New Releases: November 2nd-8th, 2023

This week, Star Ocean 2 revives a comprehensive remastering, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name arrives on PC (console owners rendezvous with Kiryu next week), and Robocop cleans up a dystopian Detroit. Meanwhile, visual novels fans might want to soak up the gorgeousness of UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~ (pictured).

PlayStation 4
DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing (physical & digital, $39.99)
Ebenezer and the Invisible World (digital, $19.99)
Excessive Trim (digital, $4.99)
Jumanji: Wild Adventures (digital, $39.99)
My Time at Sandrock (digital, $TBA)
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (physical & digital, $49.99)
Phantom Blade: Executioners (digital, $TBA)
Risk of Rain 2: Survivors of the Void (DLC, $14.99)
Star Ocean The Second Story R (physical & digital, $49.99)
Stranded: Alien Dawn – Robots and Guardians (digital, $12.99)
The Talos Principal II (digital, $29.99)
Thirsty Suitors (digital, $29.99)

PlayStation 5
Dinosaurs: Mission Dino Camp (physical & digital, $29.99)
DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing (physical & digital, $39.99)
EA Sports WRC (physical & digital, $49.99)
Jumanji: Wild Adventures (physical & digital, $39.99)
Paw Patrol World (physical & digital, $39.99)
The Invincible (physical & digital, $34.99)
The Silent Swan (physical & digital, $29.99)
Weird West Definitive Edition (physical & digital, $59.99)

Switch
AAA Pro Clock 2023 (digital, $9.99)
Amabilly (digital, $4.99)
Chicken Journey (digital, $9.99)
City Parking Driver: Draw The Path Simulator (digital, $9.99)
Cobalt Core (digital, $19.99)
Dinosaurs: Mission Dino Camp (physical & digital, $39.99)
DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing (physical & digital, $39.99)
Ebenezer and the Invisible World (digital, $19.99)
Eigengrau (digital, $9.99)
Excessive Trim (digital, $4.99)
Farmer Bundle (digital, $5.99)
Fashion Dreamer (physical $49.99, digital $44.99)
Foosball League Cup: Arcade Table Football Simulator (digital, $9.99)
FX Unit Yuki: The Henshin Engine (digital, $8.09)
Geometric Brothers (digital, $5.00)
Jumanji: Wild Adventures (digital, $39.99)
Let’s Sing 2024 (physical & digital, $59.99)
My Time at Sandrock (digital, $TBA)
One Night: Burlesque (digital, $12.99)
Real Car Parking 2024: Driving Simulator (digital, $4.99)
Rollercoater Tycoon Adventures Deluxe Edition (physical, $39.99)
Salt and Sacrifice (digital, $19.99)
Spells & Secrets (digital, $23.99)
Star Ocean The Second Story R (physical & digital, $49.99)
Street Basketball Club: Sport Throw Simulator (digital, $9.99)
The Smurfs 2 – The Prisoner of the Green Stone (digital, $39.99)
Thirsty Suitors (digital, $29.99)
Tintin Reporter: Cigars of the Pharoah
WarioWare: Move It! (physical & digital, $49.99)
White Wings (digital, $20.24)

Xbox One
DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing (physical & digital, $39.99)
Ebenezer and the Invisible World (digital, $19.99)
Excessive Trim (digital, $4.99)
Football Manager 2024 (digital, $53.99)
Jumanji: Wild Adventures (physical & digital, $39.99)
FINIS (digital, $9.34)
Lost Islands (digital, $34.99)
My Time at Sandrock (digital, $TBA)
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (physical & digital, $49.99)
Risk of Rain 2: Survivors of the Void (DLC, $14.99)
Roboquest (digital, $19.99)
Stranded: Alien Dawn – Robots and Guardians (digital, $12.99)
Stray (physical & digital, $29.99)
The Smurfs 2 – The Prisoner of the Green Stone (digital, $39.99)
Thirsty Suitors (digital, $29.99)

