New Releases: Dec. 5th-11th, 2024

FANTASIAN Neo Dimension and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind are a pair of new games that might remind players of yesteryear’s classics. Meanwhile, Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered revisits those turn-of the-millennium dark fantasies. Meanwhile, the rest of us will be dressing up Infinity Nikki is all finds of  (pictured). Here’s the full list of what’s arriving:

PlayStation 4

Arcade Archives – City Bombers (digital, $7.99)
Dog Man: Mission Impawsible (digital, $39.99)
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension (digital, $49.99)
Funko Fusion (digital, $29.99)
HEAVEN SEEKER ――The Savior of This Cruel World (digital, $19.99)
Infinity Nikki (digital, free to play)
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered (digital, $26.99)
Love Too Easily (digital, $21.99)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind (digital, $29.74)
My First Gran Turismo (digital, free to play)
Symphonia (digital, $19.99)
Under Defeat (digital, $TBA)
Westild’s Law (digital, $5.99)

PlayStation 5

A Plague Tale Collection (physical & digital, $49.99)
Entropy Survivors (digital, $9.99)
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension (physical & digital, $49.99)
Marvel Rivals (digital, free to play)
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun – Aiko’s Choice (digital, $19.99)
Skydance’s Behemoth (digital, $39.99, PS VR2)
Stranger Things VR (digital, $24.99, PS VR2)
Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop (digital, $19.99)

Switch

Backrooms Horror Escape (digital, $8.99)
BeatBlast: Rhythm Rampage (digital, $5.99)
Cats VS Dogs Military Mission (digital, $7.99)
Cowboy Duel: Red Wild West Massacre (digital, $12.99)
Dinosaur RPG (digital, $9.99)
Dirt Bike Extreme 3D (digital, $5.99)
Dog Man: Mission Impawsible (digital, $39.99)
EGGCONSOLE Riglas PC-8801 (digital, $6.49)
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension (physical & digital, $49.99)
Game Empire Tycoon: Dealer Simulator (digital, $9.99)
Gunlocked (digital, $7.99)
HEAVEN SEEKER ――The Savior of This Cruel World (digital, $19.99)
Heian City Story (digital, $12.00)
High Cars 2 (digital, $1.99)
I am an Air Traffic Controller AIRPORT HERO Centrair (digital, $49.99)
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered (digital, $26.99)
Love Too Easily (digital, $21.99)
MasterChef: Learn to Cook! (digital, $11.99)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind (digital, $29.74)
Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island (digital, $24.99)
Pampas & Selene (digital, $9.99)
Pet Kawaii Shop (digital, $7.99)
Pick My Heart Chapter 1 (digital, $12.99)
Pick My Heart Chapter 2 (digital, $12.99)
Rascal’s Escape (digital, $29.99)
Real Boxing 2: Remastered (digital, $11.99)
RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic (digital, $24.99)
Santa’s Christmas Adventure (digital, $8.99)
Savant – Ascent REMIX (digital, $6.36)
Sky Aces: WWII Air Combat (digital, $7.99)
Stella of The End (digital, $24.99)
Sugar Tanks Arena (digital, $4.99)
Taito Milestones 3 (digital, $35.99)
The Escape Room Chronicles Ep. 1 (digital, $4.79)
Trio Adventures (digital, $9.99)
Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop (digital, $19.99)
Westild’s Law (digital, $5.99)
World War II City Rebirth Tycoon (digital, $7.99)
Zumba Royal Marble Shooter Mania (digital, $2.99)

Xbox One

Beat the Machine: Rebooted (digital, $24.99)
DETECTIVE – The Motel (digital, $9.99)
Dreamless Girl Deluxe Edition (digital, $10.79)
Endless Deaths (digital, $9.99)
Love Too Easily (digital, $21.99)
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered (digital, $26.99)
Kemco RPG Select Vol. 2 (digital, $39.99)
MasterChef: Learn to Cook! (digital, $11.99)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind (digital, $29.74)
Symphonia (digital, $19.99)
Westild’s Law (digital, $5.99)

