It’s only a month away until the fall season is upon us, meaning our bank accounts are going to take a sizable hit from all the upcoming game releases. It seems like that might be coming a bit sooner than expected, though.
I guess it seems that publishers are disregarding the whole ‘back to school’ stuff, because August has seen some very significant releases. Speaking of this month, it’s going out with a bang. Here are this week’s (Aug. 23-27) game releases.
August 24
Aliens: Fireteam Elite – PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series S/X, PC (Steam)
Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a sequel set 23 years after the events of the original trilogy. You play as a Colonial Marine facing the ongoing Xenomorph threat. It’s a third-person horde shooter with multiple classes to choose from. Customize your character, team up with two other people online or have AI fill-ins for teammates, and take on the many horrors that await you.
Stick around for our review and subsequent guides for the game.
King’s Bounty II – Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (Steam)
The sequel to the 1990 game is finally going to be a thing. There have been spinoffs and filler titles in between these two games, but for it to get a proper sequel 31 years later is nuts. King’s Bounty II is a tactical turn-based RPG game like Heroes of Might and Magic. It is said to have a “non-linear adventure of betrayal, sacrifice, and survival”. It is also going to take place in a new world of Antara, specifically in the continent of Nostria.
August 25
Murder Mystery Machine – Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (Steam)
This game was originally on Apple Arcade and is now headed to home consoles and PC. Murder Mystery Machine is an isometric detective game. Investigate crime scenes, solve mysteries, and present cases in this episodic adventure to get to the bottom of the murder of a well-known politician.
If you’re a fan of games like Ace Attorney or Danganronpa, this might be something to look into, given the similar premises. This game does seem to be a lot more grim and mature given the settings and overall tone.
Psychonauts 2 – PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Series S/X, PC (Steam), Linux, MacOS
Wow, another game that hasn’t seen a proper sequel in over a decade is finally going to get just that. Psychonauts 2 has been highly anticipated for many fans of the first game. It’s a game that has been known to be a thing since 2015, so there’s definitely a lot of hype built up. Psychonauts 2 will also be coming to Xbox Game Pass on its release day.
Stick around on our site as we’ll have a day-one review of Psychonauts 2.
August 26
Hotel Life: A Resort Simulator – Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series S/X, PC (Steam)
Hotel Life: A Resort Simulator is looking to be a casual sandbox simulation game where players will use their creative freedom to create their ideal hotel/resort experience. It seems like a weird time to release a game like this, though. Many people are coming back from their vacations and I’m pretty sure no one wants to stay in that vacationing mindset when reality hits. Still, this could be a relaxing game for people who are fans of games like Animal Crossing or Jurassic World Evolution.
Spelunky 1 and 2 – Nintendo Switch
The Spelunky games have been out for every other major current platform out there for some time already. These two games are finally going to get Switch releases, which is the ideal platform for games of this genre. Spelunky 1 and 2 are roguelike platformer games that are definitely on the harder side. You can check out our review of Spelunky and Spelunky 2 here.
August 27
Baldo: The Guardian Owls – Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (Steam)
Baldo is an upcoming action-RPG game with a Studio Ghibi-esque art style to it. From a quick glance, it looks like the popular Ni no Kuni games, but has that overhead camera style from something like a classic Legend of Zelda game. Fans of indies and the aforementioned games would probably have a lot of fun with Baldo.
No More Heroes III – Nintendo Switch
It has been a long time coming for Travis Touchdown’s triumphant return in the mainline No More Heroes series. This hack and slash adventure will finally resume as one of the bigger hits of the late summer. Travis is going to have to unsheathe his Beam Katana, pick up a few new moves on the way, and gather his crew up the prevent the Galactic Overlord Prince FU from invading Earth.
Stick around for our upcoming review of No More Heroes 3.
Tormented Souls – PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, PC (Steam)
Inspired by the original Resident Evil and Alone in the Dark series, Tormented Souls is bringing back the classic survival-horror genre. Play as the protagonist Caroline Walker, who is investigating an abandoned mansion where two twin girls went missing. She will have to use all she can in combating any threats who come in her way. Walker will also need to keep her wits about her, especially in the puzzles she faces in this derelict structure.
