The Rundown #0

Hey, Welcome to the issue #0 of the weekly //CounterCulture Newsletter!

Let me introduce you real quick to everything I have planned (for now) for This Newsletter. The newsletter should in the best case release every friday alongside the rundown. The newsletter will be structured like this: It's my first newsletter and I don't know if I can deliver on everything every week as long as I have my fulltime job but I will try my best!

• Small intro about my week and what I'm playing
• The rundown itself
• 2-3 news highlights
• A small Opinion part
• A game recommendation/review

So let's dive in!

Was a busy nightshift week, which is normaly more chill but work is getting less and so I had to do not so chill things. I've played a lot of Pokopia and Kusan: City of Wolves, more down below, this week. I thought I dropped Pokopia and was ready to move on but Ditto's slimy hands pulled me back in like a starter Pokemon at the Goldenrod City daycare.

Gaming News Recap

Week 31| July 24th to 31st, 2026 | Edition 185

Nintendo announced the launch date for two previously unreleased Virtual Boy games, Sony acknowledges the backlash but doesn't care and Xbox hardware is only 13% down yoy instead of 30%. This week's news categories: Xbox [07], PlayStation [07], Nintendo [09], Other News [27], Numbers [06], TV & Cinema [01], Releases Infos [50].

XBOX

1. 'Gears of War: E-Day' Open Beta set for August 13^th-17^th.
2. XBOX FY 2026 Q4:
   • Xbox content and services revenue down by 10% year over year.
   • Hardware down by 13%
3. Xbox technology chief Scott Van Vliet says games on disc shouldn't have been affected by the outage this week. They're working on a fix to prevent this.
4. Xbox detailed its Gamescom presence. They will feature 25 upcoming games including 'STRANGER THAN HEAVEN', 'Crowsworn' and 'METRO 2039'. Xbox live broadcasts set for August 26^th & 27^th.
5. Ubisoft games are now available on Xbox PC via Ubisoft Connect. Some of them are Play Anywhere.
6. Blizzard has fired an employee for using developer-only tools to kill all enemies for a group in 'World of Warcraft'.
7. Bethesda revealed its new logo for its 40^th Anniversary.

PlayStation

1. PlayStation Plus Essential games for August 2026. 'Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Reloaded Edition', 'Big Walk', 'Signalis', and bonus: 'MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls' PlayStation Plus Pack
2. 'Marvel's Spider-Man 2' got two new skins one based on Spider-Man: Brand New Day and the other based on Marvel Tõkon: Fighting Souls. Update v1.005.000 also adds support for Enhanced PSSR on PS5 Pro and Power Saver Mode.
3. After petitions, memes and swamping the comments of Sony's social media accounts, fans are now organising a Blackout on PlayStation hardware from August 23^rd to 30^th in hope that Sony wont kill physical media in 2028.
4. 'God of War Laufey' launches Feb. 16^th 2027 on PS5. A new game which features Kratos and which will connect directly with Laufey is also in the works alongside the God of War Trilogy Remake.
5. Sony announced that it sold over 95.3 million PlayStation units worldwide.
6. Sony CFO Lin Tao acknowledges the backlash over Sony's decision to kill physical media in 2028 and they have no plans to change its decision.
7. Lego PlayStation Set reportedly launches on October 1^st. 1911 pieces, $160 USD, comes with an Astrobot as gift-with-purchase.

Nintendo

1. A development cartridge of the lost 'PokéPark Fishing Contest DS' has been surfaced on Ebay. The game launched in** 2005** digital on the Nintendo DS & deleted itself after 12h.
2. The next 'Pokémon Pokopia' event Fetching Scales for Feebas runs from August 15^th to August 28^th.
3. 'Splatoon Raiders' is currently the 7^th highest rated game by user score on Metacritic.
4. New 'Mario Kart World' free roam tracks are now available on Nintendo Music.
5. Pyra and Mythra are getting some 'Xenoblade Chronicles 2' Nintendo Switch 2 Edition exclusive skins.
6. Shigeru Miyamoto believes hardware specs are no longer the highest priority for gamers.
7. 'Super Mario Sunshine' is coming to NSO Expansion Pack on August 13^th!
8. The previously unreleased Virtual Boy games 'Zero Racers' & 'D-hopper' are coming to NSO Expansion Pack on August 4^th.
9. 5 Virtual Boy OSTs are now available on Nintendo Music: 'Mario's Tennis', 'Virtual Boy Wario Land', 'Teleroboxer', 'Galactic Pinball', and 'Mario Clash'

