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News brief
PUBG: Black Budget is cancelled — Krafton ends the extraction shooter after two closed alphas
MembersSystems
WoW Forever: a permanent third branch, dated to the hour
MembersFirst party
Ocarina of Time on Switch 2: rebuilt from the ground up
News brief
Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition arrives October 1: what's free, what's $14.99, what's $69.99
Latest
All news
8Consensus review
Final Fantasy Resonance consensus: combat and HD-2D carry it; the story holds the majors at 8
MMO launch
MapleStory Classic World opens to everyone October 21 at 15:00 ART on Steam and the Nexon Launcher
Release Radar
What's launching Oct 22–29: Final Fantasy Resonance, Modern Warfare 4, Minecraft on Switch 2 and more
News brief
Hitman: Absolution arrives on Switch 2 on October 22 at $29.99, with a free upgrade for Switch owners
Studio closure
Samson studio Liquid Swords is bankrupt and closing; the receiver says the game sold about 151,900 copies
Launch times
Mycopunk leaves Early Access on October 20; the PlayStation Store lists PS5 at 14:00 ART, Steam gives no hour
Esports
LOUD win VALORANT Champions 2026, beating Team Vitality 3-1 in the Shanghai final
This week
This week: Steam Next Fest opens Monday, Monster Hunter Wilds' Switch 2 demo arrives, ID@Xbox is Tuesday
Reviews
All reviews- 8
Consensus review
Final Fantasy Resonance consensus: combat and HD-2D carry it; the story holds the majors at 8
Reviews went live October 20, two days before the October 22 launch. IGN, RPG Site, Nintendo Life and Push Square land on 8/10, GameSpot on 7, VGC and Eurogamer on 3/5, and enthusiast sites lift the aggregates to 85. Combat, HD-2D and music win; the story and the mobile roots do not. Consensus review — we did not play it.
8.5Consensus review
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse consensus: expertly made, and critics split on whether 'safe' is a flaw
Reviews for Konami and Evil Empire's new 2D Castlevania went live early Tuesday, ahead of today's launch. Critics agree it is expertly made. They split on whether playing it safe is a flaw, on the music and on how hard it is. Switch players get a performance warning. This is a consensus review: we did not play it.
8Consensus review
Planet Zoo 2 consensus: critics love the animals, but PC Gamer's 60 says the micromanagement bites
Reviews for Frontier's zoo sequel landed October 13. Most critics call it a thriving, bigger and better follow-up, praising the animals, aquariums and aviaries. PC Gamer's 60 and console reviews push back on fiddly micromanagement and a dense UI. Japan has no review and LatAm is thin. This is a consensus review: we did not play it.
7.5Consensus review
Valor Mortis consensus: the first-person soulslike works, but critics split on story and PC performance
Reviews for One More Level's Napoleonic soulslike landed October 12, a day before launch. Critics agree the first-person combat and level design work, then split hard on story, the back half and PC performance. Japan has no review yet and LatAm is thin. This is a consensus review: we did not play it.
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MembersFeature
9z Globant: the whole club
Founded in 2018 by Frankkaster. A Fortnite World Cup Solo fifth by 9z's K1nG. VALORANT Challengers titles and two Ascension trips. Counter-Strike from FiReLEAGUE Argentina to a Cologne Major quarter-final. Globant joined as strategic partner in 2024. HLTV freeze, 28 September 2026: 17th.
MembersCover feature
Argentine Counter-Strike, the Buenos Aires Major, and 9z Globant
FiReSPORTS says it is bringing the first CS2 Major to Buenos Aires in 2027. HLTV dates FiReMAJOR Buenos Aires 2027 May 31–Jun 20 — prize pool and teams still TBA. On the 28 September 2026 HLTV ranking, 9z sit 17th. A scene story, not a this-week preview.
MembersCalendar
Counter-Strike Majors, 2026–2027: the four we can cite
Cologne is done, Singapore is next, Buenos Aires and Shanghai are announced. Four Majors, each pinned to the organizer or outlet that dated it — and 2028 left off until it has a confirmed host city.
The Magazine
All issuesIssue 02 · Out now
South America Gets a Major
Buenos Aires is on the Counter-Strike Major map for 2027 — as an announcement, not a result. Argentine CS, a full 9z Globant org biography, how a Major actually becomes public, and the four Majors we can cite from Cologne 2026 to Shanghai 2027.
Release Radar
Full calendar- Scramble Knights OnlineConfirmed
- Minecraft for Nintendo Switch 2Confirmed
- Northgard Battlegrounds (Early Access)Confirmed
- No Man's Sky (iPhone / iPad)Confirmed
- Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos (remaster)Confirmed
- Metro Redux — Next-Gen Update (consoles)Confirmed
- Mouthwashing (consoles)Confirmed
- Phantom Blade ZeroConfirmed
- STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT (Switch 2 / Switch / PS5, West)Confirmed
- The Wolf Among Us RemasteredConfirmed
Release Radar
What's launching Oct 22–29: Final Fantasy Resonance, Modern Warfare 4, Minecraft on Switch 2 and more
Final Fantasy Resonance and PEAK's console versions open a crowded Thursday, October 22. Modern Warfare 4 unlocks at midnight local time on Friday, Minecraft goes native on Switch 2 on Tuesday, and Phantom Blade Zero's PS5 version unlocks at 23:00 ART on Wednesday, October 28. Times are ART, and only where a primary gives one.
Release Radar
October 2026 release dates: eight confirmed launches, and why Steam shows three of them a day early
Publisher-confirmed dates for Ace Combat 8, Gears of War: E-Day, Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, Planet Zoo 2, Final Fantasy Resonance, Switch Sports Resort and Modern Warfare 4 — plus a Steam date quirk worth knowing.
Retro
Game history
Research notes
The Christmas Disc That Named Madou
A 1989 DiscStation special put 魔導物語 on an MSX magazine ad — and a documented ¥3,880 price — before Puyo Puyo was a household word.
Oral history
"Basically Just Forced on Us": How Magical Drop Entered the Brief
Anonymous Data East staff, in a 2004 roundtable preserved in English, recall Russian puzzle rights, a forced pick, and a PR slogan that angered the planner.
Near-miss
The Pet That Almost Landed on 64DD
Yoot Saito recalls Seaman starting as a lunch joke — and coming very close to Nintendo’s disk drive before it shipped on Dreamcast.
Membership
Read the whole Observatory.
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