01
Xbox Quietly Removes Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 From Game Pass
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 was scheduled to join Game Pass on July 21, but Xbox has removed it from the lineup without explaining why.
Est. 2013 · Vol. VII · No. 048
◆ TGS / 26 · THE GAMER SCENE
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
The Gamer·Scene
REVEAL
Nintendo Direct Special
Ocarina of Time Is Coming Back — Nintendo Just Dropped the Direct of the Year
A full Ocarina of Time remake, Kingdom Hearts 4 on Switch 2 with a firm October date, a new Star Fox in sixteen days with a demo out now, and 30+ reveals that turned the Switch 2's quiet year into the most stacked calendar in recent Nintendo history.
Read Now →§ 02
The Dispatch
Filed this week02
July's PlayStation Plus Catalog Is Led by Rise of the Ronin and Avatar
Rise of the Ronin, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Firefighting Simulator: Ignite, and two cult PS2 classics headline July's PlayStation Plus additions.
03
Nintendo's New European Joy-Cons Finally Let Players Replace the Battery
Nintendo has begun rolling out revised Joy-Cons with user-replaceable batteries in Europe, with an updated Switch 2 model arriving this autumn.
04
Modern Warfare 4's Kill Block Can Rebuild Its Map 500 Different Ways
Kill Block assembles three modular combat sections into more than 500 launch configurations, forcing Modern Warfare 4 players to relearn routes every match.
05
Marvel Tōkon's Open Beta Is a 72-Hour Stress Test With 15 Fighters
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls opens its servers July 24–26 with 15 characters, six stages, ranked play, local versus, training, and story content.
06
GTA 6 Just Opened the Strongest Preorder Campaign Newzoo Has Ever Tracked
Newzoo estimates GTA 6 generated about $260 million in global digital preorders during its first week, the strongest opening in its dataset.
Indie Room · Issue 048
PikuNiku 2 Is Real, and 2027 Just Got a Little Sillier
Buried in the Direct's 2027 sizzle reel: PikuNiku 2, the sequel to one of the most charming co-op platformers of the last decade. The original was a 4-hour burst of pure joy about a red blob kicking capitalism in the shins. More of that, please.
9.2/ 10
Saros Review — Housemarque at the Peak of Its Powers
“Saros is the best PS5 exclusive of 2026 and a genuine Game of the Year contender. The bullet-hell roguelite formula Housemarque pioneered with Returnal is evolved, refined, and expanded into something more accessible and more rewarding. The story doesn't always stick its landing — but the action is among the finest in any game released this generation.”
Romello Morris22h played
9.5/ 10
Hades II Review — One of the Best Games Ever Made Is Now on PlayStation and Xbox, and It's Perfect
“The gold standard of roguelites arrives on console in its definitive form. 120fps, all patches included, day-one Game Pass. Console players waited seven months. It was absolutely worth it.”
Romello Morris28h played
§ 06
Discourse
4 readers chiming in§ 02
The Dispatch
Filed this week01
Xbox Quietly Removes Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 From Game Pass
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 was scheduled to join Game Pass on July 21, but Xbox has removed it from the lineup without explaining why.
02
July's PlayStation Plus Catalog Is Led by Rise of the Ronin and Avatar
Rise of the Ronin, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Firefighting Simulator: Ignite, and two cult PS2 classics headline July's PlayStation Plus additions.
03
Nintendo's New European Joy-Cons Finally Let Players Replace the Battery
Nintendo has begun rolling out revised Joy-Cons with user-replaceable batteries in Europe, with an updated Switch 2 model arriving this autumn.
04
Modern Warfare 4's Kill Block Can Rebuild Its Map 500 Different Ways
Kill Block assembles three modular combat sections into more than 500 launch configurations, forcing Modern Warfare 4 players to relearn routes every match.
05
Marvel Tōkon's Open Beta Is a 72-Hour Stress Test With 15 Fighters
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls opens its servers July 24–26 with 15 characters, six stages, ranked play, local versus, training, and story content.
