August 28 - September 3

  Felix “Dino Might” Threepaper

Welcome folks, and happy “93rd Anniversary of a race between a train and a horse” week!

Tom Thumb was the name given to the first American-built steam train. It was a prototype, built to convince the first American railroad company to stop using horse-pulled carts on the tracks and sign up for steam engines. On 28 August 1830, it lined up in Maryland for an 8-mile race against a horse-drawn cart. The race had been arranged by a local stagecoach company, who wanted to prove that their business model wasn’t obsolete yet. The race had a tortoise-and-hare vibe, whereby Tom Thumb easily outpaced the horse until a pulley belt fell off, Tom Thumb lost power, and the horse won. Notwithstanding Tom Thumb’s defeat, the railroad company was convinced and stopped using horses in 1831. You may all celebrate by playing a game where you progress even if you lose a fight.

This is the week I’ve been waiting for, to a point that it has become a yearning—Baldur's Gate 3 on PS5 (if you bought the Deluxe edition, which I did, to get it 3 whole days earlier). Since BG3 came out, I’ve been trying to distract myself with other games, but 5 minutes into whatever I played, I’d end up on my phone, looking up stuff about BG3. Soon I can finally jump in. This will probably do me for the rest of the year.

Starfield is so big, it takes two weeks to launch. It enters Early Access this week, with Bethesda ambitiously giving itself 7 days to iron out the bugs before the official full launch next week. This has crowded out any other big name titles over the next fortnight.

The Making of Karateka is an interesting one for those who like to dig into game history and design. Karateka was Jordan Mechner’s first hit game, which gave him the clout to make Prince of Persia. The Making of is an interactive documentary that has a ton of interviews and archival material about the design and legacy of Karateka, including details of a sequel that was never finished. It also bundles in the game itself, both the original and remastered versions. There’s a bonus, previously unpublished Mechner game included too. This is like buying a DVD for the special features. This is the start of the Gold Master Series by Digital Eclipse, in which it wants to do more documentaries about other classic games. Bring it on.

Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The London Case is the second Hercule Poirot mystery by Blazing Griffin. I enjoyed its first Poirot game, which served a very Agatha Christie experience, and I expect the same again here. In this game, Hastings will be by your side for the first time, hopefully not barking clues every 10 seconds if you linger in a room.

Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is the latest in this puzzle-platformer series that just keeps truckin’. It iterates on Trine 4 rather than reinventing the series, so it’s the same 3 heroes, playable solo or in co-op, with some extra powers and puzzles in a new story. These games are like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches: they’re not a full meal, but a perfectly cromulent snack.

Goodbye Volcano High is a narrative adventure presented in 2D. It’s a coming-of-age tale about anthropomorphic dinosaurs in high school, finding love and art under the shadows of impending doom. The main characters are in a band, so there’s rhythm game elements, and I liked what I heard of the music. Its storytelling is on a level with Life is Strange, with LGBT representation and themes. Of course, this means it has attracted the wrong sort of attention from the wrong kind of gamers, so it’s good to see it finally release and have a chance to connect with people who appreciate that there’s room for all kinds of themes and stories in games.

Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG. It’s a love letter to Super Nintendo-era RPGs with super lush pixel art.

You all know that I already gave BG3 a GOTW when it came out on PC. So this week, the chocolates go to Goodbye Volcano High for its strong storytelling and because the devs delayed the game numerous times to avoid crunch.

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

PC

• 08-28

• Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The London Case
• Anonymous Hacker Simulator: Prologue
• Bihai Chaosheng Nostalgic Edition
• Binding of Elements
• Bleak Frontier
• Block Buster Billy
• Blue Wednesday
• Cloud Jump
• Death Again
• Dendam (Revenge)
• Enchanted Blacksmith
• Home trip
• Horror Ken
• Infinity Islets
• Internet Cafe Creator
• Kimi sae Ireba
• Last Resort
• Legend of Peks
• Looper Tactics
• Magnet Mania 3D
• Midnight Thunder Drive
• MONOTONIA: First Contact
• Neyasnoe
• Obsidian
• Raddoll
• Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty
• Text Adventure
• The Orphanage
• TRACHI - AUTHORITY
• Untamed Tactics

• 08-29

• A Heroine Story
• CROSSFIRE: SIERRA SQUAD
• Dirty Wars: September 11
• Draft Day Sports: College Football 2024
• Emilia's PLAYROOM VR
• GO TO HELL or Die Trying
• Goodbye Volcano High
• Ice and Fire Apocalypse
• life in world
• Never Ending Nightmare
• Omen Fall
• Prison City
• Rhapsody II: Ballad of the Little Princess
• Rhapsody III: Memories of Marl Kingdom
• Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles
• SCRUMLORDS
• Sea of Stars
• The Black Pool
• The Brittle Epoch
• The Making of Karateka
• The Matchless KungFu
• The Queen's Quest
• Under The Waves
• Warlock The Bounty Hunter

• 08-30

• Brave Nine
• Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle
• Dead Metal
• Extremely Powerful Capybaras
• Fi-Knight Kingdom
• Frogman Magmaborn
• Gravity Castle
• Heads Will Roll: Reforged
• High Sea Saga DX
• House of Maids
• Kitten Tales
• Magnecord
• Magnir Saga Part 1
• Mujina - Maze Game
• Myths of Rules
• OU
• Paladin's Passage
• React-O-Matic
• Soulkeeper Diaries
• Space Vikings
• Star Farmer: Prologue
• The Adventure of TED and the lost magic crystals
• Word Dungeons
• YinYangStreet