Xbox Series S/X
EA Sports WRC (physical & digital, $49.99)

PC
Achilles: Legends Untold ($17.49)
Back to the Dawn ($TBA)
Ebenezer and the Invisible World ($TBA)
Football Manager 2024 ($53.99)
For the King II ($22.49)
Guns Undarkness ($TBA)
Iron Marines Invasion ($TBA)
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name ($49.99)
My Time at Sandrock ($33.99)
Racine ($TBA)
Radiant Silvergun ($19.99)
Ratopia ($TBA)
RoboCop: Rogue City ($49.99)
Salt and Sacrifice ($TBA)
Slime 3K: Rise Against Despot ($4.49)
Star Ocean The Second Story R ($49.99)
Stronghold: Definitive Edition ($TBA)
The Awakener: Forgotten Oath ($TBA)
The Invincible ($TBA)
The Iron Oath ($24.99)
The Smurfs 2 – The Prisoner of the Green Stone ($26.99)
The Talos Principal 2 ($29.99)
Thirsty Suitors ($25.49)
UsoNatsu ~The Summer Romance Bloomed From A Lie~ ($TBA)
WRC ($44.99)

Rob’s Pick: Today we hear about the endless procession of studio acquisitions by mammoth publishers. But last millennium gaming was different. In 1995, the majority of Wolf Team left after being unhappy with the direction of Tales of Phantasia, establishing tri-Ace. The result was two different studios working on different action role playing games, instead of some kind of disastrous consolation that forced two teams to work together following the requisite round of lay-offs.

While tri-Ace has been coasting lately (The Divine Force was OK, Integrity and Faithlessness was tragedy/travesty), they made an impressive debut with Star Ocean. Thie week, Star Ocean The Second Story R arrives, offering players a change to revisit franchise’s high point. Expect a healthy improvement to the fidelity of backdrops while the charm of the original spritework persists. Meanwhile, Motoi Sakuraba arranged score helps to make this the definitive version. Also, a visit from Kiryu almost always earns a recommendation. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name doesn’t look like it will upset Ryu Ga Gotoku’s enduring reign.

Ryan’s pick: There’s something for everyone in the Ryu Ga Gotoku series, so I’m going to go with codename Joyru in the latest installment of this series. The thing I like most about these games is that suspension of disbelief runs rampant, and there’s just a lot to experience if you’re willing to explore in these games. I really love how the game goes from hard case dramatic scenes to having fist fights with bears in the woods. The music in these games is also really well done, and to this day I still religiously listen to Yakuza 0’s Friday Night on Spotify once a week. Here’s hoping the OST for this game is equally as good.

One other game that’s worth a look is RoboCop: Rogue City. The demo has been up on Steam for a bit and I really really enjoyed playing through it. Growing up in the RoboCop era I distinctly recall the side scrolling arcade game as well as the NES ports, so being able to play a current-gen FPS game from this series is exactly what I needed. Scanning enemies like you are actually RoboCop as you point your pistol at them is really satisfying, and much like the movie, you can be creative yet graphic in terms of how you dish out your justice.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Star Ocean 2 is a masterpiece. A genuine, bonafide masterpiece and one of the greatest JRPGs ever made. So what a treat it has been to not only relive that game… but in a “remake” that genuinely enhances the core material! The game is just gorgeous, with one of the most distinctive new approaches to art that we’ve seen since HD-2D. It plays beautifully too, and maintains that exquisite sense of storytelling and world building. Square Enix has produced something special there. I hope people pick it up.

I could also mention Yakuza, of course. Of course, I’m looking forward to that. But to be a little different from my esteemed colleagues above I’m going to mention this year’s iteration of Football Manager. Why? Because it has the J-League, for the first time ever. All three divisions of it, no less. For YEARS I’ve wanted to be able to take my team (Kawasaki Frontale) and lead them to glory, but it has been a difficult license for SEGA to get, apparently. Now, it has finally happened, and that additional feature alone has breathed new life into the series all over again for me.