Overworld Weekly: A Wider View of Video Game News

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Latest Episodes:

Nintendo Switch 2 OLED, The Duskbloods Network Test, and More! Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to Overworld Weekly, a show about the biggest news in video games as tracked by Overworld.vg and its readers!

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This episode is brought to you by Pixels and Polygons: ⁠https://pixelsandpolygons.net/

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Discussed this week:

Nintendo Switch 2 OLED rumor: https://www.overworld.vg/story/e9ea940d
The Duskbloods network test: https://www.overworld.vg/story/5094efe1
Octopath Traveler Switch 2 ports: https://www.overworld.vg/story/9d21acff
Denshattack! review hub: https://www.overworld.vg/story/35905848
Adventures of Elliot patch: https://www.overworld.vg/story/04a3d5ca

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Chapters:

0:00 - Intro

0:30 - Nintendo Switch 2 OLED?

5:12 - The Duskbloods network test incoming

8:16 - Octopath Traveler Switch 2 ports and the Square Enix of it all

11:06 - Sponsor: Pixels and Polygons

11:39 - Game shoutouts: Denshattack! & Wabisabi SushiDerby

14:24 - The Adventures of Elliot lets you silence your companions

19:44 - Thanks for listening!

On the Xbox Layoffs, Remakes, and Meccha Chameleon Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to Overworld Weekly, a show about the biggest news in video games as tracked by Overworld.vg and its readers!
---This episode is brought to you by Pixels and Polygons: https://pixelsandpolygons.net/

Discussed this week:

• Xbox announces 3,200 layoffs and parts ways with five studios: https://www.overworld.vg/story/8c3c5b8c⁠

• id Software reportedly loses roughly half its team: https://www.overworld.vg/story/55254991⁠

• Obsidian pivots to a new Fallout game as the Avowed sequel is cancelled: https://www.overworld.vg/story/995fd698⁠

• PlayStation's first post since announcing the end of physical discs goes poorly: https://www.overworld.vg/story/14865671⁠

• Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced review hub: https://www.overworld.vg/story/789691f3⁠

• Meccha Chameleon sells 15 million copies in under a month: https://www.overworld.vg/story/ca857486⁠

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Chapters:0:00 - Welcome to Overworld Weekly0:17 - The Xbox Layoffs11:51 - PlayStation Gets Ratioed14:44 - Sponsor: Pixels and Polygons15:26 - AC Black Flag Resynced Reviews Are In18:35 - Meccha Chameleon Sells 15 Million Copies22:31 - Thanks for Listening!

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PlayStation Bails on Physical Media, New Metroid Game Leaks Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

Welcome back to Overworld Weekly, a new show running through the biggest news in the world of video games as defined by Overworld.vg and its readers!

This episode is brought to you by Pixels and Polygons: https://pixelsandpolygons.net/

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Discussed this week:

PlayStation ending physical disc production by 2028: https://www.overworld.vg/story/7c1bd30e
PlayStation shutting down PS3 and Vita digital stores: https://www.overworld.vg/story/6833baf9
PlayStation removing purchased movies from user libraries: https://www.overworld.vg/story/0891fa9f
Fan/preservation reaction to PlayStation killing physical games: https://www.overworld.vg/story/abaef19d
Xbox and PlayStation hardware sales hit historic lows: https://www.overworld.vg/story/3695ad81
Sony says it won’t sell PlayStation hardware at a significant loss / PS6 cost concerns: https://www.overworld.vg/story/086348fe
Xbox Project Helix reportedly won’t have a disc drive: https://www.overworld.vg/story/dd2e30dd
Xbox reportedly testing disc-to-digital conversion: https://www.overworld.vg/story/38523196
Metroid Ravenous leaks via Brazil’s ratings board: https://www.overworld.vg/story/19ce313d
Rhythm Heaven Groove review hub: https://www.overworld.vg/story/9b13da65
Splatoon Raiders Direct / co-op gameplay details: https://www.overworld.vg/story/b0644f04
Mario Kart World update 1.7.0: https://www.overworld.vg/story/4db4ca0c

Persona live-action Netflix show: https://www.overworld.vg/story/68994845

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Chapters:

0:00 - Welcome to Overworld Weekly

0:30 - PlayStation Goes All-Digital

13:26 - Xbox May Drop Discs, Too

15:24 - Sponsor: Pixels and Polygons

16:03 - What’s Nintendo Up To?

16:20 - Metroid Ravenous Leaks

17:54 - Rhythm Heaven Groove is Great

19:39 - Splatoon Raiders is a Monster Hunter?

21:36 - Mario Kart World Update? In This Economy?

23:04 - Persona is Getting a Netflix Show

26:13 - Thanks for Listening!

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GTA6, Valve's Steam Machine, and the Price of Admission Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to the first episode of Overworld Weekly, it's a new show running through the biggest news in the world of video games as defined by Overworld.vg and its readers.

