March 26 – April 1

Section: 

IMAGE(https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/pictures/pictures/picture-5877.jpg)   Greg “DoubtingThomas396” Decker

So many games with so many questions to ask this week. Swingy Sword asks the unasked question: “What if fighting games controlled like Octodad?” TERRORhythm TRRT asks the question: “What if music was banned and the only way to bring it back was to make a One-Finger Death-Punch clone?” PC Building Simulator asks the question: “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”

But because I’m not interested in the answers to these, or any of the other questions posed by this week’s lineup, I’m going to pick Bad Dudes, which asks the question “Weren’t you supposed to come out last week?”

The port of Bad Dudes on the Nintendo Switch gets my pick for the second week in a row, and probably will until it actually comes out.

IMAGE(https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/pictures/picture-111373-1511547841.jpg)   Chris "C" Cesarano

This is a week filled with many excellent drops. Not a single one truly appeals to me.

Well, that's not entirely true. Each has a factor of temptation that, under normal circumstances, would drive this wannabe-connoisseur to purchase. I have no interest in Ubisoft's "more (repetition) is better" design philosophy, but the prospect of co-op play certainly makes Far Cry 5 an enticing suggestion. Emergent shenanigans are best celebrated with a friend, are they not?

The conclusion to Telltale's Batman: The Enemy Within drops this week. I only celebrate this because it means I can look forward to the full season being available on the Nintendo Switch at ... some future date. Fire Emblem Warriors gets its Awakening DLC, because what that game needed was more characters from the only two franchise entries it cared to pull roster from.

For me, the game of the week is a coin-flip: The Alliance Alive or Atelier Lydie & Suelle? The former is a spiritual sequel to Legend of Legacy, which itself was a spiritual successor to the Romancing SaGa franchise that failed to make a splash in the West. The latter is yet another entry in this seemingly annual franchise of moé girls doing moé RPG slaughter in pastel colors.

The metallic cling! inserted in post by foley artists indicates the coin has been flipped. The much more realistic and subdued clump against the tiled floor lets you know it has landed.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is my pick for game of the week.

IMAGE(https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/pictures/pictures/picture-13445.jpg)   Felix “Gideon Braver was robbed” Threepaper

This week we get to find out if Far Cry 5 has much to say beyond the much-hyped slapping of a “bad guy” label on a white American. Behind the topical choice of villain, the gameplay is a big Ubi-Katamari ball stuck with all the features from earlier Fars Cry: towers, outposts, animal taming, yadda yadda yadda.

Of Mice and Sand: Revised comes to PC and PS4 from the DS, via the Switch. It’s a resource-manager where you’re in charge of a group of Jawas mice as they pilot a massive vehicle through the desert looking for MacGuffin. It reminds me of Fallout Shelter, in that it looks initially engaging before ennui and drift set in. YMMV.

For the past 6 months there’s been a steady drip of VR releases each week. I wonder if there’s a critical mass of VR games now, or is it still a bit early-2007 PS3? Anyhoo, this week VR gets its Infinity Blade in Preta: Vendetta Rising.

When I spend this much wordcount on the also-rans, my weekly pick was not a clear winner. On a recount, I’ll go for Robocraft Royale. The Russian judge is protesting because I don’t usually go for Battle Royale games, but this one is with vehicles! It doesn’t have the design-your-own vehicular crafting of original Robocraft, though – you start out in a flimsy buggy and can find tanks, helicopters, mechs and whatnot in the field. I gave it my vote because the localised component damage gave me a heady Mechwarrior vibe. They can’t shoot you if their guns are broken.

Here's the list, now in release-date order!

PC

  • 03-26

  • 8 Ball
  • Alice Must Find The Key To Escape
  • Annotation of Love
  • BoyAndLabyrinth
  • Cross Channel
  • Cyber Escape
  • Digital Runner
  • Electric Sermon
  • Far Cry 5
  • Fritz Chess 16 Steam Edition
  • Go Go Poncho!
  • Horse World
  • Knife Hit Dash
  • Maze of Infection
  • Old Factory
  • Ostalgie: The Berlin Wall
  • Peace Duke
  • PHEER
  • Robocraft Royale
  • Scary defense
  • Swingy Sword
  • The Balcony
  • The Rhys510 Flash Back
  • Through the Ages
  • Tisnart Shapes
  • Tower Defense Sudden Attack
  • X-Morph: Defense - European Assault
  • 03-27

  • Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings
  • Classic Rodeo play
  • Fatal Velocity: Physics Combat
  • Game of Stones
  • How To Cope With Boredom and Loneliness
  • Injustice 2: Legendary Edition
  • Kawaii Rainbow Portal
  • Labyrinths of Atlantis
  • Marginal act
  • MX vs. ATV All Out
  • Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition
  • PC Building Simulator
  • PixARK
  • Round Mars
  • Secret Laboratory
  • Seek Or Die
  • Sky Hawk
  • Space Escape!
  • The Land of Glass
  • The m0rg VS keys
  • The Pirate's Fate
  • Toy Generals
  • Trivia Vault: Auto Racing Trivia
  • Trove: Heroes
  • various fighters
  • 03-28

  • Clash of Cards
  • Cow Catcher Simulator
  • Evil Cogs
  • Fix Race
  • GL1TCH
  • Go All Out!
  • Go Away My Fat
  • Golfing Over It with Alva Majo
  • Harmonium
  • Internal Storm
  • LifeZ - Survival
  • Long Gone Days
  • Lost In Space 2
  • Metropolis
  • Of Mice and Sand: Revised
  • Pilferer
  • Sloppy Goat
  • Tube Tycoon
  • Zombow
  • 03-29

