New Releases: August 27th-September 2nd, 2020

From Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, a game centered around one of the most notable manga and anime sports heroes to the ongoing drama of 9-nine-, where each new episode offers a new heroine, this week brings several remarkable new releases. Beyond these efforts is Slightly Mad Studios third entry in their Project CARS franchise, as well Vewo Interactive’s second monster catching outing, Nexomon: Extinction.

Header image: 9-nine-:Episode 3, PC

PlayStation 4
Ary and the Secret of Seasons (physical and digital, $39.99)
Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions (physical and digital, $59.99)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition (digital, $29.99)
Hypnospace Outlaw (digital, $14.99)
Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars (physical and digital, $39.99)
Iron Harvest (digital, $49.99)
Mighty Gunvolt Burst (digital, $9.99)
Nexomon: Extinction (digital, $17.99)
Project CARS 3 (physical and digital, $59.99)
Shing! (digital, $TBA)
Skyhill: Black Mist (digital, $TBA)
The Last Campfire (digital, $14.99)
Wasteland 3 (physical and digital, $59.99)
Windbound (digital, $29.99)

Switch
#NoLimitFantasy, Super Puzzles Dream (digital, $6.19)
A Hero and a Garden (digital, $4.99)
Alphaset by POWGI (digital, $7.99)
Ary and the Secret of Seasons (physical and digital, $39.99)
Best Friend Forever (digital, $19.99)
Blast Brawl 2 (digital, $9.99)
Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions (physical and digital, $59.99)
Collapsed (digital, $12.75)
Color Jumper (digital, $9.99)
Commander Keen in Keen Dreams: Definitive Edition (digital, $14.99)
Deadly Days (digital, $15.19)
Death’s Hangover (digital, $4.99)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition (digital, $29.99)
Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride (digital, $14.99)
Hypnospace Outlaw (digital, $14.99)
Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars (physical and digital, $39.99)
Jump Force Deluxe Edition (physical and digital, $49.99)
Mask of Mists (digital, $11.99)
Moon (digital, $18.99)
MX vs ATV All Out (physical and digital, $39.99)
Newton’s Cradle Puzzle Game (digital, $2.99)
Nexomon: Extinction (digital, $17.99)
Piffle: A Cat Puzzle Adventure (digital, $13.96)
Pocket Circuit (digital, $3.99)
Retro Classix 2in1 pack: Bad Dudes & Two Crude Dudes (digital, $9.99)
Road To Guangdong (digital, $22.49)
Serious Scramblers (digital, $1.79)
Solitaire Klondike Minimal (digital, $0.69)
Struggling (digital, $14.99)
Tank Mechanic Simulator (digital, $17.99)
The Last Campfire (digital, $14.99)
Ultimate Fishing Simulator (digital, $17.99)
Windbound (digital, $29.99)

Xbox One
Ary and the Secret of Seasons (physical and digital, $39.99)
Double Kick Heroes (digital, $21.99)
Giraffe and Annika (digital, $29.99)
Hexagroove: Tactical DJ (digital, $29.99)
Hypnospace Outlaw (digital, $14.99)
Iron Harvest (digital, $49.99)
Liege Dragon (digital, $14.99)
Nexomon: Extinction (digital, $17.99)
Project CARS 3 (physical and digital, $59.99)
Road To Guangdong (digital, $22.49)
Skyhill: Black Mist (digital, $TBA)
Tell Me Why (digital, $29.99)
The Last Campfire (digital, $14.99)
Wasteland 3 (physical and digital, $59.99)
Windbound (digital, $29.99)

PC
9-nine-:Episode 3 ($19.99)
Anime Studio Tycoon ($TBA)
Best Friend Forever ($17.99)
Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions ($59.99)
Control: Ultimate Edition ($31.99)
Crossfire II Retro Amiga Shooter ($4.79)
Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars ($39.99)
Iron Harvest ($49.99)
Nexomon: Extinction ($17.99)
Project CARS 3 ($59.99)
Shing! ($TBA)
Spirits Abyss ($6.74)
Tell Me Why ($29.99)
The Last Campfire ($14.99)
Tour de France 2020 ($39.99)
Transport INC ($10.19)
Wait! Life is Beautiful! ($8.99)
Wasteland 3 ($59.99)
Windbound ($29.99)
Witcheye ($TBA)

