New Releases: July 26th-August 1st, 2018

From a bull-riding simulation (8 to Glory), a game based on an Italian action-comedy-team (Bud Spencer & Terence Hill – Slaps and Beans) and two girlfriend simulators (Pure / Electric Love) for Switch, the end of July is delivering eccentricity. Fortunately, the week’s itinerary of new releases is also bringing back a number of well-liked titles, with Flashback, Titan Quest, and Art of Fighting 3 due to illuminate screens.

Header image: Grisaia Phantom Trigger, PC

PlayStation 4
1979 Revolution: Black Friday (digital, $5.99)
8 to Glory (digital, $TBA)
ACA NeoGeo: Art of Fighting 3 (digital, $7.99)
Anamorphine (digital, $19.99)
Castaway Paradise (digital, $14.99)
Chasm (digital, $19.99)
Game Tengoku CruisinMix (digital, $29.99)
Hello Neighbor (physical and digital, $29.99)
Pixel Ripped 1989 (digital, $19.99)
Sea of Memories (digital, $9.99)
South Park: The Fractured But Whole – Bring the Crunch (DLC, $11.99)
The Banner Saga 3 (digital, $24.99)

Switch
ACA NeoGeo: The King of Fighters ’97 (digital, $7.99)
Arcade Archives: Omega Fighter (digital, $7.99)
Arcade Archives: Sky Skipper (digital, $7.99)
Bud Spencer & Terence Hill – Slaps and Beans (digital, $19.99)
Candle: The Power of the Flame (digital, $17.99)
Code of Princess EX (physical and digital, $39.99)
Crossing Souls (digital, $14.99)
Element (digital, $11.99)
Final Light, The Prison (digital, $6.99)
Flashback (physical and digital, $19.99)
Go Vacation (physical and digital, $49.99)
Hello Neighbor (physical and digital, $39.99)
Piczle Lines DX 500 More Puzzles! (digital, $9.99)
Pure / Electric Love “Everyone else!” – Ema Sakura – (digital, $5.00)
Pure / Electric Love “Look at my eyes!” – Moe Yamauchi – (digital, $5.00)
Sleep Tight (digital, $14.99)
South Park: The Fractured But Whole – Bring the Crunch (DLC, $11.99))
State of Anarchy: Master of Mayhem (digital, $6.39)
The Banner Saga 3 (digital, $24.99)
Titan Quest (physical and digital, $39.99)
Zaccaria Pinball (digital, free to try)

Xbox One
8 to Glory (digital, $TBA)
ACA NeoGeo: Art of Fighting 3 (digital, $7.99)
Castaway Paradise (digital, $14.99)
Forsaken Remastered (digital, $19.99)
One More Dungeon (digital, $6.79)
South Park: The Fractured But Whole – Bring the Crunch (DLC, $11.99)
The Banner Saga 3 (digital, $24.99)

3DS
RTO 3 (digital, $9.99)

PC
Arcane Golf ($TBA)
Banzai Royale ($TBA)
Dungeon Girl ($TBA)
Ganbare! Super Strikers ($9.99)
Grisaia Phantom Trigger Vol. 5 ($TBA)
Iro Hero ($TBA)
Love in School ($TBA)
Magic Mechsuit Akane ($TBA)
Mowin’ & Throwin’ ($TBA)
Pixel Ripped 1989 ($19.99)
Sleep Tight ($14.99)
South Park: The Fractured But Whole – Bring the Crunch (DLC, $11.99)
Super Nosebleed Land ($2.99)
The Banner Saga 3 ($24.99)

Robert’s Pick: Part of me is intrigued by Go Vacation, a port of the 2011 Wii game. Alongside more traditional pastimes like skiing, volleyball, and tennis, are wonderfully eccentric activities such as dog sledding and nature photography. As with Namco Bandai’s previous sports-driven outings, We Ski and We Ski & Snowboard, each recreation isn’t too deep and doesn’t extend a lot of nuance. But when packaged in a portable compilation and set on an island resort with a trio of divergent ecosystems, I’m tempted to grab my Switch and enjoy a little rest and relaxation before pre-holiday game deluge. Also, check out Dungeon Girl, which turns the traditional ‘match 3’ puzzler into a sophisticated resource management game.

Matt’s Pick (Editor, DigitallyDownloaded): It’s a good week this week, isn’t it? For me I’m going to go with 1979 Revolution. It’s been kicking around on PC and mobile for a while, but the console release will hopefully introduce the game to a whole new audience.

It’s a real masterpiece of video game storytelling, too. Taking an important moment of history, and then educating audiences about it in an even-handed but engaging manner is such a breath of fresh air in an industry that is usually so invested in the superficial and hyperbole. 1979 Revolution is the kind of game that you’ll play through in a weekend, but it’ll stay with you for months – if not years – afterwards.

Ryan’s Pick: Pixel Ripped 1989 is going to be my pick for the week because I love games within games. That, and I love the 80’s and synthwave. I remember how impressive and fun it was playing the first level of Gradius in Legend of the Mystical Ninja on SNES, along with a few other smaller minigames when you visit the arcade in-game. Pixel Ripped 1989 takes this idea and takes it to VR, with your character playing 2D games on a portable console in a 3D world. It definitely is a new idea and experience for VR, so I am definitely excited to see how the two different worlds interact with each other and play out in the game.

Zack’s Pick (Senior Editor, RPG Site):  I can’t believe how long it’s been since Chasm was first revealed. I remember seeing the title during the inaugural PlayStation Experience back in 2014. It actually entered development a couple years earlier, in 2012, following with a successful Kickstarter in 2013. Since then, a new build has been shared to the public every year up until the point we’re at today.

It just goes to show how difficult game development can be especially when you’re a small group of developers. For those unfamiliar, Chasm is a sprite-based action RPG featuring rogue-lite elements such as procedurally-generated maps and Metroidvania dungeons that have all been designed by hand. It looks gorgeous, and I can’t wait to finally get my hands on this game I’ve been waiting years to play the final product!

 

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

10 comments

  1. Site looks different. A bit cleaner. I like it except for the ads looks kind of scummy. (Russian girls need a man now!)

  2. Bud Spencer and Terence Hill seem like the unlikeliest duo to get a game.

  3. Mowin’ & Throwin’ is a phrase that needs to be in my everyday vocabulary.

  4. Robert,

    You need a vacation is Go Vacation if your pick. It’s a shovelware collection.

  5. Glad to see The King of Fighters ’97 out this week. Thinking about grabbing it.

  6. Schoolgirls with guns. Keeping it tasteful I see.

  7. Hopefully a Banner Saga 3 review this week.

  8. I also noticed 1979 Revolution: Black Friday in the Switch store.

  9. Interesting.

  10. Some cool games here. Pixel Ripped makes me wish I had a VR headset.