What's Out This Week?

[Alex79]

I wonder when we're going to see Braid Anniversary Edition. I've been holding on to some eShop credit for ages to get it, and I'd been expecting (based on nothing) we'd have seen it by now. It's really a race between that and Silksong to who gets my saved up eShop gold points, haha.

Has there been any news on Silksong yet? I’m hoping for a bit of competition for Resident Evil Village as my game of the year!

Nope, I doubt we'll see it this year now. I could have sworn they initially said 2020, but I might be making that up.

[JadePhoenix]

I wonder when we're going to see Braid Anniversary Edition. I've been holding on to some eShop credit for ages to get it, and I'd been expecting (based on nothing) we'd have seen it by now. It's really a race between that and Silksong to who gets my saved up eShop gold points, haha.

Has there been any news on Silksong yet? I’m hoping for a bit of competition for Resident Evil Village as my game of the year!

Nope, I doubt we'll see it this year now. I could have sworn they initially said 2020, but I might be making that up.

I think it was 2019, actually.

[dezm0nd]

Clown in a House [PC] – July 20
Cotton Reboot! [PS4, Switch] – July 20
Cris Tales [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch, Stadia] – July 20
Death's Door [PC, XSX, XBO] – July 20
Fall Guys Season 5 [PC, PS4] – July 20
Frostpunk: The Last Autumn DLC [PS4, XBO] – July 21
Frostpunk: On The Edge DLC [PS4, XBO] – July 21
Frostpunk: The Rifts DLC [PS4, XBO] – July 21
Pokemon Unite [Switch] – July 21
Song of Farca [PC] – July 21
Super Sami Roll [PC] – July 21
Waves of Steel [PC] – July 21
Last Stop [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch] – July 22
Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed [PS4, Switch] – July 23
Observer: System Redux [PS4, XBO] – July 23
Orcs Must Die! 3 [PC, PS4, XBO] – July 23

[stvnorman]

I’ve been looking forward to Cotton Reboot for months, then my Astro City Mini arrived with a version of Cotton I’ve never played, and I’ve still not had my fill there yet, so might be relegated to my wish list for a sale now. Maybe…

[dezm0nd]

DariusBurst Another Chronicle EX+ [PS4, Switch] – July 27
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles [PC, PS4, Switch] – July 27
HighFleet [PC] – July 27
Microsoft Flight Simulator [XSX] – July 27
Neo: The World Ends with You [PS4, Switch] – July 27
Night Book [PC, PS4, XBO, Switch] – July 27
SkyDrift Infinity [PC, PS4, XBO, Switch] – July 27
Tribes of Midgard [PC, PS5, PS4] – July 27
Final Fantasy 1 Pixel Remaster [PC] – July 28
Final Fantasy 2 Pixel Remaster [PC] – July 28
Final Fantasy 3 Pixel Remaster [PC] – July 28
Unbound: Worlds Apart [PC, Switch] – July 28
Arcsmith [Oculus Quest] – July 29
The Ascent [PC, XSX, XBO] – July 29
Eldest Souls [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch] – July 29
The Long Gate [Switch] – July 29
Draft of Darkness [PC] – July 30
No Longer Home [PC] – July 30

[Scrustle]

I suspect it's not a game that is on anybody's wishlist, but I can vouch for SkyDrift. That's actually a re-release of a game from years back. I played it on the 360 and I had a decent amount of fun with it. I'm not sure if this new version adds anything to it apart from increasing the frame rate though. The original was locked at 30fps even on PC, although looking it up, it seems you can get in to the game files to change that anyway. The game did have a pretty robust multiplayer mode though, which was completely deserted by the time I got to it, so this new version might be worth checking out to see that revived.

[ColinAlonso]

Neo: The World Ends with You [PS4, Switch] – July 27

Please be good, please be good, please be good....

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles [PC, PS4, Switch] – July 27

One to put on the Switch wishlist for when I'm in the mood for Ace Attorney.

[Marlew]

I wouldn't massively recommend the Cotton Reboot to anyone who's interested. It's a very run of the mill shmup. If your looking for something in the genre on Switch, get Mushihimesama off the JPN eShop. A proper Cave bullet hell and a very good port.

[Eterno]

You also have Samurai Warriors 5 releasing in western markets on July 27th. If you like Musou games as this is a reboot of the Samurai Warriors version of it, it might be interesting to look at it. I already spent 40+ hours on the Japanese version and it's been a lot of fun. If you like Musou gameplay and have an interest in Sengoku period history, mainly Nobunaga's journey, I highly recommend.