Robert’s Pick: Over the years, my interest in a number of high-profile franchises have waned, with stagnancy being an obvious issue. But surprisingly, I’m still a Pokémon enthusiast, seeking out every mainline entry, and even some of the spin-offs, like the franchise’s crossover into the Mystery Dungeon games. From Digimon to the Monster Rancher series, (anyone remember putting CDs in their PSOnes to generate new monsters?) I’ve even played a lot of the games inspired by Game Freak’s beloved title.

Vewo Interactive’s Nexomon is a Poké-clone which brought much of the monster catching enjoyment to mobile screens. Highlighted by bright hues, adorable monsters, and classic battling, the only thing truly lacking was autonomy. Movesets were reduced and the sense of exploration was definitely muted. Hopefully, Vemo rectifies those flaws with this week’s release of Nexomon: Extinction. I’d love to see a determined upstart diverge from monster catching formula, causing Nintendo/Game Freak to step up their game (Pokéwalker/Pokémon Go reference). I still have a childlike love for Pikachu, Snorlax, and the gang, but those feelings could be jeopardized if I don’t start seeing some genuine innovation. Also, I love mecha and like RTS games, so I’m keeping my eye on Iron Harvest.

Matt S’ Pick (Editor, DigitallyDownloaded): I’ve got to echo Robert’s pick. After seeing screenshots and hearing about the concept of Nexomon, I assumed that it was a cheap little Pokémon clone, and I would have both enjoyed it for what it is, but also dismissed it for a lack of creative energy and rougher edges in comparison to Game Freak’s own efforts. But as it turns out Nexomon is the real deal. It’s its own thing, while also being a keen study of its sources of inspiration. I’m very impressed with this game.

I also want to throw a call out to Immortal Realms. If “Dungeons & Dragons’ Ravenloft meets Turn-based Total War” doesn’t sound like ten degrees of awesome to you, then I’m sorry but we can’t be friends any more. Immortal Realms isn’t perfect in execution, but the concept is so strong, and the aesthetics and design elements are there. It’s a quality bit of gothic escapism, and I do love it for that.

Matt C’s Pick (editor, Shindig): I have no choice but to put my city on my back and pick Best Friend Forever this week. Wellington, New Zealand knows what’s good, and if you needed proof, it’s the city that spawned a game about raising puppies and dating other dog parents.

Best Friend Forever is a mash-up of pet-raising simulation and dating sim, full of very cute dogs and very hot love interests. They’re not two separate, unrelated systems, either—dog care is a full time job, so your pup is a constant presence during visual novel segments with the potential to be cute or disrupt your smooth moves with a poorly-timed fart. It’s fun, it’s funny, it’s cute, it’s sexy, it’s the whole deal. Just prepare yourself for lots of dog puns.

I’ll also third what Matt and Robert said about Nexomon: Extinction. It’s a game that proudly wears its inspiration on its sleeve (and is wonderfully self-aware of that fact), but also does a lot to streamline the Pokemon formula and find its own niche within that space.

Ryan’s Pick: Gamer Card revocation incoming – I really am not into Pokemon games so much. I understand the appeal of them, but I guess I was just too into PC FPS at that time when it first released to really get into that franchise. However, like the rest of us this week, I too think that Nexomon has a lot going for it. This said, I think this will be my official recommendation this week. The price point, the art, and polish all seem to strike the right balance to help build momentum for this developer to continue working on building this into a series. The advantage of being a smaller developer will allow them to make new content faster, which hopefully aid them to grow their fanbase. Okay, that’s my official mainstream pick, but there’s one more thing that I have to suggest here.

Who here remembers the movie The Net from the 90’s? I won’t get into the entire plot, but a lot of the visuals and mid-90’s CGI revolved around webpages and various early websites, including the fabricated website Mozart’s Ghost in the movie. Hypnospace Outlaw really does a great job of capturing the early internet in all its weirdness, so if you missed the original PC release last year for this one, definitely give it a try on console.