Tech-Gaming Technology, Gaming, and Culture
The end of October means more than just cooler temperatures, it’s also the time when characters like Dracula, Alucard, Jason, the student body of Heavenly Host Elementary and even a band of ditzy demons emerge across the schedule new releases. For those who don’t appreciate a good fright, a number of other notables are arriving, with Red Dead Redemption 2 and arriving at retail and on digital storefronts.
Header image: Loca-Love My Cute Roommate, PC
PlayStation 4
Bendy and the Ink Machine (physical and digital, $19.99)
BugsBoxVR (digital, $16.99)
Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game (physical and digital, $59.99)
Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood (digital, $16.99)
Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far (physical and digital, $39.99)
My Hero One’s Justice (physical and digital, $59.99)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (physical and digital, $59.99)
Skyhill (digital, $19.99)
Switch
7 Billion Humans (digital, $14.99)
911 Operator (digital, $13.49)
1001 Ultimate Mahjong 2 (digital, $9.99)
ACA NeoGeo Strikers 1945 Plus (digital, $7.99)
Aqua TV (digital, $9.99)
Arcade Archives Ninja-Kid II (digital, $7.99)
Black and White Bushido (digital, $13.00)
Car Quest (digital, $9.99)
Chicken Range (physical and digital, $24.99)
Death Mark (physical and digital, $49.99)
Deployment (digital, $9.99)
Dracula’s Legacy (digital, $19.99)
Eternum Ex (digital, $12.99)
Fairy Tale Puzzles~Magic Objects~ (digital, $9.99)
Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle (digital, $16.99)
Gal Metal (digital, $29.99)
Halloween Pinball (digital, $1.79)
Hidden Folks (digital, $14.99)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Heavy Burger (digital, $19.99)
Knock-Knock (digital, $6.99)
LEGO Harry Potter Collection (physical and digital, $49.99)
Luke & Rebecca (digital, $7.99)
Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition (physical and digital, $29.99)
My Hero One’s Justice (physical and digital, $59.99)
Numbala (digital, $7.99)
OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes (digital, $19.99)
Passpartout: The Starving Artist (digital, $9.99)
Pianista (digital, $19.99)
Pinstripe (digital, $11.99)
Puzzle Wall (digital, $7.99)
SkyScrappers (digital, $9.99)
Sports Party (physical and digital, $39.99)
Steven Universe: Save the Light (digital, $24.99)
Storm in a Teacup (digital, $2.99)
Suicide Guy: Sleepin’ Deeply (digital, $5.99)
Super Hyperactive Ninja (digital, $8.99)
Save me Mr Tako: Tasukete Tako-San (digital, $9.99)
Word Puzzles by POWGI (digital, $9.99)
Yomawari: The Long Night Collection (physical and digital, $39.99)
Wii U
Just Dance 2019 (physical and digital, $39.99)
Insect Planet TD (digital, $2.99)
Xbox One
Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game (physical and digital, $59.99)
LEGO Harry Potter Collection (physical and digital, $49.99)
Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition (physical and digital, $29.99)
My Hero One’s Justice (physical and digital, $59.99)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (physical and digital, $59.99)
3DS
Insect Planet TD (digital, $2.99)
PC
Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game ($40.49)
Corpse Party: Book of Shadows ($TBA)
Crazy Machines VR ($TBA)
Endless Jade Sea -Midori no Umi- ($TBA)
Touhou Genso Wanderer -Reloaded- ($TBA)
Loca-Love My Cute Roommate ($TBA)
My Hero One’s Justice: Endeavor ($59.99)
Party Hard 2 ($17.99)
Posable Heroes ($TBA)
The Ditzy Demons Are in Love with Me ($TBA)
Yet Another Tower Defense ($TBA)
Robert’s Pick: What is a game? A miserable inroad to a pile of DLC! But enough talk, have at you, new releases. That woeful word-twist probably divulges my love for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. But before picking up Requiem, know that the dialog that launched a thousand memes was rewritten with a script which lacks the melodramatic charm of the original release, so beware. Instead, I’m going to recommend Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far, a bundle that unites almost every franchise entry, save for Kingdom Hearts X, a mobile/browser title. Since it’s actually a compilation of two previously released compilations, there’s a high probability that your library has at least a few of the titles included here. But, if you’re looking to finish off your collection, are seeking a primer for Kingdom Hearts III, or are as crazy about Utada as I am, The Story So Far justifies its forty-dollar asking price.
