July 18 – July 24

Section: 

You know it's a thin week when I'm thinking hard about choosing a VR game. Mageworks looks like it might be interesting. It's a mage sim where you create your own spells and craft your own staff. Slap a Rincewind license on that puppy and you might almost wrestle a VR game of the week out of me.

Of course, I shan't be getting a VR headset in the near future, nor probably in the distant future either. Fortunately, the game industry vindicates, once again, my belief that there's always something for everyone out there on any given Tuesday. Human: Fall Flat is that game for this Tuesday, even if it does come on a Thursday. It's a physics-based puzzle game, which is usually a bad sign, but the emphasis seems to be on failing in a humorous fashion rather than grinding out stars. Let's take a gamble that comedy conquers all, shall we?

Felix “Careful with that axe, Eugene” Threepaper

Bless this Golden Age of Gaming. Even an off week offers up a menu of side-scrollers (10 Second Ninja X), roguelikes (Death Road to Canada), remasters (Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered) and Japanese games that came out over there years ago (Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault).

Jacob sounds like the Seven Up! (not the fizzy drink, the longitudinal socioeconomic documentary) of games, but I cannot find any footage of it.

Dreambreak is giving me heavy Another World vibes, while The Eyes of Ara reeks of Myst.

Dreambreak gets my GOTW for being set in an alternate-future USSR and for mixing in action gameplay elements to spice up the pointing and the clicking.

Chris "C" Cesarano

The big draw to Square Enix's I Am Setsuna is supposed to be its influence from games like Chrono Trigger, beckoning to adults like me that'll harp on and on about how back in my day JRPGs were just better. A single glance at a trailer for the game is enough to inform the player of this retro-style throwback to a time when the company wasn't desperately trying to convince you that Final Fantasy XV was going to be a good game, guys, really, trust us on this please buy the game we swear it'll be good.

It's easy to look at superficial elements like dual- and triple-techs and say "That's Chrono Trigger!" However, that's not what keeps the combat engaging for me even today. What I love about Chrono Trigger is the importance of Techs on the battlefield, be it in exploiting elemental weaknesses or choosing the right area-of-effect attack while keeping an eye on your magic points. If I Am Setsuna can implement and evolve such design elements similarly to how Bravely Default upgraded the tactics of old-school turn-based games, then it'll be a worthy spiritual-successor indeed.

Erik "wordsmythe" Hanson

Were I to hang out with friends this week – and I am – Swordy would be on my radar. It's a multiplayer competitive brawler where players heft and slowly swing large, physics-modelled weapons around, hoping to hit someone. Throw this on a projector at Baby Castles or Bit Bash, and the line will probably stretch out for a ways.

Colleen “Momgamer” Hannon
I’ve spent way, way too much time on Fire’s VR rig this week, but I’m not completely oblivious to the outside world. MageWorks also intrigues me.

But after a rocky, delay-riddled start I’m going for In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor just for the utterly silly premise. If you’re having a giant problem, releasing a raptor into the room is a good idea!? I mean, what could go wrong with that?

This week:

PC

  • 10 Second Ninja X
  • 8DAYS
  • Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault
  • Death Road to Canada
  • Dreambreak
  • Empty Horizons
  • Hive Jump
  • Human: Fall Flat
  • I Am Setsuna
  • In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor
  • Jacob
  • LOKA: League of Keepers Allysium
  • Lord Mayor
  • Machine Made: Rebirth
  • Naruto Online
  • SUPERFIGHT
  • SweatShop
  • SWORDY
  • The Away Team
  • The Eyes of Ara
  • Trapper's Delight
  • Zombie Night Terror

PS4

  • 10 Second Ninja X
  • ARK: Survival of the Fittest
  • Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered
  • I Am Setsuna
  • Kill Strain
  • Lifeless Planet
  • Moon Hunters
  • Neverwinter

Xbox One

  • 10 Second Ninja X
  • Cast of the Seven Godsends: Redux

Wii U

  • Hot Rod Racer

Vita

  • 10 Second Ninja X
  • Gal Gun: Double Peace
  • Spy Chameleon: RGB Agent

RIFT

  • Zombie City Defense 2

Vive

  • Always Higher
  • MageWorks

Comments

I Am Setsuna is on my maybe, once people around here play it and report back list.

I already bought Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault on Vita and it's concept is novel, but it's strategy is lacking. Spinning your city defenses around your city is pretty cool, admittedly.

What a weird week otherwise. Neverwinter on console might get a download from me, the same way I downloaded it on PC and then never fired it up. Ah, F2P MMOs, how I rarely play thee.

momgamer wrote:

But after a rocky, delay-riddled start I’m going for In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor just for the utterly silly premise.