Other News

1. Netflix only had a timed exclusive deal for 'Poinpy' after that Devolver was free to release the game outside of the service. Fumoto says he believes that 'Poinpy' wouldn't have been made without the Netflix deal.
2. Capcom Corporate Officer Yoshikazu Shimauchi said the likelihood of a 'Pragmata' sequel is high after sales exceeded the company’s internal expectations.
3. 'Wuchang Fallen Feathers' creator Xia Siyuan, 505, and his new studio Indolphinity announced that they're working on a sequel.
4. Butt-controlled Nintendo Switch game 'Ketsu Battler' is getting its biggest update on July 30^th which adds butt ass aura mechanic that rewards players for twerking.
5. 'Crazy Taxi: World Tour' Closed Network Test announced.
6. Capcom producer Masachika Kawata says Remakes help Capcom to release 'Resident Evil' games on a yearly basis. And helps funding new projects like 'Pragmata'.
7. Patchbay Works released an English translation patch for 'Flower, Sun and Rain' PS2.
8. Square Enix & Google are teaming up for a 'Dragon Quest' Google Gemini Collaboration on July 30^th in Japan. People can scan barcodes to cast spells ins AR to free captured monsters and ultimately defeat the dragon lord.
9. Both 'Persona 3' stage play PERSONA3 the Weird Masquerade will be free to watch on YouTube this week.
10. Yoshi-P says if they wanted to remake 'Final Fantasy' VI, VIII or IX they would have to split them into 4, maybe 5 parts because the games are incredible huge.
11. Square Enix says the 'Kingdom Hearts Collection' cover art was the result of an human error and no AI was used.
12. Valve say everyone on the waitlist should get the chance to buy a Steam Machine by the end of this year.
13. Wizards of the Coast president John Hight is stepping down.
14. Sjoerd De Jong left Epic Games a few weeks ago and is now building his own game engine to rival Unity and Unreal.
15. CLOWN LOACH (Chromobotia macracanthus) announced for 'Planet Zoo 2'!
16. Atari and Twin Galaxies are teaming up for the Atari World Championships. The competition starts with an Open Online Tournament featuring five Atari titles and concludes with a live in-person Grand Finals.
17. According to MP1^ST, WayForward is or was working on a 2.5D brawler based on Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.
18. According to InsiderGaming, Ubisoft has cancelled the 'Far Cry' extraction shooter codenamed Maverick. A new 'Far Cry' game codenamed Kodiak has entered development at Vantage Studios.
19. Paramount & Warner Bros merger is on hold for now.
20. Ubisoft's NFT game 'Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles' will progressively transition away blockchain from its functionality and is shutting down its servers.
21. EA set to close $55BN deal to go private next week "As of July 30, 2026, all regulatory approvals required to complete the Merger have been obtained. Electronic Arts currently expects the Merger to close on or about the close of trading on August 4 2026"
22. Take-Two has trademarked a new 2K development team called Small Axe Studios.
23. TaleWorlds Entertainment (Mount & Blade) co-founder İpek Yavuz passed away at 54.
24. Tencent is selling its stake and ending its partnership with Marvelous.
    'Story of Seasons' mobile game cancelled.
25. Tencent laid off 80 people at its LA Lightspeed studio.
26. Double Fine laid off 23 people.
27. Warren Spector's 'Thick As Thieves' which launched 2 months ago is ending its development after layoffs at OtherSide Entertainment.

Numbers

1. 'Constance' has sold over 100K copies.
2. 'Resident Evil Requiem' has sold over 8M copies.
3. 'Pragmata' has sold over 2.5M copies.
4. 'Resident Evil 2 Remake' now the highest selling Resident Evil game.
5. 'Moonlight Peaks' surpassed 200K copies sold.
6. 'Dinoblade' has sold 36K copies in its first 24h.

