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This Week (May 17 - May 23) |
The second-to-last week of May comes in hot with news from different genres across the space. At the fighting game arena, Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 are rounding up their Year 3 and Season 3 fighter rosters real soon. Open-world action-adventure RPG Where Winds Meet will be expanding its servers to accommodate even more players after countless criticisms from the community for laggy combat and ping, while Rainbow Six Siege introduces a heavy rework for Dokkaebi, one of its "most frustrating" attackers.
Over on the reviews side, the long-awaited LEGO Batman has finally arrived, giving players a different outlook of the Caped Crusader and his history—in a blocky, charming form. Battlestar Galactica: Shattered Hopes and Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core pull players into deep sci-fi adventures that are sure to get your mind and adrenaline pumping. Yoshi invites players to come and explore the world of the Mysterious Book with him, a cozy, low-stakes journey should you need a bit of respite from all that.
Here’s a quick look at some of the week’s biggest gaming headlines.
Gaming News At A Glance
Street Fighter 6 Wraps Up Year 3 DLC With Ingrid and New Avatar Modes
Where Winds Meet Finally Expands Servers Following Global Latency Complaints
Tekken 8’s Final Season 3 Fighter Reveal Has Fans Guessing Between Guests and Lore Picks
Rainbow Six Siege Overhauls Dokkaebi and Ranked Play in Operation System Override
WarioWare Studio’s New Mobile Game Pictonico! Turns Your Photos Into Mini-Games
Other News and Developments This Week
Review Roundup: May 17th to May 23rd
From Gotham’s Streets to Deep Space Dread and Storybook Worlds
⚫︎ LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
⚫︎ Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes
⚫︎ Yoshi and the Mysterious Book
Other Reviews This Week
Roguelite Dwarves and Grimdark Inquisitors
⚫︎ Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core [Early Access]
⚫︎ Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy [Closed Beta]
Other Early Access/Previews This Week
Gaming News At A Glance: Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 Final DLC Fighters, Where Winds Meet Expansion
Street Fighter 6 Wraps Up Year 3 DLC With Ingrid and New Avatar Modes
Street Fighter 6 is closing out its Year 3 DLC lineup with Ingrid on May 28 alongside two new Avatar-focused game modes. Ingrid joins Sagat, C. Viper, and Alex as part of the paid Year 3 pass, but longtime fans are mostly focused on the character’s deep-cut references to the cancelled Capcom Fighting All-Stars. Her trailer teases the unreleased Sun Octopus move and Dark Ingrid design, both concepts that never officially made it into previous games, making the character feel less like a routine DLC addition and more like Capcom reviving old ideas it left behind decades ago.
Capcom is also continuing to push the game’s Avatar systems harder with Random Avatar Matches and Avatar Arcade. Random Avatar Matches equalizes player stats and unlocks nearly every customization option for ranked battles, while Avatar Arcade focuses on PvE progression, unlockables, and callbacks to older Street Fighter games.
Where Winds Meet Finally Expands Servers Following Global Latency Complaints
Where Winds Meet is finally adding servers for Australia, the Middle East, and South America starting May 28 after months of complaints about high ping and unstable multiplayer connections. The phased rollout follows persistent criticism from players who said the game’s reaction-heavy combat felt frustrating online, especially in regions forced onto distant servers. For a game built around precise dodges, parries, and PvP timing, the lack of regional support had become one of the biggest complaints surrounding the global version since launch.
The announcement came alongside a large roadmap presentation featuring the Imperial Palace expansion, new multiplayer activities, housing systems, tomb raiding content, and lighter side activities like horse racing, chess, and Wuziqi. While the showcase itself leaned heavily into flashy content reveals, the bigger takeaway is probably Everstone Studio finally acknowledging its global playerbase more directly.
Tekken 8’s Final Season 3 Fighter Reveal Has Fans Guessing Between Guests and Lore Picks
Bandai Namco has confirmed that Tekken 8’s final Season 3 DLC fighter will be revealed during Combo Breaker 2026 ahead of the tournament’s Top 8 finals on May 24. While the season already brought back returning characters like Kunimitsu, Bob, and Roger Jr., the final slot is being treated far more mysteriously, which has pushed the community into nonstop speculation. At this point, the discussion around who the character might be has arguably become bigger than the reveal itself, especially after Tekken established a habit of ending seasons with attention-grabbing additions.
The community is mostly split between expecting another crossover guest or a major lore-focused character tied directly to Tekken’s story. Tifa Lockhart remains the most popular prediction after Final Fantasy XVI’s Clive Rosfield closed out Season 1, while others believe Reina’s teased Devil form is the more likely pick given how heavily it was hinted at in the campaign.
Rainbow Six Siege Overhauls Dokkaebi and Ranked Play in Operation System Override
Rainbow Six Siege is heading into Year 11 Season 2 with Operation System Override, and Ubisoft is using the update to heavily rework one of the game’s most frustrating attackers. Dokkaebi’s old Logic Bomb calls, which forced entire defending teams to stop and silence their phones, are being replaced with a more targeted Jegeo Payload system. Instead of disrupting everyone at once, Dokkaebi now needs to identify defenders individually before triggering a malware attack that can eventually overheat and explode their phones if ignored. The rework feels like Ubisoft trying to keep her intel-focused identity intact while reducing the constant map-wide pressure that made her such a balancing headache for years.
