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August Preview
All the big games for the month ahead
Wow. August already. Well, in a couple of days.
Time flies when you’re constantly chased by a huge gaming backlog. A backlog which shows no sign of relenting either, if the next four weeks are anything to go by.
Still, it feels silly to complain that there are too many great games to play. So here’s a few of the most promising and interesting upcoming worth keeping an eye on, alongside a full list of everything coming our way throughout August…
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Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Release: August 18
Platforms: PC, Switch (PS and Xbox TBC)
Developer: Team Reptile
Sometimes if you want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself. Which certainly seems to be the case with this Jet Set Radio-a-like. Which - as far as homages go - is about as blatant and on the nose as it gets. But if Sega’s lawyers don’t mind, then why should we?
Sega’s beloved graffiti-em-up hasn’t seen a new entry since a Game Boy Advance version twenty years ago. So if Team Reptile’s attempt can nail the skateboarding gameplay like it seems to have nailed the visuals, music and general vibe, then this one could go down very well indeed. The Switch and PC versions are out in August, with PlayStation and Xbox versions confirmed for “shortly afterwards“.
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Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon
Release: August 25
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One/Series, PC
Developer: FromSoftware
Is there a more consistent - a better - developer in the world right now than FromSoftware? Probably not. But its success over the last decade comes from a tried-and-true formula that’s been steadily iterated on since Demon’s Souls crashed into an unsuspecting industry back in 2009.
Armored Core VI marks the return to a series left mostly in the dust since the company found success with those games, meaning the spotlight on this latest entry will be far more intense than the one that shone on the older games. Indeed, fresh from the staggeringly successful Elden Ring, the pressure’s on, and it’ll be fascinating to see how From’s peerless world design, combat and boss encounters can be incorporated into this very different style of game.
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Goodbye Volcano High
Release: August 29
Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC
Developer: KO_OP
A college filled with anthropomorphic dinosaurs may not be the most obvious way to tell a story about social anxiety and the end of the world (actually, college and dinosaurs are probably the perfect way to tell a story about those two things), but Goodbye Volcano High promises to combine the mundane with the unexpected for a game that hits much closer to home than its odd premise may suggest.
This a game about how life’s small decisions can have a lasting effect, and how a sense of impending doom can come from many sources. The concept may be strange, but this “narrative/rhythm/coming of age/interactive movie experience” - one with a Tribeca Games Award already in the bag - could turn out to be something very special indeed.
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Sea of Stars
Release: August 29
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One/Series, Switch, PC
Developer: Sabotage Studio
Pixel remasters may be all the rage these days, but this original RPG from Sabotage Studio is the equal of any in the visual department. And in the audio department too, with Chrono Trigger’s Yasunori Mitsuda in the composer’s chair.
Sure, it may not revolutionise the genre, but Sea of Stars looks set to deliver on the developers’ promise to “modernise the classic RPG… while still offering a hearty slice of nostalgia and good old, simple fun”.
Fans of early Final Fantasy games and more recent ‘old-school’ RPGs like Octopath Traveller would be wise to keep a keen eye on this one, which will be available on day one for Game Pass and PlayStation Plus members.
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The main releases for August:
Baldur's Gate 3 (PC) – August 3
Gord (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – August 8
Tower of Fantasy (PlayStation 5) – August 8
WrestleQuest (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – August 8
30XX (Switch, PC) – August 9
Atlas Fallen (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – August 10
Stray (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One) – August 10
Stray Gods: The Role-Playing Musical (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – August 10
House Flipper (PlayStation VR2, PlayStation VR) – August 11
Everspace 2 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S) – August 15
Hammerwatch II (PC) – August 15
Moving Out 2 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – August 15
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – August 17
Vampire Survivors (Switch) – August 17
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (Switch, PC) – August 18
Madden NFL 24 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – August 18
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – August 18
Fort Solis (PlayStation 5, PC, Mac) – August 22
Immortals of Aveum (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – August 22
Smurfs Kart (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One) – August 22
Blasphemous 2 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) – August 24
Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – August 25
Goodbye Volcano High (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC) – August 29
Samba de Amigo: Party Central (Switch) – August 29
Sea of Stars (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – August 29
Under the Waves (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – August 29
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – August 31
Get funky
As always, thank you so much for reading.
Have a great weekend, enjoy your games, and I’ll see you next week!
Jeff
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THE WEEK IN GAMES
The week’s best news and content
NEWS
Sony has revealed August’s PlayStation Plus Essential games.
Underrated Zelda gems Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons are now available for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.
Microsoft is rolling out a new home screen for all Xbox users.
PlayStation’s Project Q handheld runs Android, leaked images suggest.
Microsoft has created the world’s first pizza-scented controller as part of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tie-in.
Sony has announced that PlayStation 5 has surpassed 40 million in sales.
PC and Xbox Series X/S players will be able to try Payday 3 ahead of its September launch date next week.
Shigeru Miyamoto has discussed why he believes the Pikmin series hasn’t exploded commercially like some of the company’s other franchises.
Ubisoft has clarified that it won’t close inactive accounts that have purchased games, following a statement made by its Twitter support account.
Xbox console sales drop 13%, but Game Pass ensures gaming revenue increase.
A Great Mighty Poo figurine from Conker's Bad Fur Day is on the way.
The Premier League has signed a new multi-year partnership extension with EA Sports.
Capcom has acquired Hi-Fi Rush support developer Swordcanes.
Officially licensed PaRappa the Rapper and Um Jammer Lammy wristwatches are on the way.
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MORE!
The Art of the Box
Bitmap Books produce some of the loveliest video game tomes out there, and that record look set to continue with the newly announced Art of the Box.
This one features 564 pages dedicated to a time when “a game’s only source of advertising was often limited to the box artwork you’d see on high street shelves.”
The book will be available from August 14th. You can find out more and see a boatload of hi-res images over on Bitmap’s official site.
INDIE SPOTLIGHT
Shining a light on noteworthy indies
The Forza Horizon series kind of has ‘simcade’ racing covered these days, but even that series doesn’t capture the pure joy and focus that Sega Rally provided. Nothing does, really.
Developer Bonsai Rosso wants to put an end to that with Over Jump, a game unapologetically described as “an independent and unofficial tribute to Sega Rally Championship, the glorious arcade racing game from 1994.”
There’s no release date yet, but if Bonsai Russo’s game can evoke the feel of Sega’s classic racer as well as the Unreal Engine 5 visuals evoke the look, then Over Jump could be something very special indeed.
For more info be sure to check out the game’s brand new Steam page.
NEW RELEASES
The big releases for this week and next
OUT NOW:
Mr. Run And Jump (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – July 25 – Read review
Remnant II (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – July 25 – Read review
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PC) – July 26 – Read review
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – July 27
Return to Monkey Island (iOS, Android) – July 27 – Read review
The Expanse: A Telltale Series (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – July 27
The Room VR: A Dark Matter (PlayStation VR2) – July 27 – Read review
Disney Illusion Island (Switch) – July 28
OUT NEXT WEEK:
F1 Manager 2023 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – July 31
Venba (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – July 31
Baldur's Gate 3 (PC) – August 3
SUPPORT TWiG
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…and that’s it for this week!
If you have any comments or suggestions, or if you just fancy talking about games, simply reply to this email directly or catch me over on Twitter. I’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to advertise your product or game to The Week in Games’ readers, click here.
Thanks again, and see you next week!
Jeff
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