This Week in Games

"Hand It Over, That Thing, Your Armored Core"

Welcome back, everyone! We had a really busy week—me and my fellow contributors got everything ready for Manga Preview Guide this past week, so there wasn't much time for video gaming on my end—and the Xenoblade 3 DLC dropped earlier this Tuesday. Just one step at a time, nobody said being an adult would be easy. I have been spoiled ever so slightly, but don't worry, it hasn't ruined my enjoyment of the game. It's just...

I turn my back for five minutes, and Shulk isn't feeling it? What did you people do to him?!

In news I totally didn't expect to hear, that recent Mega Man Battle Network collection has been selling really well. According to sales data, it has outsold both of the Mega Man X collections—combined—and outsold Mega Man 11, given the same timeframe for all of their releases. Just how many sales? Well, all three versions of the collection (Vol. 1, Vol. 2, and the complete version) have sold one million copies. And not just in Japan—worldwide.

This is particularly heartening news. Mega Man Battle Network was the black sheep of the franchise when it debuted in the U.S. in the early '00s. The games moved from the traditional Mega Man formula of side-scrollers to more of an RPG format during the time when people really started hating hard on Japanese games. Plus, people really loved ragging on Mega Man having "too many sequels" in those days. Oh, and it was painfully "anime."

All this to say that this old fan of the Gameboy Advance is taking this as some historical validation for the series. The love for Battle Network will likely translate to Capcom continuing to make these Legacy Collections. Heck, we can presume we'll get another one soon featuring the less polished Mega Man Star Force games. I don't expect those to do as well as the Battle Network games, but I can hope. Especially since the only Mega Man series left after that would be Mega Man Legends. Those games are possibly the most beloved spin-off series in all of Mega Man, a charming yet tragic evolutionary dead end for what 3D games could have looked like.

Would the success of re-releases lead to a Mega Man Legends 3? Doubt it. Capcom has slowed down with the development of these Mega Man games. We haven't even seen a Mega Man X9 in the wake of Mega Man 11. But with how charming the Legends games are, a simple collection is good enough.

It's a good day for SEGA's employees! This past week, Sega's employees have voted to assemble AEGIS, the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega. Consisting of 144 employees across Sega's QA, localization, live service, marketing, and product development departments, the organization is currently the largest game developer union in the country. Its current goal is to ensure that all employees earn fair wages and work in healthier conditions.

AEGIS is mildly unique in that it is built up of employees from Sega's various facets; most other game dev unions are on the QA side of things, because QA employees are mostly contractors with very, very miserable wages and conditions. It's not the first multi-department union—that would be the Tender Claws Human Union—but this is one of the bigger unions, coming from one of the bigger and more renowned publishers in the U.S.

The past few years have seen a massive uptick in unionization efforts across publishers. Activision Blizzard has seen no less than three QA unions form in the past two years, for one. The reality of game dev is harsh; Erin Hoffman popularized massive scathing criticisms against EA Games in 2004 under the pseudonym "ea spouse" [sic]. Tragically, the situation hasn't really improved any in the ensuing 19 years. Many developers crash and burn in the industry from a combination of overwork from "crunch" to other creative maladies, settling for working in less attractive (but more stable) industries like corporate software programming. And that's assuming you're not one of the many, many unfortunate employees dumped out by a mass layoff announced after a studio makes a press release over record-breaking earnings.

What remains now is for AEGIS to be formally recognized by Sega. Once that happens, Sega's employees will have a means to collectively bargain for better treatment and better compensation. And like Satoru Iwata once pointed out, folks can't make AAA games if they're worried about their jobs. (Something Nintendo needs to follow up with, seriously guys, enough with the union-busting.) I think Sega might go with it; even Sonic is cool with unionization.

Oh man, just when I thought I could have a week without the Microsoft/Activision Blizzard deal popping up! There were rumblings of a possible lawsuit from NetEase aimed at Blizzard, but it turned out to have been a misfiling—it was a spurious claim from a serial litigator, nothing much to look at. But this one? Hoo boy.

Back in February, the United Kingdom's Competition and Marketing Authority (CMA) had raised concerns about the possible merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, claiming it would allow the deal to go through if Microsoft divested itself of either Call of Duty, Activision's other properties, or any of Activision and Blizzard's properties. The CMA eventually changed its mind, but now it has changed its mind again and decided to block the deal entirely.

So, what was the Apple of Discord this time? Cloud gaming. Y'know, that highly divisive format of game purchasing where games are live-streamed to a device over the internet. You don't own any actual copy of the game, you just get permission to stream it on your device. It's a promising idea, especially for folks who can't afford high-powered PCs or full-on game consoles, but the tech isn't quite there yet. We still haven't made broadband internet access a household staple across the U.S., for one.