• 08-31

• 9 to Die
• Before the Ending Bell Rings Chapter.2
• Cardbob: Revival
• Checkmate Challenge
• Codebreaker: Defuse or BOOM!!
• Colorless
• Covid 69
• Cradles
• Escape Space
• Forgenator
• FourthMotion
• Galaxy Guardian Royale
• Gold and Glory
• Great North Shelter 2
• HAINYA WORLD
• How 2 Escape
• Jeff: The Hungry Fish
• Joker Show - Horror Escape
• Labyrinth of Rage
• Little Kingdoms: Chapters 1-3
• Lost Dream: Overgrown
• Mega Man X DiVE Offline
• Mini Garden Cafe
• Mystery at Morgoth
• Number One Fighter
• Pocket Bravery
• Polaroid (THEAND Co.)
• Rebellion Corporation
• ReCurse: Eternal
• Sandtrix+
• Seven Nights Ghost
• SHADOWS IN THE DARK
• Six Souls: Requiem for Forgotten Birds
• Skator Gator 3D
• STAR MARS
• Survival In Snow
• Tamer Vale
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Dimension Shellshock
• Tenebris Pictura
• Together Synergy
• Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy
• URBO: Dream One
• War Hospital

• 09-01

• 2024 U.S. Election Simulator
• Bunny Guys!
• Capybro
• Conbunn Cardboard
• Danger in Body
• Eggsplosion
• End of Knights
• Freecell Academy
• Gamble Tower
• Gastro Force
• Holua's Arcades
• I commissioned some ladybugs 2
• Kyivan Rus
• Magnetic Bonds
• Midnight Monitor: Anomaly Watch
• ONLY UP : Rising
• Orc invasion
• Planet Iridium
• Project Voidcraft
• Quarantine Town
• Remains Of Morrow
• RUSSIAN FIGHT SIMULATOR
• School: The Hardest RPG in Your Life
• Soul Keeper
• SPRINT.FIRE
• StellarEchoes:BoxingChampion
• StellarEchoes:BraveTrial
• StellarEchoes:MazeShooter
• StellarEchoes:UltimateChallenge
• Subject Debris
• Sunlight Scream
• Taravana: Deep Ocean Survival
• The Genesis Order
• The Legend of Ogorets #1: Wrat
• Tiny Witch
• Tip of the Tongue
• TV Simulator
• Twilight Tunnels
• Up or Lava!
• VAMPIRE FAMILY
• Void Stranger
• Warring States Online
• Waterfall Prisoner
• Witch Hunter Izana

• 09-03

• Aatral
• Getting Out Alive
• Mars Training Camp VR
• NEXUS
• OIL FILLING

Xbox Series X

• 08-29

• Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The London Case
• Sea of Stars
• The Making of Karateka
• Under The Waves

• 08-30

• Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle
• Lapin

• 08-31

• How 2 Escape
• Tenebris Pictura
• Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy
• War Hospital

• 09-01

• Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
• DREAMERS

Xbox One

• 08-29

• Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The London Case
• Sea of Stars
• The Making of Karateka
• Under The Waves

• 08-30

• Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle

• 08-31

• Gourmet Warriors
• How 2 Escape
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Dimension Shellshock
• Tenebris Pictura
• Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy

• 09-01

• Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
• Cats and the Other Lives
• DREAMERS
• Hexapoda

PlayStation 5

• 08-29

• Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The London Case
• Crossfire: Sierra Squad
• Goodbye Volcano High
• Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles
• Sea of Stars
• The Making of Karateka
• Under The Waves

• 08-30

• Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle

• 08-31

• How 2 Escape
• Somerville
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Dimension Shellshock
• Tenebris Pictura
• Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy
• War Hospital

• 09-01

• Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

• 09-03

• Baldur's Gate 3

PlayStation 4

• 08-29

• Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The London Case
• Goodbye Volcano High
• Sea of Stars
• The Making of Karateka
• Under The Waves

• 08-30

• Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle

• 08-31

• Gourmet Warriors
• How 2 Escape
• Somerville
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Dimension Shellshock
• Tenebris Pictura
• Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy

• 09-01

• Bomb Rush Cyberfunk

Switch

• 08-28

• Garden In!
• Heart Chain Kitty: All Screwed Up

• 08-29

• Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot: The London Case
• Golf: Hole in One
• Rhapsody: Marl Kingdom Chronicles
• Samba de Amigo: Party Central
• Sea of Stars
• Sphereout
• The Making of Karateka

• 08-30

• Hyperforma Lost Archives - Fragment I
• Hyperforma Lost Archives - Fragment II
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope: Rayman in the Phantom Show
• The Bridge Curse Road to Salvation

• 08-31

• 1997
• Baseball Club
• Buggy Racer
• Catlord
• Elasto Mania II
• Eventide 2: The Sorcerer's Mirror
• Gourmet Warriors
• High Sea Saga DX
• How 2 Escape
• It's a Wrap!
• Jelly Fruits Adventure: Magic Match 3 Puzzle
• Masala Drive
• NecroBoy : Path to Evilship
• OU
• Sakura Fox Adventure
• Taito Milestones 2
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge - Dimension Shellshock
• The Shape of Things
• TRAPPED in The Dim Mansion
• Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy
• Trip World DX
• Yakiniku Simulator

• 09-01

• Aquapark io
• Big Farm Story
• Gastro Force
• Hole.io
• Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Dropout!
• Paper.io 2
• Ralph and the Blue Ball
• Skautfold Bloody Pack