March 22 - 28

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IMAGE(https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/pictures/pictures/picture-13445.jpg)   Felix “Flamin’ Birds” Threepaper

Welcome folks, and happy “Fannie Farmer’s birthday” week! Fannie Farmer, born in 1857, was the author of The Boston Cooking-School Cookbook, which was the first cookbook to include specific ingredient measures. Apparently before that, people were just writing “Throw in a fistful of lard” or “Stir in a bunch of molasses.” No wonder everyone was getting dysentery back then. You may all celebrate by playing a game with cooking in it.

Balan Wonderworld is Squenix trying to compete with Nintendo in the all-ages platformer stakes. The dev team includes key personnel from Team Sonic, who then resurrected some ideas from their other games, such as Nights into Dreams and Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. Expect a strong soundtrack and some dance routines to go along with the heavy “musical theatre” theme of Balan Wonderworld. It will have 12 big chapters, containing sandbox environments, mini-levels, collectibles, and minigames. But it wouldn’t be musical theatre without a bunch of costume changes, each granting different powers. While the moveset is pretty basic (jump and change costume), the jump button is replaced by a new ability whenever you change costumes. This is outside Squenix’s usual wheelhouse, but the production values are high, and the costume mechanic will be elegant simplicity or the game’s Achilles heel.

Immortals Fenyx Rising: Myths of the Eastern Realm comes at a good time for me, as I started up the main game just a few weeks ago and am loving its blend of Breath of the Wild and Greek mythology. The only thing that really irked me about Breath of the Wild—weapon degradation—is gone, as is a lot of Ubi bloat. Myths of the Eastern Realm is the second of 3 bits of DLC. It’s made by Ubisoft Chengdu and centres on Chinese mythology. It features a whole new hero: Ku, with a new set of powers and skills (though I still saw a sword and an axe in the trailers). Further details are scarce at the moment, but it will be a new world, with a new story, new puzzles, and new beasties to fight.

It Takes Two is a strictly 2-player game, just like it says on the tin. What’s more interesting is how the game fleshes out the co-op throughout. You start with standard co-op platforming: one person hits a button so the other can progress, but even within the first level, it starts branching out. Each player gets a different tool and you have to work out how to use them together. Then there’s a shooting part where each player gets a different type of gun. Then there’s a flying part where one person flies and one person shoots. Then there’s—you get my drift. No part overstays its welcome as the game moves quickly on to its next idea. There’s also minigames where you play with, or against, each other. Storywise, it’s got a “Honey, I shrunk the protagonists” vibe, and overall, it looks like a platter of tasty snacks to share.

Paradise Lost is a Polish walking simulator set in an alternate 1980 where WW2 went on for 20 extra years and ended in nuclear war. If that’s not bleak enough for ya, there’s a slew of horror/psychological horror games, which you can guess from their names: Arkham Horror: Mother’s Embrace, DARQ, Evil Inside, and Sanity of Morris.

On the other end of the gloominess dial is chirpy, neon, techno Spacebase Startopia, published by Kalypso Media. It’s an RTS/economic-simulator where you build and maintain your funhouse spacebase, keeping your domestic aliens happy and entertained while preparing for the invasion of other aliens. It’s all narrated by VAL, the spacebase AI, and your enjoyment of the game will probably hinge upon how funny you find her.

My GOTW goes to Immortals Fenyx Rising: Myths of the Eastern Realm. The previous DLC bolted on a decent end-game chapter for me to look forward to, and this looks like another generous dollop of game. The season pass is shaping up as a value prospect.

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

PC

  • 03-22

  • As Fast As Possible
  • Bear Haven Nights 2
  • Castle survival
  • Dreamer
  • Dying Flame
  • Evil Buster
  • Felix The Toy
  • For Sparta
  • Gustavo : Kingdom Rebirth
  • Hyposphere Z
  • KingdomDefense
  • Malice & Greed
  • Memoirs of a Battle Brothel
  • Neon Snake
  • One Try Tower
  • Pixel Art Coloring Book
  • Realms of Antiquity: The Shattered Crown
  • Recoiled
  • ROUGH KUTS: Night of the Living Dead
  • Super Hunchback
  • Sweep
  • Triple Dungeon
  • Utopos
  • Vectorio
  • VR Chinese Garden Tour (HD): Flying as a dragonfly
  • Warbox
  • WaterPolo Inter Nation
  • 03-23

