Every advancement in graphics technology is accompanied by a new, goofy method of showing it off. Whether it’s 128 versions of Mario running around a globe for the GameCube, a million Toblerone pieces scattering around in Knack, or 1-2-Switch’s lockpicking minigame demonstrating all those ice cubes inside the Joy-Cons, developers often design around the possibilities of powerful new tech.

But this raises an important question: What about the food? According to statistics I just made up, we spend about 15 percent of our time eating and another 82 percent of our time thinking about eating. In contrast, I only spend about 10 minutes of my time each day thinking about 128 Marios running around and getting into trouble. Do you think each Mario thinks of himself as the true Mario, and the others as imposters? Hopefully, he recognizes that each Mario has the same right to individuality as himself. I’m getting off track here.

Every advancement in graphics technology is accompanied by a new, goofy method of showing it off. Whether it’s 128 versions of Mario running around a globe for the GameCube, a million Toblerone pieces scattering around in Knack, or 1-2-Switch’s lockpicking minigame demonstrating all those ice cubes inside the Joy-Cons, developers often design around the possibilities of powerful new tech.

But this raises an important question: What about the food? According to statistics I just made up, we spend about 15 percent of our time eating and another 82 percent of our time thinking about eating. In contrast, I only spend about 10 minutes of my time each day thinking about 128 Marios running around and getting into trouble. Do you think each Mario thinks of himself as the true Mario, and the others as imposters? Hopefully, he recognizes that each Mario has the same right to individuality as himself. I’m getting off track here.

It seems like every year release calendars get more and more crowded. So much so that individual days now have multiple triple-A releases, (I am looking at you October 27, 2017 and now February 22, 2019), making it impossible to ever clear out our ever-growing backlogs. If you didn’t already have enough to anticipate, there are many games coming out that are flying under the radar, with numerous Early Access releases and indie games. Here are 10 titles to look forward to aren’t called The Last of Us Part II, Spider-Man, or Cyberpunk 2077.

This stealth puzzle game lets you play as a goose and bother a poor gardener until he rage-quits. Some activities you can partake in are; stealing his sandwich only to drop it into a nearby pond, forcing him to change hats, and playing music very loudly. All of this is done while generally avoiding his grasp and annoying the rube at every turn. The art is adorable and simple, the music is playful, and the goose is devilish. Basically, if you hate gardening, this is for you! House House is aiming for a 2018 release.

It seems like every year release calendars get more and more crowed. So much so that individual days now have multiple triple-A releases, (I am looking at you October 27, 2017 and now February 22, 2019), making it impossible to ever clear out our ever-growing backlogs. If you didn’t already have enough to anticipate, there are many games coming out that are flying under the radar, with numerous Early Access releases and indie games. Here are 10 titles to look forward to aren’t called The Last of Us Part II, Spider-Man, or Cyberpunk 2077.

This stealth puzzle game lets you play as a goose and bother a poor gardener until he rage-quits. Some activities you can partake in are; stealing his sandwich only to drop it into a nearby pond, forcing him to change hats, and playing music very loudly. All of this is done while generally avoiding his grasp and annoying the rube at every turn. The art is adorable and simple, the music is playful, and the goose is devilish. Basically, if you hate gardening, this is for you! House House is aiming for a 2018 release.

About one year after the series premiere of HBO's Game of Thrones TV show, developer Cyanide Studio released a full, lightly Dragon Age-inspired RPG based on the property. It featured a total of two actors from the show, a cameo from Game of Thrones' creator, George R.R. Martin, and we gave it a 6. It was, perhaps, not the best use of the property, but in 2012, we were eager to see what a game developer could do with the license.

After all collectively remembering the Game of Thrones video game was, in fact, a thing, we decided to look at another memorable video game based on a TV show and revisit one based on a movie that everyone forgot existed. There is a theme this episode, we just don't remember what it was supposed to be.

About one year after the series premiere of HBO's Game of Thrones TV show, developer Cyanide Studio released a full, lightly Dragon Age-inspired RPG based on the property. It featured a total of two actors from the show, a cameo from Game of Thrones' creator, George R.R. Martin, and we gave it a 6. It was, perhaps, not the best use of the property, but in 2012, we were eager to see what a game developer could do with the license.

After all collectively remembering the Game of Thrones video game was, in fact, a thing, we decided to look at another memorable video game based on a TV show and revisit one based on a movie that everyone forgot existed. There is a theme this episode, we just don't remember what it was supposed to be.

Just as everyone expected, it's the weekend again. For a while there it looked like we'd never see Saturday, but here it is, waiting with open arms. We're kicking off our boots and settling in for a few days of gaming and... well, chores.

Let us know about your weekend plans in the comments below!

Javy Gwaltney – When I'm not writing, I'll be taking up in a cafe and trying to make progress in Octopath and finishing up Mega Man X2. Also, hey, did you know those Mega Man X games are really good? Weird. I wish there had been a whole following dedicated to telling me just how good they were. The world of video games is really slacking in that regard.

Just as everyone expected, it's the weekend again. For a while there it looked like we'd never see Saturday, but here it is, waiting with open arms. We're kicking off our boots and settling in for a few days of gaming and... well, chores.

Let us know about your weekend plans in the comments below!

Javy Gwaltney – When I'm not writing, I'll be taking up in a cafe and trying to make progress in Octopath and finishing up Mega Man X2. Also, hey, did you know those Mega Man X games are really good? Weird. I wish there had been a whole following dedicated to telling me just how good they were. The world of video games is really slacking in that regard.

I recently had the chance to dive into a pre-release version of Forsaken, the upcoming major expansion to Destiny 2, and detailed my thoughts in our cover story. That experience offered a glimpse into some of the core aspects of gameplay (like new supers and a new bow archetype) that players can expect to encounter in September,  as well as a sense of how the story will progress. However, the nature of the build I played didn’t provide a clear sense of the all-important “live” experience of progression, grinding, and event play that are so core to the ongoing Destiny 2 experience. For hints of what to expect there, I suspect we are better off looking at the current event roll-out, as Solstice of Heroes suggests some significant shifts in the approach to player investment, and it’s a worthwhile ride all on its own.  

Solstice of Heroes began last week, and runs through most of August, so if you’ve been away from the game, there’s still plenty of time to dig in. And, for the record, digging in is worthwhile. While I don’t love everything about this most recent update and event, it has a lot to offer, especially to dedicated players. Moreover, it’s a worthy attempt at pulling players back into multiple corners of the existing game, and offering meaningful reasons to be drawn in.

I recently had the chance to dive into a pre-release version of Forsaken, the upcoming major expansion to Destiny 2, and detailed my thoughts in our cover story. That experience offered a glimpse into some of the core aspects of gameplay (like new supers and a new bow archetype) that players can expect to encounter in September,  as well as a sense of how the story will progress. However, the nature of the build I played didn’t provide a clear sense of the all-important “live” experience of progression, grinding, and event play that are so core to the ongoing Destiny 2 experience. For hints of what to expect there, I suspect we are better off looking at the current event roll-out, as Solstice of Heroes suggests some significant shifts in the approach to player investment, and it’s a worthwhile ride all on its own.  

Solstice of Heroes began last week, and runs through most of August, so if you’ve been away from the game, there’s still plenty of time to dig in. And, for the record, digging in is worthwhile. While I don’t love everything about this most recent update and event, it has a lot to offer, especially to dedicated players. Moreover, it’s a worthy attempt at pulling players back into multiple corners of the existing game, and offering meaningful reasons to be drawn in.