But the industry is making some advances, and the CMA argues that Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard would give it far too much of a stranglehold on cloud gaming as a market. The CMA estimates that Microsoft owns 60-70% of global cloud gaming services. Adding in a mega franchise like Call of Duty would give Microsoft way too much reach and power, especially since the CMA argues that if the merger doesn't go through, Call of Duty and other Activision titles would enter cloud gaming in the UK in the near future.

Microsoft's counter in the situation is that it has signed deals with Ubuntu, Nvidia, and others in order to allow for licensing for cloud gaming, but the CMA doesn't put too much water into these deals, calling them "too limited in scope" because they require buyers to "[purchase] them on certain stores or [subscribe] to certain services." Most damningly, the deals don't offer the opportunities for licensors to offer the games on anything other than a Windows-based platform.

The responses from the Microsoft/Activision Blizzard side of things have been what the kids would call "salty," with the Activision Blizzard CEO insisting that "the facts are on their side," and that "the deal is good for competition" (because what's better for competition than cornering 70% of the market?).

This bodes ill for Microsoft. As Aaron Glick, a merger arbitrage strategist at TD Cowen, states, "...there has never been a successful appeal in the UK on an antitrust decision." While the deal has been approved in several other territories across the globe like Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Chile, and Japan, between the CMA and the U.S.'s Federal Trade Commission's scheduled evidentiary hearing this on August 2, this deal is turning into rougher and rougher with every passing day.

It's been a bit since we last checked in on Tekken 8! It's announced a ton of fan-favorite characters in the past weeks like beloved singer/boxer Leroy Smith and the lovely Asuka Kazama. Add another dart to the board—Lili's back too!

Lili's always been a fan favorite among fighting game fans that like elegant rich girls clobbering the snot out of folks. Much like Street Fighter's Karin, she has a frenemy relationship with her very own Sakura stand-in, courtesy of Asuka. Also, I really like her voice acting in this game. Her French is really cute. (This is your reminder that your favorite gaming columnist's name is pronounced "Jean-Karlo", as in "Jean Valjean" and not as in "blue jeans." It's a common mistake.)

I wish I had something more interesting to say about Lili's fighting style, but the Tekken wiki lists her fighting style as a mix of "gymnastics" and "street fighting," so she's mostly animated to look really elegant in her fancy spats while beating the wind out of people. Also: look at that cat!

I'm decidedly not a fan of the whole "Can You Pet The Dog?" crap; it's gone from a cute meme to a marketing ploy on behalf of game developers in an attempt at getting quick, cheap hype from gamers. Even the very creator of "Can You Pet The Dog" came out against his own creation being used for cheap marketing in the wake of Hogwarts Legacy. But also, ride me sideways if you think I'm not gonna appreciate a good chunk of a cat in a game, freaking look at Salt—Lili's pretty tall at 5'9'', so Salt is massive! Also, people have been making cute connections between Salt and Leroy Smith's adorable pit bull Sugar. It's a match made in heaven.

Tekken 8 is still set for release sometime later in 2023, but we're definitely missing those early projections of "early 2023." Nothing to do but sit tight for a minute. Also, while I dreadfully miss the Tekken 7 announcer, getting voice actress and real-world fighting announcer Lenne Hardt as the announcer for Tekken 8? After stealing the hearts of tokusatsu fans worldwide as the voice of the Geartlingers in Zenkaiger? You Tekken fans are in for a treat. A shame Zenkaiger already ended; it would have been funny to see Bandai Namco squeeze Tekken 8 into a few scenes like it did for Tekken 7 on numerous occasions. Alas.

Aw sweet, we got that Newtype Flash acting up, that must mean there's new Gundam news! While I haven't kept up with playing Gundam Evolution (in this Xenoblade-economy?), it's nice to see Bandai Namco keeping up with the new content for the game. Season Four has dropped and with it a ton of new goodies for fans!

Ringing in a second Gundam from Gundam 00, we have Celestial Being's Gundam Dynames joining the roster! Piloted by Lockon Stratos and, er... Lockon Stratos (long story), the Dynames specializes in sniping. While Gundam Evolution already features a sniping unit in the form of the GM Sniper II, the Dynames features more offensive capabilities. The GM Sniper focuses on support, versatility, and maneuverability, with abilities that help it jump around, fire while hovering, and even offer some healing. Dynames instead gives more firepower options, with a pair of handguns as offensive support. Also, while the GM Sniper's G Maneuver lets it see enemies behind walls, the Dynames lets you charge your shots for extra damage.

