September 19 - 25

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

Welcome folks, and happy “129th Anniversary of the first country to give women the vote” week!

On 19 September 1893, New Zealand became the first self-governing country to give all adult women the right to vote in elections. Not surprisingly, this led to New Zealand also becoming the first to elect a female mayor, in 1893. You may all celebrate by playing a game that remembers your choices.

Return to Monkey Island drops on International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Surely the Monkey Island series needs no introduction, but here goes. Adventure gamers had spent the 1980s beating their heads against Sierra’s “save early, save often” template of game design, where cruel deaths lurked on every screen and you could get irretrievably stuck and unable to finish the game if you missed something early (*cough* Space Quest *cough*). Then in 1990, along came The Secret of Monkey Island: a pirate-themed adventure that was partially inspired by Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It had a colourful, Disney-cartoon aesthetic, and no deaths or getting stuck, just heaps of banter and interesting (if sometimes obtuse) puzzles. It was an instant classic, the second game was also great, and the series continued until 2000. As a side note, has any theme park ride inspired as much art as Pirates of the Caribbean?

So a new Monkey Island game, decades later in 2022, is a big deal. It’s made by original creator, Ron Gilbert, and the voice actors for the main characters return, including Dominic Armato as Guybrush Threepwood. The art style is different from the original series, with a look similar to Guacamelee—a style I like to call “pointy cartoon”. Some loud fans had a big sook about it during early previews, prompting Gilbert to stop posting updates about the game, which is a bummer that shouldn’t cloud the joy of release day. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised there are toxic Monkey Island fans—if fans can be toxic about My Little Pony, they can be toxic about anything.

Anyhoo, details on the story are slight: you are returning to Melee Island, the setting of the first game. Any detail beyond that is spoilery. The gameplay has been tailored for mouse or controller. You move your cursor around the screen and context-sensitive commands will pop up. Hints are integrated into the game, and there are difficulty settings. None of that conveys the game’s strengths, which will be the writing and the puzzles.

DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of the Nine Realms is a licensed game where you play as dragons going around an isometric map battling and unlocking other dragons. Looks like ones for fans of the Dragons franchise.

Session: Skate Sim is a skating sim going for authenticity: it’s designed by skaters, with a unique dual stick control system (no mouse and keyboard support), and depicts real-life skating hotspots in New York and elsewhere. The controls will take getting used to: each joystick is one of your feet and you’ll be doing nuanced little flicks to pull off tricks. You can try to grind anything and place objects around to build your own courses. Once you get the hang of it, it may feel more authentic.

SpiderHeck is a 2D, physics-based brawler that’s like a jazzed-up version of Stick Fight. It’s spiders fighting each other with lightsabers on wonky, destructible levels. The spiders can web around and crawl on walls and underneath platforms. It looks like chaotic party fun.

Construction Simulator - Extended Edition is out on everything except the Switch and looks perfect for going vroom vroom with big yellow machines and watching numbers go up.

Soulstice is a dark-fantasy, action RPG. You play as a heavily-armored woman who smites critters with her two-handed sword and her friendly ghost sister who does support and heals. It’s more like Devil May Cry than a Souls-like, with a focus on combos, unlocking abilities, and charging up for super synergy moves with ghost sis.

Akane is a 2018, arcade hack’n’slasher bringing its synthwave soundtrack to consoles. It’s got twin stick controls but with mostly melee weapons as you line up slash attacks to take out a group of goons in one move. It’s like Hotline Miami crossed with Fruit Ninja.

Otherwise, the newest consoles are getting Hardspace Shipbreaker and Deathloop. Or there’s Jack Move, a cyberpunk pixel-art JRPG.

Return to Monkey Island is my GOTW this week. Despite the resurgence of adventure games in recent years, I still haven’t jumped back into the genre. I’ll make an exception for Return to Monkey Island because of its amazing pedigree. They got most of the band back together and I can’t wait to check it out.

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

PC

  • 09-19

  • 2MD:VR Football Unleashed ALL * STAR
  • Blocks of Nature
  • Blood Scheme
  • Built Different
  • Energy Tail
  • Fix My Cat Doc
  • HellEscape
  • Hidden Object Vacation
  • JR EAST Train Simulator
  • Light Eater
  • looK INside - Chapter 2
  • Mimetic Love
  • Nature Escapes
  • Return to Monkey Island
  • Rogue : Genesia
  • Sakura Alien 2
  • Smutty Scrolls
  • There Is No Light
  • Yujian flying shooting training space
  • 09-20

  • Areigna Tactics
  • AST-Hero
  • Backrooms: Perpetual
  • BLOCK
  • Blue Print
  • Construction Simulator - Extended Edition
  • Dodge The Missionaries
  • Ean's End
  • Gumnaam
  • Hexcross (Kakadooka)
  • Input Chaos
  • LocoMotion
  • Magic Tower Three Kingdoms Rebellion Time and Space
  • Memories under the Blue Moon ~SAPPHIRE MOON-FOREVER MEMORIES
  • Peregrine
  • Planet Barren Objective
  • Salt 2: Shores of Gold
  • Soulstice
  • Space Blast
  • Super Punch Patrol
  • Survival Epoch
  • The Cat Maze
  • The Outbound Ghost
  • The Slaughterday
  • TimeLine Walker Dark World
  • Trash Horror Collection 2
  • Wylde Flowers
  • 09-21

  • Astro
  • Cat and Watermouse
  • Electrician Simulator
  • Fech The Ferret
  • Gundam Evolution
  • Jam Above Jam Below
  • Jungle Survivor
  • Made Beaver
  • Northern Kingdoms
  • PermaNight
  • Quarry Simulator 2021
  • Squad 51 vs. The Flying Saucers
  • Unknown Number: A First Person Talker
  • War of Wizards
  • Zombies Everywhere 3
  • 09-22

