Multi 2025 Releases Thread

[Crazy Jamie]

I like the Souls formula, but I totally understand why many people don't. I could even argue that it suffers from bad game design (especially the later entries where bosses hit much harder and are less predictable). Often, the only way to progress is to bang your head against a boss over and over again, slowly learning their pattern. There's no ramping off difficulty or natural progression -- just sudden huge spikes.

GoT is not like that at all. It gives (pretty much) you all the knowledge you need to advance and succeed. Progression comes from your mastery of the combat system rather than learning the unique intricacies of every single enemy. Sure, there's a skill tree that expands your options and the complexity of the game, and which make certain enemy types easier to deal with, but it's still WAY more accessible and consistent than Souls

Yep, I think that encapsulates the differences quite well. And the GoT is exactly what I want. Once upon a time the Souls formula was fine for me. I imported the original Demon's Souls before its PAL release and still have a sealed copy of the Black Phantom edition on PS3 in my collection. But my life has moved on and my gaming needs have changed. Quite like the idea of playing GoT sometime soon and then getting the sequel near release.

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

In response to both games - I waited years on Ghost of Tsushima because I thought it was another Sekiro Die Twice style game where it was just brutally hard. My coworker told me that it was by the same developers as InFamous and to just picture a Samurai game made by Ubisoft but actually good. (It was funny because I played it right before Shadows was announced and we have a good laugh at that).

The game is as hard as you want it to be, and the mechanics to the core are simple. You can defeat any encounter just using the basic skills - but if you want to get into it more, there are ways to make it more complex. It was great for me, as I was able to go long periods without playing it and could easily jump back in.

As for Expedition 33, I think it's a FANTASTIC point to drop into the RPG genre. I'm 11 hours in and it is a perfect game for me so far. It has the JRPG style of game world and mechanics, but it has a more Western influence on story, systems, and characterizations. Having most of the main characters just be regular 30 somethings facing mortality is relatable. It's not overwhelmingly large either. I've heard the main story is 25-30 hours with a total of 50 hours for completionists. It feels very God of War like in terms of pacing and execution. The voice acting and motion capture feels genuinely human - but fully JRPG in everything else.

I'd lean that over Baldur's Gate 3 personally, because BG3 is overwhelming and huge. But if D&D style games are your style, it's the best one to play. Both are incredible games.

 

[dimmerwit]

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, a Chinese soulslike action RPG, gets a 24 July release date. It's also launching on Game Pass.

 

[Crazy Jamie]

In response to both games - I waited years on Ghost of Tsushima because I thought it was another Sekiro Die Twice style game where it was just brutally hard. My coworker told me that it was by the same developers as InFamous and to just picture a Samurai game made by Ubisoft but actually good. (It was funny because I played it right before Shadows was announced and we have a good laugh at that).

The game is as hard as you want it to be, and the mechanics to the core are simple. You can defeat any encounter just using the basic skills - but if you want to get into it more, there are ways to make it more complex. It was great for me, as I was able to go long periods without playing it and could easily jump back in.

As for Expedition 33, I think it's a FANTASTIC point to drop into the RPG genre. I'm 11 hours in and it is a perfect game for me so far. It has the JRPG style of game world and mechanics, but it has a more Western influence on story, systems, and characterizations. Having most of the main characters just be regular 30 somethings facing mortality is relatable. It's not overwhelmingly large either. I've heard the main story is 25-30 hours with a total of 50 hours for completionists. It feels very God of War like in terms of pacing and execution. The voice acting and motion capture feels genuinely human - but fully JRPG in everything else.

I'd lean that over Baldur's Gate 3 personally, because BG3 is overwhelming and huge. But if D&D style games are your style, it's the best one to play. Both are incredible games.

Genuinely a positive for me that Expedition 33 is 50 hours or so to fully complete. I struggle to see me spending triple digit hours on a game again really, or at least not for a good few years, so a JRPG that looks the way it does but which can be fully explored in a fraction of the normal timeframe for that genre is very appealing.

 

[Crazy Jamie]

Another new release that I only came across just as it came out, but Tempest Rising came out last week. Basically feels like old school Command & Conquer for the modern world. Looks great and the reviews have been positive too. Not necessarily jumping straight in, but it's going on the watchlist.

 

[dimmerwit]

Borderlands 2 is moving forward to 12 September from the 23rd.

Naturally with Gearbox being another Take-Two studio people are already speculating what this means for GTA 6.

 

[dimmerwit]

Another new release that I only came across just as it came out, but Tempest Rising came out last week. Basically feels like old school Command & Conquer for the modern world. Looks great and the reviews have been positive too. Not necessarily jumping straight in, but it's going on the watchlist.

I caught the time-limited demo of this with about 2 hours left. It was only the early missions but I did see the potential.

It really is a version of C&C in every way. Similar storyline, similar resource (cross out Tiberium and write Tempest), and something else similar too.

Like you I'm waiting for now but I'll surely play at some point.

 

[dimmerwit]

I updated the first post in the thread with May's titles.

It's a somewhat quieter month as May often is. The big releases are Doom: The Dark Ages (15th) and Elden Ring Nightreign (30th).