I like this; it's very in line with how Lockon and Lockon piloted the Dynames in the show, emphasizing their absolutely ridiculous aim. There's literally a bit where Lockon (not that one) shoots off parts of a space station that's in orbit. From the planetside.

While it's cool that the Dynames abilities tie into the show, it would really be nice if Gundam Evolution had some more Gundam fanservice. As mentioned in my review of the game from last October (it felt so much longer ago!), I really could use more audio callbacks to the original Gundam anime. Of course, the licensing would be a pain in the butt. I can only imagine how much it would cost to have "Gallant Char" playing in a match. But also... that would be boss? Like, are you really piloting the Heavyarms if you can't have "Wings of the Boy Who Killed Adolescence" playing while you make your gatlings go "BRRRRR"? Throw us a bone, Bandai Namco.

It's a good week to like giant robots! FromSoft's creatives dragged their heads out of Berserk long enough to read Broken Blade. We have a trailer for the new Armored Core VI! And it's for absolutely nobody else but Armored Core die-hards!

Just, frickin'... yeah! Yes! That's the stuff! That's the good stuff you hold your controller backwards for! The big fear for a lot of Armored Core fans is that Fires of Rubicon would just be Dark Souls in a science fiction setting. And while a sci-fi Soulslike would be nine kinds of fun, that's not what FromSoft made. They made an Armored Core game, a deliberate and tense mech sim where half of the strategy revolves around your loadout and unit customization and the other half is not losing your cool when your unit has to somehow take down a knockoff Big Zam on its own.

You can't just strap the biggest and most powerful weapons onto your unit... because you need to worry about your unit's stability while moving, and a heavy weapon on just one arm would throw that off. Also, if your unit is too heavy, it'll become a total gas guzzler, and you might not have enough energy to carry out a mission before your unit peters out. Or maybe do that anyway, because you like your units with a little chest hair and it's not a successful mission unless you've glassed the entire perimeter.

FromSoft has always been famed for its character customization in its games, as far back as the first Armored Core on PS1. And Armored Core fans love their mechs. In the PS2 days, Tips & Tricks magazine asked fans to submit their mechs to show them off in print! This was before digital file transferring really got huge, so Armored Core fans mailed their memory cards en masse to the magazine. This trailer really leans into customization as a feature; we see various legs having all kinds of uses. One pair lets our unit hover in midair while it unleashes a salvo on enemy units. Another pair functions as tank treads, turning our mech into an impromptu tank. And that's just functional stuff—the real fun is choosing the right color scheme for your unit. As always, fashion is the true meta-game.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is scheduled for release on August 25 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. Suit up, hotshots.

Ay, I have an excuse to talk about VShojo! And it's for the same reason as last time! Vtuber fans are likely familiar with Kson, the former indie Vtuber who affiliated herself with VShojo last year. While she doesn't exclusively use her avatar, opting to use her IRL self in a number of streams, her avatar distinctively looks like a yakuza. Why? Because Kson freaking loves the Like A Dragon/Yakuza series.

Conveniently, the newest Like A Dragon game, The Man Who Erased His Name, was holding auditions for IRL personalities. Auditions for what? To be in-game hostesses! The Like A Dragon series often touches on cabaret clubs and hostess clubs, given the seedy nightlife setting. They've also combined this with featuring IRL talents, such as Yakuza 6 featuring IRL ex-adult actress Anri Okita as an in-game streamer Kiryu could simp for. Like, the actual Anri Okita, even—it was IRL footage played in-game.

Anyway, Sega was hosting auditions for new hostesses to be digitized into the new Like a Dragon game. And in a true Cinderella story manner, Kson applied... and won!

Look at her, so true to her own branding that her dress even looks like it's got the Adidas pattern! Anyway, this has been a long time coming, and Kson is over the moon about this—she gets to actually be in a game with her husbando (and who among us gets to do that?). This isn't even the first time a member of VShojo has been given cameo appearances in a Like A Dragon game; just a few months ago, VShojo alumni Nyanners was given an appearance as a Trooper Card where she could drain health from enemies.

It's a shame the departed VTuber Kiryu Coco, formerly of hololive, isn't around to see this. She, too, had a tremendous crush on Kiryu Kazuma. I'd like to think she's happy for her Vtuber peers getting to appear in more Like A Dragon games.

And that'll do it for this week. If you guys have a moment, please check out the Manga Preview Guide—my fellow contributors would definitely appreciate it! The weather finally turned in my town, so it's been nice and warm these past few days. We actually have some 80 degree days lined up! I've waited months for this! As for you guys, I'm hoping you all are able to keep comfortable this weekend. As always, be good to each other. I'll see you in seven.