

For those who either never played the 3rd Gen Pokemon games–FireRed/LeafGreen or Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald–or need a refresher, here’s some things to know or remember in general:

  • TMs are Single Use: I’m hoping they change this for the remakes but it wasn’t until the 5th Gen that TMs had unlimited uses. Given some early TMs were updated to reflect the passage of time–for example you get Rock Tomb from Brock in FR/LG instead of Bide in the 1st Gen–you’ll need to think carefully about what TMs you use since you only get ONE of them and only a literal handful can be gotten more than once.
  • Move Tutors: Most don’t know this but these were the games that started the trend of introducing Move Tutors in every main series game since. The cool thing about how it was done in FR/LG is they will teach moves that were TMs in the 1st Gen. Another cool thing is you will encounter most of them while playing the game normally. For example, you will see the tutors who offer Mega Punch and Mega Kick on Route 4 when you get out of Mt. Moon.
  • Moltres on One Island: I mentioned this in the previous post but in the first gen games, Moltres can be found in Victory Road which requires getting all 8 badges to access. In FR/LG, it was moved to the top of One Island which you’re sent to for the first time right after getting the Volcano Badge. This gives you a bit more time to level it ahead of challenging the Elite Four.
  • Unlocking the National Dex: After you beat the Elite Four and Champion, talk to Professor Oak. He will update your Pokedex to the National Dex if you have caught at least 60 Pokemon. Very easy to do and more so if you’ve already met the prerequisites to get items from his assistants during the course of the game (the last one asks for at least 70 Pokemon registered). Don’t forget to talk to Oak after you become Champion! Once you get the National Dex, you can evolve Golbat into Crobat and Chansey into Blissey.
  • Accessing Cerulean Cave: Before you can access Cerulean Cave, you will first need to complete the postgame Sevii Islands quest chain. Doing this will also unlock trading with Ruby and Sapphire. After this task has been completed, you will be able to enter the Cerulean Cave and challenge Mewtwo.
  • Elite Four Rematches: After you complete the Sevii Islands Postgame quest chain you can rematch the Elite Four + Champion, all of whom have upgraded their teams and added at least one Johto Pokemon. Even Mewtwo won’t guarantee an easy time but it will help with most of the heavy lifting.
  • Pokemon Daycare on Four Island: I mentioned this in the previous post but there is a second Pokemon Daycare on Four Island. Unlike the one on Route 5, this one can specifically be used for breeding.
  • No Physical/Special Attack Split: For those who might not know, Physical Attacks and Special Attacks were split in the 4th Gen. For example, Thunder Punch is a Physical Attack today but in the 3rd gen and earlier it was considered a Special Attack. Same with moves like Bite and Crunch.
  • HM Moves: Until the 7th Gen games, you had to learn HM (short for Hidden Machine) moves to get around or progress through certain areas. There were originally 5 HM Moves: Cut, Fly, Surf, Strength and Flash though two more–Whirlpool and Waterfall–were added in the 2nd Gen. Only the first five matter for FR/LG. You will get Cut first followed by Flash. Surf and Strength are both acquired via the Safari Zone in different ways: Find the Secret House for Surf and fine the Warden’s Gold Teeth for Strength. Fly requires Cut to get to the person who gives it you west of Celadon City. There is one more  important thing I almost forgot to mention about HM Moves: You will need to see a Move Deleter to remove them. You will find him in Fuschia City next to the Gym in FR/LG.
  • Nugget Bridge Loop: After you beat the five trainers, you can get a free Nugget from the Team Rocket recruiter by losing to him on purpose. After you beat the five trainers, save and then deposit your whole team. Withdraw a low-level Pokemon. Let him beat you. Repeat as many times as desired. You will lose half your money each time you lose but that won’t matter since you’ll get exponentially more money from selling all the Nuggets you’ll get doing this in comparison.
  • Getting the Old Amber: This is easy to forget but the Old Amber is behind the counter of the Pewter City Museum. You can access it once you have Cut. Just go through the side entrance and talk to the researcher next to it. You can then take it to the Lab on Cinnabar Island to get Aerodactyl.
  • EXP Share: Unlike today when all Pokemon in your party passively get EXP, in the earlier games only the Pokemon that participated in battles got EXP. The EXP Share allows the holder to get some EXP even if they’re not involved (must be in the party).
  • VS Seeker: Allows you to rematch trainers in the world. Very handy addition for EXP and Money grinding. So handy, it was brought back in the 4th Gen.
  • Tea: You will get this from someone in Celadon City. Give it to the Saffron City guards to get through.

 

I figure those would be handy for folks either new to the games or in need of a refresher to know. You’re welcome.

More likely than not the GBA versions of Ruby and Sapphire will also get released. It’s a question of when, not if. Hopefully Pokemon Home connectivity is added well before then either way.

As a reminder, completing the Pokedex will require both games. Not just for the version exclusives but for evolving Machoke, Kadabra, Graveler and Haunter. I preordered both games and I have two Switch consoles so I’ll be fine in that regard. Having two Switch consoles also means I can get Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle by trading with myself. Same with the Hitmons, Omanyte/Kabuto and Eevee. I’ll be completing the Kanto Pokedex fairly easily like I did with the 3DS eShop games but more quickly this time. Yes, even without Pokemon Home connectivity.