Doom looks quite funky. For those that don't know, it's a very different game to the last two which has been made much slower, with the player being described as more of a tank. Although previews have seemed positive that's quite a shift for a game known for speed. Elden Ring Nightreign likewise sees major changes introducing a procedurally generated world which constantly shrinks and an emphasis on multiplayer, although there is a single-player mode.

 

[Smacktard]

Elden Ring Nightreign likewise sees major changes introducing a procedurally generated world which constantly shrinks and an emphasis on multiplayer, although there is a single-player mode.

i will now buy game

 

[Crazy Jamie]

Doom looks quite funky. For those that don't know, it's a very different game to the last two which has been made much slower, with the player being described as more of a tank. Although previews have seemed positive that's quite a shift for a game known for speed.

I'll put this back on my radar. I assumed that I wouldn't like it because I didn't like the shift from Doom to Eternal. It just felt to me like Eternal was designed to be too fast compared to the original and I just didn't have fun with it. Not because of the difficulty per se, but because I constantly had to be doing things like moving, strafe jumping etc. There was absolutely no room for strategy, which I felt like there was in the first game. It didn't grab me. But if Dark Ages is slower I'll certainly pay more attention to it.

 

[dimmerwit]

Game Pass May games are confirmed:

Date	Game	Win	XSX
1	Anno 1800	✔	✔
1	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)	✔	✔
6	Dredge	✔	✔
7	Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2	✔	✔
8	Revenge of the Savage Planet	✔	✔
8	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed	✔	✔
13	Warhammer: Vermintide 2		✔
15	Doom: The Dark Ages	✔	✔
16	Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo	✔	✔
20	Firefighting Simulator: The Squad	✔	✔
20	Police Simulator: Patrol Officers	✔	✔
28	to a T	✔	✔
TBD	Spray Paint Simulator		✔

 

[Spiner202]

Ghost of Yotei will release on 2nd October.

I ended up buying Ghost of Tsushima today. There are a few things ahead of it in my backlog, but I figure that with Ghost of Yotei coming out this year, it's possible GoT could actually go up in price. I'm pretty sure the same thing happened to all of the Souls games when Elden Ring came out.

 

[dimmerwit]

The previously leaked 8 August date for Mafia: The Old Country is confirmed.

They also describe it as a "linear highly-polished narrative experience that can easily complement the other more persistent games our players also love and engage with on a more consistent basis".

I've never taken to the Mafia series, despite the fact they're the type of games I usually like. Hopefully this one will change that.

Edit: Additionally the Gex Trilogy, a remake of the classic PS1 games, launches on 16 June.

 

[dimmerwit]

Microsoft have unveiled the next batch of Game Pass titles:

• Monster Train 2 (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S, via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass) - available 21st May
• Creatures of Ava (Xbox Series X/S, now with Game Pass Standard) - available 22nd May
• Stalker 2 (Xbox Series X/S, now with Game Pass Standard) - available 22nd May
• Tales of Kenzera: Zau (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass ) EA Play - available 22nd May
• Tom Clancy's The Division 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard) - available 27th May
• To a T (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass) – available 28th May
• Metaphor ReFantazio (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard) - available 29th May
• Spray Paint Simulator (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X/S via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass) – available 29th May
• Crypt Custodian (Cloud, Console, and PC via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard) – available 3rd June
• Symphonia (Cloud, Console, and PC via Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard) – available 3rd June

The obvious standout is Metaphor ReFantazio which comes on the 29th.

 

[dimmerwit]

There are now two actors who have announced they aren't going to be in the Persona 4 remake.

The unannounced Persona 4 remake, that is.

 

[dimmerwit]

Date	Game	Win	PS5	XSX	NSW	NS2
5	Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer					✔
5	Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster					✔
5	Civilization VII	○	○	○	○	✔
5	Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition	○	○	○		✔
5	Deltarune - Chapters 1 to 4	○	○	○	○	✔
5	Fast Fusion					✔
5	Fortnite	○	○	○	○	✔
5	Hitman: World of Assassination - Signature Edition	○	○	○		✔
5	Hogwarts Legacy	○	○	○	○	✔
5	Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess	○	○	○		✔
5	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition				○	✔
5	The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition				○	✔
5	Mario Kart: World					✔
5	Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour					✔
5	Nobunaga's Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition	○	○		○	✔
5	Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S					✔
5	Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma	✔			✔	✔
5	Sonic X Shadow Generations	○	○	○	○	✔
5	Split Fiction	○	○	○		✔
5	Street Fighter 6	○	○	○		✔
5	Survival Kids					✔
5	Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars	○	○	○	○	✔
5	Yakuza 0 Director's Cut					✔
10	Alien Hominid HD & Invasion	○	✔	○	○
10	Dune: Awakening	✔
10	MindsEye	✔	✔	✔
10	Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Master Crafted Edition	✔		✔
11	Stellar Blade	✔	○
13	The Alters	✔	✔	✔
13	Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic	✔	✔
16	Gex Trilogy	✔	✔	✔	✔
17	Date Everything	✔	✔	✔	✔
17	FBC: Firebreak	✔	✔	✔
17	Lost in Random: The Eternal Die	✔	✔	✔	✔
17	Tron: Catalyst	✔	✔	✔	✔
19	Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
24	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate	○	○	✔	○
26	Against the Storm	○	✔	✔
26	Death Stranding 2: On the Beach		✔
26	System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster	✔	✔	✔	✔
27	Tamagotchi Plaza				✔	✔

June update.