TV & Cinema

1. Udon announced a 'Mega Man Legends' miniseries.

Release Infos

1. 'DEMONS' NIGHT FEVER' launches October 22^nd on PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC.
2. 'Helldivers 2' x 'Warhammer 40,000' Legendary Warbond launches August 12^th.
3. 'Stupid Never Dies' launches October 21^st on PS5 and PC.
4. 'Mexican Ninja' launches August 20^th on Xbox One/Series, PS4/5 and PC.
5. 'Thimbelweed Park 2' announced for PC. Launches in 2028.
6. 'Croc 2 Kingdom of the Gobbos' announced for Xbox Series, PS4/5, Switch and PC.
7. 'Friends vs Friends' free Dead Game update now available.
8. 'Fool King' announced for PC, this year. 1^st title published by Firefly Studios (Stronghold serie).
9. 'Lost & Found: A This Bed We Made Story' launches August 5^th on Steam.
10. 'Spiritstead' launches August 6^th on PC!
11. 'Dungeon Antiqua 2' is coming to XBS, PS5 & Switch on August 20^th. Already on PC.
12. 'Fuga: Melodies of Steel' now available on Mobile.
13. 'Finding Polka' launches August 12^th on Steam.
14. 'Pokémon Pokopia' free update & DLC Bubbly Basin launches Aug. 5^th. Next DLC will introduces Accessories.
15. 'Arcade Archives TX-1' launches July 30^th on Xbox Series, PS4/5 and Switch 1/2.
16. 'Console Archives Doraemon' launches July 30^th on PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2.
17. 'PLATONICA SPACE' launches August 14^th on PC.
18. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pack now available in 'Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds'.
19. 'STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE' & 'STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R' are out now on GoG.
20. 'Flamecraft' is coming to XBS, PS5 and Switch alongside announced PC version.
21. 'The Immortal John Triptych' launches August 27^th on XBS, PS5, Switch 1/2 & PC.
22. 'Ball x Pit' is getting its last free update The Naturalist on August 6^th. Including: 2 new characters: The Ballbearer & The Hoary Hoarder, 11 new balls, and 5 new passives.
23. 'Future Knight' launches August 13^th on Xbox Series, PS5, Switch and PC.
24. 'Bioeden' launches September 3^rd on Xbox Series, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
25. 'Nioh 3' DLC Hell Rising launches August 19^th.
26. 'Dreamsend: Wintersong' a new turn-based tactical 2.5D cyberpunk fantasy strategy RPG announced for PC.
27. 'Jay and Silent Bob's Joint Venture' announced for PC.
28. 'Suika Game' & 'Suika Game Planet' out now on PS5 & PC. Already on Switch & Mobile.
29. 'Blood Dungeon' launches August 25^th on Xbox Series, PS5, Switch 1/2 and PC.
30. a 'Pokémon' × 'Yu-Gi-Oh' Forbidden Memories romhack is now available.
31. 'Fallen Aces' EPISODE 2: Shadow of Death now available!
32. 'BeastLink' launches August 18^th on Steam Early Access.
33. 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2' DLC Cost of Hope launches August 20^th.
34. '007 First Light' Update #1: Behind Enemy Lines. New TacSim missions, unlockable outfits available for intel, and several fixes and improvements.
35. 'Final Fantasy XIV' is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on August 4^th.
36. 'Starsand Island' quits early access, launches Aug. 18^th on XBS, PS5, Switch 2 & PC.
37. 'GemCraft - Legacy Collection' launches this year on PC.
38. 'HIPS N NOSES' announced for PC Early Access. Demo available.
39. 'Clover Pit' coming to PS4/5 & Switch 1/2 on Aug. 13^th. Already on XB, Game Pass & PC.
40. 'Sisters of Solitude' announced for PC.
41. 'Silent Planet' announced for Xbox Series, PS5 and PC.
42. '9 Yin Sutra: Immortal' announced for PC.
43. Big Hops becomes 'Big Hops Together' on August 9^th. New features: pick up and throw other players, tongue swing from players while they climb or tongue swing, explore on your own and warp to other players at any time, and more
44. 'BRIGANDINE ABYSS' Demo now available on XBS, PS5 and Switch 2.
45. 'Silly Sausage Buffet' announced for Nintendo Switch, Mobile and PC.
46. 'SpeedRunners 2' launches September 3^rd on XBS, Game Pass, PS5, Switch and PC.
47. 'Rideshare "Stimulator"' announced for Xbox Series, PS5 and PC.
48. 'LUMINES REMASTERED' out now on Mobile. Already on PS, Switch and PC.
49. Unannounced Myst sequel Project Anglerfish has been cancelled.
50. 'The Witch's Bakery' delayed to October 14^th.

Electronic Arts and Saudi Arabia

Variety reported that Electronic Arts is set to close its $55BN with Saudi Arabia to go private as soon as next week on August 4th. EA says they obtained all regulatory approvals required to complete the Merger. Back in September 2025 EA and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners announced the deal which gives those companies saying over fan favorite franchises like Skate, Battlefield, The Sims and Titanfall. Andrew Wilson will stay as CEO.

