The weekly news roundup - Press Release #1
Welcome to the first Press Release post, a neat summary of (pretty much) every press release that finds its way into my inbox! Topics that already have their own dedicated threads have been cut out, so you can think of this as something of a quick stop for everything that hasn't quite made it to the site's front page yet. I've tried my best to organise and summarise each of the numerous bits of news that I've come across, but as you can imagine trying to condense so much information into one post does become a bit of a wall of text. If you have any formatting ideas for future posts please do share them. With that said, let's dive right into it!
General GamingDemos & BetasUpdates & DLCGamescom 2024Hardware & AccessoriesOddball Extras
➤ Strategic deck-builder Rise Eterna War gets August 22nd release date and trailer
➤ Former Camcom artist Satoru Yamashita launches Kickstarter for Metroidvania and shop management game Dhalman with lofty $675,000 goal
➤ Release date for A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead confirmed for October 17th, with pre-orders available now
➤ New trailer released for DIG VR, a construction work VR game, coming to Meta Quest this year
➤ Galactic Annihilation Inc launches Kickstarter for latest game in Planetary Annihilation universe, Industrial Annihilation, with $200,000 goal; releases into Steam Early Access later this year
➤ Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution to launch on Xbox Series X|S in October, physical release also confirmed
➤ Frostpunk 2 to receive physical special edition for the PC release, available for pre-order now at $99.99 and will release 20th September
➤ Magical Delicacy launches on Switch August 15th after coming to Steam and Xbox last month, boasts a remarkably unique "Metroidvania-lite-meets cooking sim" genre
➤ Black Myth: Wukong gets extended gameplay trailer ahead of its August 20th launch; shows new locations and takes a deeper dive into the story and lore behind the game
➤ Side-scrolling shoot 'em up sequel Valfaris: Mecha Therion gets its console release date set at August 29th, coming to Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox after well-received Steam launch last year
➤ Action-adventure game Creatures of Ava releases to largely positive reviews; game intro cinematic uploaded to YouTube
➤ Eight-player PvP foot-racing game Deathsprint 66 gets its release date set for September 12th, marketed as "gore meets parkour"
➤ Blackjack roguelike Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers launches onto Steam with new trailer
➤ Radical Fish Games reveals Alabaster Dawn, previously teased as "Project Terra", an action RPG game building on the best aspects of their previous game CrossCode; available to wishlist on Steam
➤ Mindscape announces video game adaptation to bestselling children's series "Dog Man"; titled "Dog Man: Mission Impawsible", it'll be a 2D side-scrolling platformer launching on Steam, Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S
➤ The Occultist announced as a new first-person horror experience from Daedalic Entertainment and developer DALOAR, invites players to join Alan Rebels on his most terrifying investigation yet; launches on PS5, Xbox, and PC in 2025
➤ The latest Warhammer 40,000 game, Space Marine 2, showcases PvE and PvP modes in extended multiplayer gameplay trailer; game due to release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Epic Games on September 9th
➤ Deckbuilding roguelike card battler Knock on the Coffin Lid launches on Steam after five years of early access; the game has been received very positively during its development, earning a number of awards for its gameplay and art
➤ Action-horror mystery game Let Me Out gets launch trailer alongside its PC release on Steam
➤ Triwizard school Quidditch pitches revealed for upcoming Harry Potter game "Quidditch Champions", boasts the first adaptation of the iconic schools most notable for their inclusion in the Goblet of Fire book and movie; game is set to launch September 3rd
➤ Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown makes its way to Steam after previously only being available via Epic Games and the Ubisoft Store for PC players; story DLC "Mark of Darkness" to follow September 17th, along with "Complete Edition" of game
➤ SEGA shares a new video for Space Colony Ark Act 1's music in Sonic X Shadow Generations; originally composed by Jun Senoue and remixed by Jun Senoue and TeddyLoid
➤ Turn-based "Mystery Dungeon" RPG Dragonero: The Rise of Draquir announced, launching September 26th on PC via Steam and will cost £17.99; Master Mode DLC to follow later this year to allow players to create and share dungeons and campaigns via Steam Workshop
