After a few slow weeks we’re finally getting a game worth our attention, Pikmin 4! While it’s not one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises, it’s got a devoted fan base and sits nicely in the company’s portfolio. Recently, the first two Pikmin games were ported to Switch, and with Pikmin 3 releasing on the console a few years ago, the entire franchise is now available to play; what a world!

If you don’t have a Switch, or cute Nintendo games just aren’t your thing, there’s a new weird indie called Viewfinder that has the potential to be a breakout hit. Koei Tecmo is releasing its 18th Nobunaga’s Ambition game, I hope you’ve played the last 17 because, man, you’ll be lost if you didn’t, and, finally, a couple of DLC items for Sea of Thieves (MONKEY ISLAND!) and The Sims 4 (HORSES!) round out the rest of the top releases.

Top Releases:

Pikmin 4 (Switch) – Releases Jul. 21^st

Developed by: Nintendo EPD/Eighting
Published by: Nintendo

Viewfinder (PC/PS5) – Releases Jul. 18^th

Developed by: Sad Owl Studios
Published by: Thunderful Publishing

Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening (PC/PS4/Switch) – Releases Jul. 20^th

Developed by: Koei Tecmo
Published by: Koei Tecmo

Sea of Thieves: Monkey Island (PC/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Jul. 20^th

The Sims 4: Horse Ranch (PC/PS4/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Jul. 20^th

Ports and Re-releases:

Twisted Metal/Twisted Metal 2 (PS4/PS5) – Releases Jul. 18^th
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition (PC/PS4/Switch) – Releases Jul. 28^th

Just in time for the release of the Twisted Metal television show on Peacock or, as I like to call it, PissPenis (or UrineDick, if the mood strikes) we have the re-release of the first two Twisted Metal games on PS4 and PS5. These two titles, released in 1995 & 1996, were staples of my teenage years, with me and my friends and family playing the game for hours and hours.

We’ve also got Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, the superb strategy puzzle game from Capybara Games, coming to modern consoles with a “Definitive Edition”. Developed by Dotemu, this version contains previously released DLC and contains a new boss to fight in multiplayer mode; neat!

Notable Releases from 10, 20, and 30 years ago:

I can’t say I’m overly excited about this week’s notable titles. In fact, the only one I had played before this past week was Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, and while I enjoy it, it just didn’t seem to live up to the standard that Mario Golf on the N64 set. What about our other two notable titles? Well, I had never ever heard of Halo: Spartan Assault, which I blame on Microsoft’s bizarre insistence on releasing it exclusively on Windows Phones (remember those)? It would eventually come to Xbox One in December of 2013 and then on Xbox 360 in January of 2014, bizarrely. This didn’t do much to increase its profile and the game, a kinda/sorta dungeon crawler set in the Halo universe, fizzled out with little fanfare.

Aside from those two game, our notable title from 30 years ago is the SNES game Goof Troop. Based on the animated series of the same name, Goof Troop has players taking on the roles of Goofy and Max as they fight a gang of pirates who have kidnapped their friends Pete and PJ. This is also a dungeon crawler of sorts, with players moving around single screen rooms, solving puzzles and fighting enemies. It’s a strange premise for a game based on a television program that wasn’t really known for its violence, but I guess the concept is better than turning it into a generic platformer. It’s not readily available today, only playable through emulation or with an original cartridge, and while I don’t really love it, it’s worth a shot if you have the ability to play it.

As far as notable films go, I’ve never been a big fan of The Conjuring franchise, but it’s still chugging along and has spawned a massive connected universe of films (which do not include Insidious, to my surprise). I saw Bad Boys II in theatres with my then girlfriend, now wife, at, like, 10pm on a weekday. This movie is almost three hours long and we both had work in the morning, that’s about all I remember. Then we’ve got Hocus Pocus, a movie that doesn’t require any explanation; you know what it is, I know what it is, let’s move on.

I’m down with all the music this week, with Drug Church being one of my favorite bands. I saw these guys at Punk Rock Bowling in 2018 or 2019 and had a blast. While I don’t really love Yellowcard, it’s hard to deny how catchy “Ocean Avenue” is. Finally, Cypress Hill’s Black Sunday album instantly transports me back to the Summer of 1993 and the apartment complex I lived in. Back then, the San Diego radio station Jammin’ Z90 was a frequent stop for my radio’s dial, and “Insane in the Brain” was in heavy rotation. I also wanted to highlight Tag Team’s “Whoomp! There it is”, which also released this week 30 years ago. It was a Summer of funky jams, and I was all in.

Halo: Spartan Assault (PC/Windows Phone) – Released Jul. 18^th, 2013: Wiki Link

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GameCube) – Released Jul. 28^th, 2003: Wiki Link

Goof Troop (SNES) – Released Jul. 1993: Wiki Link