Outside of Dokkaebi, Operation System Override is also introducing major competitive updates aimed at keeping Siege healthy deep into its second decade. Ranked 3.0 removes hidden MMR, restores placement matches, and makes progression more transparent, while console players are finally getting official mouse and keyboard support with separate matchmaking pools. Ubisoft is also adding the new Calypso Casino map, visual updates for older maps, and additional balancing tweaks across the roster.
WarioWare Studio’s New Mobile Game Pictonico! Turns Your Photos Into Mini-Games
Nintendo and Intelligent Systems are releasing a new mobile app called Pictonico! on May 28, and it looks exactly like the kind of chaotic idea you’d expect from the developers behind WarioWare. The app turns personal photos into playable mini-games, meaning your camera roll suddenly becomes part of a string of goofy challenges involving spinning people around, turning them into mummies, or making them awkwardly chew objects on-screen. More than anything, Pictonico! seems built around the novelty of seeing familiar faces thrown into ridiculous situations, which honestly feels like a pretty natural fit for phones and casual party settings.
What makes the release stand out more, though, is that it’s one of Nintendo’s rare attempts at launching a completely original mobile project. Outside of franchise spin-offs and collaborations, the company hasn’t really introduced a fresh smartphone IP since Dragalia Lost back in 2018. Pictonico! is obviously much smaller in scope, but it still feels notable simply because Nintendo is experimenting again instead of relying entirely on existing IPs.
Other News and Developments This Week
⚫︎ Angels Online Global Launches June 2026 with Bugcat Capoo Collab
⚫︎ Pikmin x Seattle Aquarium Summer Event Begins May 23
⚫︎ Echoes of Aincrad Systems Trailer Shows Off Combat, Customization, and Other Mechanics
⚫︎ Crazy Taxi Teaser Puts SEGA Revival Back in View
⚫︎ 1047 Games Announces New Titanfall-Style Game EMPULSE Despite Splitgate 2 Struggles
⚫︎ Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 Hits Consoles as Fans Continue Wait for Chapter 6
⚫︎ GANG OF DRAGON Status Unclear After Studio Listing Marked Closed on Google Maps
⚫︎ Closers World Shutdown Gives Players One Final Month to Log In
⚫︎ Light and Night SEA CBT Promises Compensation After Emergency Maintenance
⚫︎ Pokémon Fossil Museum Opens at Chicago's Field Museum From May 2026 through April 2027
⚫︎ Capcom Gives Lost Planet 2 a Tweet for Its Anniversary While Other IPs Get Revivals
⚫︎ Light and Night SEA CBT Starts May 20 With Free 5-Star Bond Rewards and More
⚫︎ Petit Planet Stardrift Test Ends May 25
⚫︎ Love and Deepspace 5-Star Sylus Event Turns MC Into a Cat on May 22, and Fans are Losing It
⚫︎ Star Citizen Is Free-to-Play Until May 27, 100+ Free Ships Confirmed
⚫︎ Blue Archive 4.5 Anniversary OST Album and Merch Pre-Orders Now Open
⚫︎ Subnautica 2 Reveals Xbox Controllers and Youtooz Plushies Merch, Pre-orders Now Open
⚫︎ Arknights Endfield x Happy Lemon Collab Promo Taken Down Over Alleged AI Use
⚫︎ Marvel Rivals Season 8 Event Artwork Faces Gen AI Allegations From Fans
Review Roundup: May 17th to 23rd
From Gotham’s Streets to Deep Space Dread and Storybook Worlds
This week’s takes players on a journey across Gotham, to deep space, and even to the storybook world of a familiar dinosaur character. Firstly, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a visually comical but otherwise compelling take on the famed hero’s history. Over at Battlestar Galatica: Scattered Hopes, it is a fleet management strategy game that really lets its players feel the scattering of their hopes through its signature punishing gameplay loop. If you’re looking for something softer and more lighthearted, though, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book lets you go through a cozy, exploratory adventure to find intriguing creatures and document them.
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight marks a more ambitious, history-spanning take on the Caped Crusader, positioning itself as a celebration of Batman across comics, film, and games. This time, Gotham is fully open-world, with players stepping into Bruce Wayne’s full arc toward becoming Batman while taking on familiar rogues like the Joker and Poison Ivy. The biggest structural shift comes from its combat system, which borrows clear inspiration from the Arkham series, adding stealth takedowns, gadget play, and more deliberate encounter design than previous LEGO entries.
Around that core, the game layers in traversal through vehicles, a customizable Batcave, and a small but focused roster of Bat Family characters, alongside difficulty options that mark a first for the series. The end result is a surprisingly cohesive blend of LEGO’s accessible co-op design and a more grounded Batman gameplay loop, even if a few rough edges remain. Still, it’s an easy recommendation for fans of the Dark Knight or anyone after a content-rich split-screen adventure, with enough scale and ambition to justify its $70 price tag.