Not a surprise what dominates the list. The other big game is Death Stranding 2 on the 26th.

 

[dimmerwit]

July

Date	Game	Win	PS5	XSX	NSW	NS2
3	Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley / Harvest Moon: Skytree Village				✔
10	EA Sports College Football 26		✔	✔
11	Patapon 1+2 Replay	✔	✔		✔
11	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4	✔	✔	✔	✔
15	Edens Zero	✔	✔	✔
15	Ready or Not	○	✔	✔
15	Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition	✔
17	Bridge Constructor Studio	✔	✔	✔	✔
17	Donkey Kong Bananza					✔
17	Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact	✔	✔	✔
18	Shadow Labyrinth	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
22	Monument Valley 3	✔	✔	✔	✔
24	Killing Floor 3	✔	✔	✔
24	Super Mario Party Jamboree: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV					✔
24	Wuchang: Fallen Feathers	✔	✔	✔
25	No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: The Somnium Files	✔			✔	✔
25	Wild Hearts S	○	○	○		✔
29	Tales of the Shire	✔	✔	✔	✔
31	Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound	✔	✔	✔	✔

A decent month by July standards. Tony Hawk's 3+ 4, Donkey Kong Bananza and the interesting looking Wuchang: Fallen Feathers look like highlights.

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

Oh snap, Tony Hawk next week. I was just saying I need a game to play.

I wish the new DK was on the original switch, as well.

 

[Crazy Jamie]

Because life has gotten busy I haven't managed to make the progress through Clair Obscur that I wanted to. And when I'm done with that I still have Helldivers 2 to play a bit more of, Two Point Museum to play properly, and the last two achievements on Fights In Tight Spaces to get.

But I really do need Tony Hawks 3&4.

On a side note, Stronghold Crusader Definitive Edition has a co-op mode? My wife loves that series and is exceptionally good at it. The thought of playing that through co-op is genuinely exciting.

 

[dimmerwit]

Some interesting news as Microsoft reverts some of their planned game price hikes.

The Outer Worlds 2 was supposed to be $80, but MS has dropped this back to $70.

 

[The Eye in the Sky!]

I didn't know people still bought games from Microsoft

 

[dimmerwit]

Battlefield 6 (officially) announced. Multiplayer reveal on the 31st, with an open beta at some point.

A legal disclaimer for their pre-order promotion seems to confirm the previously leaked 10 October launch date, at least for some version of the game.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

prepare for disappointment

 

[shortkut]

prepare for disappointment

 

[dimmerwit]

August

Date	Game	Win	PS5	XSX	NSW	NS2
7	Gradius Origins	✔	✔	✔	✔
7	Tiny Bookshop	✔
7	The House of the Dead 2: Remake	✔			✔
8	Mafia: The Old Country	✔	✔	✔
12	Echoes of the End	✔	✔	✔
12	Senua's Saga: Hellblade II	○	✔	○
14	Dorfromantik	○	✔	✔	○
14	Drag x Drive					✔
14	Madden NFL 26	✔	✔	✔		✔
14	Midnight Murder Club (full release)	✔	✔
14	Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition	✔
19	Delta Force	○	✔	✔
19	Sword of the Sea	✔	✔
20	Black Myth: Wukong	○	○	✔
21	Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
22	Dying Light: The Beast	✔	✔	✔
26	Gears of War: Reloaded	✔	✔	✔
26	Helldivers II	○	○	✔
27	Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar	✔			✔	✔
28	Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World					✔
28	Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater	✔	✔	✔
28	Super Robot Wars Y	✔	✔		✔
29	Lost Soul Aside	✔	✔
29	Shinobi: Art of Vengeance	✔	✔	✔	✔

Big new game this month is Mafia: The Old Country. Set as the name suggests in Sicily it promises to be a tighter, more focused and hopefully less buggy entry in the series.

There are also remakes. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Definitive Edition remakes the classic PC RTS, Gears of War: Reloaded remakes the first game and sees the series debut on PlayStation whilst Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater remakes MGS3.

 

[Fool's Requiem]

Someone decided now was the time to make another shitty Delta Force game. Except now, it's a F2P Battlefield clone.

 

[Spiner202]

I pretty much never buy games on release anymore, but that's going to change with Gears of War. I'll probably wait a couple of days just to make sure it isn't super buggy or broken, but I'm really looking forward to finally playing it!

 

[dimmerwit]

A couple of new August release dates announced in today's Nintendo indie showcase.



UFO 50, a collection of 50 retro-style games, launches on Switch today. It's already out on PC.



Herdling, a game about herding, is out on the 21st of this month. It's from Oktomotiv, developer of the FAR series. It's on PC, PS, Xbox and Switch.