Quick Hits

• Nintendo Life's review of Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition crowns it "an outstanding achievement in open-world design" — FromSoftware's epic looks like it has landed on Switch 2 in remarkable form.
• Gamescom 2026 is officially underway in Cologne, with organizers selling out the entire 233,000 square meter venue — and reveals like Worms: Galactic Tactics and Raccoon Logic's surprise hockey game already generating buzz.
• 1047 Games is ending active development on both Splitgate: Arena Reloaded and Empulse, pivoting away from live-service shooters entirely; peer-to-peer servers will keep both titles playable.
• ArtPlay has delayed Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement to 2027, admitting "we understand that this is disappointing news" in a development update.
• Double Fine is giving away Brutal Legend free for 666 minutes to honor Tim Curry, after regaining the rights to its entire catalog.

Pokémon & Nintendo

What a day for Switch 2 owners. Nintendo Life's Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition review declares "return of the king," praising FromSoftware as one of the most influential developers in the industry — and the port reportedly does it justice on Nintendo's hardware. Joining it, first screenshots of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered on Switch 2 have been released following its announcement. Mega Man fans got nearly 10 minutes of raw Mega Man: Dual Override gameplay courtesy of VGC, and Nintendo Life — fresh from a Gamescom demo — says it's looking awesome. Meanwhile, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight lands on Switch 2 on 18th September, with a new DLC trailer showcasing an all-new Arkham Mission launching alongside it. Finally, the Gamescom Opening Night Live trailer for Worms: Galactic Tactics (from developer Absolutely Games and Team17) tucked in a mysterious tease for another project — Nintendo Life speculates it could be a remake.

Quiet on the official Pokémon news front, but the r/pokemon community is carrying the banner: a handmade shiny Applin plush, a generation 5 bug-type art lineup, a striking Eon duo piece, and one intrepid trainer who has now built 298 Pokémon entirely in PowerPoint.

Indie Games

Savage Planet series developer Raccoon Logic announced the last thing anyone expected at Gamescom: Breakaway Hockey League, a "high-skill" 4v4 ice hockey game that hopes to ride the wave of fans drawn to the sport by its heated rivalry. Double Fine's Brutal Legend freebie is worth grabbing too — the studio, newly independent again after Microsoft parted ways with several studios during its "Xbox reset," is honoring Tim Curry with 666 free minutes of heavy metal mayhem. And if the Gamescom trailer flood is washing over you, GameSpot singles out one smaller project channeling American McGee's Alice that goth-game devotees won't want to miss.

Steam & PC

Marvel Snap's long-awaited Draft mode has only been live for a few days, but Destructoid is already calling it the best thing to happen to the card battler in years — and arguing it should be permanent. Bethesda is partnering with UK publisher Tor to bundle free PC copies of The Elder Scrolls Online with Travis Baldree's new paperback release of Brigands & Breadknives, a genuinely delightful way to score an MMO. In sadder news, 1047 Games is done updating Splitgate: Arena Reloaded and Empulse as it abandons live-service shooters — though peer-to-peer servers mean both remain playable. On the hardware front, IGN makes a passionate case that Cherry MX ULP keyboard switches deserve a desktop comeback, calling them one of the most interesting mechanical innovations in years.

Gaming Roundup

Konami is aiming for a new Silent Hill game every year, with producer Motoi Okamoto trying to quell fan fears by promising "positive kinds of surprises." Konami is also heading to CatCon with Metal Gear Solid-themed cat toys, because of course it is. In sharper industry commentary, the writers of The Talos Principle 3 describe AI as "just a plagiarism machine that makes people lose their jobs." Beyond the Gamescom glow, Rock Paper Shotgun's review of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy finds Asobo Studio's action spinoff competent but says it loses what made its predecessors unique — one to weigh carefully before diving in.