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes
Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes is a roguelite fleet management strategy game from AltShift and Dotemu, set within the 2004 Battlestar Galactica universe. Players step into the role of a Colonial Fleet commander aboard the Galactica, balancing real-time tactical encounters against the Cylons with slower, systems-driven management decisions. Between battles, the game layers in crisis events, political friction between factions, and the constant paranoia of hidden Cylon infiltrators within the fleet.
The result is a tense, punishing loop that leans heavily into the series’ trademark sense of dread and uncertainty. Every run feels like a compromise under pressure, where survival depends less on clean victories and more on adapting to setbacks as they stack up. It’s a strong fit for fans of the show’s bleak tone, but also accessible enough to serve as an entry point for newcomers. Either way, it’s a game built around endurance over triumph, and being Commander Adama’s last line of defense never feels comfortable for long.
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a family-friendly adventure about exploring a magical, living encyclopedia filled with creatures to discover and document. Each island acts as a self-contained illustrated habitat, encouraging players to observe, experiment, and slowly piece together the behaviors of its unique species. It’s a gentle setup that leans more into curiosity and exploration than traditional platforming challenges, with a pace designed around discovery rather than pressure.
That design makes it an easy recommendation for younger players, or anyone looking for something relaxed and low-stakes to unwind with. There’s a clear appeal in how it encourages experimentation and "what happens if I try this?" moments, even if it doesn’t aim for deep mechanical complexity or long-term system-driven progression. For some players, that simplicity is the charm; for others, it may feel like the experience runs out of steam before the credits roll. Ultimately, it’s a soft, exploratory kind of game that works best when you meet it on its own unhurried terms.
Other Reviews This Week
⚫︎ Warhammer 40k: Mechanicus 2 Review [First Impressions] | By the Omnissiah–It's Glorious!
⚫︎ Zero Parades: For Dead Spies Review [First Impressions] | There is Life After Elysium
⚫︎ Wuthering Waves Review [3.0 - 3.3] | It Which Reached the Stars
⚫︎ ALLfiring Review | More Than What It Seems
⚫︎ Thick As Thieves Review | Worth a Quick Heist
Roguelite Dwarves and Grimdark Inquisitors
Over at the Early Access side of things, we dive into Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core and Warhammer 40K: Dark Heresy’s Closed Beta. Rogue Core is a Deep Rock Galactic spin-off that manages to capture the essence of its gargantuan predecessor but needs a little more polishing in certain aspects. With Dark Heresy, the Inquisition lives on through a charming mix of detective-based gameplay with tactical, turn-based combat—heavy, overwhelming mechanics that will surely require more brainpower than usual, but once that intimidating threshold is passed, it stands by itself as a good game, even in its infancy.
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core [Early Access]
Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core takes the familiar co-op mining chaos of Hoxxes IV and retools it into a roguelite spinoff. A new mineral, Expenite, draws Deep Rock Galactic into covert mining operations that quickly go silent, leaving players to step in as elite dwarf Reclaimers tasked with restoring lost dig sites and uncovering the mystery behind the so-called Greyout. It still keeps the series’ first-person action core but reshapes the structure around deeper runs, escalating risk, and temporary build-defining upgrades.
Between missions, players return to the RV-09 “Ramrod” to unlock new weapons, suits, and modifications, gradually expanding their toolkit for deeper expeditions. Runs themselves focus on salvaging gear, adapting builds on the fly, and surviving increasingly dangerous enemies like the Corespawn and Shatterclaw. While the foundation is strong and the moment-to-moment loop still carries that familiar DRG energy, the roguelite structure doesn’t fully click yet and can feel like it’s working against the flow rather than enhancing it. As an Early Access project, it has clear potential, but it still needs refinement before it can match the staying power of the original Deep Rock Galactic.
Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy [Closed Beta]
Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy casts players as an Acolyte rising through the ranks of the Inquisition, eventually taking on the role of Inquisitor in a shadow war against heresy, mutation, and xenos corruption within the Calixis Sector. Set against the backdrop of the unsettling Noctis Aeterna and the mystery of the Tyrant Star, the game leans heavily into investigation, bureaucracy, and the uneasy process of deciding what counts as truth in a universe built on paranoia.
Gameplay blends slow-burn detective work with tactical, turn-based combat. Players gather clues using a Servo-Skull, organize deductions on an investigation board, and face real consequences for incorrect conclusions, while combat focuses on cover-based positioning, limb targeting, and morale pressure that can break enemies before they’re physically defeated. While the dense terminology and lore-heavy presentation can be overwhelming at first, it gradually becomes part of the appeal rather than a barrier. As a closed beta experience, it already shows strong potential as an entry point into the grim complexity of Warhammer 40K, even if it still needs a bit more polish to ease new players in.
Other Early Access/Previews This Week
⚫︎ Honor of Kings: World Review [Alpha Playtest] | A Grand Flow State
