USgamer's Essential Weekend Reading
As we head into the weekend, we highlight the week's most important stories and features.
This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.
Dark Souls 3 Reaches the End of the Line
This week kicked off with some bittersweet news for Dark Souls 3 fans. The good news is that the upcoming DLC, The Ringed City is set for release on March 28th. The bad news is that it'll be the last piece of content for the series. Mike's news story has more details, as well as the announcement trailer for you to watch.
Resident Evil 7 PS4 review
Without a doubt, the biggest game release this week was Capcom's Resident Evil 7. Mike reviewed the game and was generally very positive about it, saying, "Folks, Resident Evil 7 is a Resident Evil game. Hell, it doesn't even reboot the story. RE7 is a game that tries to recreate the feeling of the original game using modern tech and design. And for the most part, it works. Is it the best Resident Evil ever? No. Resident Evil 4 was lightning in a bottle and matching up to that is a tall order; Resident Evil 7 just seeks to establish a new foundation. A new take on an old take of survival horror. I'd call the result a success. Welcome to the family, Resident Evil 7."
Later in the week, Mike talked about his favorite moments from Resident Evil 7. Needless to say, the article is packed full of spoilers, so don't go looking at it if you haven't yet played the game, but are intending to.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Analysis
Square Enix' exclusive PlayStation 4 compilation was also released this week. Kat weighed in on the package, noting that, "In essence, the collection exists to catch you up on what you missed and get you hyped for the future." She also felt that, "for those who have been suffering for more than a decade, Kingdom Hearts 2.8 will be a bit of sweet relief and a chance to indulge in a lesser-known adventure in the series."
Hajime Tabata on Final Fantasy XV's DLC, and Chapter 13
Jeremy had a short, but insighful conversation with Final Fantasy XV's director Hajime Tabata about his plans for the game's rather unconventional upcoming content updates – and the proposed revisions to the game's controversial Chapter 13. Jeremy also tried to pin Tabata down on the internet's greatest FFXV debate: Which boy is best boy?
The Pokemon Bank Gets Updated for Sun and Moon
Pokemon fans had cause for celebration, with Game Freak finally updating the Pokemon Bank so that it works with Sun and Moon. Resident USG Pokemon Maestro Kat dished all the details on the service, saying, "The update to the Pokemon Bank and Pokemon Transporter apps will make it possible to transfer your monsters from the recently released Sun and Moon, as well as Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow for the eShop. So if you have any old friends you want to bring over, or you just want to complete the National Pokedex, you're in luck."
Later in the week, Kat went into further details about why she's been holding out on Sun and Moon pending the Pokemon Bank update. You can read her reasons why here.
Ghost Recon Wildlands In-Depth Preview/Interview
Last week, Jaz spent a few hours at Ubisoft's San Francisco offices playing the latest build of Ghost Recon Wildlands, and interviewing lead designer Dominic Butler. He ultimately thoroughly enjoyed playing the game, and came away feeling "really excited" about the open-world tactical shooter. So much that he subsequently wrote an article that highlighted seven things you should know about the game.
New Interview Worries Zelda: Breath of the Wild Fans
In one of the more popular news stories of this week, Nadia analyzed the interview that French Newspaper Le Monde conducted with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild producer Eiji Aonuma. It was packed full of juicy tidbits that Nadia dissected – you can read all about it right here.
Design in Action | Building a Masterpiece, One Detail at A Time
In Jeremy's weekly design analysis column, he closed out his month-long look at the Castlevania classic, Symphony of the Night. He explained, "You can already find the fascinating little details of Symphony of the Night documented in great detail elsewhere around the web, but this isn't meant to be yet another trainspotting litany. Rather, my goal here is to pull together everything I've written about Symphony of the Night over the past few weeks and explore how the game's subtle details and mechanics help define things like its narrative, its structure, and its role-playing sensibility."
Our Dreams for Virtual Console on Nintendo Switch
Jeremy also made some grounded speculation about Nintendo Switch's Virtual Console, and then indulged in some wishful thinking about what he'd really like to see from it. He came up with some great ideas, including a proposed "all you can eat" games service he dubbed "Nesflix." Sounds like a winner to us!
Corsair K95 Platinum Review
Finally, fans of mechanical keyboards should take a look at Mike's in-depth review of Corsair's flagship model, the K95 Platinum. He called it, "Corsair's Aston Martin in design and price tag" and felt that, "there are few other keyboards that match the brilliant lighting and aluminum build found here."