  • Coin Pusher
  • DESOLATE: Clone Catastrophe
  • Empires Apart
  • Foreveracers
  • Infernium
  • Moto Racing 3D
  • Nautical Life
  • Oakwood Academy of Spells and Sorcery
  • Outsider Strategist
  • Overlook
  • Questlike
  • Ramen
  • Sarcophag
  • Spectrum Break
  • Temptation
  • Train Valley 2
  • Trivia Vault: Golf Trivia
  • Umiro
  • Velvet Guard
  • War Of Spells
  • 03-30

  • !4RC4N01D! 4: KOHBEEP edition
  • Analistica Academy
  • Ashley: The Story Of Survival
  • Barro
  • Basingstoke
  • Bomb Hunter MT
  • Boxing Fighter : Super punch
  • Bug Attack!
  • Color Circle
  • Crypto Quest
  • Cubic Color
  • Empire of the Dead Souls
  • Fatal Twelve
  • Fureraba: Friend to Lover
  • Gaia Beyond
  • Golf Cart Drive
  • Guts and Syringes
  • Kingdom Clicker
  • Laser Ball
  • Lazy Devil's game life
  • Lethal Lawns: Competitive Mowing Bloodsport
  • Luminescence
  • Maidens of a Hollow Dream
  • Make Sail
  • Merlin vs Zombies
  • Oneness
  • ORION
  • Quaddro 2
  • Ratergy
  • Retro Hacker
  • Snail Trek - Chapter 4: The Final Fondue
  • STAY
  • Super Pillow Fight
  • Sure Footing
  • Sword Mans
  • TERRORhythm TRRT
  • The Flood
  • The Floor is Lava
  • Titan Siege Online
  • Ultimate Select Hero
  • UNDEAD FACTORY
  • Viking's drakkars
  • Wonder Wickets
  • 03-31

  • GROOD
  • 04-01

  • Cryptocurrency Clicker
  • Trivia Vault: Hockey Trivia

PS4

  • 03-26

  • X-Morph: Defense - European Assault
  • 03-27

  • Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings
  • Batman: The Enemy Within Episode 5: Same Stitch
  • Bit Dungeon+
  • Bridge Constructor Stunts
  • Far Cry 5
  • Injustice 2: Legendary Edition
  • MLB The Show 18
  • MX vs. ATV All Out
  • The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2
  • Trove: Heroes
  • 03-28

  • RollerCoaster Tycoon Joyride
  • Tempest 4000
  • 03-29

  • Atari Flashback Classics: Volume 3
  • Of Mice and Sand: Revised
  • Preta: Vendetta Rising
  • 03-30

  • Code:Realize - Bouquet of Rainbows

Xbox One

  • 03-26

  • X-Morph: Defense - European Assault
  • 03-27

  • Batman: The Enemy Within Episode 5: Same Stitch
  • Far Cry 5
  • Injustice 2: Legendary Edition
  • MX vs. ATV All Out
  • PixARK
  • Trove: Heroes
  • 03-29

  • Atari Flashback Classics: Volume 3
  • 03-30

  • Alteric

Switch

  • 03-27

  • Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings
  • D/Generation HD
  • Outlast 2
  • Warp Shift
  • 03-29

  • Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja
  • ClusterPuck 99
  • Fire Emblem Warriors: Awakening Pack
  • Gotcha Racing 2nd
  • Streets of Red: Devil's Dare Deluxe
  • TENGAI for Nintendo Switch
  • The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 1 - A Dreadly Business
  • Zombillie
  • 03-30

  • Alteric
  • Farm Expert 2018 for Nintendo Switch
  • Shadow Bug
  • Toki Tori
  • 04-01

  • Spartan

3DS

  • 03-27

  • The Alliance Alive
  • 03-29

  • Dodge Club Pocket
  • Waku Waku Sweets: Happy Sweets Making

Vita

  • 03-27

  • Bit Dungeon+
  • 03-30

  • Code:Realize - Future Blessings

RIFT

  • 03-26

  • Future City Coaster
  • 03-29

  • NetStars - VR Goalie Trainer
  • Rockochet
  • VRobot
  • 03-30

  • FlickSync - Mad Hatter VR
  • HeadON!
  • STAR SOD

Vive

  • 03-26

  • Future City Coaster
  • 03-29

  • Beer and Skittls VR
  • NetStars - VR Goalie Trainer
  • Rockochet
  • VRobot
  • 03-30

  • FlickSync - Mad Hatter VR
  • HeadON!
  • STAR SOD
  • The Next Day After Friday
  • Zombie Grenades Practice
  • Zombie World

Comments

Curious to see how Tempest 4000 turns out.

With Jeff Minter at the wheel, I bet it'll be quite groovy to say the least.

Train Valley 2 caught my eye. I really enjoyed the first one, and so did my son. This looks like it will be a nice progression from the original. Too bad it's only hitting early access this week, for an anticipated full year.

The Alliance Alive is this week? Oy. Time to see if I can stomach the $40 3DS price tag when my Switch is a calling.

Also, The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 is out too? I can't believe NIS made a sequel to the game already. Didn't think it sold well enough to justify, but it's another title I'd have to justify the price tag. Buying it I'd have to forgo buying something like Yakuza 6 or Ni no Kuni 2. And that ain't happening.

Judging games by title alone, I need to go look up Snail Trek now

*considers buying Witch and the Hundred Knight 2*

*checks game collection and sees original still in shrink wrap*

*puts wallet away*

Time to revisit neverwinter nights for the first time in a scary number of years, I think!

Atelier for me thanks.