The long lost Virtual Boy games

Nintendo announced the release of 2 previously unreleased games for Virtual Boy on Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Zero Racers and D-hopper were both completed and cancelled in 1996, so its nice to see them finally release even if it took 20 years.

PokéPark Fishing Contest DS on the hook!

PokéPark Fishing Contest DS is a minigame which only released digital in 2005 on Nintendo DS in Japan and Taiwan. A game where you go fishing and catch up to 5 water Pokemon which gives you different score points, the goal is to reach as many points as possible and save the top spot on the letterboard. It was only downloadable at Pokémon Centers via distribution machines and the game deletes itself after you shut down your Nintendo DS or after 12 hours, so the game became lost media. Until now, someone found a development cartridge with the game on it and it's now on Ebay for $8,000. Hopefully this game can be secured and made be available again for as many people as possible. Physical media rocks and speaking of physical media...

The Sony DISCourse

A few weeks ago Sony announced that they will stop printing physical games for new releases at the beginning of January 2028. As a somewhat Collector of physical games I'm obviously pretty annoyed about this but I'm even more annoyed about the people who thought they're not gonna affected by this. Physical games benefits all of us, yes even you all digital andy! So why do physical games matter?

Availability: Videogame rights still sucks for some reason and there are basically daily news about delistings of beloved videogames. Once delisted you're not able to purchase these games again, physical media stays around after the delisting and can be bought via second hand retailers.

Price: It's pretty common for physical games to drop ob price even before they launch. I actually can't remember the last time I bought a physical game full price at release. We have a shop here in germany which offers physical games 5%-20% off at launch and even ships them 2 days earlier. Why shouldn't I fight for this? "But Knoebel Sony will offer code in boxes and PSN also offers discounts!" That’s right all digital Andy but without physical games we would have less options, less options means more risks for consumers. Who says that Sony wouldn't change the rules in the future and simply stop to offer discounts or make it worse, we simply can't trust big businesses.

Affordability: I grew up in a houshold which never had muxh money for anything so I got one game each year. Without physical media we would make it even harder for low income familys. Physical games can also be rented in public libraries (support them!) and digital PS games are region locked, around 120 countries on this beautifull planet are not officially supported by PSN so we would cut them out which sucks!

"But Knoebel not everything is bad! Aren’t their any good sites?" All digital Andy, obviously things are more complicated and a positive thing would probably that dev wouldn't have to crunch for the gold master (the 1.0 version on disc) which has to be ready 6-8 weeks before the game launches so it can be printed but I personally would say it's not worth it.

Even after a month of backlash, Sony has no plans to reverse it's decision ao what can you do? It's simple, be annoying about it, vote with your wallet and tell ypur friends about it. Gaming news are a niche ans most people don't know about Sony's decision so let them know.

Kusan: City of Wolves!

This Indie game from CIRCLEfromDOT is basically a spiritual successor to Hotline Miami. It wouldn't be a stretch to call it worthy Hotline Miami 3. From the top down perspective to the cartoonish gory violence, this game does the same things right. You play as an (hot) anthropomorph black Panther named Jin which was part of an gene manipulated soldier programm. Controls are simple with the left stick you're moving, the right stick handles the direction of your view and every type of weapon has its own button. The story is sweet, it's catching, characters are understandable and relatable and the Story knows when it has to end. If you want a vibe comparison I would say Beastars for some reason, especially the black market part on the anime and Kowloon City. The biggest difference to Hotline Miami would probably inventory and unlockable items through currency. You have a Resident Evil 4 esque inventory where you have to fit items and weapons in a grid and if it's full, it's full. When it comes to weapons you have a pistol, a magnum, a shotgun etc they play different but not different enough for my taste. You can also use your fists, throw stuff at enemies or kill them with a knife which was my preffered way to play the game. You have one life and if you got hit your dead. You can restart the level in seconds and you get this typical "one more round" feeling pretty fast. After each round you get ranked from C to SS but I couldn't get behind the calculation of some points which is why I started to ignore it in the later half. Despide some small flaws I enjoyed every second and it's definitely a highlight of the year for me.

I received a free code from the publisher. Thanks again!

So, this was my first Newsletter. It's not perfect, I will make failures, I will change some things overtime and it will be annoying but it's fun and I can't wait to write more. And no I will not use Ai for my writing or to fix up the structure, everything you read is coming straight out of dumb german boys head!

See you next week.