  • Beacon Pines
  • Camped Out!
  • Chicken Fall
  • Click To Sail
  • Empire Chronicles
  • Fit Puzzle Blocks
  • FLASHOUT 3
  • Goo Gladiators
  • Jigsaw Puzzle: Belgium Through The Lens
  • Legend of the Nine Heavens
  • Life after Death
  • Muse&Barbarian
  • No Place for Bravery
  • Potion Permit
  • Programmer Dungeon Knightress
  • Rift Loopers
  • Runaway Animals
  • Score Gun
  • Serial Cleaners
  • Session.
  • Sinner 97
  • Sinner 97: Prologue
  • Slayer Cat
  • Slime Rancher 2
  • Smooth Operators 2
  • Songs from the Iron Sea
  • SpiderHeck
  • Tap the Blocks
  • The Anointed: David Saves Keilah
  • The DioField Chronicle
  • The Odarian Accounts
  • Tower of Darkness
  • Winged Raider
  • 09-23

  • ALIEN WAR
  • Ancient Witch Arena Prologue
  • CATAIRE - Gambling with cats
  • City Worker Simulator
  • Convenient
  • Cross Concerto
  • cursor0x0
  • Defend Homeland
  • DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of the Nine Realms
  • Honey Magician
  • MetaCard: The Turing Test
  • Novi Cube
  • Raid Healing
  • Remoteness
  • RUMBLE
  • Shovel Knight Dig
  • Snipe Hunt
  • Street Paint Playground
  • Super Gosu Cars
  • Tales of Tomorrow: Experiment
  • The Billion Clicker
  • The Chaput's Baby
  • The Imaginary Circle
  • The Pizza Courier
  • The Trials Of Beadie
  • The Underground Man 2
  • Tiny Rogues
  • Versus.
  • Watamari - A Match Made in Heaven Part1
  • Weird Japan
  • 09-24

  • Han'yo
  • 09-25

  • Defect detector
  • Hunting grounds
  • Ubaste

Xbox Series X

  • 09-20

  • Construction Simulator - Extended Edition
  • Deathloop
  • Hardspace: Shipbreaker
  • Soulstice
  • 09-21

  • Blood Waves
  • Ruya
  • 09-22

  • Beacon Pines
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management - Maximum Security
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management - Roll Call
  • Serial Cleaners
  • Session: Skate Sim
  • Slime Rancher 2
  • SpiderHeck
  • The DioField Chronicle
  • Train Life: A Railway Simulator
  • 09-23

  • DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of the Nine Realms
  • I, AI

Xbox One

  • 09-20

  • Akane
  • Construction Simulator - Extended Edition
  • Jack Move
  • 09-21

  • Ruya
  • 09-22

  • Beacon Pines
  • OneShot: World Machine Edition
  • Potion Permit
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management - Maximum Security
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management - Roll Call
  • Serial Cleaners
  • SpiderHeck
  • The DioField Chronicle
  • Train Life: A Railway Simulator
  • 09-23

  • DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of the Nine Realms

PlayStation 5

  • 09-20

  • Construction Simulator - Extended Edition
  • Hardspace: Shipbreaker
  • Soulstice
  • 09-22

  • Potion Permit
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management - Maximum Security
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management - Roll Call
  • Serial Cleaners
  • Session: Skate Sim
  • The DioField Chronicle
  • Train Life: A Railway Simulator
  • 09-23

  • DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of the Nine Realms
  • Prodeus

PlayStation 4

  • 09-20

  • Akane
  • Construction Simulator - Extended Edition
  • Jack Move
  • 09-22

  • OneShot: World Machine Edition
  • Potion Permit
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management - Maximum Security
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management - Roll Call
  • Serial Cleaners
  • Session: Skate Sim
  • The DioField Chronicle
  • 09-23

  • DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of the Nine Realms
  • Prodeus

Switch

  • 09-19

  • Return to Monkey Island
  • 09-20

  • Amnesia: Later x Crowd
  • Amnesia: Memories
  • Jack Move
  • Midnight Fight Express
  • Wylde Flowers
  • 09-21

  • Cthulhu pub
  • Learn & Play: Dino Coloring
  • Scrap Riders
  • 09-22

  • Alter World
  • Beacon Pines
  • BIRFIA
  • Camped Out!
  • Drift King
  • No Place for Bravery
  • OneShot: World Machine Edition
  • Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Mahjong Solitaire
  • Piofiore: Episodio 1926
  • Potion Permit
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management - Maximum Security
  • Prison Tycoon: Under New Management - Roll Call
  • Puzzle Battler! Mirai
  • Serial Cleaners
  • SLICE
  • SongPop Party
  • SpiderHeck
  • The DioField Chronicle
  • 09-23

  • Car Mechanic Pinball
  • Classic Games Collection Vol.2
  • DRAW AND COLOR: KAWAII
  • DreamWorks Dragons: Legends of the Nine Realms
  • Prodeus
  • Roar of Revenge
  • Shovel Knight Dig
  • Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival

Comments

Beacon Pines looks cool and Slime Rancher 2 is reminding me that I never got around to playing the first one.

Beacon Pines and Slime Rancher 2 were two of the three I was going to point out. The other being The DioField Chronicle, which is an SRPG that people are excited about.

Oh, also Hyper Demon released today and it's essentially Devil Daggers 2.

I saw SpiderHeck being played at PAX a few weeks ago. It did look fun!