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New Game Releases 07/15/25 – 07/21/25

Andy Tuttle

Top Releases:

A little over a month after its release, the Switch 2 finally has its next big, first-party title, Donkey Kong Bananza. This 3D platformer has players taking on the role of Donkey Kong (duh) as he goes in search of Banadium Gems (clever), which will grant him his ultimate wish…more bananas (duh). Accompanying Donkey Kong on his quest is a pint-sized companion. No, it’s not Diddy Kong, it’s a kid version of Pauline, the girl he kidnaps in the very first Donkey Kong arcade game from 1981. Why is Pauline here? Will Donkey Kong need to use his ultimate wish to send Pauline back home? Probably.

Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch 2) – Releases Jul. 17th

Developed by: Nintendo EPD
Published by: Nintendo

The gameplay of Donkey Kong Bananza should be familiar to anyone who has played Super Mario Odyssey and Bowser’s Fury, with its large, open world levels that contain various quests to take on and challenges to complete. Unlike more recent, side-scrolling Donkey Kong games, Bananza is a straight up 3D platformer, the first in the series since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64. This also marks the first original Donkey Kong game since 2014’s Tropical Freeze, and first Donkey Kong title to be developed in-house by Nintendo since 2004’s Jungle Beat. I have really high expectations for Bananza, it’s a probable GOTY contender and is likely the killer app for Switch 2 that it desperately needs (sorry Mario Kart World).

Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate (PC/PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Jul. 15th

Developed by: Bungie
Published by: Bungie

In non-Donkey Kong related games, Destiny is still chugging along, releasing its latest expansion, The Edge of Fate. This is the ninth expansion for the game in eight years and kicks off the “Year of Prophecy”, which will include a tenth expansion, Renegades, that is slated to come out in December of this year. I’m sure there are still plenty of people who are logging in every day to play this, I had to personally stop as it was taking over my life. For all of you on the fence, the entire game, pre Edge of Fate, is available for free. Why not check it out?

As for everything else, we’ve got an enhanced version of the classic RPG Neverwinter Nights 2, fans of the anime Hunter x Hunter should be in for a treat when the Arc System Works fighting game Nen x Impact drops this week, and the bizarre Pac-Man spin-off/reimagining Shadow Labyrinth (first seen in that Amazon Prime show about video games) is coming out, giving Switch 2 owners yet another new title to add to their collection.

Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Jul. 15th

Developed by: Aspyr Media
Published by: Aspyr Media

Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact (PC/PS5/Switch) – Releases Jul. 17th

Developed by: Bushiroad/Eighting
Published by: Arc System Works

Shadow Labyrinth (PC/PS5/Switch/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Jul. 18th

Developed by: Bandai Namco Studios
Published by: Bandai Namco

Ports and Expansions:

Five years after it first released, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is still getting new DLC, which should delight fans of the action/adventure title. For those unaware of the game, DBZ: Kakarot tells the story of Goku thorough the long (and sometimes confusing) running story from the popular Dragon Ball Z anime, as well as portions of its follow-up series, Dragon Ball Super. In this new DLC, DAIMA – Adventure Through The Demon Realm – Part 1 (say that five times fast), has players going through story beats from the latest series, Dragon Ball Daima. Got it? Good.

As for everything else, Two Point Museum is getting its first piece of DLC, Fantasy Finds, while retro gaming fans can get excited for the release of the PSX classics Twisted Metal 3 & 4 on modern PlayStation consoles, as well as Golden Tee Arcade Classics, which features six different versions of the dive bar favorite, as well as two bonus titles, Shuffleshot and World Class Bowling.

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

It’s time to take a step back in time and reminisce about all of the video games, movies, and music we were checking out in 2015, 2005, and 1995!

Games:

Starting things off, from 2015, we’ve got the hack & slash game Onechanbara Z2: Chaos, for the PS4. Originating in 2004 on the PS2, Z2: Chaos is the 6th and, for now, final entry in the series which has players taking on the role of Aya and her friends, a group of bikini clad monster slayers.

