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A remaster of Japanese role-playing classic Chrono Cross is coming to Nintendo Switch. The company announced The Radical Dreamers Edition of Chrono Cross on Wednesday during its first Direct of 2022. Like many of Square Enix's recent Final Fantasy remasters, you can turn off enemy encounters so you can enjoy the story without having to fight countless battles to level your party. What's more, in addition to better graphics, Nintendo said the remaster features an enhanced version of Yasunori Mitsuda's classic soundtrack. The title of the remaster comes from Radical Dreamers, a related 1996 text-based adventure Square released on the Satellaview.     

If you're a fan of JRPGs, Chrono Cross needs no introduction. It's an indirect sequel to the seminal Chrono Trigger, which first came out on SNES in 1995. Chrono Cross takes place in the same world as its illustrious predecessor but features an entirely new cast. As protagonist Serge, you can recruit more than 40 other characters to your party. And depending on the choices you make throughout the story, there are 12 different endings to experience.  

Folks who have ordered a Steam Deck but won't get it until the end of this year might actually be able to play a pair of bonafide Valve classics on Switch first. Portal and Portal 2 are both coming to Nintendo's console later this year as part of the $20 Portal: Companion Collection.

You'll get access to the single-player modes of both of the first-person puzzle games, as well as Portal 2's co-op mode — there's support for split-screen, local and online multiplayer. That's great and all, but when are you going to put Half-Life on Switch, Valve?

The release date for Splatoon 3 is clarifying with each new Nintendo Direct, and the game is now slated to hit Switch this summer. Previously, all we had was "2022," so this is a nice little update.

To accompany the tighter release window, Nintendo confirmed Splatoon 3 will have the cooperative Salmon Run mode popularized by Splatoon 2. Traditionally, Salmon Run supports one to four players in a collective effort to collect Power Eggs by splatting hordes of enemies. This time around, teams of inklings will face off against a chunky salmon with a mohawk, cross-body chains, and the scream of a tiny, synthesized Godzilla. 

All together, the new old mode is called Splatoon 3 Salmon Run Next Wave.

Mario Strikers isn’t the most popular of the Mario sub-franchises, but it does have its devotees. Today was their day with the announcement of the latest game in the series, Mario Strikes Battle League, for the Nintendo Switch. This is only the third Mario Strikers game ever, following Super Mario Strikers on the GameCube and Mario Strikers Charged for the Wii, released way back in 2007. So yeah, it’s been a decade and a half since we last saw a Mario-themed soccer game, making today’s announcement quite a surprise.

However, as go all sports in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario Strikers Battle League adds some distinct fantasy twists to the “most beautiful game.” The titular game, “Strike,” is described as a “heavy on offense” five-on-five sport. And by offense they mean aggressively so, with the ability to slam opponents, throw items and even use special attacks. Players can also customize their characters with gear for even more abilities — it’s a lot like the Mario Kart series in that aspect. This new installment will allow up to eight players per match, in four on four teams. And yes, there’s online play, with Club Mode to let you compete with friends, family and strangers over a season.

Because this is a World Cup year, you can expect to see this new title June 10th, though preorders begin today over on Nintendo’s site.

Nintendo had an early surprise during its first Direct of the year: No Man's Sky is coming to Switch this summer, six years after it debuted on other platforms. For the first time (unless they've been playing it elsewhere), Switch owners will be able to explore procedurally generated worlds across a vast galaxy. 

No Man's Skyhad a rocky debut — key aspects like multiplayer weren't available at the outset. Hello Games has corrected course after several major updates. It added many quality of life updates and a ton of extra features. Switch players will get access to all of that content from the jump. 

Nintendo will release Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp on April 8th, the company announced today during its first Direct of 2022. The remake bundles together "reimagined" versions of Advance Wars and Advance Wars: Black Hole Rising. The two games first came out on the Game Boy Advance in 2001 and 2003. Nintendo had originally planned to release the game on December 3rd, 2021, but delayed the title in October to give the game's development team more time to polish the experience. 

The Disney+ Obi-Wan series finally has a release date. Disney has revealed that the limited-run Obi-Wan Kenobi series premieres May 25th (no, sadly not May 4th) on its namesake streaming service. The company didn't share much more than new poster art, but some of the key details are already well-known.

Kenobi has Ewan McGregor reprising his role as Obi-Wan, with Hayden Christensen portraying Darth Vader. The show will begin with protecting Luke Skywalker following the rise of the Empire, but it's reasonable to presume there will be much more to the story. The Mandalorian veteran Deborah Chow is directing the production.

The series could be crucial for Disney+ as it matures. As part of its latest earnings, Disney revealed that subscribers worldwide climbed 37 percent in 2021 versus 2020, but that the media group running the service saw profits plunge 44 percent. Most of the growth came from India's Hotstar and international expansions. Obi-Wan Kenobi could help Disney+ keep the subscriber count growing in many countries, especially with the help of sibling Star Wars shows like Ahsoka, Andor, Lando, The Acolyte and the recently released The Book of Boba Fett.

Disney’s Hulu is bringing Futurama back. According to Variety, the streamer has ordered 20 new episodes of the animated series. Series creator Matt Groening will return to lead the project alongside writer and producer David X. Cohen. The entire voice cast outside of one critical player has agreed to reprise their roles. John DiMaggio hasn’t signed on to voice Bender again. The good news on that front is that Hulu is reportedly finalizing his deal, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

As you might imagine, Futurama’s creators are excited to return to the series. “It’s a true honor to announce the triumphant return of Futurama one more time before we get canceled abruptly again,” Groening said.

For those counting, this latest revival will mark the fourth time the series has come back after supposedly ending. After it was canceled in 2003 following an initial four-season run on Fox, Comedy Central ordered four direct-to-DVD Futurama films. In 2008, the network re-edited those movies into what’s now considered the show’s fifth season. It then went on to fund two additional seasons that aired between 2010 and 2013. The fact it will continue on Hulu is fitting given that you’ve been able to watch all 140 episodes and four films of Futurama on the platform since 2017.

Production on the new episodes is expected to start this month. They're currently scheduled to debut sometime in 2023. 

Samsung's reputation for occasionally strange product introductions is alive and well in 2022. The company unveiled the Galaxy S22 at its Unpacked event with a Bridgerton crossover you can watch below. Yes, the Netflix tie-in is exactly as odd as it sounds. The S22 is introduced at an "inventor's ball" where creators try to impress the queen, who approves after demanding a dance to showcase a handset that won't ship until 210 (sorry, 209) years in the future.

The production is more than a little forced, but it's at least consistent with Shonda Rhimes' alternate history take on Regency-era Britain. There are also some clever touches. The man introducing the Galaxy S22 is Lord Tristar (the Korean hanja word Samsung means "three stars"), while the previous presenter with an unconvincing raincoat demo is Lord Mackintosh —we don't have to explain the symbolism behind that one.

Will the Bridgerton video sell many more Galaxy S22 units? Probably not. You'll definitely remember this unveiling, though, and the period piece livened up what was mostly a by-the-numbers hardware refresh. It's certainly miles better than the awkward, sexist Galaxy S4 launch event Samsung would probably prefer you forget.

Splitting a restaurant bill or dividing the costs of a group trip can be tedious. Meta is attempting to make this easier by rolling out its Split Payments feature to all Facebook Messenger users. The feature, which was previously in testing, will likely be perfect for occasions when you are dividing the cost of something with two or more people. For example, dividing the purchase of a new microwave with your three roommates, the cost of a new birthday gift for grandma with your siblings, or even this weekend’s Super Bowl party. 

If you or your friends are new to using Facebook Payments in Messenger, the feature will ask for payment details (either a debit or credit card or Paypal).

Here’s how it works. First, put all the payers in a group chat on Messenger. Then either tap the plus icon on the very bottom of the screen or tap on the name of the group and then tap “Split Payments”. You’ll see a prompt labeled “Get Started”.

From there, you can select whether you want to split payments with everyone in the group or exclude certain people (including yourself). You’ll then be asked to enter the total amount of the bill or the payment. The feature then automatically splits the cost equal between the number of people you selected. If one or more people owe slightly more, you can also manually enter in a different amount.

Meta rolling out a bill-splitting function for Meta is no doubt another way to keep up with payment apps like Venmo, Block (formerly known as Square) and Splitwise. But given that many people already use Messenger for coordinating group activities or relaying communications within a group, a messaging app may have an advantage here.