 

If you have enjoyed this post or other posts I have made on this blog, please consider making a monetary donation via PayPal. Whatever amount you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

I am also now on Patreon. Your continued support is and always will be appreciated.

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Confirmed: Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen ARE coming to the Switch and Switch 2 on February 28!

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Lavon Samuel Davis

The Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version Games Are Releasing on Nintendo Switch | Pokemon.com

 

I’d been following the rumors for the last month and half on both this AND the 10th Gen games but like Serebii.net, I’m not gonna talk about unconfirmed rumors and speculation here.

Earlier today, Nintendo confirmed and announced Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen will be digitally released on February 27 but they can be preordered from now. Originally released back in 2004 on the Game Boy Advance, FireRed and LeafGreen were full remakes of the original Pokemon Red and Green. It also marked the first time a version of Pokemon Green was officially released internationally. The original Pokemon Green was released internationally as Pokemon Blue on that note. The available Pokemon between Blue and Green were the same but the differences between Red/Blue and Green were the sprites.

That aside. Together with Pokemon Emerald, Pokemon Coliseum and Pokemon XD, FireRed and LeafGreen served as a bridge to the GBA Ruby and Sapphire. Not just with allowing you to export Kanto and Johto Pokemon to those games but exporting Hoenn Pokemon, too. When the third gen games were current, I had all those games except Pokemon XD (I ended up never getting it when it was current) and Pokemon Box (was a limited release online-only game) at the same time. There actually was a little-known Time Glitch in the GBA Ruby and Sapphire that required connecting to the Gamecube games or FireRed/LeafGreen to locally patch it. How the glitch worked was when the game’s battery died, time-based events–most notably the Shoal Cave, Mirage Island, Berries and Pokemon that Evolve at night–would all stop working completely and you’d never know it. Replacing the battery alone would not fix the problem. You had to get your game patched. Nintendo did handle the patchwork directly at first but offered these as ways to do it locally. Obviously, these problems won’t be present in the digital versions.

Getting back to FireRed and LeafGreen. It’s worth noting for those who never played it, the third gen Kanto Remakes introduced a new sub-region that was notably left out of Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee: The Sevii Islands. As the name implies, The Sevii Islands were a collection of 7 islands added to the game that were not in the original Red/Blue/Green or Yellow. You will first get access to the Sevii Islands after you get the Volcano Badge. As soon as you exit the gym, Bill grabs you and you’re Yeeted to One Island. You will then go through a short story adventure before you can return to the mainland. You can freely travel to/from the Sevii Islands via Vermillion City the first time you return on that note. Do keep in mind Moltres is at the top of One Island in FR/LG–it’s not in Victory Road–so that’s another reason to go there. You will get the Tri-Ticket during your first time there which will give you access to One, Two and Three Island for now.

In the postgame, you will be able to access the remaining islands via the Rainbow Ticket. Four Island has the Pokemon Daycare–for breeding Pokemon–and is also the home of Lorelei of the Elite Four. If you played the later games, you might remember the Elemental Hyper Beams only the max evolutions of starters can learn: Frenzy Plant, Blast Burn and Hydro Cannon. The Move Tutor who started it all can be found on Two Island. I forgot to say this earlier but starting on Four Island, you will be able to find Pokemon from Johto including all 28 Unown. This was Nintendo’s way of making it possible for people to bring Pokemon from Kanto and Johto to the Hoenn games. Not all of them, mind you: You still needed Pokemon Coliseum if you wanted to get the Johto Starters and Ho-Oh as well as Pokemon XD for Lugia. I assume this will be changed in the re-releases and more so given the games are selling for $20 via the Switch eShop.

That reminds me. I used an Action Replay to bypass this 20 years ago but the event-exclusive Aurora Ticket and the Mystic Ticket could be used to access Navel Rock and Birth Island respectively. Navel Rock only has two Pokemon: Ho-Oh at the top and Lugia in the bottom. Both are level 70 and do not have their signature moves (Sacred Fire and Aeroblast respectively). You will need to see the Move Reminder on Two Island to get those moves. As for Birth Island, that is where you get Deoxys. It’s the first time you can legit get Deoxys though it’s locked behind an Event-only item. You can later natively get Deoxys in OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire during the postgame story though.

All that said. This is mostly a wish list of changes I’m hoping will be in these versions of FR/LG:

  • Mew, Celebi and Jirachi legitimately obtainable (Deoxys can be acquired via Birth Island.
  • Birth Island and Navel Rock Natively Accessible
  • Chikorita, Cyndaquil and/or Totodile natively obtainable (I’m aware of Pokemon Home Connectivity to come later)
  • Eevee can be evolved into Espeon and Umbreon (Can’t in the original games)
  • Move Tutors have Unlimited Usage (one-time usage in the original games)
  • Online Connectivity (Doesn’t impact me for trading since I have two Switch consoles and can trade with myself)
  • TMs have Unlimited Usage (one-time usage in the original games)
  • Later opportunity to get the Kanto Starters you don’t pick
  • Later opportunity to get the Hitmon you don’t pick
  • Later opportunity to get two more Eevee (I am aware you get access to the Daycare Center later)
  • Later opportunity to get the Fossil Pokemon you don’t pick
  • Second Chance opportunity with Legendaries (in case you accidently knock them out)
  • Farfetch’d, Jynx, Mr. Mime and Lickitung obtainable outside of in-game tradess
  • Fairy Type officially introduced (!)
  • Steel and Dark Types obtainable (!)
  • Additional Dragon and Ghost Types obtainable (!)