06
GTA 6 Just Opened the Strongest Preorder Campaign Newzoo Has Ever Tracked
Newzoo estimates GTA 6 generated about $260 million in global digital preorders during its first week, the strongest opening in its dataset.
§ 03
Reviews
This week's verdicts9.2/ 10
Saros Review — Housemarque at the Peak of Its Powers
“Saros is the best PS5 exclusive of 2026 and a genuine Game of the Year contender. The bullet-hell roguelite formula Housemarque pioneered with Returnal is evolved, refined, and expanded into something more accessible and more rewarding. The story doesn't always stick its landing — but the action is among the finest in any game released this generation.”
Romello Morris22h played
9.5/ 10
Hades II Review — One of the Best Games Ever Made Is Now on PlayStation and Xbox, and It's Perfect
“The gold standard of roguelites arrives on console in its definitive form. 120fps, all patches included, day-one Game Pass. Console players waited seven months. It was absolutely worth it.”
Romello Morris28h played
Indie Room · Issue 048
PikuNiku 2 Is Real, and 2027 Just Got a Little Sillier
Buried in the Direct's 2027 sizzle reel: PikuNiku 2, the sequel to one of the most charming co-op platformers of the last decade. The original was a 4-hour burst of pure joy about a red blob kicking capitalism in the shins. More of that, please.
§ 05
On Deck
Next 4 weeksJUN25
Star FoxSwitch 2 · Free demo on eShop now
Switch 2
JUL2
Rhythm Heaven Groove80+ minigames · 30 co-op modes
Switch 2
AUGTBA
Final Fantasy XIVSwitch 2 Early Access
Switch 2
OCT8
Kingdom Hearts 4PS5 · Xbox · Switch 2 — KH3 demo out now
Multi
OCT22
Switch 2 Sports + FF ResonanceDouble release day — start saving
Switch 2
§ 06
Discourse
4 readers chiming inYO
MT
Marcus T.@marcust·2hThe Ocarina remake announcement genuinely got me. 99 Metacritic, 27 years, and they're rebuilding it from the ground up instead of another remaster. This is the one Nintendo couldn't afford to get wrong and they know it.
↑ 74↳ 12 repliesSHARE
PS
Priya S.@priyasplays·3hKingdom Hearts 4 running natively on Switch 2 is the real story here. Everyone assumed that hardware couldn't do it. Square Enix bringing the ENTIRE saga over with save transfer is how you treat a fanbase right.
↑ 52↳ 8 repliesSHARE
DK
Devon K.@devonk·4hDownloaded the Star Fox demo on my lunch break. The Arwing handles like 64 with modern weight. First Star Fox to actually feel right since 1997 and I will die on this hill.
↑ 45↳ 7 repliesSHARE
JW
Jade W.@jadewright·5hKH4 Oct 8, Dragon's Dogma 2 Oct 9, Switch 2 Sports AND FF Resonance Oct 22, then Ocarina for the holidays. October is a financial crime scene. My backlog filed a restraining order.
↑ 38↳ 6 repliesSHARE
The Ocarina remake announcement genuinely got me. 99 Metacritic, 27 years, and they're rebuilding it from the ground up instead of another remaster. This is the one Nintendo couldn't afford to get wrong and they know it.
Kingdom Hearts 4 running natively on Switch 2 is the real story here. Everyone assumed that hardware couldn't do it. Square Enix bringing the ENTIRE saga over with save transfer is how you treat a fanbase right.
Downloaded the Star Fox demo on my lunch break. The Arwing handles like 64 with modern weight. First Star Fox to actually feel right since 1997 and I will die on this hill.
KH4 Oct 8, Dragon's Dogma 2 Oct 9, Switch 2 Sports AND FF Resonance Oct 22, then Ocarina for the holidays. October is a financial crime scene. My backlog filed a restraining order.