April 30 – May 06

Section: 

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

I was very excited to see that the Brothers Chaps were making new videos recently, so you can imagine the trajectory my mood took between seeing HomestarVR in this week’s list and clicking the link to the Steam page.

It was similar to the emotional ride my kids took when, after waiting all week for the next chapter of Bendy and the Ink Machine to drop, we were greeted with a message from the developers that the release date was bumped from Saturday to Monday.

The bright side is that I get to pick Bendy and the Ink Machine: Chapter 4 as my game of the week, which I missed last week owing to it not being on any of the usual lists. For those of you who haven’t played it, Chapter 1 is available for free on Steam and it’s well worth your time if you’re a fan of atmospheric horror games, the early era of animation, or audio-log hunts.

I’m looking forward to seeing what the li’l devil will get up to next. Bendy and the Ink Machine: Chapter 4 wins my GOTW pick in a walk.

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

It wasn't until I recently went back to play Super Mario World that I realized how much the Donkey Kong Country games influenced my expectations and desires in a platformer. It wasn't that the following New Super Mario Bros. titles were entirely missing what I loved about Mario World, it is that Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest in particular changed my expectations for the genre.

I suppose I originally skipped Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze on WiiU because its predecessor, Donkey Kong Country Returns, felt closer to New Super Mario Bros. than its own franchise. It wasn't even the motion controls that drove me to putter out, though they certainly helped. Now, however, I think I'm ready to welcome Tropical Freeze as its own branch of the franchise rather than a replacement. After all, I can still play Diddy's Kong Quest on my 3DS any time I want, or the original on the SNES Classic.

Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze for Nintendo Switch gets my funky pick of the week.

IMAGE(https://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/pictures/pictures/picture-13445.jpg)   Felix “Good gas mileage” Threepaper

I’ll tell you what I want (what I really, really want) this week: a Battletech patch, so I can play it without my PC overheating like a Warhammer that’s just fired a double volley of those massive arm cannons PPCs. Consider this a Mulligan for not mentioning Battletech last week. Looks awesome, wish I could play it.

But we are under strict orders to choose only from the list. The list is all! All hail the list!

If, like me, you’ve a hankering for a crunchy, turn-based tactical RPG, yet XCOM 2 crashes too much and Battletech won’t work, you may want to consider Demon’s Rise - War for the Deep. As you may expect of a port from mobile devices, the production values are more AA, even A, than AAA. Nor do its systems look as *ahem* deep as the big dogs – terrain, cover and morale are important, but the replayability comes more from the roster of 30 different character classes than from a high degree of tactical complexity. You may have a Ferrari in the garage, but you can never drive it. Instead, you clock up the miles in your less exciting, but reliable, Nissan Sentra. Demon’s Rise - War for the Deep gets my vote this week for showing up and meeting my system specs.

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

PC

  • 04-30

  • Achievement Hunter: Unicorn
  • AGAIN PUT IN
  • Arctic Cave
  • Bendy and the Ink Machine Chapter 4
  • Bomight
  • Datou Maou Teki Houhou
  • Demon's Rise - War for the Deep
  • DRONES & RUINS
  • Fabulous: Angela's Wedding Disaster
  • Fragmentum
  • Hungry Piggy Vs. Chicken
  • Journey Of Life
  • Labirinto 2
  • Longboard Stunts and Tricks
  • MONMUSU * FIGHT!
  • Mr. Sweet
  • OboStar
  • Russian Prison Sport: OCHKO
  • Sniper Squad Mission
  • Space Googy
  • Thirdmage
  • Viking Brothers 2
  • Viking Brothers 3
  • Viking Brothers 4
  • Woodstock 1969
  • 05-01

  • A Walk in the Woods
  • Austen Translation
  • Battle Fleet: Ground Assault
  • Commanager Tycoon
  • Depth Siege Atlantis
  • EEP TSM Gotthardbahn Nordrampe Modul Erstfeld
  • Endless Horizon
  • Geometry Boxer
  • Good Doggo
  • Grave Prosperity - part 1
  • Hover X Souls
  • Kemonomichi-White Moment-
  • Little Marisa's Disaster Journey
  • Logout
  • Rogue Agent
  • Skelly Selest
  • Speed Car Fighter
  • Square Head Zombies 2
  • Super Mega Baseball 2
  • Super Pillow Fight
  • The Behind: The Beyond
  • The Firlyn Stones
  • The Last DeadEnd
  • Trivia Vault: Celebrity Trivia
  • Zucc Simulator
  • 05-02