 

None of those need to happen, mind you but they would add a lot more value to these digital releases. We already know they will come with Wireless Connectivity. As for Pokemon Home, it will likely either be like Pokemon Bank handled the first two gens or like the Pokemon Let’s Go games. With Pokemon Bank, transfers from the first two gens to Pokemon Bank were one-way from them but you could transfer them from Pokemon Bank to the 6th and 7th Gen games. With Pokemon Let’s Go, you can only transfer Pokemon from PLG to another PLG game via Pokemon Home. Once you put the Pokemon in any other game, it couldn’t be put back in a PLG game even if it was originally caught in one. One-way to Pokemon Home feels the most likely to me but if they do allow two-way transfers, it would likely be how cross-game transfers are done now: You’re prompted to change the moves depending on the game you move them to. That would make the most sense to me but we’ll see.

I preordered FireRed on my Switch OLED and LeafGreen on my Switch Lite. I can later download LeafGreen on my OLED and FireRed on my Lite for free and start new files on them. This will mean I get four times the legendaries at minimum. It also means I can get the original 150 Pokemon natively like I did on the 3DS ports of the original games.

If the Fairy is added in these versions of FR/LG, it would impact the following Pokemon:

  • Clefairy (Normal)
  • Clefable (Normal)
  • Jigglypuff (Normal)
  • Wigglytuff (Normal)
  • Mr. Mime (Psychic)

When you factor the presence of 2nd anf 3rd gen Pokemon, these Pokemon are impacted:

  • Cleffa (Normal)
  • Igglybuff (Normal)
  • Togepi (Normal)
  • Togetic (Normal/Flying)
  • Marril (Water)
  • Azumarril (Water)
  • Snubbull (Normal)
  • Granbull (Normal)
  • Ralts (Psychic)
  • Kirlia (Psychic)
  • Gardevoir (Psychic)
  • Azuril (Water)
  • Mawile (Steel)

I included their original types prior to X and Y for reference. If Nintendo actually does add the Fairy type to FR/LG, this would provide an additional layer of strategy for taking on Fighting types and Dragon Types in particular. Rom Hacks proved this is VERY doable for Nintendo to officially do it.

With adding additional Dark, Steel, Ghost and Dragon types. Actually, Magnemite and Magneton gained Steel as their secondary typings in the 2nd Gen and this is reflected in FR/LG as well. So, this would involve adding the Steel types introduced in the 2nd and 3rd gens at minimum:

  • Forretress (evolves from Pineco
  • Steelix (evolves from Onix)
  • Scizor (evolves from Scyther)
  • Skarmory
  • Mawile
  • Aron
  • Lairon
  • Aggron
  • Beldum
  • Metang
  • Metagross
  • Jirachi

It would be a welcome change if Nintendo does this. You just start with the National Dex off the bat.

As for Dark types, this would involve all of the following Pokemon:

  • Umbreon (evolves from Eevee)
  • Murkrow
  • Sneasel (Dark/Ice)
  • Houndour
  • Houndoom
  • Tyranitar (final evolution of Larvitar)
  • Poochyena
  • Mightyena
  • Nuzleaf (evolves from Seedot)
  • Shiftry
  • Carvanha
  • Sharpedo
  • Crawdaunt (evolves from Corphish)
  • Absol

 

Nintendo can easily add a way for Eevee ro evolve into Espeon and Umbreon. Either putting a time system in or via Stone Evolution: Sun Stone for Espeon and Moon Stone for Umbreon. We’ll see. Adding all of these Pokemon plus their previous forms would a whole new layer of strategy to the games. Imagine facing Misty who now has Carvanha and Corphish in addition to Staryu and Starmie. How about Brock sporting Larvitar alongside Geodude and Onix? Blaine having Houndoom? Bruno having Tyranitar?! It would be quite interesting to say the least.

As for more Ghost Pokemon. The thing about Gastly, Haunter and Gengar is although they are Ghost types, due to their second type being Poison they are weak to Psychic attacks–the type they are supposed to counter as Ghost Pokemon. Even worse is the first Gen only has a single offensive Ghost move: Lick, which does little damage but has a chance of inflicting paralysis. These issues were corrected in the second and third gen games with the addition of additional Pokemon and Ghost-type moves.

Said new Ghost Pokemon being:

  • Misdreavus (2nd Gen)
  • Shuppet
  • Banette
  • Duskull
  • Dusclops

Unlike the Gastly line, these were PURE Ghost Pokemon. Ghost Pokemon, like Dragon Pokemon are weak to themselves. They also have a hard weakness to Dark Types. Dark Types were introduced in the 2nd Gen to hard check Psychic types–more specifically Mewtwo–which were brokenly OP in the first Gen but they also hard check Ghost types.

Speaking of Dragon types, the first gen only had the Dratini line. A few more Dragon types are introduced in the second and third gen games:

  • Kingdra (evolves from Seadra)
  • Vibrava (Ground/Dragon, evolves from Trapnich and has the Levitate Ability)
  • Flygon (Ground/Dragon, has the Levitate Ability)
  • Altaria (evolves from Swablu)
  • Bagon
  • Shelgon
  • Salamence (Learns Fly when it evolves)
  • Rayquaza

Adding just THESE would mean Lance could have a full team of all-Dragon Pokemon without duplicates. There’s literally just three each of the Ghost and Dragon types in the Kanto games and getting one requires trading to evolve it (Gengar) so if you can’t trade, you’re locked out of it forever.