  • 23UL
  • Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace
  • Bed Survival
  • Chronicle of Innsmouth: Mountains of Madness
  • Dropshipping Simulator
  • Endless Furry Blackjack
  • Girls and Dragons
  • Ground Zero: Texas - Nuclear Edition
  • Inspector Waffles
  • Just Defense
  • Kazakh 'Jack
  • Machinika Museum
  • Mansions of Madness: Mother's Embrace
  • Overcooked! All You Can Eat
  • Praesidium
  • Puyo Puyo Tetris 2
  • Rotego
  • Sanity of Morris
  • Towards the Sky
  • Vaccine Delivery Simulator
  • 03-24

  • Allan
  • Biochemical invasion
  • Blob Lander
  • Couch Monsters
  • Cutie Bear
  • Digital Diamond Baseball V9
  • Disturbed R.I.P.
  • ECHOLOCAUTION
  • Elemental Angel
  • Faction Wars
  • Long Road
  • Mega Solitaire Collection
  • MiniRacer
  • Mysterious world
  • Nibiru Voyage
  • Ninja Lexx
  • Paradise Lost
  • Presence
  • Sacred Cubes
  • Sausage Fiesta
  • Snapshot
  • SpeedingRoad
  • The Book of Bondmaids
  • The Story of Difined Life
  • The Village
  • Traffic City
  • TravelRacer
  • Twilight Town: A Cyberpunk Day In Life
  • Unblock Me Car
  • Unfolded : Camellia Tales
  • Vampirem
  • 03-25

  • Aloof
  • Black Legend
  • Cassidy
  • Clea 2
  • Cosmophobia
  • Dandy Ace
  • Dorfromantik
  • Evil Inside
  • Mech Mechanic Simulator
  • Noch
  • Raspberry Mash
  • Revolution Diabolique
  • Sentience
  • The Bus
  • The Fabled Woods
  • The Tenants
  • Where's Samantha?
  • Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Xbox Series X

  • 03-23

  • Hunting Simulator 2
  • 03-25

  • DARQ: Complete Edition
  • Evil Inside
  • Immortals Fenyx Rising: Myths of the Eastern Realm
  • 03-26

  • Balan Wonderworld
  • It Takes Two
  • Spacebase Startopia
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2

Xbox One

  • 03-23

  • Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace
  • Sanity of Morris
  • 03-24

  • Paradise Lost
  • Rip Them Off
  • 03-25

  • Black Legend
  • Clea 2
  • El Hijo: A Wild West Tale
  • Evil Inside
  • Immortals Fenyx Rising: Myths of the Eastern Realm
  • Octopath Traveler
  • Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
  • 03-26

  • Balan Wonderworld
  • Die With Glory
  • Genesis Noir
  • It Takes Two
  • Kaze and the Wild Masks
  • Ruvato: Original Complex
  • Spacebase Startopia
  • Tank Brawl 2: Armor Fury

PlayStation 5

  • 03-23

  • Hunting Simulator 2
  • 03-25

  • DARQ: Complete Edition
  • Evil Inside
  • Immortals Fenyx Rising: Myths of the Eastern Realm
  • 03-26

  • Balan Wonderworld
  • It Takes Two
  • Spacebase Startopia
  • Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2

PlayStation 4

  • 03-23

  • Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace
  • Overcooked! All You Can Eat
  • Sanity of Morris
  • 03-24

  • Love Live! School Idol Festival ~after school ACTIVITY~ Wai-Wai!Home Meeting!!
  • Paradise Lost
  • 03-25

  • Black Legend
  • El Hijo: A Wild West Tale
  • Evil Inside
  • Immortals Fenyx Rising: Myths of the Eastern Realm
  • 03-26

  • Balan Wonderworld
  • It Takes Two
  • Kaze and the Wild Masks
  • Spacebase Startopia

Switch

  • 03-22

  • Vaporum: Lockdown
  • 03-23

  • Arkham Horror: Mother's Embrace
  • Overcooked! All You Can Eat
  • Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town
  • Tales from the Borderlands: A Telltale Game Series
  • Tank Battle Heroes
  • 03-24

  • Golf Royale
  • Hellbreachers
  • Tesla Force
  • 03-25

  • Barrage Fantasia
  • Black Legend
  • BodyQuest
  • Clea 2
  • Danger Scavenger
  • El Hijo: A Wild West Tale
  • Evil Inside
  • Future Aero Racing S Ultra
  • Get-A-Grip Chip
  • Gold Digger
  • Immortals Fenyx Rising: Myths of the Eastern Realm
  • Kosmokrats
  • Krystopia: A Puzzle Journey
  • Little Kite
  • Mahluk dark demon
  • Mancala Classic Board Game
  • MazM: The Phantom of the Opera
  • Mega Mall Story 2
  • Memories Off Historia Vol. 1
  • Paperball Deluxe
  • Rip Them Off
  • Scandal In The Spotlight
  • The House in Fata Morgana - Dreams of the Revenants Edition -
  • Tinker Racers
  • Toon Shooters 2
  • Toon Shooters 2: The Freelancers
  • Wild Park Manager
  • 03-26

  • Balan Wonderworld
  • Die With Glory
  • Genesis Noir
  • Kaze and the Wild Masks
  • Mermaid Castle
  • Monster Hunter Rise
  • One Escape

Comments

Monster Hunter Rise!

