This week is a sheer case of quality over quantity. Fewer games than last week’s bumper bounty, but more that can be considered big-budget or big-name. In fewer words: a lot of games out this week are likely to sell exceptionally well.
If you own a PS5, one new release won’t even cost you a penny – Team17’s Hell Let Loose (also available on Xbox Series) is this month’s PS Plus freebie. This 100 player WWII first-person shooter features a resource-based RTS-inspired meta-game, plus a forever altering frontline.
Two of the biggest games of 2021 are also upon us. Far Cry 6 has been a long time coming and it looks like it’s making the most of next-gen tech. Metroid Dread has, technically, been even longer coming – it was originally conceived as a Nintendo DS game in the mid-2000s. MercurySteam, creators of Samus Returns, are at the helm and like the ‘dread’ part of the title suggests, there are new horror elements intended to induce panic. It launches alongside the new OLED Switch, in matching colours to Dread’s new E.M.M.I. robots.
Then there’s Alan Wake Remastered, running in 4K and incorporating its two-story expansions – The Signal and The Writer. It’ll set you back a modest £24.99.
For those who didn’t want to splash out for the deluxe version, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania’s standard edition is out this week, alongside its retail release. Reviews went live a week ago and were generally positive despite the presence of IAPs and a few other bizarre design choices.
On a similar note, the Left 4 Dead alike Back 4 Blood gets its Ultimate Edition with early access this week, ahead of next week’s standard edition.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl looks set to become GameMill’s biggest ever release, taking inspiration from Super Smash Bros. Developers Fair Play Labs and Ludosity are well-versed with the genre, having created Slap City. It features rollback netcode too, which is a big deal in a game of this ilk.
Other releases for this week include the PSVR puzzler Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey, wholesome 2.5D platformer Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan, Superbrothers’ interstellar adventure JETT: The Far Shore, rhythm-action rogue-like BPM: Bullets Per Minute, and the Xbox One’s fishing RPG Moonglow Bay [EDIT: delayed until 26th Oct].
What a great little selection.
New release trailers
Metroid Dread
Far Cry 6
Alan Wake Remastered
Hell Let Loose
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania
Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan
BPM: Bullets Per Minute
JETT: The Far Shore
Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey
Moonglow Bay
New multiformat releases
- Far Cry 6
- Alan Wake Remastered
- Hell Let Loose
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
- Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania
- Ember: Console Edition
- Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan
- Bouncy Bullets 2
- RainCity
- Back 4 Blood: Ultimate Edition
- BPM: Bullets Per Minute
- JETT: The Far Shore
- Wasteland 3: Cult of the Holy Detonation
New on PSN
- art of rally
- Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife
- Exophobia
- Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey
New on Xbox Store
- Moonglow Bay
- ATOM RPG Supporter Edition
- Lord of the Click II
- No Longer Home
New Switch retail releases
eShop round-up coming Thursday
- Metroid Dread
- Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania
- Knockout Home Fitness
- Alpaca Ball: Allstars
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
Next week: Back 4 Blood, The Riftbreaker, The Good Life, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, Crysis Remastered Trilogy, NHL 22, Catty & Batty: The Spirit Guide, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles, The Jackbox Party Pack 8, Godstrike, and Dungeon Encounters.