 

…Whew. I don’t know why but for some reason I strongly believe these versions of FireRed and LeafGreen will get some enhancements. Otherwise, it makes no sense to sell them for $20 each. Not saying it will or should be these but we’ll find out for sure when they drop on February 27.

 

Pokémon™ Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension DLC for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

 

Coincidentally, I got Pokemon Legends Z-A late last month when I went to pick up my preorder of Dragon Quest VII Reimagined along with a third game I’d been looking for and gave up on finding (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Ruin). I just got the DLC for Legends Z-A this week though as of today, I haven’t yet finished the main story (mostly because I’ve been playing DQVII-R most of the time). I did do the Online Ranked Battles to get the Mega Stones from Season 6–Ranked Battles are 3 minutes each and it doesn’t take very long to reach Rank S–but I absolutely agree with those who feel it’s unfair to lock those additional Mega Stones behind online play that requires a subscription to access.

I always get the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion  Pack Annual so I’m good for 12 months but even if that’s not an issue, I don’t think it’s right or fair to not offer an alternate offline means of getting those Mega Stones. Maybe time gate it so you have to wait until postgame but at least provide a guaranteed means of getting the items without an internet connection. What this means is for those who either never play online or don’t have NSO, you’re locked out of those Mega Stones forever. I have two Switch consoles. Pokemon Save Files can’t be Cloud Saved and are console-locked so when I play Legends Z-A on my other Switch console, I’ll need to go through this a second time. Again: Hopefully Nintendo gives people the oppotunity to get those Mega Stones outside of Online Play at some point.

 

Watch the New Pokémon Presents This Pokémon Day on February 27, 2026 | Pokemon.com

 

The next Pokemon Presents has been announced for February 27. More on FireRed/LeafGreen will likely be revealed. Chances are pretty good the 10th Gen games will also be officially announced at that time. I know variations of two names for the 10th gen games have been floating around internet for the last few months but until it’s officially confirmed, I’m not saying them here. More so given Nintendo might decide to change the names because of the alleged leaks.

One announcement I am hoping we do get is Legends Z-A getting Pokemon Home connectivity. I actually held off getting it until last month in part because I knew it wasn’t coming with Pokemon Home compatability. All we know is it will be added in “early 2026”. We’re now 2 months into 2026 so hopefully it’s announced next week at least. More so given as I mentioned above, FireRed and LeafGreen will not have Pokemon Home connectivity initially. In Pokemon Legends Z-A you have 8 boxes. I haven’t cleared the main story yet but I’ve filled 6 of the boxes. We need that connectivity so some Pokemon can be offloaded.

What we know is it will be handled similarly to the Pokemon Let’s Go games. In those games, only Pokemon that came from a PLG game can be imported from Pokemon Home. With Legends Z-A, any Pokemon from one of the other games that is moved to Legends Z-A CAN’T be put back in one of those other games. Meaning you will need to think carefully before you move Pokemon into Legends Z-A because it’ll be one-way.

Pokemon FR/LG, Legends Z-A and the 10th Gen games aside. We’ll likely get more info about the Switch 2 exclusive Pokemon Pokopia. While we don’t yet know if the 10th gen games will be cross-platform, I’m expecting them to be Switch 2 exclusive. I’ll be happy if they’re cross-platform though but I’m not expecting it. If they are cross platform, I may just preorder physical copies of both games. I haven’t done that since…I think the 7th Gen. I got the pairs for the 8th and 9th gen games a few years apart from each other on that note. We may also get news on the GBA versions of Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald getting similar releases. You never know but the Pokemon Presents will be 25 minutes long. We’ll see.

 

 

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Valve’s newly announced Steam Machine is a game-changer but the potential price is a huge concern

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Lavon Samuel Davis

Steam Machine and Steam Frame: What You Need to Know | Digital Foundry

 

I’ll be blunt, I am expecting the market price to be minimum $400. If Valve decides to sell it for less than $400, they will own the console market for the rest of the decade.

Fresh off the commercial success of the Steam Deck, Valve recently announced the release of not one but three new pieces of hardware: A VR headset + controllers (Can be used standalone, with the Steam Machine, with the Steam Deck or with a PC), a standalone controller (can be used with the Steam Machine, Steam Deck or a PC) and of course, the Steam Machine (comes with a controller). The Steam Machine is Valve’s new flagship Gaming PC. Notice I used the word “PC” and not console. That’s beause like the Steam Deck (and the ROG Xbox Ally), it actually is a PC first and a gaming machine second. It uses a more powerful version of the Steam OS but you can wirelessly connect a mouse and keyboard to it. Since it’s technically a PC, yes you can connect it to any monitor…or any TV for that matter.

Outside of that, it’s primary function is of course playing games mostly from your Steam Library. Like with the Steam Deck or a PC, you can download games from your Steam Library right to the machine and play from there. For those of you who may have been wondering why so many gaming companies known to make games exclusively for consoles have been releasing and rereleasing them on PC via Steam over the last 15 years, hopefully it now makes much more sense. The more platforms they release their games on, the more potential profits they stand to make. Microsoft and more recently Sony have come to the same realization while Nintendo continues to resist releasing their games outside their own hardware.

