WEEKLY TRENDING NEWS – 27/08/2023

By Nikola Hristov

Welcome back, everybody! In this weekly roundup of all the trending news from the past seven days we have compiled everything that's important for you to stay up to date! What exactly is happening in the online space, and what can you expect from your beloved franchises in the future? Well, let's find out right now!

1. PlayStation's new portable console pricing and release date

For years fans have been asking for a successor to the PS Vita and of course the PSP, something to bring us back to the golden age of gaming, where playing anywhere was seen as cool and sociable (it allowed you to gather with friends and play together). Nowadays everything is online and a lot more impersonal. Nonetheless, Sony's PlayStation Portal, the new portable console, will be selling for $200 later this year. However - it's not actually a console. It's a device that's fully focused on remote play - meaning you need to already have a PS5 to which this connects to in order to play the same games on a worse, smaller screen, not even in a different household. The only use for this would be if you're a parent and can't play God of War on the TV because you'll traumatize your kid. Outside of that, I suspect Sony will be left disappointed with the sales numbers of this product.

2. Starfield may be even longer than we initially thought

Bethesda is known to make massive games, aiming to immerse the player in their universes to the fullest. And it seems like Starfield might take this concept to a whole new level. A Bethesda Executive Pete Hines stated that the game "really gets going"after finishing the main quest - which took him a total of 130 hours. This is insane news, as it probably means the side missions and quests change for the better after the story is over. In this massive space world, this is exciting news. That being said, I can already hear the people complaining that the game is too time consuming.

3. Sonic Frontiers DLC will be released later this year

In a free content update on September 28th, the rather underrated Sonic game from last year will get its last update. In a trailer revealed at Gamescom, we can see Sonic and friends face off against a gigantic threat and his ability to transform into his fiery Super Sonic form. The DLC is titled The Final Horizon and will hopefully bring some light back to the game. Some players were disappointed with Frontiers last year, but the truth is - it's a decent game, great traversal and soundtrack especially - which is all that matters in a good Sonic game. 

4. How Homelander and Omni-Man differentiate in Mortal Kombat 1

When the DLC for MK1 was announced, players were instantly excited for the two standout announcements - Omni-Man and Homelander. There was just one problem - they're both from the same Superman-gone-evil character archetype, which left people wondering how they'll actually play. Well, Ted Boon has come out to say that there's going to be a difference in their main attacks and special abilities. He stated that they'll avoid giving them the same powers and that they truly will be different characters. I believe him - for the past three MK games, all guest characters have been designed pretty well - there's no reason to think they'll disappoint us with these two.

5. Soulframe - the F2P open world RPG details revealed

Digital Extremes, the devs behind Warframe, just came out with more details regarding their new game - which looks to be a fusion between their most popular title and Elden Ring. In the game, you'll have three major stats essentially - courage, spirit and grace, which will decide your character archetype - a fighter, a magic user or an assassin. In some of the gameplay, we saw both magic combat and stealth - so it's safe to say every stat is important. The feature to freely switch between character classes is also coming back from Warframe - this time it's called Pacts. On top of weapons, you'll also have the ability to collect souls, which is the only way for your character to connect with your ancestors and to gain new skills. This title seems interesting to say the least, but I'm not sure it'll succeed more than Warframe.

6. Overwatch 2 director reacts to the Steam review bombing

When Overwatch 2 was finally released on Steam a few weeks ago, a platform where players can freely comment and review games, it naturally got destroyed in both aspects as players are very unhappy with the current state of the game. However, the current game director, Aaron Keller, has come out to say that essentially, it's unfortunate and the most they can do is continue improving the game. He admits that the PvE announcement was a promise they couldn't deliver, he understands our frustration and he acknowledges all the mistakes they've made. Yet he still continues on with positive remarks - "you can't go back in time, we just need to keep improving, that's all we can do", "the game will keep getting better" and other sh*t like that. Where have we heard that before, Aaron? I know it's not the developers' fault, but if I could describe the Overwatch experience for the past 4 years, it would be over-promise and never deliver. The 91% negative reviews should speak volumes to them - but they somehow don't. 

7. The Japanese cast of One Piece will voice their characters in the live action Netflix show

Netflix have confirmed in a new Japanese trailer for the One Piece show that the original voice actors will all be reprising their roles as the Straw Hat pirates. This makes complete sense - as they're all currently still working on the 1000+ episode anime and doing a great job at it. Eiichiro Oda has said that the Netflix adaptation won't come out until he's satisfied with the product - and it seems like he is, because it's releasing next week, on August 31st! Unlike most Netflix shows based on other media, I'm kinda excited for this one. Not just because I'm a One Piece fan - but because the creator of the franchise is actively involved - and he absolutely wants the best for his world of pirates.

8. Blue Beetle's disappointing box office opening may be a troubling sign for the future of DC movies

Although Blue Beetle is a decent movie, being praised by fans and critics for its Latino representation and emotional scenes, the movie has been incredibly disappointing financially. After a series of flops such as The Flash and Shazam 2, this one seems to be the worst so far - earning just an average $25 million in its opening weekend. It's not that the film is bad, but there's two main reasons for its current downfall - the SAG-AFTRA strike in the US, and the strong competitors in theaters such as Barbie, Oppenheimer and the new TMNT animated movie. Disney's Elementals proved that even movies that bomb initially can come back from the dead, but I'm not so sure that will be the case here. I guess we'll have to wait and see if James Gunn's Superman Legacy can save the DCU - as currently only The Batman performed well and it's not even a part of it.

Well, that's about everything for this week's news! Stay tuned for more gaming reviews and articles regarding all your favorite franchises right here, on One Up Gaming.

Written by: Nikola Hristov