Kaser Focus: Who stole Grand Theft Auto VI?

Another bizarre week of 2022 in the bag. I’m not saying this has been a bad year, but oof, it’s been the most. What happened this week? Goodness gracious. A hacker got hold of footage of Rockstar’s in-development game and published it online. Logitech is making a Steam Deck competitor. And apparently it’s time to revisit Cyberpunk 2077? Like I said, bizarre week.

The GTA VI leak was a doozy by itself, but I was a bit disheartened to see how critical everyone was of it. In case you needed to hear it from me: There’s (probably) nothing wrong with Grand Theft Auto VI, based on the footage. Games don’t look like games until pretty much release time. That’s why game publishers pay third-party filmmakers to make cinematic trailers for games in development. I’d be a hypocrite if I dissed pre-launch speculative criticism, but I don’t want anyone to write GTA VI off because they saw a version of it they were never intended to see.

The other stuff that happened this week feels almost fluffy and light by comparison. Logitech’s handheld seems like it might have some good guts, and it’ll run Game Pass and GeForce Now right out of the box. Also, it seems the Cyberpunk Netflix advertising blitz worked, as thousands of players are either returning to the game or trying it for the first time. I keep hearing that it’s good now, but since my issues with the game were not solely with the bugs and glitches, I’m not eager to invest any more time in it.

In personal news, I’m going to spend the entire weekend playing the early access version of Slime Rancher 2. I have been waiting for this jiggly, candy-bright sim game since it was announced last year. I say with no shame that I put hundreds of hours into the original, and I want to escape to its simpler world again. If anyone needs me, I will be vacuuming up happy, smiling jelly creatures and harvesting their droppings for cash.

What to play this week

What’s new:

• Return to Monkey Island
• Slime Rancher 2 (Early Access)
• Soulstice
• Session: Skate Sim
• Beacon Pines
• SpiderHeck
• Serial Cleaners
• Potion Permit
• Gundam Evolution
• The Diofield Chronicle
• Construction Simulator
• Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival

New on subscription services:

• Deathloop (Xbox Game Pass)
• Hardspace Shipbreaker (Xbox Game Pass)
• Deathloop (PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium)
• Assassin’s Creed Origins (PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium)
• Watch Dogs 2 (PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium)
• Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition (PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium)
• Chicory: A Colorful Tale (PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium)
• Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 5 (PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium)
• Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX (PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium)
• Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show (PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium)
• Rayman Legends (PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (PlayStation Plus Extra/Premium)
• Syphon Filter 2 (PlayStation Premium Classics)
• The Sly Collection (PlayStation Premium Classics)
• Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PlayStation Premium Classics)
• Bentley’s Hackpack (PlayStation Premium Classics)
• Toy Story 3 (PlayStation Premium Classics)
• Kingdom of Paradise (PlayStation Premium Classics)
• Blind Fate: Edo no Yami (GeForce Now)
• Stones Keeper (GeForce Now)
• Total War: Warhammer (GeForce Now)
• Total War: Warhammer II (GeForce Now)
• Total War: Warhammer III (GeForce Now)
• Shovel Knight Dig (Apple Arcade)