The kookie month of October is upon us, meaning we can expect a handful of big-name releases – including the likes of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Battlefield 6, The Outer Worlds 2 and Ninja Gaiden 4 – along with a glut of Halloween themed games towards the month’s end. Retro fans may also want to look out for Double Dragon Revive, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, and Terminator 2D: NO FATE. Once Upon A Katamari arguably falls into that camp too.
This week gives us the first PS5 exclusive in some time. Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yōtei is set 300 years after Ghost of Tsushima, giving a rugged part of northern Japan to explore as you track and kill the notorious Yōtei Six. Reviews went live last week and were almost unanimously positive, resulting in an 83% Metacritic.
“Player freedom drives its open world, letting you craft the type of game you want to play. With improved combat, a better story, and outstanding use of PS5 features, Sucker Punch has outdone itself and created a follow-up for the ages,” said Push Square.
The Switch sees a new first-party release too, in the form of Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, which features a resolution bump to 4K on Switch 2. While both are Wii era classics, this collection does feel limp considering the £49.99 asking price and the fact that Super Mario Galaxy saw a re-release not long ago. Still, at least they can be brought separately on the eShop.
Another new release with early reviews is Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles, a remaster of the 1997 PS1 original with improved visuals and voice acting. “The new controls and difficulty options make it the most accessible version of the game, while the gameplay and presentation tweaks are undeniable upgrades. While completists will still miss some of the War of the Lions content, this classic has stood the test of time and is a must-buy for RPG fans,” was PlayStation Lifestyle’s verdict.
Bandai Namco continues their weekly drops with Digimon Story Time Stranger, a turn-based RPG that’ll have you raising Digimon to save the world – with 450 of the critters to find. It seems to be more anticipated than past Digimon Story games, boasting slicker production values.
Would you believe the latest release from GameMill is also an RPG? Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny sees various Nickelodeon characters donning fantasy garb and flinging dice, being action oriented. It comes from the creators of the Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl series, which managed to gain a bit of traction.
Party games fans have a couple to consider. Amazon’s King of Meat is a co-op party platformer with official and community-built dungeons filled with puzzles and challenges. The trailer has close to 4 million views, which would suggest Amazon has succeeded in creating a buzz. Fictions’ multiformat LEGO Party, meanwhile, features 60 mini-games across a variety of themes and has cross-platform play.
Then there’s Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition – which sees the UE5 powered first-person shooter creep onto Xbox, minus VR support – Train Sim World 6 with its three new routes, a console release of the first-person horror Stay Still, colourful on-rails shooter Candy Rangers, an improved version of Castle of Heart, spot the difference compendium Tiny Lands: Deluxe Edition, and the co-op construction game Buildest. The Xbox also gains Galacticon – a fusion of Defender and Joust.
New release trailers
Ghost of Yōtei
Digimon Story Time Stranger
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles
Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny
King of Meat
LEGO Party!
Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition
Train Sim World 6
Castle of Heart: Retold
Candy Rangers
Stay Still
Tiny Lands: Deluxe Edition
Buildest
Echoes of the Plum Grove
MOUTHOLE
New multiformat releases
- Digimon Story Time Stranger
- FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles
- Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny
- King of Meat
- LEGO Party!
- Train Sim World 6
- Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition
- Castle of Heart: Retold
- Candy Rangers
- Tiny Lands – Deluxe Edition
- MOUTHOLE
- Buildest
- Stay Still
- Notice Me Leena-senpai!
- Slide Viking
- Piggly Pagly Boom
- Judero
- Cloud to Gold
New on PSN
- Ghost of Yōtei
- Orchard Odyssey: Cherry Chase
- BOUNCY BREAD
- Zerion 12
- Memory Holder: Scent of Life
- Motel Business Simulator
New on Xbox Store
- Galacticon
- XIII A final Game of Tarot
- Car Driving School Simulator
- Go Fight Fantastic!
- Castle Crumble
- Echoes of the Plum Grove
- Interwoven Emotions
- Tiny Archer
- Lorn’s Lure
- Runasaurus Rex: Origins
New Switch retail releases
eShop round-up coming Thursday
- FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles
- Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2
- Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny
- LEGO Party!
- ULTROS
- Crypt Custodian
Next week: Battlefield 6, Yooka-Replaylee, Little Nightmares III, Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club, Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch, Absolum, Bye Sweet Carole, PixelJunk Eden 2, Chickenhare and the Treasure of Spiking-beard, Blood of Mehran, Sonic Wings Reunion, Sopa – Tale of the Stolen Potato, Disgaea 7 Complete, Battle Puzzle 2048 – Wicked Witches, Nocturnal Whispers, Super Mining Mechs, Lethal Honor – Order of the Apocalypse, Battle Suit Aces, Finding Paradise, and Barbie: Horse Trails.