➤ Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster to get physical release November 8th, follows digital launch across Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Steam on September 19th
➤ Dev log video reveals new roles and weapons for upcoming Early Access title Realm of Ink; Steam demo has been recently updated and is available to download
➤ Flashy ninja-themed platformer Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn gets playable demo, game releases August 29th
➤ Unique "cat-action" game Gori: Cuddly Carnage gets console and PC demo to celebrate International Cat Day, features first level that was previously available during most recent Steam NextFest
➤ Untold Games debuts new showcase video for its upcoming post-apocalyptic survival sandbox game "City 20", previously-available demo also back online for Steam and Epic Games users from today with a number of improvements and additions
➤ 3v3 first-person shooter Spectre Divide's closed beta dates have been revealed, sign-up available via Steam store page or Twitch drops; beta will run from August 13th to August 21st
➤ Another closed beta, this time for Seekers of Skyveil, an extraction game that has been described to me as "if League met Dark & Dark"; sign up again through Steam store page with the beta planned to go ahead sometime in September
➤ Deck13 releases Vacation Season DLC for their city builder Highrise City, priced at $9.99
➤ Impaler Gold released as free update to 90s inspired arena shooter Impaler on Steam and GOG
➤ Action RPG Atlas Fallen gets free overhaul update “Reign of Sand” along with statement from developer and publisher affirming their commitment to both the game and embracing community feedback
➤ Content pass to be introduced to third person asymmetrical horror game The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, reveals game roadmap for next six months and will cost $19.99
➤ Major update announced for the Arma 3 Creator DLC: Spearhead 1944, to introduce new terrain, two new coop scenarios, weapons, and more
➤ New trailer released for Persona 3 Reload DLC, Episode Aigis, introduces Lizzie Freeman as the voice behind character Metis
➤ Major "Fully Loaded" update now live for the roguelike coop cooking game PlateUp; features more advanced building options, leftover bags, and most significantly, tacos
➤ "Forestry Pack" released as DLC for Farming Simulator Kids, available for free on Nintendo Switch and as an in-app purchase on mobile devices; offers a range of new content most notably including squirrels
➤ Release date revealed to be August 27th for the Xbox and Steam release of Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, will include new "Golden Update" featuring crossplay multiplayer, sandbox mode, and more
➤ ARPG survival coop crafting game Enshrouded has surpassed three million players following its Early Access launch in January this year; game has had a number of major updates and community-focused events since launch, with 1.0 release planned for 2025 on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles
➤ New cat-themed update released for laid-back slice-of-life game "Lake", also brings Endless Mode to Xbox and PlayStation players
➤ Time to Morp gets a 25% discount to go with its "Double the Fun" update, introduces farming, multiplayer minigames, and "funny morps" amongst other things
➤ Capcom celebrates 500,000 player milestone for Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess with free DLC and behind-the-scenes video series on their official Twitter page; includes three talismans with one being an Okami collaboration
➤ Games/Bavaria to attend, The Games You Make, Dungeons and Dreadrock 2, and Adaptive Hero will be playable for the first time; EcoGnomix, Ruffy and the Riverside, Inspector Schmidt - The Ebbing, and Once Upon a Tile will have new playable demos
➤ Capcom announces full lineup, includes more than 60 demo stations for upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds, as well as global first hands-on with Terry Bogard in Street Fighter 6; Ace Attorney Investigations Collection and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess also playable
➤ Level Infinite has unveiled their lineup, includes Deathsprint 66, Dune: Awakening, Exoborne, Parcel Corps, and V Rising; livestream "The Infinite Showcase" event also revealed for Twitch and YouTube on the 21st of August
➤ Fireshine Games confirms they're bringing ten playable games, including one "unannounced mining roguelite", and an "experience room" for an unnamed upcoming horror title to be published by Fireshine
