It’s Tales of Berseria week, all! No, really, that’s the one major game we have this week. Maybe most publishers don’t want to compete with the return of Leon Kennedy. And, honestly, who can blame them? That rough and tumble attitude, that hard-edged look in his eyes, and… right. RPGs. So there’s the next game in the Tales remaster lineup, but also a new console version for a 2023 PC-only title, a remastered Xenoblade, and some Pokémon remakes.
In fact, Hunt the Night is the only game this week that isn’t a remake or remaster, come to think of it. Again, blame Leon. (But don’t, he has enough on his plate.)
Lastly, we may not fully cover it, but I can’t help but mention that Reigns‘ newest collaboration, Reigns: The Witcher, releases on February 25th. Even if it makes some amount of sense as a follow-up to their Three Kingdoms and Game of Thrones editions, I’m still pretty amused at the notion that this exists. If you’re into Reigns, Geralt’s adventures, or ideally, both, this may be for you!
(Oh, and this week’s headline? I would have loved to reference Remoraid, but alas, our fishy friend is a Gen II Pokémon.)
Intro by Mike Salbato
Tales of Berseria Remastered – February 27th (PS5, Switch, XBX, Windows)
I know, I know. It’s still not a remaster of Tales of the Abyss. But I think Bandai Namco knows fans want that one (and others!), and besides, Tales of Berseria is also a fan favorite. We certainly loved it here, as in her 2017 review, Alana Hagues described Velvet’s tale of vengeance as having “…the best story since Abyss and the best cast of characters since Vesperia,” and that she felt it was “the best entry in Namco Bandai’s flagship franchise in years.” That’s high praise!
Tales of Berseria Remastered includes some extra features versus the original, such as access to the Grade Shop during your first playthrough, a 20% boost to movement speed, several map and wayfinding improvements, the option to toggle encounters on and off, voice language options, and configurable battle music. This release also includes most of the DLC from the original release, and honestly, more quality-of-life improvements than I expected. Bandai Namco published a complete list of updates if you want to see them all!
No doubt we will have a review coming up, so be on the lookout for that!
by Mike Salbato
Also Coming This Week
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – February 19th (Switch 2)
It’s finally here! After much hoping and speculation, the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition dropped last week. Offering visual enhancements including 4K resolution in docked mode and silky-smooth 60 FPS performance, the best version of Monolith Soft’s magnum opus (in my opinion, anyway) is now even better. The only downside is that it’s a paid update, but $5 isn’t too hard to swallow.
by Ben Love
Hunt the Night – February 26th (PS5, Switch, XBX)
Hunt the Night launched on PC in 2023 and finally comes to all consoles this week. I had the opportunity to review the game for its PC release, and I enjoyed it as a 2D love letter to the gothic aesthetics and tense, punishing combat found in Bloodborne. If the protracted wait for Mina the Hollower has you down, then this spooky action RPG will tide you over.
by Ben Love
Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen – February 27th (Switch, Switch 2)
With every retro Pokémon spinoff that arrives on Nintendo’s online service (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Red Rescue Team, Pokémon Trading Card Game, Pokémon Stadium, etc.), fans wonder when the classic main series titles might finally arrive on Switch. Finally, Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen will hit the eShop on February 27th in honor of Pokémon Day and following a 30th Anniversary edition of Pokémon Presents. Surprisingly, this release is not part of Nintendo Switch Online, but standalone releases. $20 is a little steep [Editor’s Note: Though given typical aftermarket prices on classic Pokémon games, this is a bargain!], but it will be worth it if they support transfers to Pokémon Home. Fingers crossed!
In honor of this upcoming release, Nintendo also added 64 music tracks from Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen to its Nintendo Music app.
by Ben Love