New Releases: August 15th-21st, 2024

This week, Just Crow Things and The Godfeather: A Mafia Pigeon Saga provide avian activities, while the tag-team of Parking Jam and Parking Masters attempts to turn a chore into a competition. If neither of those interests you, Black Myth: Wukong offers a loose adaptation of Journey to the West, while Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain delivers some lascivious dungeon construction. Here’s the full list of what’s arriving on consoles and PC”

PlayStation 4

Castaway (digital, $7.99)
Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game (digital, $TBA)
Dustborn (digital, $29.99)
Arcade Archives – Knuckleheads (digital, $8.49)
Overboss (digital, $14.99)
Madden NFL 25 (physical & digital, $69.99)
Phantom Spark (digital, $19.99)
Rewind or Die (digital, $11.99)

PlayStation 5

Black Myth: Wukong (digital, $59.99)
House of Golf 2 (digital, $TBA)
Hunt: Showdown 1896 (digital, $29.99, $23.99 PS+)
Madden NFL 25 (physical & digital, $69.99)
SunnySide (physical & digital, $39.99)
The Precinct (digital, $TBA)
White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies (digital, $29.99, physical $39.99)

Switch

Aery – Ancient Empires (digital, $6.99)
Amazing Drawing: Coloring Book Simulator (digital, $4.99)
Arcade Tanks World: Tank Battle Simulator (digital, $4.99)
Arco (digital, $17.99)
Bizarre (digital, $0.99)
Castaway (digital, $7.99)
Cooking (digital, $11.99)
Cup Killer – Sandbox Game (digital, $6.99)
Cyber Mission (digital, $9.99)
D.C.K.: Dock Chess King (digital, $4.99)
Dadish Collection (digital, $14.99)
Energy Lab (digital, $3.99)
Elrentaros Wanderings (digital, $31.99)
Exit Station 7 (digital, $2.99)
Farewell North (digital, $23.99)
Hentai Paradise Vol. 2 (digital, $5.99)
Just Crow Things (digital, $17.99)
Lunar Nightmare (digital, $3.99)
Magical Delicacy (digital, $24.99)
Mangavania 2 (digital, $3.99)
Mika and the Witch’s Mountain (digital, $16.99)
Minami Lane (digital, $4.99)
Murder Is Game Over: Streaming Death (digital, $4.99)
Mute Crimson DX (digital, $14.99)
My Lovely Empress (digital, $16.99)
Overboss (digital, $14.99)
Parking Jam (digital, $4.99)
Parking Masters (digital, $12.99)
Phantom Spark (digital, $19.99)
Rack and Slay (digital, $5.99)
Rewind or Die (digital, $11.99)
Space Raft (digital, $9.99)
Squiggle Drop (digital, $4.99)
Stumble Guys (digital, free)
Supermarket Manager 2024 (digital, $11.99)
Synaxarion Christian Stories: Holy Martyr Neophytos (digital, $2.99)
Tactical Strike: Special Forces Shooter (digital, $4.99)
The Godfeather: A Mafia Pigeon Saga (digital, $8.99)
The Sirena Expedition (digital, $4.79)
Thief Puzzle (digital, $4.99)
Tiles Match (digital, $3.99)
Turn to Mine (digital, $7.99)
Ultimate Fishing Supermarket Simulator 3D (digital, $7.99)

Xbox One

Castaway (digital, $7.99)
Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game
Dustborn (digital, $29.99)
Just Crow Things (digital, $17.99)
Kena: Bridge of Spirits (digital, $31.99)
Madden NFL 25 (physical & digital, $69.99)
Mangavania 2 (digital, $3.99)
Mute Crimson DX (digital, $14.99)
Overboss (digital, $14.99)
Parking Masters (digital, $12.99)
Rewind or Die (digital, $11.99)
Turn to Mine (digital, $7.99)

PC

Arco ($17.99)
Black Myth: Wukong ($59.99)
Castaway ($7.99)
CyberCorp ($TBA)
Dawn of Defiance ($14.99)
Dustborn ($29.99)
Farewell North ($TBA)
Feed the Deep ($TBA)
Gourdlets ($3.99)
Intravenous 2 ($17.99)
Just Crow Things ($17.99)
Kalpa: Cosmic Symphony ($19.99)
Katawa Shoujo (free)
Madden NFL 25 ($69.99)
Mika and The Witch’s Mountain ($TBA)
My Lovely Empress ($TBA)
Oddada ($8.99)
Once Upon a Rogue’s Tale ($TBA)
Overboss ($14.99)
Pawn Planet ($TBA)
Planetaries ($17.99)
Pneumata ($TBA)
Shapez 2 ($19.99)
Sins of a Solar Empire II ($39.99)
Starground ($TBA)
Sunset Hills ($TBA)
Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain ($TBA)
The Crimson Diamond ($13.49)

Rob’s pick: Two of my favorite game mechanics are constructing buildings and fending off invaders. So, when properties like the Dungeon series merge the two concepts, I’m habitually interested, even if the results aren’t always what I hope for. This week, Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain tasks players with creating dungeons while building features that siphons cash from any adventurers foolish enough to enter. Yes, it all sounds like a demented Disneyland run by an obnoxious demon gal. And if developer Karin Project can summon a bit of sadism, Suzukuri Dungeon could be a lot of fun. Between The Sirena Expedition and Rewind or Die, PSX-era survival horror is making a comeback, and I’m pleased about this trend.

Ryan’s pick: I’m about a month out from finishing the Elden Ring DLC and the break has been great, but it’s time for another action RPG. Black Myth: Wukong is exactly what I’m looking for in terms of spectacular visuals, mixed with a whole bunch of fierce boss battles. While it’s still up for debate if this game can be labeled as a ‘souls-like’, I still think that this one is unique and visually is worth consideration if you like action-RPGs.

I’ve been slowly playing through Arizona Sunshine II with a friend on his PSVR2 set and have been having an absolute blast with it, so sticking with the first-person horror survival motif I think that Pneumata looks good as a second quick pick. Horror FPS games were my favorites growing up in the 90s’ so this one hits those notes perfectly for me and I have high hopes that it will get me to yell out loud while playing it at night with the lights off like Amnesia did. You even have the ability to kick enemies via a Mighty Foot-esque attack, so sign me up.

Matt S’ pick (editor, DigitallyDownloaded): Tough one this week! On the one hand we have White Day 2. The original White Day had its warts, but it is one of my favourite horror games of all time. I love stalker horror (Clock Tower 3 and Haunting Ground are other favourites) and wandering around a creepy school filled with Korean hauntings was an intense and entertaining little shock-a-thon.

Also, it had swimsuit DLC and the game’s girls were pretty.

So far, I’m only an hour or two in, but while White Day 2 lacks the swimsuit DLC (though the girls are still very pretty), the narrative at atmosphere is nice and tense though and I’ve had one good jump scare. It’s also quite lovely to look at (outside of the girls), so it doesn’t look like it’s creaking its way through for you.

On the other hand, there is Black Myth: Wukong. I love my Soulslikes and Journey to the West is, as far as I’m concerned, the perfect classic novel for the Soulslike formula. I’m very keen to dig into it and see if it can join Xuan-Yuan 7 and Sword & Fairy as a “Chinese RPG” with real quality going for it.