This week's episode is sponsored by Post Games, an audio magazine about how and why we love video games: https://pod.link/1815131711

Discussed this week:

GTA VI preorders and pricing: https://overworld.vg/story/de9f3422
GTA VI physical copies have no disc: https://overworld.vg/story/e49c3295
Steam Machine pricing: https://overworld.vg/story/d6134ef6
Steam Machine reviews: https://overworld.vg/story/2c32c2cd
Steam Controller reservation backlog: https://overworld.vg/story/500b2746
Xbox console price increases: https://overworld.vg/story/e75266eb
Star Fox reviews go live: https://overworld.vg/story/374d3da4
Star Wars: Galactic Racer previews: https://overworld.vg/story/f579a9c8
Bungie layoffs: https://overworld.vg/story/162a9886
Zelda/Ocarina fan remake ends development: https://overworld.vg/story/e23e35d4

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Chapters:

0:00 - Welcome ot Overworld Weekly

0:24 - GTA VI is $80 and Has No Disc

6:32 - The Steam Machine is Expensive

13:22 - Xbox Raises Console Prices Again

16:30 - Sponsor: Post Games

17:16 - Star Fox 2026 Reviews

19:47 - Star Wars: Galactic Racer is Just a Burnout (Complimentary)

21:31 - Mass Layoffs at Bungie

23:32 - The 10-Year Ocarina of Time Fan Remake

24:28 - Thanks for Listening!

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I Have Too Much To Say About Saros May 20, 2026

Show notes

Saros is a PlayStation exclusive, AAA roguelike from Housemarque — the creators of Returnal. It's a game I absolutely devoured over the course of just a few days, and had basically every single emotion about along the way to rolling credits. It's been about two weeks since then and I genuinely haven't stopped thinking about it. I need to tell you why.

Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineTwitch: https://twitch.tv/itswavelengthsBlog: https://wavelengths.online

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Chapters:0:00 - Saros Made Me Feel Every Emotion27:14 - Light Spoiler Warning32:40 - Heavy Spoiler Warning

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Vampire Crawlers Demands Your Attention Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

Vampire Crawlers is a new deck-building dungeon-crawling roguelike from the creators of Vampire Survivors, and I think despite the way it's being pitched is a deeper and more rewarding game on every level. I have absolutely loved my time with it so far.Disclaimer: Prerelease code was provided by the publisher, this does not and never will influence my feelings about a video game!! Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths

---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---

CHAPTERS:0:00 - Welcome to Vampire Crawlers5:50 - The Turbo Wildcard of it all11:09 - Achieving the flow state14:55 - Subscribe if you haven’t!---⏆

I Can't Keep Up With 2026's Games Apr 17, 2026

Show notes

2026 is already one of the best years for video game releases in recent memory, with more than enough to satisfy pretty much anybody with ANY specific genre preferences. Before we get too deep into the year, I thought it would be helpful to freeze time for a moment and just consider how many great games have already released in its first few months.Here's 20 of them.Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths

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Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online

---CHAPTERS:0:00 - Welcome to Wavelengths1:20 - Cairn4:26 - Vital Shell5:16 - Pokopia8:56 - Marathon10:04 - Hytale11:55 - Pragmata15:06 - Under the Island16:30 - Mario Tennis Fever18:33 - Slay the Spire 220:18 - Resident Evil Requiem22:05 - Valkyrie Saga22:46 - Raccoin: The Coin-Pusher Roguelike23:52 - Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream25:21 - Dragon Quest VII Reimagined28:33 - Reanimal29:13 - Cinicross30:16 - Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection32:22 - Esoteric Ebb34:10 - Monter Hunter Stories 3---⏆

Pragmata Made Me a Believer (Review) Apr 13, 2026

Show notes

Pragmata is a new game from Capcom about a man and his adoptive space daughter as they fight robots on the moon, It is equal parts Resident Evil, Dead Space, Legend of Zelda, NieR Automata, and Death Stranding — and somehow also manages to be none of them. I loved it.Disclaimer: Code for this game was provided by Capcom!! Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Can An Ocarina of Time Remake Fix Zelda? Apr 05, 2026

Show notes

There's a rumor that Nintendo's big Switch 2 game for 2026 is a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. While most conversation centers on "should this exist in the first place," I think the more interesting question is how it could unite the two halves of the Zelda fanbase and prove there's a path forward after Tears of the Kingdom.

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Chapters:

0:00 - Ocarina of Time still rules

4:00 - Nintendo fans don't know what they want

9:32 - Ocarina of Time Remake as a playground

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Square Enix's Very Good Year Mar 27, 2026

Show notes

Square Enix had a very good year, eBay reigns supreme, LEGO Batman has all the makings of a sleeper hit, and so much more on this Q&A episode of Wavelengths!

Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths

The Cacio e Pere Recipe: https://wavelengths.online/posts/the-cacio-e-pere-recipe---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths

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CHAPTERS:

0:00 - What’s up with Square Enix?

4:54 - Switch 1 Lifecycle Extension

8:34 - Epic Games layoffs

11:04 - Games I’m Excited About

15:29 - Where to buy retro handhelds

17:30 - Food Moment!!

19:10 - Favorite recent video game soundtracks?

19:53 - OpenAI and Disney Split

23:10 - Video game reviews on Wavelengths

27:10 - How to get into writing about games?