And the delays aren't done yet. Knowing this game has appeared on The Week Ahead for the third consecutive week, I checked the Steam store page and noticed that the release date has been pushed, again, by another week. The newest release date is July 26, which means In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor will appear on TWA for an (I think) unprecedented 4 weeks in a row.

garion333 wrote:

I Am Setsuna is on my maybe, once people around here play it and report back list.

I'll probably snag something on PSN once I get paid on Friday, but seeing as Adr1ft had a stealth PSN release on Friday I'm not sure if it'll be that or I Am Setsuna.

MeatMan wrote:
momgamer wrote:

But after a rocky, delay-riddled start I’m going for In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor just for the utterly silly premise.

And the delays aren't done yet. Knowing this game has appeared on The Week Ahead for the third consecutive week, I checked the Steam store page and noticed that the release date has been pushed, again, by another week. The newest release date is July 26, which means In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor will appear on TWA for an (I think) unprecedented 4 weeks in a row.

Ah, Arcen Games doing whatever they can to continue to tank the company.

Chris, the owner and lead dev, is saying that it's better to have a moving release date for Early Access than it is to have a stealth release like they did with Starward Rogue (which tanked). He is correct, but if stealth release is one end of the spectrum he's gone to the other end with this game. Maybe find the happy middle?

MeatMan wrote:
momgamer wrote:

But after a rocky, delay-riddled start I’m going for In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor just for the utterly silly premise.

And the delays aren't done yet. Knowing this game has appeared on The Week Ahead for the third consecutive week, I checked the Steam store page and noticed that the release date has been pushed, again, by another week. The newest release date is July 26, which means In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor will appear on TWA for an (I think) unprecedented 4 weeks in a row.

It's not unprecedented. We had at least one late last year like that. Not sure how many consecutive weeks it ran, but I remember a game popping up at least every other week from October into January.

ETA: I think it was about chess and the USSR?

wordsmythe wrote:
MeatMan wrote:
momgamer wrote:

But after a rocky, delay-riddled start I’m going for In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor just for the utterly silly premise.

And the delays aren't done yet. Knowing this game has appeared on The Week Ahead for the third consecutive week, I checked the Steam store page and noticed that the release date has been pushed, again, by another week. The newest release date is July 26, which means In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor will appear on TWA for an (I think) unprecedented 4 weeks in a row.

It's not unprecedented. We had at least one late last year like that. Not sure how many consecutive weeks it ran, but I remember a game popping up at least every other week from October into January.

ETA: I think it was about chess and the USSR?

That would be Alekhine's Gun.

It might have been someone's GOTW a couple of times during that period.

I am Setsuna is no the list, for some time in the near future, methinks.

brokenclavicle wrote:

I am Setsuna is no the list, for some time in the near future, methinks.

It is on mine as well, but not right away. I just got Monster Hunter, and that will keep me busy for the quite a while. Also, I want to see what the reviews will be like. I am super curious about it though.

MeatMan wrote:
momgamer wrote:

But after a rocky, delay-riddled start I’m going for In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor just for the utterly silly premise.

And the delays aren't done yet. Knowing this game has appeared on The Week Ahead for the third consecutive week, I checked the Steam store page and noticed that the release date has been pushed, again, by another week. The newest release date is July 26, which means In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor will appear on TWA for an (I think) unprecedented 4 weeks in a row.

Oh for Pete's frelling sake.....

I should have checked.

I guess I get another week to try to get nxnwinad back for what she did to the Longbow high score around here last night.

doubtingthomas396 wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
MeatMan wrote:
momgamer wrote:

But after a rocky, delay-riddled start I’m going for In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor just for the utterly silly premise.

And the delays aren't done yet. Knowing this game has appeared on The Week Ahead for the third consecutive week, I checked the Steam store page and noticed that the release date has been pushed, again, by another week. The newest release date is July 26, which means In Case of Emergency, Release Raptor will appear on TWA for an (I think) unprecedented 4 weeks in a row.

It's not unprecedented. We had at least one late last year like that. Not sure how many consecutive weeks it ran, but I remember a game popping up at least every other week from October into January.

ETA: I think it was about chess and the USSR?

That would be Alekhine's Gun.

It might have been someone's GOTW a couple of times during that period.

Might have been on someone's list. Yep.

I GUESS SUPERHOT HAS STARTED A NAMING TREND, NOW THAT WE HAVE SUPERFIGHT and SWORDY.