Stele wrote:

Monster Hunter Rise!

Was robbed

Gary Grigsby's War in the East 2, the long-awaited (by a few hardcore wargamers) sequel to Gary Grigsby's War in the East, releases on Thursday.

Wow, yeah, Rise is a huge release this week, imho, and I'm hardly a fanatic for the series. It's an honest to gawd new game in the series and looks amazing on Switch. Capcom has done some wonders with their engine optimizations. Heck, even Nintendo could learn something from them.

tboon wrote:

Gary Grigsby's War in the East 2, the long-awaited (by a few hardcore wargamers) sequel to Gary Grigsby's War in the East, releases on Thursday.

One of the few PC games to NEED to be purchased in physical form!

garion333 wrote:

Wow, yeah, Rise is a huge release this week, imho, and I'm hardly a fanatic for the series.

I was being genuine -- totally robbed. I only spotted it once I published... thought it was next week for some reason, even though it's right there on the list. My bad.

Monster Hunter: Rise iterates on the formula set down in Monster Hunter: World, which itself refined the Monster Hunter formula to be more accessible to newcomers, and it reaped the rewards in sales.

The biggest changes are aimed at cutting down the long treks through the map before you get to monster-fighting. It's called "Rise" because verticality is brought into the mix through the new grappling hook wirebug: you use them to grapple through mid-air, without needing to latch on to anything, as well as for wall-running. Wirebugs can also be used in combat for some interesting combos and mount-taming.

I never followed Monster Hunter off the handhelds, but that's when this series hit the mainstream. The gameplay has been heavily tweaked, especially for the current generation of consoles, but it's all aimed at getting you to the good stuff: interesting fights with fantastical beasts.

Felix Threepaper wrote:
garion333 wrote:

Wow, yeah, Rise is a huge release this week, imho, and I'm hardly a fanatic for the series.

I was being genuine -- totally robbed. I only spotted it once I published... thought it was next week for some reason, even though it's right there on the list. My bad.

Monster Hunter: Rise iterates on the formula set down in Monster Hunter: World, which itself refined the Monster Hunter formula to be more accessible to newcomers, and it reaped the rewards in sales.

The biggest changes are aimed at cutting down the long treks through the map before you get to monster-fighting. It's called "Rise" because verticality is brought into the mix through the new grappling hook wirebug: you use them to grapple through mid-air, without needing to latch on to anything, as well as for wall-running. Wirebugs can also be used in combat for some interesting combos and mount-taming.

I never followed Monster Hunter off the handhelds, but that's when this series hit the mainstream. The gameplay has been heavily tweaked, especially for the current generation of consoles, but it's all aimed at getting you to the good stuff: interesting fights with fantastical beasts.

Blah blah blah, now that it's popular I ignore it blah blah blah

Genesis Noir is unlike anything I've seen before. It's also coming to Game Pass on day one.

Felix Threepaper wrote:

Monster Hunter: Rise iterates on the formula set down in Monster Hunter: World, which itself refined the Monster Hunter formula to be more accessible to newcomers, and it reaped the rewards in sales.

The biggest changes are aimed at cutting down the long treks through the map before you get to monster-fighting. It's called "Rise" because verticality is brought into the mix through the new grappling hook wirebug: you use them to grapple through mid-air, without needing to latch on to anything, as well as for wall-running. Wirebugs can also be used in combat for some interesting combos and mount-taming.

I never followed Monster Hunter off the handhelds, but that's when this series hit the mainstream. The gameplay has been heavily tweaked, especially for the current generation of consoles, but it's all aimed at getting you to the good stuff: interesting fights with fantastical beasts.

You may have sold me on Monster Hunter: Rise. I dabbled with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, on Wii U. I bounced off rather swiftly. I'm not sure if I tried Monster Hunter: World, on PS4, or merely looked up footage. It was also denied. They both came across as time intensive and multi-layered. If these have been streamlined with MH: Rise that may be the one for me.