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This Week in Gaming: GEX's Return & Post-SGF Roundup

4 min read
By Tommy Danks

This Week in Gaming: Post-Hype Cooldown and a Gecko's Grand Return

What a week, folks. The smoke is finally clearing from the absolute barrage of announcements that was Summer Game Fest, and we're all left blinking in the sunlight, our wishlists groaning under the weight of future-gaming goodness. It's that weird, wonderful hangover period where the mega-hype from the big shows starts to settle, and we can actually take a breath and look at the games landing on our digital doorsteps right now.

And let me tell you, it's a weird mix. It's like having a fancy, seven-course tasting menu one night and then craving a good old-fashioned cheeseburger the next. Both are great, just different vibes. So, let's dig into the week that was, from the lingering echoes of "world premieres" to the glorious, unexpected return of a certain smart-mouthed lizard.

The Dust Settles: Our Biggest Takeaways from "Not-E3"

Is it even legal to call it "Not-E3" anymore? With E3 officially put out to pasture, Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest has firmly cemented itself as the big summer blowout. And looking back, a few announcements have really stuck with me. Capcom played us all like a fiddle with that Resident Evil Requiem reveal, and the collective gasp from the audience was just magical. We also got confirmation of a full remake for Persona 4, dubbed Persona 4 Revival, which is fantastic news for anyone who wants to see this classic JRPG get the modern treatment it deserves.

But it wasn't all about the AAA blockbusters. The hands-on reports trickling out have me incredibly hyped for a few titles. I've been hearing nothing but good things about the combat in Crimson Desert, which sounds less like your typical open-world fare and more like a complex fighting game. Then there's Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, another game that seems to have come out of left field and is now rocketing to the top of my "must-play" list thanks to its sublime graphics and combat. It's these deeper dives, after the initial trailer shock, that really get the blood pumping.

Now Arriving: Your Weekly Dose of New Games

Alright, enough about the future. What can you play this week?

The headliner, for me at least, has to be the GEX Trilogy. Yes, the wise-cracking gecko is back. This collection bundles his three classic 3D platforming adventures with some modern enhancements like visual touch-ups and the ability to rewind. I have a soft spot for the glorious weirdness of 90s platformers, and I'm ready to dive back into the Media Dimension. It's tail time!

Also dropping this week is TRON: Catalyst, an isometric action-adventure from Bithell Games, the minds behind Thomas Was Alone and John Wick Hex. Set in the TRON universe, you play as a program with a power known as the "Glitch." Given the developer's track record for sharp narrative and clever mechanics, this one is definitely on my radar.

For those craving something a bit different, here's a quick rundown of other notable releases:

  • SCUM: This immersive survival game finally hits its 1.0 release after a long time in early access. Prepare for a brutal experience where you have to manage everything from fighting off mechs to remembering to eat.
  • Chronicles of the Wolf: An action-adventure where you step into the boots of an apprentice from a holy order, hunting a monstrous beast.
  • FBC: Firebreak: A co-op shooter set in the same universe as Control, this one is also a day-one addition to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog.

The Buzz on the Street and a Look Ahead

Beyond the new releases, the industry is still buzzing from the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 earlier this month. The console has been breaking sales records, selling over 1.1 million units in its first week in the US alone. I swear, trying to find one felt like a quest in itself. I had a fictional "nephew" who was desperate for one, and the hoops I had to jump through... let's just say it involved a lot of refreshing web pages and a questionable back-alley deal with a guy who only spoke in riddles. He got his console, though.

On the software side, Stellar Blade continues to be a massive success, with its PC launch pushing it over the 3 million sales mark. And Dune: Awakening, the multiplayer survival game, is already making waves on PC with a huge number of concurrent players.

So, what's next? Don't put your wallets away just yet. The end of June is looking spicy with the release of Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding 2: On the Beach on the 26th. On the same day, we're also getting the System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster. It's a good time to be a gamer.

This week felt like a perfect snapshot of the modern gaming landscape: the lingering excitement of a major digital festival, a solid slate of new games mixing nostalgia with new ideas, and the constant hum of industry news and hardware hype.