Housemarque has come a long way since Stardust on the humble Amiga, this week launching the anticipated PS5 ‘AAA shooter’ Returnal. It’s a shame we weren’t able to sample their battle royale Stormdivers, but we don’t doubt for a second that some ideas and tech made Returnal possible.
The £69.99 asking price for Returnal has raised some concerns, though – it looks visually slick, and the gameplay loop is said to be moreish and compelling, but PS5 owners are worried about how much bang they’ll get for those big bucks.
The Xbox isn’t without a big new release either. Surprise! The promising sci-fi dinosaur shooter Second Extinction arrives via Game Pass as a game preview release. Big maps, big dinosaurs and big guns is the theme. The PC version entered early access last October, so sturdy groundwork should be a given.
Then on the Switch there’s the long-time coming sequel New Pokémon Snap – the original was on N64. Bandai-Namco are behind this colourful snap’em up, having proved their worth with Pokkén Tournament.
R-Type Final 2 is another long-time coming sequel. We recall enjoying the PS2 original a long time ago. A demo is available, and you might want to give it a go seeing this is an almost full price release.
The PS5 additionally gets Terminator: Resistance Enhanced – the above average shooter with a few pilfered ideas from Fallout 4 – and the surprise hit Genshin Impact.
Then on Xbox there’s the scrolling brawler WarDogs: Red’s Return, the top-down couch-based multiplayer shooter Cymatically Muffed, and the sci-fi adventure Protocol.
New release trailers
Returnal
New Pokémon Snap
R-Type Final 2
Genshin Impact – PS5
Second Extinction
Cymatically Muffed
Angels with Scaly Wings
Protocol
New multiformat releases
- R-Type Final 2Â Â Â
- Angels with Scaly Wings
New on PSN
- Genshin Impact – PS5
- Returnal – PS5
- Terminator: Resistance Enhanced – PS5
- Bibi & Tina at the Horse Farm – PS5
- Terra Trilogy
- Secret Neighbor
New on Xbox Store
- Second Extinction (Game Preview)
- Cymatically Muffed
- Crime Opera: The Butterfly Effect
- Ladders by POWGI
- Before I Forget
- WarDogs: Red’s Return
- Angels with Scaly Wings
- Mystic Fate
- Protocol
New Switch retail releases
eShop round-up coming Thursday
- New Pokémon Snap
- Taxi Chaos
- R-Type Final 2 Inaugural Flight Edition
- Football Manager 2021 Touch
- Battle Axe
Next week: Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil Re:Verse, Dark Nights with Poe and Munro, The Colonists, Dull Grey, Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition, Skate City.