➤ SEGA to feature Sonic X Shadow Generations alongside Metaphor: ReFantazio, Atlus' new fantasy RPG
➤ Turtle Beach reveal Kone II Air and Kone II gaming mice, iterates on success of Kone AIMO and focused on ergonomics; releases September and available to pre-order now
➤ ModRetro announces success of GameStop-exclusive variant of their Chromatic Game Boy Color clone console, outperforming hardware like the Meta Quest last weekend; founder Palmer Luckey remarked that this is "just the start" for GameStop and ModRetro
➤ Anbernic re-rereleases the K101 Plus, a GBA clone console that was positively reviewed by me in 2021; note that if you aren't wanting it solely for its GBA cartridge slot that better and cheaper alternatives do very much exist nowadays though
➤ AYANEO Pocket Evo sales go live on Indiegogo, features 1080p OLED display and powered by Snapdragon G3x Gen 2; early bird pricing starts at $389
➤ Colombian developer Madbricks acquired by “game development agency” Amber
➤ XboxEra reveal Kickstarter for Console Wars The Card Game with £20,000 goal, a satirical spin on competition in the games industry; will be playable at gamescom
➤ Publisher Wired Productions teams up with video game music label Black Razor Records to release the first episode of “The Making of: Out of this World” series for soundtrack inspired by Arcade Paradise VR
➤ HoYoverse announces a collaboration with yfood to release two Genshin Impact-themed drinks, available to order internationally via yfood's web store
➤ Jason Schreier outlines ways to get a signed copy of their next book, "PLAY NICE: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment"; three in-person events planned in New York and California in October, and signed copies available to pre-order now via Porchlight Books
➤ Former NFL player Morgan Kane teams up with ex-Activision producer Joel Balyeat to form mobile game studio Marauder Tech, currently working on a medieval turn-based strategy game featuring multiplayer duels, multiple character classes, and an "adaptive playstyle"; no release window has been set
Fun-Looking Releases
It's a bit of a slow week for releases, with the big hitters all lining up for September and beyond ahead of the Christmas rush. Despite that, I've rounded up some games that I think look fun and interesting. If there's any you've picked up yourself that you think are worth a shout out, get to posting them in the replies!
Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid
Available on Switch and Steam
➤ I had seen nothing about this game prior to it appearing in my inbox this week, but it looks to be a genuinely charming adventure game set in the Japanese countryside; published by Spike Chunsoft it seems like one worth looking at
Fate/stay night REMASTERED
Available on Switch and Steam
➤ This one did have a few issues at launch with certain locale settings but having since being patched what we have here is probably the definitive way to play the acclaimed 2004 visual novel; the Fate series has always seemed somewhat intimidating to jump into, but this seems as good a place as any
Deathbound
Available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam
➤ Though currently sitting at a "Mixed" rating on Steam, Deathbound looks to have a few unique ideas for those craving a new soulslike after perhaps seeing all there is in Elden Ring's Realm of Shadow
SteamWorld Heist II
Available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, and Steam
➤ The latest in the hit SteamWorld series, we see combat remeniscent of the Worms games, though likely with a little more strategy at play
Preserve
Available via Steam Early Access
➤ Described as a wholesome puzzle game, I get some really great virtual board game aesthetics from this one; tasked with creating harmonious ecosystems, this is one I'll be picking up myself
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles
Available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, and Steam
➤ Much like Deathbound I've seen mixed things on this one, with some describing the combat as too simplistic, and others enjoying that simplicity; it looks fun to me, but if you're on the fence waiting for a decent sale could be your best bet
Wrapping Up
And that's it for this week! Again I do apologise if the format isn't quite there yet. This is still very much a work in progress, and I'm hoping it evolves a little in the coming weeks as we get feedback. If you think I've missed off something you care about, let me know so I can try to get onto the right mailing lists for future updates!
️
Love the pixel art for the header and the format is fun!