  • Dead Secret Circle
  • Dinosaur Hunter
  • Jack and Sara: Educational game
  • Monster Truck Drive
  • Noonie
  • RPG Adventures
  • The Office Quest
  • TheShooterGame
  • WIN THE GAME: DO IT!
  • 05-03

  • 5Rings
  • Bitcoin Trader
  • Block Party Sports
  • Brickfest
  • Hypertrain
  • LOGistICAL: ABC Islands
  • MazeBot
  • Mini-Dead
  • My Sunny Resort
  • Soul Smith of the Kingdom
  • T*tty Crush
  • Trivia Vault: Art Trivia
  • Trivia Vault: TV Trivia
  • Volantia
  • 05-04

  • 2DGameManias Taken
  • A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia
  • Adonis
  • Ancient Rush 2
  • Asset Flip Simulator
  • Break Stuff With Coins
  • Color Path
  • Cranes
  • DARCO: Reign of Elements
  • Dark Matter
  • De'Vine: World of Shadows
  • Deep Voyage
  • Escape From Cozy Island
  • Far Craft
  • Guilty Summer Kiss
  • Highscore Processing Unit
  • Iffy Institute
  • Kickshot
  • Magic League
  • Realistic Illusion
  • Ruler by Default
  • Semi-Sweet Tofu
  • Slum Ball VR Tournament
  • SOLAR BATTALION
  • Solenars Edge Heroes
  • Square Route
  • The Blue Box
  • The President
  • Torture Chamber
  • Truth: Disorder II
  • Utsuwa Seki no Houkou: The will of a single Tale
  • Viki Spotter: Space Mission
  • Without Within 3
  • Zimbo
  • 05-05

  • Achievement Idler: Red
  • Starting The Game
  • 05-06

  • Match Connect Challenge

PS4

  • 05-01

  • Battlezone: Gold Edition
  • Guns of Icarus Alliance
  • Hex Tunnel Touch
  • HIVE: Altenum Wars
  • Super Mega Baseball 2
  • 05-03

  • Deiland
  • 05-04

  • City of Brass

PSVR

  • 05-01

  • Killing Floor: Incursion
  • Pirate Flight

Xbox One

  • 05-01

  • Battlezone: Gold Edition
  • Super Mega Baseball 2
  • 05-02

  • Outbreak: The Nightmare Chronicles
  • Through the Woods
  • 05-04

  • Aqua Moto Racing Utopia
  • Bounce Rescue
  • City of Brass
  • Drive on Moscow

Switch

  • 05-02

  • ACA NeoGeo: Stakes Winner
  • Arcade Archives: 10-Yard Fight
  • 05-03

  • Cast of the Seven Godsends: Redux
  • Don't Die, Mr. Robot!
  • Japanese Mah-jongg
  • Johnny Turbo's Arcade: Sly Spy
  • Nihilumbra
  • Perfect Angle
  • Professional Construction: The Simulation
  • Timberman VS
  • 05-04

  • Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

RIFT

  • 04-30

  • VR2: Vacate 2 Rooms
  • 05-01

  • Beat Saber
  • 05-02

  • Fury Fighter VR
  • The Last Day Defense
  • Together
  • 05-03

  • Aria's Wing
  • LOVE Obsession
  • 05-04

  • Escape First

Vive

  • 04-30

  • Ashi Wash
  • Lighter Than AR
  • VR2: Vacate 2 Rooms
  • 05-01

  • Beat Saber
  • HomestarVR
  • 05-02

  • Fury Fighter VR
  • The Last Day Defense
  • Together
  • 05-03

  • Aria's Wing
  • LOVE Obsession
  • 05-04

  • Escape First
  • Guardian of Immortal Mountain
  • Rabbit Valley Legend

Comments

You want a reason to buy DKTF? Watch this video and be amazed at what they accomplished:

I prefer Mario games to DK games, but Retro Studios absolutely outdid themselves here.

Shout out to Super Mega Baseball 2, which is the sequel to the world's most unlikely successful baseball game. Remember early baseball games that were pick up and play enjoyable? Super Mega is that.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a gorgeous game, no doubt. But having played it on the WiiU, I just wish it were more fun to actually play.