Of course, you can run non-Steam games via the Steam UI. It’s already confirmed the PS Now and Xbox Live Apps WILL work via the Steam Deck so you will be able to stream your Xbox games and PS4/PS5 consoles via the Steam Machine or Steam Deck. Would I consider getting a Steam Machine? Yes, but I plan to get a Steam Deck first for the portability alone. I’m aware they’re dealing with shortages and back orders right now so it looks like I won’t be buying either one any time soon.

 

 

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I started playing WoW Remix: Legion at the halfway mark but I don’t feel like I missed out on anything

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Lavon Samuel Davis

Legion Remix Guide WoW Patch 11.2.5 (The War Within) - World of Warcraft - Icy Veins

 

I was actually planning to skip WoW Remix: Legion entirely since I recently got a bunch of Switch games. I’m actually playing 10 different physical Switch games right now, 6 of them brand new games released in 2025 including Octopath Traveler 0 and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. On that note, no Pokemon Legends Z-A isn’t one of them but that will change sometime next month.

Getting to WoW Remix: Legion though. Like its predecessor WoW Remix: MoP, you play through a special version of the Legion expansion with souped up characters that grow in power very quickly. Unlike Pandaria which was an entirely separate world, in Legion some quests will send you to other places. I found this out while doing the Ashbringer Artifact Quest Chain. Part of it sends you to the Western Plaguelands but afterward, you need to go to Light’s Hope Chapel in the Eastern Plaguelands. You can either use an item to be taken there or you can manually fly there. If you choose to manually fly there, the game warns you you’re out of bounds and if you don’t go back in bounds within a certain amount of time, you’ll be teleported to Dalaran. I used Dynamic Flight for the trip and I didn’t see a countdown so I’m guessing the snapback triggers when you’ve either strayed a certain distance or have been out of bounds for too long.

Whereas in WoW Remix: MoP you had a cloak to empower, in WoW Remix: Legion it’s the artifact weapons themselves. You collect both Bronze and Infinite Power while doing various things. For each Timerunner Character you level to 80, a portion of your Infinite Power is shared with your Warband and it stacks for each additional Timerunner character you level to 80. Unlike WoW Remix: MoP, you can convert your Timerunner to a regular Character before the event ends on January 19. This can be done anytime but for characters above level 70, you will need The World Within expansion. Weather you opt out early or wait until the event ends, the Timerunner will become a regular character. Like after WoW Remix: MoP you’ll be given entry-level Raid gear for all of your specs, some items and some Gold to get you going. You can then jump right into TWW’s endgame content from there before Legion launches.

Being able to opt Timerunner Characters out early makes them VERY valuable for anyone planning to keep the Timerunner character for good. Rolling a Timerunner allows you to safely play around with a Race/Class/Spec you either never played before or play a favorite Race/Class/Spec you played before. I used WoW Remix: MoP to level 12 classes–6 for each faction–to 70. I did it mostly with races I hadn’t leveled to 50+ yet for the Heritage Armor quests. For those who might not know, you can get race-exclusive Transmog appearances but ONLY if you level a race to 50+. If you use a Character Boost on a character, they will be disqualified from getting the Heritage Armor. I was able to use WoW Remix: MoP to get the Heritage Armor for all of the Allied Races at the time. TWW introduces Earthen as a Playable Race and I leveled Earthen Paladin to 80 via Legion Remix first for that reason. Pandaren Heritage Armor was also recently added to the game. Simply log into the game with a level 50+ Pandaren to start the quest for the heritage armor.

Like WoW Remix: MoP, the main reason to do WoW Remix: Legion is to get the event-exclusive goodies and achievements. A secondary reason is to do Legion-era content you either didn’t do when it was current or since it was current. A third reason is to power level a Timerunner from 10 to 80 in a fun way without a massive time investment. The fastest way to do it is to chain run dungeons and Heroic Dungeons. Everyone’s so brokenly OP, Timerunners can largely disregard the Role Triangle (Tank, Healer, DPS) even when doing Mythic+ runs. I haven’t done any WoW Remix: Legion raids in full but based on my experience in WoW Remix: MoP, encounters won’t last more than 2 to 4 minutes max due to how much burst damage raid groups will be inflicting. I soloed every single Legion Raid near the beginning of TWW for the first time. What makes them long is actually moving through them, not the counters themselves. A few do have insta-death mechanics you have to worry about when soloing them but not as much while in a group.

On that last note and this is for those who might have never had a max level character before WoW Remix: Legion. At level 80, most classes can solo almost all Heroic/Mythic content up to BFA without much difficulty. The last three boss encounters in Heroic Dazar’alor does have a few annoying mechanics that might require bringing someone along as an insurance policy but outside those three, almost any level 80 class can do enough burst damage to overcome them. I’ve soloed some Shadowlands Heroic Dungeons but haven’t tried Raids yet. Anything below BFA, a level 80 character can easily solo it damage-wise with ONE exception: One of the encounters in the Halls of Valor Raid. Winning the encounter requires you to keep both bosses apart from each other. If you’re not playing a class with a Pet (Hunter, Warlock or Unholy Death Knight) you WILL need to bring someone along to help keep the other boss away until one is down. Otherwise, they will never fall and the encounter will just never end.