Ryan’s Pick: “John Marston. Remember the nombre!” remains one of my favorites, and often used quotes in my everyday life. Most of the time it’s used in the heat of triumph, and almost all of the time it’s met with confused faces. Except for those that have played Red Dead Redemption. When they hear it, they give me that sardonic grin and nod of approval because they know exactly what I mean. John Marston was the original hard case, and he meant business. Red Dead Redemption is one of my all-time favorite games that I owned on the Xbox 360, so needless to say, my pick this week emphatically goes to Red Dead Redemption 2.
Rock Star has pretty much kept everything intact from the first game and has given it a facelift for the game’s current-gen debut. Noteworthy additions that I think will really make the game interesting involves the ability for your own gun to degrade/jam and also the fact that you can destroy enemy weapons. If you mix the two with the updated Dead Eye feature, I think it may make for an interesting way to tackle gunfights. Knowing my luck, my gun will jam at pivotal moments time and time again. While I think that the ability to play the game completely in first person is a cool addition, I just don’t know if I could do it for the whole game. I feel like open world environments work better in 3rd-person view. Wildlife also have their own ecosystems in the game, so I get the feeling that the cavalier will go hungry if they don’t plan out their hunt appropriately. I really feel that you can’t go wrong with Red Dead Redemption 2 not only for the sheer amount of content, but because of the longevity of Rock Star games. They still are supporting GTAV Online, and I feel like they will continue to do so for this game.
Matt’s Pick (Editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Without a doubt, Red Dead Redemption 2 is the big release this week. It’s the one that people are talking about, and easily the biggest blockbuster releases this year. Sorry to say, I have no interest in Red Dead Redemption 2. When you’re working 100-hour weeks, I question your capacity to be a good artist. Artists need to be consuming other art, reading books, watching movies that are one step beyond Marvell blockbusters, and the 100-hour week kinda precludes that. I have no interest in Red Dead Redemption 2, until someone can prove it has meaningful depth – calling it “the best western ever” isn’t valid as long as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly has a thematic potency so far beyond the mere western genre. All I’m really seeing is talk about open worlds and horse testicles and… well, meh.
That little rant aside (and of course I hope people looking forward to RDR 2 love it), I’m going to recommend the Yomawari collection. These are brilliant little exercises in a very distinct and culturally relevant Japanese sense of horror, and while the storytelling is minimalist, the narratives these games weave, and the underpinning themes and design behind it, is rich and nuanced. I know a lot of people will take one look, see chibi characters, and look the other way. Don’t. These games are worthy.
Zack’s Pick (Senior Editor, RPG Site): While I will certainly be picking up Red Dead Redemption 2 like the rest, I want to give a recommendation to what is arguably one of the best deals to come along in a while, and that’s Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far. This compilation collects every single Kingdom Hearts game released thus far (outside of the mobile game, obviously), and throws it in a nice box at a valuable price point.
Sure, it stings a little bit having purchased Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 Remix earlier this year for $10 more ($50 compared to this set’s $40 tag), but I still wholeheartedly recommend that anyone who hasn’t already bought the current gen versions of 1.5, 2.5, and 2.8 to strongly considering grabbing this bundle. It’s great for those that want to catch up on the story of Kingdom Hearts before Kingdom Hearts III launches this January. Okay, you’ll still be incredibly confused by the convoluted plot, but regardless, that’s 6 games and 3 movies for one low price. Certainly worth a purchase whether you’re a newcomer or stalwart fan! Outside of that, like Matt, I would also say the Yomawari: The Long Night Collection is definitely worth checking out if you want some frights this Halloween.
I’m still puzzled why My Hero One’s Justice doesn’t have My Hero Academia in the title.
I hear it’s way too simplistic. I’ll wait until it drops to $20.
I like how everyone in media was like “I can’t believe Rockstar would treat their employees like that. Shame on them.” Then the give the game a perfect score.
Still have to recognize all the hard work the employees put into making the game (and Rockstar titles are almost always very well received). In my personal opinion, boycotting the game will only hurt the developers who had to work those long hours even more. Let those in the media, watchdog groups, and others go after Rockstar to make them change their ways. But the critical reception isn’t unexpected.
Right but if they change their ways, we might not see a game with the attention to detail that RDR2 has. I’m buying it tomorrow.
3/4 picked weeb games. I like you guys.
I actually expected a few more Halloween games this week.
Suicide Guy: Sleepin’ Deeply has got to be the most offensive name of a game this week. Nintendo really taking that hands off approach these days.
I don’t know if everyone was working 100 hour weeks at Rockstar. What matters are design docs and a team able to execute those ideas.
The Yomawari games are really cool. That’s my pick as well.