Xbox Series S/X

FANTASIAN Neo Dimension (digital, $49.99)
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (physical and digital, $69.99+)

PC

Caves of Qud ($25.49)
Dauntless (free)
Deadside ($19.99)
Dragon Eclipse ($6.36)
Dungeon Done ($TBA)
Dustgrave: A Sandbox RPG ($18.69)
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension (digital, $49.99)
Highway Police Simulator ($26.99)
I Am Cat ($19.99, VR)
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle ($69.99+)
Ion Shift ($5.99)
Marvel Rivals (free to play)
Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island ($24.99)
Nikoderiko: The Magical World ($29.99)
Overthrown ($17/99)
Path of Exile 2 ($29.99)
Railroads Online ($24.49)
Skydance’s Behemoth ($39.99, VR)
Symphonia ($19.99)
The Thing: Remastered ($29.99)
Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop ($17.99)

Rob’s Pick: I wasn’t smitten by the previous Taito Milestones compilations. Undoubtedly, the developer has a multitude of classic titles, but I felt like the publishers were stretching things too thin and bundling too much unremarkable fodder into each chapter. Thankfully, the third entry lives up to the moniker, offering gems like Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands, as well as overlooked but noteworthy titles like Dead Connection.  I was never the biggest Rastan Saga fan (I’ll take Capcom’s Black Tiger instead), but I know the series has its fervent admirers. Here, the 8:3 ratio action of Warrior Blade: Rastan Saga Episode III might just convert me. Just me aware that the pre-release is hard-crashing at regular intervals.

Raiders of the Lost Ark was one of the movies that had a potent influence on gaming, as evidenced by everything from Pitfall! To the Uncharted series. As such, I’m really curious about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. But from what I’ve seen in preview videos, nothing here has been compelling enough for me to drop $70-$100 on Indy’s Interactive adventure when I have a figurative warehouse of unplayed titles. While Nikoderiko: The Magical World looks a bit generic, I’m up for a some classic 2D platforming this week.

Ryan’s pick: Helicopter games have always had a special appeal for me, dating way back to Choplifter on the Atari 2600. Continuing to the Genesis, I really enjoyed Desert Strike and the third-person perspective it had with a considerable amount of exploration available. Everything about that series was awesome, save for the enemy surface-to-air missiles. I missed the chance to play Under Defeat when it was in the arcades, so I think this helicopter shmup fits the bill this week for the official pick. There’s the arcade classic mode and then a new full-screen version as well, so I think it’s a solid choice for PS5.

The FPS fan in me wants to try out Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to see how some of the action in the game plays out. My hope is that there is a balance between all the puzzle solving and action scenes much like there was in the movies. Puzzles are fun and all, but I think the real fun of that series is how Indy is able to overcome the odds in high pressure situations when he’s swarmed with enemies. The stealth portion also sounds pretty fun, and I can see myself really getting into that while weaving in some careful use of that signature whip.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): I love the I Am An Air Traffic Controller games. They are somehow simultaneously really intense, challenging time management puzzler experiences while at the same time being a zen-like way to enjoy airplanes and airports and all that good stuff. They might well localise these things for an audience of ten people, but I am definitely one of those people, and I’ll be picking this one up the second it lands on the Switch store.

You also all owe it to yourselves to pick up Fantasian if you haven’t played it on Apple Arcade. It is a wonderful homage to Final Fantasy VII by the people that made Final Fantasy VII, and is lightyears ahead of all the other “retro-style” JRPGs that get produced these days. Some nice quirks to the combat system keep it fresh enough, too, but you’ll really be playing this for the warm glow of nostalgia.

And finally, Infinity Nikki. Nikki is so pretty, and I get to play dressups with her? Hnnnnnng. My only concern is that it’s a free to play game and I’m going to want the CUTEST outfits for Nikki…