 

WoW Midnight Pre-Order - Which Edition is Your Perfect Match? - AllKeyShop.com

 

Looking ahead to Midnight. We now know it will go live on March 20, 2026.

Those who preordered the expansion gained early access to Housing on December 2. I haven’t preordered the expansion on one of my WoW accounts yet but I plan to before it officially goes live. Blizzard has been giving early access to some content from upcoming expansions recently largely to help mitigate bottlenecking. Warbands and Dynamic Flying were added in TWW’s pre-patch for everyone for free. Player Housing has been requested for 20+ years so letting people get it 4 months early makes a lot of sense.

Even if you don’t preorder Midnight, you can still acquire Decor Items from now. On that note, there ARE some WoW Remix: Legion-exclusive Decor Items though Blizzard did just add an alternate but more time-consuming means of getting them outside of WoW Remix: Legion. The alternate method involves farming Argus content for special currency as well as a lot of Order Resourced. Given getting most of said decor items will require a MASSIVE time investment, I don’t plan to get any of those particular Decor Items since I lack the time–or interest–needed to work on getting them.  That aside, you can get Decor items from a variety of sources from professions to raids to dungeons to quests. Not just in current content but ALL past content. Sounds like a good reason to solo past-era content to me but I won’t digress.

As I did with Dragonflight and TWW, I plan to stagger when I buy Midnight twice (I have two WoW accounts I mainly use as a reminder). I’ll get it on my main account next month and get it for my secondary account near the end of the year. I spaced when I got TWW by a few months since Earthen were introduced as a new playable race but you only need to do the unlock quest chain ONCE like the Allied Races. The Haronir, which makes a brief appearance in TWW will be added as a Playable Race in Midnight. Assuming the unlock quest chain can’t be done until you’re max level like Earthen in TWW, it makes sense to do it on my main account to be one and done.

I stopped playing TWW a few weeks before Siren Isle went live mostly so I could focus on the Switch games I was playing at the time. I don’t care much for max level progression personally these days and it will be the same with Midnight: Once I level to 90 and unlock Haronir, that will likely be it for me until the next and last expansion of the Worldsoul Saga, The Last Titan. I’ll likely go back to doing past-era content. I played through Shadowlands’ main story for the first time before I unsubbed and progressed to choosing a Covenant. I haven’t played through Dragonflight’s main story yet either believe it or not. Thanks to TWW’s pre-expansion event, I was able to completely bypass Dragonflight and level a few characters to 70. Assuming Midnight has a similar pre-expansion event, I will do the same with some of my other characters including my former WoW: Remix Pandaria Timerunners. I’m keeping the Timerunners mainly for running past era content and hopefully Gold Farming as well.

 

World of Warcraft: The Worldsoul Saga - Release Date

In terms of figuring out this early on how Midnight’s end will point to the third and final expansion of The Worldsoul Saga The Last Titan, all one has to do is look at how The War Within was done. The expansion opens with us literally going underground where we our presence alters life for not just the Earthen (Unlockable Neutral Playable Race) but our other new allies the Arathi of Hallowfall. After dealing with the Void-empowered Nerubian Empire, we stumble upon The Undermine and deal with Gallywix–missing since BFA–who allied with Xal’Atath in a bid to take over the Goblin Capital. After that Xal’Atath temporarily allies with us until we defeat Dimensius at which point we find out no surprise, she just used us to empower the Dark Heart she got from Iridikron off-screen in Dragonflight and used it to summon the Void Storm. Said Void Storm is then brought down on The Sunwell to open Midnight.

We already know the main story pre-content update ends with the world-ending threat Void Storm poses being halted. The question is of course, what follows? Based on what we know from the Midnight Beta, it might not be as hard to guess this early as it seems. Take this with a grain of salt regardless: Most likely, first major story content update will focus on a Light-based threat to the world. One thing Midnight’s Questing Experience goes out of its way to repeatedly show is as we were reminded in Legion with Xe’ra and the Mag’har Orcs’ unlock quest chain in BFA, just because someone follows the Light doesn’t mean they’re good.

We got an early taste of this back in Vanilla/Classic via the Scarlet Crusade (now the Scarlet Onslaught). If the Gilneas Liberation Quest Chain at the end of Dragonflight is any indication, they are not only still around but are also still a credible threat. The Scarlet Crusade was born after the rise of the Scourge in Lordaeron. While some of Order of the Silver Hand Paladins and Priests formed the Argent Dawn (later the Argent Crusade, now back to the Silver Hand as of Legion), others embraced xenophobic fanaticism and formed The Scarlet Crusade (Became the Scarlet Onslaught in Wrath of the Lich King). The zealots abhor the undead–even sentient undead with free will like the Forsaken and Ebon Blade Death Knights–but worse than that, they regard any who do not confirm to their ways to be heretics that should be eradicated.

