This Week @ Shack: 'Sick Day' Edition

Welcome to This Week @ Shack, our regular roundup of news, commentary, video, and guides.

My house has been ravaged by some virus or combination thereof this week, giving me that sweet first taste of "everyone including a toddler is sick all at once" bliss that so many parents have described to me. It's quite an experience. But this also comes in the midst of reviewing a game, which presents its own challenges.

I've been spared some of the worst effects. I've had some discomfort in my chest and throat and general exhaustion, but that last one is a real trouble-spot when it comes to playing a lengthy game for long stretches. The game in question is Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, a remake of a spin-off of a Famicom strategy game. I've played Fire Emblem games on Casual Mode without permadeath, just for the sake of a review, but this time I decided to use Classic. The Time Turner mechanic helps flip back a few turns to avoid simple mistakes, so in theory, I would only lose units if I had just approached a battle all wrong.

It is very easy to approach a battle all wrong when you are sick and tired! This is a discovery I made this week. AMA. So I've had to restart battles, sometimes multiple times, after coming to my senses and realizing I had put myself in some awful corner and decimated my poor chirpy anime friends. It's very strange being in some kind of cough syrupy haze and then suddenly realizing, with Usual Suspects snap-clarity, that my archer definitely shouldn't have gotten that close to an enemy knight.

I'm on the mend now, and I have a little more time to finish it up. Next time a Fire Emblem game crosses my desk, I'll check if it's cold and flu season before I make my choice.

News of the World:

This fan used to have a collector's edition of Elder Scrolls, but then it took a bullet to the disc.
Prey speedruns have finished the game in the length of the tutorial. In other news I still haven't finished it at normal pace.
Shaqnews.
The next Assassin's Creed may be great, but "Origins" is peak bland as names go.
Bethesda and id will hold a Quake Champions tourney at QuakeCon this year.
Sega promised more PC remasters, and true to their word, Vanquish is coming.
2017's Need for Speed will boast new features like pausing.
Apparently Mass Effect: Andromeda's chilly reception has had some repercussions.
Square Enix is cutting Hitman loose, just as last year's got critical praise.
Microsoft unveiled more VR controllers this week.
Nintendo's E3 presentation will put a heavy emphasis on Super Mario Odyssey.
It appears Blizzard is preparing something for Overwatch's first birthday.
This new rhythm game is extremely relevant to my interests.
Super Bowl MVP, alright, fair. But GOAT Edition? Come on, EA, you're just trolling now.
Palmer Luckey is embracing his new life as a rich unemployed weirdo. It's sort of charming.
Playing Pokemon Go in church? Vladimir says nyet.