Even if Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was the only game launching this week, this would still be the biggest week in the gaming calendar. Numerous Call of Duty games have shifted more than 5m copies within 24 hours of going on sale, and that’s usually with only a handful of reviews available when the servers go online for the public.
This year’s edition – which is the first to hit Xbox Game Pass at launch – has been developed by Raven and Treyarch, and features a campaign set within the ‘90s, an MP mode with 16 new maps, and the return of round-based zombies – with two maps at launch. Xbox fans however appear upset about crossplay being added, claiming PC players will have an advantage.
Who dares go up against the mighty Call of Duty? It seems that very few publishers are worried about this juggernaut harming potential sales. From SEGA comes Sonic X Shadow Generations, an expanded remaster of the fan-favourite entry, with new stages that see Shadow battling the alien adversary Black Doom. A level set in Tokyo, based on the upcoming third Sonic movie, is due to be added at a later date.
The RPG publishing houses won’t back down to Call of Duty mania either, with their latest entries appealing to a different demographic. Square-Enix’s Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, due on PC, PS5, PS4, and Switch, sees the 1993 cult classic RPG gain a 3D makeover with both English and Japanese voiceovers. Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake, also due on the same formats, is the first in the franchise to receive a remake, now with redrawn artwork and more choices when forging destinies. Then there’s NiS America’s Ys X: Nordics – currently boasting an 81% Metacritic – which sees Adol and Karja team-up and explore uncharted islands while sailing the oceans. This too is destined for PS5, PS4, Switch and PC.
There’s a trio of magical fantasy adventures looking set to appeal to the same audience. Potionomics: Masterwork Edition involves running and customising a potion shop, Wildermyth: Console Edition is a fantasy RPG with relationship building and tactical battles, while the former Switch exclusive Fae Farm flutters onto Xbox and PlayStation formats.
Predictably, plenty of horror games are on the agenda. These include the first-person puzzle adventure Puppet House – in which a police officer is stalked by a possessed ventriloquist’s doll – the high school set Fear the Spotlight, and the Taiwan university based The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication. Meanwhile, Outbreak Shades of Horror: Chromatic Split sees a hero and villain trying to achieve opposing goals, featuring a ‘90s setting. This franchise can be traced back to a humble Resident Evil homage.
There’s another bunch of new licensed games imminent, including Kong: Survivor Instinct – a 2.5D survival adventure from Polish studio 7Levels – the lavish looking The Smurfs – Dreams from the creators of the excellent Marsupilami: Hoobadventure, plus Miraculous – Paris Under Siege and Barbie Project Friendship. The first Miraculous game wasn’t up to much. If this sequel uses the same engine, it may end up feeling similarly shoddy.
Other new releases include Team17’s anticipated Date Everything!, the roguelite card-battling RPG Card-en-Ciel, 16-bit style vertical shooter Super XYX, the turn-based pirate adventure Flint: Treasure of Oblivion [EDIT: Delayed until 14th Nov], cosy farming sim Orange Season, 2.5D tactical battler Neon Blood, and the one-word answer based The Jackbox Survey Scramble. “And our survey says…”
New release trailers
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Ys X: Nordics
SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven
Puppet House
Potionomics: Masterwork Edition
Wildermyth: Console Edition
Fae Farm
Kong: Survivor Instinct
The Smurfs – Dreams
Card-en-Ciel
Date Everything!
SuperXYX
Outbreak Shades of Horror: Chromatic Split
Flint: Treasure of Oblivion
The Jackbox Survey Scramble
Neon Blood
Orange Season
New multiformat releases
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- Sonic X Shadow Generations
- The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication
- Potionomics: Masterwork Edition
- Wildermyth: Console Edition
- Fae Farm
- Kong: Survivor Instinct
- Super XYX
- Card-en-Ciel
- Date Everything!
- Flint: Treasure of Oblivion
- The Jackbox Survey Scramble
- Miraculous – Paris Under Siege
- Neon Blood
- Orange Season
- Outbreak: Shades of Horror Chromatic Split
- The Smurfs – Dreams
- Barbie Project Friendship
- Speedollama
- Hidden Cats in Spooky Town
- Tiny Little Farm
- While We Wait Here
- Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut
- Soul Stalker
- Stilt Fella
- Cute Bite
- Rogue Flight
- Say Cheese!
- Fear the Spotlight
New on PSN
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake
- Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven
- Micro Mages
- AWAKEN – Astral Blade
- Rooftop Rascal: The Spooky Cat
- Don’t let him in
- Moe Waifu H – BlockBlast
- Fears to Fathom – Ironbark Lookout
New on Xbox Store
- Heroine Anthem Zero 2 : Scalescars Oath
- Bard’s Gold
- Silk
- Zombie Survivors
- Boom Robots
- The Coma 2B: Catacomb
- Golfing in Aether
New Switch retail releases
eShop round-up coming Thursday
- The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication
- Ys X: Nordics
- Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven
- Sonic X Shadow Generations
- Orange Season
- Asphalt Legends: Unite – Supercharged Edition
- Cat Quest The Fur-tastic Trilogy
- Tintin Reporter: Cigars of The Pharaoh
- Miraculous Paris Under Siege
- DreadOut 2
- TY the Tasmanian Tiger Bush Rescue Bundle
- Fabledom
- Barbie: Project Friendship
- Fantasy Friends Dream Worlds
- Darkest Dungeon 2
- Potionomics: Masterwork Edition
- SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky
Next week: [REDACTED],Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Life is Strange: Double Exposure Ultimate Edition, Phasmophobia, Vampire Hunters, Self-Delusion, Starship Troopers: Continuum, Aero the Acro-Bat: Rascal Rival Revenge, Raiden NOVA, Last Escape: Dead Complex,Monospaced Lovers, Slime 3K: Rise Against Despot, Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy, The Rocky Horror Video Game, Monster High: Skulltimate Secrets, Totally Spies – Cyber Mission, Farmagia, ROAD TO EXOTICS, The Legend of Santa, Skater’s Solstice, and Shooter of the Arcana.