New Releases: June 9th-15th, 2022

This week, a pair of Switch titles (Ye OLDE Cribbage Club: A Later Daters Game and Later Daters Premium) are aimed at older gamers. Maybe the demographics of the medium are changing- or audiences just really enjoy role-playing at elders. But if those titles don’t align with your interests, there’s plenty more, with Meteor World Actor: Badge & Dagger (pictured) offering a pulpy visual novel and Mario Strikers: Battle League extended some character-driven athleticism.

PlayStation 4
Arcade Archives: Motos (digital, $7.99)
Crazy Chicken Xtreme (physical & digital, $29.99)
Metal Max Xeno Reborn (digital, $39.99)
Neverwinter: Dragonslayer (DLC, $TBA)
Square Keeper (digital, $4.99)
The Hand of Merlin (digital, $29.99)
The Quarry (physical & digital, $59.99)
Zorro: The Chronicles (digital, $39.99)

PlayStation 5
The Quarry (physical & digital, $69.99-$79.99)
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong (physical, $49.99)

Switch
Ampersat (digital, $9.99)
Arcade Archives: Motos (digital, $7.99)
Cool Animals (digital, $3.50)
Crazy Chicken Xtreme (physical & digital, $29.99)
Dadish 3 (digital, $9.99)
Delivery from the Pain (digital, $8.99)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles (physical & digital, $59.99)
even if TEMPEST (digital, $49.99)
Freshly Frosted (digital, $9.99)
Hero Must Die. Again. (physical, $39.99)
Jumanji: The Curse Returns (digital, $14.99)
Later Daters Premium (digital, $14.99)
Legend of Arcadieu Bundle (digital, $7.99)
LumbearJack (digital, $TBA)
Mario Strikers: Battle League (physical & digital, $59.99)
Metal Max Xeno Reborn (digital, $39.99)
Mini Gardens (digital, $2.99)
Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia (digital, $5.49)
Of Flesh and Faith ($TBA)
OlliOlli World: VOID Riders (DLC, $TBA)
One Last Memory – Reimagined (digital, $9.99)
Pro Gymnast Simulator (digital, $19.99)
Puzzle Bundle: inbento + Golf Peaks (digital, $5.59)
Sokocat – Combo (digital, $3.99)
Square Keeper (digital, $4.99)
Super Chow (digital, $4.99)
The Hand of Merlin (digital, $29.99)
The House of the Dead: Remake – Limidead Edition (physical, $39.99)
The Wizard and The Slug (digital, $4.99)
Thunder Kid II: Null Mission (digital, $7.99)
Video World (digital, $3.50)
Ye OLDE Cribbage Club: A Later Daters Game (digital, $5.99)
Zeus Quest – The Rebirth of Earth (digital, $TBA)
Zorro: The Chronicles (digital, $39.99)

Xbox One
Neverwinter: Dragonslayer (DLC, $TBA)
Square Keeper (digital, $4.99)
The Hand of Merlin (digital, $29.99)
The Quarry (physical & digital, $59.99)

Xbox Series S/X
The Quarry (physical & digital, $69.99-$79.99)
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong (physical, $49.99)

PC
American Theft 80s ($TBA)
Builder Simulator ($17.99)
Green Hell VR ($22.49)
Imperium BCE ($24.99)
Madshot ($15.99)
Metal Max Xeno Reborn ($TBA)
Meteor World Actor: Badge & Dagger ($TBA)
Pocket Academy ($TBA)
Postal: Brain Damaged ($16.99)
Pro Cycling Manager 2022 ($TBA)
Spacelines from the Far Out ($17.99)
The Quarry ($59.99)
The Triumphant Return of Diabolos ($TBA)
Tour de France 2022 ($TBA)

Rob’s Pick: As much as I hoped the announcement of a new engine for Metal Max Xeno Reborn would usher in some sweeping changes, it hasn’t. Sure, the inclusion of Po-M and Pochi as playables is welcome, with the latter bringing his own ‘good boy’ skill tree and plenty of assistive firepower. But some of the game’s fundamental issues remain and sadly, even a few new ones have emerged. That’s a shame since I appreciate the franchise’s more lighthearted interpretation of post-armageddon conflict. But despite all of its transgressions, I’m still having a decent time with it. So, if you’re a tolerant role-playing fan, it might be worth a consideration.