I prefer Donkey Kong Country Returns in almost all respects, and given the choice Id rather see a rerelease of that on the Switch, though I completely understand the business case for porting Tropical Freeze (and the fact that I’m distinctly in the minority with this opinion.)

It was similar to the emotional ride my kids took when, after waiting all week for the next chapter of Bendy and the Ink Machine to drop, we were greeted with a message from the developers that the release date was bumped from Saturday to Monday....and it’s well worth your time if you’re a fan of atmospheric horror games, the early era of animation, or audio-log hunts.

Your kids are how old?

Between this and my niece's fascination with Five Nights and Until Dawn, I get the feeling the next generation of horror fans aren't going to be informed by the Hollywood slashers like those of our generation that came into the genre with 70's and 80's slasher flicks. It's going to be creepy weird games instead.

garion333 wrote:

You want a reason to buy DKTF? Watch this video and be amazed at what they accomplished:

Boy you know I watch GMTK. That and your frequent recommendations are why I'm interested in going back. Alas, the budget forced me to choose between this and Little Witch Academia (and spoiling myself with sale prices on EDF and Yakuza Kiwami) and Little Witch Academia wins because it's Little Witch Academia.

I definitely plan to get around to it, though.

Tropical Freeze hype!

Man, I'm getting so many games in May. Already pre-purchased Tropical Freeze and Pillars of Eternity II. Going to probably get both the Steam and Switch version of Street Fighter Collection. Lumines is also a definite pickup for Switch. And there is Dark Souls Remastered, Mega Man Legacy collections on Switch and State of Decay 2. Ahhhhhhh.

ccesarano wrote:

Between this and my niece's fascination with Five Nights and Until Dawn, I get the feeling the next generation of horror fans aren't going to be informed by the Hollywood slashers like those of our generation that came into the genre with 70's and 80's slasher flicks. It's going to be creepy weird games instead.

garion333 wrote:

You want a reason to buy DKTF? Watch this video and be amazed at what they accomplished:

Boy you know I watch GMTK. That and your frequent recommendations are why I'm interested in going back. Alas, the budget forced me to choose between this and Little Witch Academia (and spoiling myself with sale prices on EDF and Yakuza Kiwami) and Little Witch Academia wins because it's Little Witch Academia.

I definitely plan to get around to it, though.

Tropical Freeze isn't going anywhere.

And I certainly can't blame you for picking up EDF and Kiwami on sale. Sadly, Kiwami is one of the lesser Yakuza games (to me) but it's still worth a go.

doubtingthomas396 wrote:

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a gorgeous game, no doubt. But having played it on the WiiU, I just wish it were more fun to actually play.

I prefer Donkey Kong Country Returns in almost all respects, and given the choice Id rather see a rerelease of that on the Switch, though I completely understand the business case for porting Tropical Freeze (and the fact that I’m distinctly in the minority with this opinion.)

Is that because TF is harder?

Edit: To be clear, I think it's a more difficult game.

That might be it. All of the Donkey Kong Country games are hard. The original SNES ones were hard because the controls were imprecise, the hit detection was abysmal and the platforms were smaller than they looked. Donkey Kong Country’s returns struck a good balance between challenging and frustrating, but it felt like Tropical Freeze went all-in on frustrating.

In other words, Tropical Freeze is only unpopular with bitter people who are bad at video games. It’s the Dark Souls of Nintendo’s lineup.

ccesarano wrote:

Your kids are how old?

Between this and my niece's fascination with Five Nights and Until Dawn, I get the feeling the next generation of horror fans aren't going to be informed by the Hollywood slashers like those of our generation that came into the genre with 70's and 80's slasher flicks. It's going to be creepy weird games instead.

Currently 8 and 10 years old, respectively.

My oldest is terrified of muppets and most Pixar movies but played through the entirety of SOMA with me. My youngest won’t watch the cutscenes in a Ratchet and Clank or Lego game, but loves playing Left 4 Dead with me over the LAN.

I can’t tell if I’m father of the year or a parenting cautionary tale.

I think you are missing a few dates in the title there.

LeapingGnome wrote:

I think you are missing a few dates in the title there.

So we are.

Fixing... Fixed.

Thanks for the head(line)s up!