All that said. Story Threads about the oppressive power of The Light are front and center for Silvermoon. For those who might not have understood what the final moments of Midnight’s opening cinematic were about, Paladins and Priests from across Azeroth were teleported through The Sunwell to defend it from the Void and Xal’Atath’s forces. While Lorthe’mar Theron appreciates the help, he’s very uncomfortable with the Army of the Light having prettymuch taken over defending the Sunwell from a command standpoint. It is worth nothing Anduin did briefly return to Stormwind at the end of TWW but did not reclaim the throne. Meaning officially, Turalyon is still running Stormwind as of the beginning of Midnight. As for how Midnight ends, I do agree with the general consensus we lose bigly to Xal’Atath to set up The Last Titan. There’s also Iridikron from Dragonflight will likely make his return at that time.

 

Draenei - Race - TBC Classic

Your Hopes For The New Draenei Capital - General Discussion - World of Warcraft Forums

One interesting story thread to pay attention to will be the introduction of a new faction of Draenei and Demons that we will meet in the Void Storm. Before I continue, it’s worth remembering the Draenei are the oldest known mortal race in the Warcraft Universe as well as the most technologically advanced. Their race’s original name was Eredar and when Argus fell to the legion, those who left with Velen renamed themselves the Draenei meaning Exiled Ones. After the events of Dragonflight, the Man’ari who were aligned with the Legion splintered into various factions. One faction of Man’ari led by Arzaal are called the Penitents and they reconciled with Velen. After you do the story quest chain that introduces the Penitents, Man’ari customizations are added to the game for Draenei and Lightforged Draenei.

The Draenei faction we meet in the Void Storm are a reminder there is a lot about the Draenei’s past between when they left Argus and when they arrived on Draenor that we don’t know. We do know they did a lot of planet-hopping and as this new side quest confirms, some Draenei were left behind when the Legion caught up to them. Tul’amar The Thrice-Exiled is the leader of this faction of Draenei called the Nethersent. The Nethersent are very unique in that although they still hold Velen in great esteem, they reject worship of the Light as well as the Fel AND the Void but embrace Arcane Magic. When you speak to her at Howling Ridge, you immediately get reminded of Illidan’s rejection of Xe’ra trying to forcefully Lightforge him during Legion. While she rejects the idea of resettling permanently on Azeroth, she does express a willingness to meet Velen.

Midnight is being advertised as the ultimate showdown between the forces of Light and Darkness. A trip to Nashabor–the world the Nethersent Draenei came from–could happen in Midnight. Another thing that makes this faction intriguing is a small number of Sayaad (Male Succubus) have joined them. These Sayaad abandoned the Legion and have aligned themselves with this Draenei faction. It’s worth noting Lothraxion is suspicious of the Nethersent and not just because of their Sayaad allies. He believes the Nethersent pulled an Illidan and killed the Naaru T’era. They don’t confirm or deny it but make it clear like Illidan, they reject any force that tries to “fix” them by overriding their free will.

This is also why a visit to Nashabor might be in the cards for Midnight ala Argus: We go there to evict the Legion presence and certain truths long lost to time are revealed. Could this lead to the Nethersent becoming a playable race? No, but this expansion could lead to a consolidation of Draenei and Lightforged Draenei into one playable race. In the Lightforged Draenei Unlock Quest Chain we see the process Draenei undergo to become Lightforged. After a schism between Light-aligned factions during Midnight, we could see some Lightforged Draenei deciding to voluntarily sever their connection to the Light and become regular Draenei again. They would still be aligned with the Alliance but gameplay-wise it would remove the need for Draenei and Lightforged Draenei to be treated as separate races since you could now change between them at will. Similar to being able to choose the Man’ari skin and eye colors as a regular Draenei.

 

WoW Housing: It's Only Neighborly

All that said.

I do feel like at this point, Blizzard should raise to level cap for Free Accounts (Unsubbed Accounts) to 60 baseline with a +10 increase every three expansions so you’re always 30 levels behind te current expansion’s level cap. For example, Midnight’s level cap will be 90 and TLT’s will presumably be 100. That aside, certain other restrictions should also be relaxed or removed. For one, Free Accounts should be able to access the Warband Bank system. Guild Banks being locked behind a subscription makes a lot of sense but locking the Warband Bank system behind a subscription doesn’t make any sense. Players should also be able to mail their alts regardless of their subscription status. More so given mailing your alts is always instant these days.

I ended up spending 3 months writing this post since I spent so much time working on other things. As of this post, Midnight goes live in 10 days. I preodered it on my main account and am using the pre-expansion event to power level a few alts to 80. I’m hoping to finish power leveling two or three more alts before Midnight goes live, we’ll see. I leveled my main to 80–a Human Paladin–during TWW’s questing experience. I leveled my Human Warlock–my oldest WoW character overall–via the Midnight pre-expansion event. Now I’m working on leveling my Horde main–a Blood Elf Paladin–which I should finish this coming weekend. I would’ve done it over a week ago but other things have been taking my time from that.

My prepaid time lasts until March 20 so even after Midnight goes live, I’ll be able to level my main to 90 before it runs out. It only took me a few days to level from 70 to 80 in TWW and I took my time doing that. I am hoping to do Midnight as both Alliance and Horde before my prepaid time expires so we’ll see how things go. Since I preordered Midnight, that means I can start a week early since Early Access begins on February 26. When my prepaid time expires next month, I’ll probably be away from WoW until November the earliest. We’ll see.