For others, Mario Strikers: Battle League gets the nod this week. I’m not a fan of Nintendo’s modern handling of sports games. Buying one of their athletic adaptations used to shower you with a immediately accessible collection of characters, unlockables, and often mini-games. But Mario Golf: Super Rush ushered in an approach that provided a spartan framework that was gradually augmented by digital additions. Yes, it’s cool to jump back into a title and see free things added, but it effectively undermines the permanence offered by physical media. Plus, it’s a bummer to spend $60 on a rather bare bones title. My advice: wait for that inevitable $10 discount which should occur when Battle League gets fleshed out. The nuanced play and delightful character animation isn’t going anywhere.

Finally, American Theft 80s has you breaking into houses and stealing VCRs like you’re Indiana Jones with a freebasing habit. There’s a lot of potential for American Psycho-like dark humor and I hope the game capitalizes on at least a fraction of it.

Matt S’ pick (Editor, DigitallyDownloaded): You all gotta play Mario Strikers: Battle League. The fast and frenetic arcade action speed belies the nuanced skills that you’ll need to master this one – in short, this is a game where you can git gud, and when you do, the smooth rhythms and dynamic strategy feels great. Sure, it might not have too much going for it as a single player game, but get a club together, take it online, and you’re going to be playing this one for months on end.

I’m also very much looking forward to sinking my teeth into The Quarry. Teenagers-doing-stupid-things-and-getting-monstered is my favourite breed of horror. It helped me get through the rougher edges of Until Dawn and the developer has had The Dark Pictures anthology to smooth out many of those rougher edges. I’m expecting The Quarry to be cinematic, action-filled, and excellent fun when playing with friends, thanks to the “if you make the wrong decision, that character is totally toast” decision trees.

Finally, I always get an odd joy out of the Tour de France games. I don’t entirely know what it is about them that hooks me in because, frankly, they’re based on a stupid sport that’s only worth watching because the French countryside is so gorgeous, but nonetheless, the more simulation and strategy-orientated cycling action, where you need to preserve energy and work with your teammates to move through the various stages of a long-distance cycle, is a different type of compelling sporting experience. It’s not so much about your ability to press buttons quickly like most sports games are – Tour de France is about planning and tactics, and I do like that.

Ryan’s Pick: It doesn’t take much to get me amped for a game, especially when its main PV features well-produced high-energy anisong blasting at top volume. The visual novel Meteor World Actor: Badge & Dagger is the clear winner this week, brandishing some really appealing visuals and a noir detective story. I rarely shy away from the cold comfort of the slice of life and or light fan service genres when it comes to VN’s, but the character art and overall production value of this one has me convinced it’s worth a look.

I too am also interested in trying out the Tour De France 2022 game. To be honest I haven’t played any of the other previous games in the franchise, but the show Yowamushi Pedal reignited my interest in cycling as of late so I think it could be a new genre to try. I am going to have to remember that this may not be on the same level as masterpieces such as Skitchin, the original Road Rash, or the PS1 launch title ESPN Extreme Games – all of which allowed you to knuckle other players as you raced. The inability to kick and punch fellow racers still won’t stop me from trying to amass a gigantic crash, I don’t think. Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder, after all.

Matt R’s pick (editor, Shindig): I’m going to disagree with Rob here: I’ve found Metal Max Xeno Reborn to be a substantial overhaul. I liked the original a lot, despite its flaws—it had a real PS2 JRPG feel to it, with a certain charm that you just don’t really see much these days, even in lower-budget games. Reborn has its own issues, sure, but it’s a good stab at a version of Xeno that feels more modern, with streamlined systems, a more dynamic spin on turn-based combat, more cohesive art direction, and a vastly improved localisation. It’s one of the more enjoyable takes on a post-apocalypse, with the added fun of tank-centric combat and wasteland exploration.

OlliOlli World: Void Riders should be a good time, too. Though nominally a skateboarding game, OlliOlli World is a momentum platformer at heart, and the base game pushed that style of level design to wonderful heights. With Void Rider comes the chance to take that yet another step further, with a sci-fi theme, aliens, and gravity-defying tractor beams to help get the biggest airs imaginable.