[ThirdDrawing]

I picked up Great Ace Attorney Chronicles this afternoon. Excited to play it!

[Feirsteax]

I hear this "The Ascent" game is supposed to be good, and it's out today on Game Pass i believe!
https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/the-ascent

[ratsoalbion]

A genuinely mixed spread of reviews:
https://opencritic.com/game/11537/the-ascent

I intend to check it out on Game Pass.

[dezm0nd]

Hunter's Arena Legends [PS5, PS4] – August 3
Lemnis Gate [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO] – August 3
Rocket Rumble [PC] – August 3
The Falconeer: Warrior Edition [PS5, PS4, Switch] – August 5
The Falconeer: Edge of the World DLC [PC, XSX, XBO] – August 5
Starmancer [PC] – August 5
Glyph [PC] – August 9

[dezm0nd]

Godfall [PS4] – August 10
Lawn Mowing Simulator [PC, XSX] – August 10
Glitchpunk [PC] – August 11
Foreclosed [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch, Stadia] – August 12
Naraka: Bladepoint [PC] – August 12
OCO [PC] – August 12
Hades [XSX, XBO] – August 13
Paw Patrol: Adventure City Calls [PC, PS4, XBO, Switch] – August 13
Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle [Switch] – August 13

[JadePhoenix]

Axiom Verge 2
Boyfriend Dungeon
Curious Expedition 2
Garden Story
Islanders: Console Edition
Necrobarista: Final Pour
Slime Rancher
[Switch]

Today, apparently.

[KissMammal]

Bit wary of Axiom Verge 2 as I thought the first game was kinda tedious and plodding, and strangely lacking in that indefinable addictive quality that most Metroidvania type games have.

[Truk_Kurt]

I was enjoying everything about Axiom Verge, other than the map. I thought it was pretty awful and eventually stopped me playing as I had no idea where I was or where I was supposed to be going. Someone sent me a screenshot of the map of the new one and it doesn't even have a legend. I feel a good map is pretty important for a metroidvania game.

[Alex79]

I was enjoying everything about Axiom Verge, other than the map. I thought it was pretty awful and eventually stopped me playing as I had no idea where I was or where I was supposed to be going. Someone sent me a screenshot of the map of the new one and it doesn't even have a legend. I feel a good map is pretty important for a metroidvania game.

Super Metroid only ever really showed you where the save or warp rooms were I think, same as Castlevania SOTN. Hollow Knight was interesting to, as it was more of a sketchy style from what I remember, and didn't even exist unless you'd got a certain charm equipped and purchased the maps for each area. I think it depends on the game and the layout, a map screen is maybe more essential when everywhere looks the same as navigating by memory is harder.

[KissMammal]

For me, there are three things key to being a 'good'/satisfying Metroidvania;

1. Having a world map that feels big and ripe for exploration but never sprawling (and toeing the fine line between linear progression and more freeform play)

2. Making sure each 'zone' feels totally distinct from each other, both in terms of aesthetics and how they are traversed (obstacles etc).

3. Continuously transforming the way the game 'feels' to play by steadily upgrading the player's abilities.

All of these things are vital (for me) to make the game not start to feel like a slog, and they are all things that games like Hollow Knight and Axiom Verge failed* at, to varying degrees.

In the case of Axiom Verge, I think I got to a boss encounter where it was possible to defeat them simply by standing in a safe spot and slowly chipping away at their health.. It was just quite a boring game to play for me for a number of reasons.

*Granted, in the case of Hollow Knight some of this was a deliberate choice, but it wasn't what I personally want from a Metroidvania.

[dezm0nd]

Greak: Memories of Azur [PC, PS5, XSX, Switch] – August 17
Humankind [PC, Stadia] – August 17
Marvel's Avengers: Black Panther - War for Wakanda expansion [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Stadia] – August 17
Pile Up! Box by Box [PS4, XBO, Switch] – August 17
Mortal Shell: The Virtuous Cycle DLC [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO] – August 18
Out of Line [Switch] – August 18
Skydome [PC] – August 18
Mayhem Brawler [PC, PS4, XBO, Switch] – August 19
Monster Train First Class [Switch] – August 19
RiMS Racing [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch] – August 19
Twelve Minutes [PC, XBO] – August 19
Arietta of Spirits [PC, PS4, XBO, Switch] – August 20
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut [PS5, PS4] – August 20
Madden 22 [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO] – August 20