 

 

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Posted in Blizzard Entertainment, Brendan Aurabolt, MMO, MMORPG, Review, Serene Adventure, Video Games, World of Warcraft | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

First Look Review: Dragon Quest VII Reimagined (Switch 1 Version)

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Lavon Samuel Davis

Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined Demo Impressions - Lords of Gaming

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined demo now available on PS5, Xbox, Switch 2, Switch, and PC Steam | RPG Site

 

The Demo for DQVII-R dropped on January 7 and yes, you can continue where you left off in the full version when it released on February 5. I preordered a physical copy of the game for the preorder bonus as usual though I plan to also get the DLC that will also be made available for this game. No word yet if you will be able to get bonus content for having Save Data from the Erdrick Trilogy, Octopath Traveler 0/1/2 or other games but if there are, I have ALL those games (all physical also) on my OLED Switch which I also plan to play DQVII-R on.

The Demo includes all of the Bellymalloy Saga in the past and in the present. When you return to the Mysterious Ruins after finding the Stone Fragments on Estard and approach the pedestals, the Demo ends and you’re prompted to save the game. Unlike the Demos for the Octopath Traveler games, there is no time limit. Like the Erdrick Trilogy, you can customize how easy or hard you want you playthrough can be at any time. I have the 3DS version–notice I said that in the present tense–and I’ll warn folks that this game is a massive time sink. I got through most of the game before my attention was pulled to other games I was playing at the time. After playing the demo, I plan to return to the 3DS version and continue where I left off. I’m not that far from the end of the game from what I remember and I’ll try to finish the game before DQVII releases. I also plan to start a new Save File once I get DQVII-R and play through both versions at the same time.

By the way the game originally released in 2000 on the Playstation 2. The game was well known for its bloat especially in the beginning and middle–painful at times, actually–and apparently, much of it being cut from DQVII-R. That decision is quite controversial to many but as someone who played through it on the 3DS and has now played the Demo, I’m glad to know needless bloat is being removed. I’m also going to assume you get access to All Trades Abbey sooner than you do in the previous versions. More so given how needlessly long and convoluted that leg of the game is. Kiefer permanently leaves the party during your time in the region just before that but it’s been confirmed in DQVII-R, we will meet an older version of him later in the game for an additional storyline. In the previous versions, nomads in the present will speak of a warrior of unknown royal lineage who joined their people in the past. Weather Kiefer rejoins after said storyline or not isn’t clear but it should be fun.

Getting back to Classes, there were 20 in the previous versions: 10 Basic, 7 Advanced and 3 Master. There are over twice as many Monster Vocations on that note. It’s probably fair to assume both systems will be overhauled and we may also see more classes added.

 

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (3DS) Review - Just Push Start

 

That brings me to the game that followed DQVII, DQVIII. Like DQVII, DQVIII was originally released on the PS2 and also got a 3DS port. Yes, I also have the 3DS version. Chances are pretty good DQVIII will get the Reimagined treatment and more so if DQVII-R does well. We could even see an announcement for it by Spring and a release window for 4th Quarter 2026. It wouldn’t be that hard to do and more so if they’re already working on it like I suspect they are.

On that note, I do hope we also finally get the Zenithian Trilogy on modern consoles soon, too. That’s DQ IV, V and VI. They did get mobile ports but the mobile ports lacked controller support for some odd reason.

 

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles | Square Enix Blog

 

I’ll end with this given the recent surprise announcement from one of the lead devs. It’s been announced FFT:TIC rcently passed 1 Million Copies sold across all platforms globally as of the end of 2025. To commemorate this milestone, it’s been announced new free content is being planned for FFT:TIC. Details to be be revealed “soon”.

My guess? Likely New Game+, New Items, New Weapons/Armor/Accesories and new Spells/Abilities. If we’re lucky, we’ll also get new Classes (including special classes), new story content, new optional content and possibly even the content from War of the Lions that was left out of TIC.

The bigger implication that shouldn’t be ignored is the possability we could see Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (and its Nintendo DS Sequel FFTA2) get the remake treatment next. Possibly even a full FFT2. We’ll see.

 

Amazon.com: Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past - Nintendo 3DS Standard Edition : Nintendo of America: Video Games

 

I want to end with the 3DS version of DQVII largely to defend the 3DS and DS era DQ ports in general. Yes, Nintendo did the bare minimum to advertise DQVII and DQVIII when they were released. Yes, the original PS2 versions look and sound better in comparison. It’s also true that no content was cut from the 3DS versions. That in and of itself should be commended: You got the full game on “inferior” hardware. Meanwhile, we already know content will be cut from the clearly technically improved version of the game. Unlike with the 3DS version, it’s not a question of compression but design choice. Meaning if you want to play through the content that will be cut from DQVII-R, you will have to either get the original PS2 version or the 3DS version. Let that sink in.

The thing about ports and remakes that people who like to bash the shit out of them also know is at least it was done. They didn’t have to. More so knowing people who REALLY want to play games from dead consoles will either find the original hardware or emulate, most electing to do the latter. People have gotten a LITTLE too comfortable bashing third party companies in particular online over their re-releasing older games on current platforms as “nostalgia cash grabs” for the last 15 years in particular and it got stale 5 years ago.

They don’t have to do this, that is true. What’s also true is in doing this, they are making said older games accessible to more people. That is a win for gamers and we should want this to be the NORM. More so after what I talked about here.

 

 

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Posted in Brendan Aurabolt, Dragon Quest, Dragon Warrior, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Preview, Retro Gaming, Serene Adventure, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment