It’s a decent week for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, with three significant new releases lined-up. Slow-mo shooter My Friend Pedro makes the jump from Switch, as does jaunty musical adventure Wandersong – which boasts an 81% Metacritic – while the psychedelic pinball/shooter hybrid Demon’s Tilt makes its debut on Friday.
The Xbox One also receives the intriguing sci-fi RPG Everreach: Project Eden, which shares similarities with the Mass Effect series. The lack of press coverage is peculiar, as it appears to be one of the more ambitious games launching this month. Check out the trailer below.
Blair Witch heads to PS4, meanwhile. We awarded the Xbox One version a lukewarm 6/10 back in September. “While the story and focus on finding the missing child does manage to engage for the game’s entire 5-6-hour duration, spurred on by threats from the mysterious stranger, it does feel that everything is simply going through the motions,†we said.
Arguably, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is this week’s biggest release. Developed by the creator of Assassin’s Creed, it’s an explorative survival game set in Neogene Africa. Expand your clan, broaden your territory, and survive by learning and evolving.
Despite showing much promise initially, the PC version was met with polarising reviews, gaining scores as high as 9/10 and as low as 4/10. This led to Patrice Désilets making accusations that certain critics either set their expectations too high, or simply didn’t play it for very long.
Reviews of the console version may tell a different story – the team has reportedly improved the tutorial by adding content missing from the PC version’s launch.
Speaking of reviews, puzzle platformer Arise: A Simple Story is off to a strong start, gaining an 8.5 from Destructoid and an 8/10 from Push Square. “By making a point of keeping things simple, Arise: A Simple Story excels in all the right places,†said the latter outlet.
Elsewhere this week, Halo Reach comes to The Master Chief Collection, Life is Strange 2 reaches its conclusion, Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition arrives in time for the bitter winter nights, while oddball Trover Saves the Universe brightens up the Xbox One’s line-up.
There’s a new NES game out too. Yes, really – Irem’s Metal Storm is due an incredibly belated European release. How belated? 28 years, no less.
New release showcase
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
Everreach: Project Eden
Big Pharma
Arise: A Simple Story
Blair Witch
Heroland
Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground
Halo Reach Remastered
Life is Strange 2 – Episode 5
Fight’N Rage
New digital multi-format releases
- Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground
- Off Road Racing
- Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition.
- Life is Strange 2: Episode 5
- Tools Up!
- Arise: A Simple Story
- Simulacra
- Big Pharma
- Immortal Planet
New on PSN
- Blair Witch
- Heroland
- SaGa: Scarlet Grace – Ambitions
- Mars Odyssey
- Fight’N Rage
- A Night in the Forum
- Hatsune Miku VR
- Oliver’s Adventures in the Fairyland
- STAR OCEAN First Departure R
- Trax
- Ski Jumping Pro VR
- Space Blaze
- KAMIKO
- Kwaidan
- Castle Crashers Remastered
- EarthNight
- Stardust Odyssey
New on Xbox One store
- Everreach: Project Eden
- My Friend Pedro
- Don’t Die, Minerva!
- Halo Reach Remastered
- Trover Saves the Universe
- Seek Hearts
- Demon’s Tilt
- Freediving Hunter: Spearfishing the World
- Wandersong
New Nintendo retail releases
- Assassin’s Creed: The Rebel Collection
- Neverwinter Nights Enhanced Edition
- Junior League Sports 3-in-1 Collection
- Off Road Racing
Next week: Invector Avicii, Pathologic 2, Dead End Job, Classic Snake Adventures, Dead by Daylight: Nightmare Edition, Cardpocalypse, Touring Karts, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (XO), Rift Keeper, Headliner: NoviNews, Ultimate Racing 2D, and Call of Juarez: Gunslinger on Switch.