And just like that the Nintendo Switch was set to have its biggest year since launch. The pieces moved into place slowly (and might not hold), but on paper at least, the portable console’s 2022 is set to be bookended by  Pokémon Legends: Arceus  and  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 , with a whole lot more between. It’s 2017 all over again, but bigger. That year saw the Switch launch with  BOTW  and then follow-up with  Splatoon 2  and  Mario Odyssey  in the months that followed.  It seemed like an accident , in part because  BOTW  was supposed to come to Wii U years earlier, and one unlikely to be repeated. And yet, as the Switch hits the  middle of its hardware lifecycle , that seems to be what’s happening. The Nintendo release calendar has a way of sneaking up on you. That’s what happened last fall when a seemingly sleepy season for Switch  ended up holding its own against the competition , thanks to a steady stream of breakouts from  Metroid Dread  to  Pokémon Brilliant

  George R.R. Martin is credited as a key voice behind  Elden Ring , helping game director Hidetaka Miyazaki conceive the otherworldly fantasy setting of From Software’s latest blockbuster video game. But thirty hours into the adventure, I haven’t noticed many particular storylines or environments that echo Martin’s most popular work of fantasy,  Game of Thrones . In fact, the only connection is a borderline blatant nod to the hit book series turned prestige TV phenomenon. [ Ed. note:  This story contains minor spoilers for a weapon in  Elden Ring .] As far as references go, the sword, rewarded upon pummeling a minor boss, is an awesome one. Dubbed the Grafted Blade Greatsword, the blade converts  Game of Throne ’s singular throne made from dozens of swords into a singular sword made from dozens of swords. The weapon isn’t especially challenging to retrieve (you’ll probably be powerful enough to beat the necessary foes after 10-20 hours) but once you pluck the blade from the maw of evi