Like most of the previous Onechanbara games, Z2: Chaos was criticized for its poor graphics, repetitive gameplay, poor enemy AI, and overall “low budget” feeling of the game. However, the low budget, and therefore low price, has been a staple of the series since its inception. Developer Tamsoft and publisher D3 assumed that young men would look past the generic environments if they had a sexy, bikini clad lady to stare at, and they were right.

In 2016, Z2: Chaos would receive a PC port, followed by a spin-off title, School Girl Zombie Hunter, that would arrive in 2017, with the most recent release being 2020’s Onechanbara Origins, a remake of the first two games. The series has been mostly quiet since then, with no news or rumors of a new entry. I can’t imagine that Tamsoft and D3 will keep it dormant for too much longer, as young men will always show up to see girls in bikinis.

From 2005, we’ve got the PS2 game Colosseum: Road to Freedom, a hack & slash RPG. Developed by the Japanese company GOSHOW and published by Koei, Colosseum has players taking on the role of a customizable gladiator as he partakes in various combat challenges in an effort to earn enough money to gain their freedom. The game was titled Gladiator in Japan but was changed to Colosseum in the West to, I assume, not have any implied ties to the 2000 Ridley Scott film.

Reviews for Colosseum were mixed, at best, with praise given to the game’s multiple endings, though it was noted that the game didn’t really have much of a story. Most of the game consists of training your gladiator before entering them into arena combat. The game only sold about 70 copies in the US and Europe, though I can’t find any sales data for Japan. It must have done fairly well, is it received two follow-up games, 2010’s Gladiator Begins and 2011’s Clan of Champions.

From 1995, we’ve got the Sega Genesis beat ’em up Comix Zone, featuring the very 90’s protagonist, Sketch Turner. Developed by STI, an American division of Sega, the creator of Comix Zone was a man named Peter Morawiec, who gained inspiration for the game after viewing the music video for A-Ha’s song “Take on Me”, in which a girl is sucked into a comic book.

Initially, Morawiec wanted the protagonist to be a scrawny, comic book reading nerd, named Joe Pencil, who is transformed into a macho super hero upon entering the comic book. However, the marketing department at Sega objected to the idea, demanding that the name be changed and that the player character already be a “cool dude” before entering the comic. Morawiec decided to make this new protagonist, Sketch, a modern, 90’s bro, with his look and outfit based on the Seattle Grunge scene (which was already starting to fall out of style by 1995).

The gameplay in Comix Zone is reminiscent of most other side scrolling beat em’ up’s, with players punching and kicking bad guy after bad guy. What set Comix Zone apart was that the player has the ability to move around the world as if they were reading it like a comic book, with the action taking place in the traditional panels of a comic. To help push sales of the game, a CD was included that contained tracks from various grunge and alternative bands, including The Jesus and Mary Chain, Love and Rockets, Danzig, Lords of Acid, and MC 900 Ft Jesus.

Pre-release hype and initial reactions to Comix Zone were very positive. Critics were dazzled by the game’s graphics and unique living comic book aesthetic. However, things quickly soured once these same critics got a chance to actually play the game, calling Comix Zone highly repetitive and far too difficult. Still, in the vein of Comix Zone being a work of art, critics felt that, despite its many flaws, the game was worth playing (and owning) just to have access to its gorgeous presentation.

Like other 16-bit games from this time period, Comix Zone got lost in the next-gen shuffle. Sales were reportedly low, likely due to the Genesis’ declining popularity, the release of the Saturn, and the upcoming release of Sony’s PlayStation. Comix Zone would not receive any sequels or spin-off’s, though the game has not gone off quietly into the night, being part of several Sega Genesis collections over the last 30 years, most recently being seen on the Nintendo Switch’s Online + Expansion Pack service through the Sega Genesis app.

Movies:

In notable films, 2015 saw the release of Marvel’s Ant-Man, the first (and best) entry in the three part series. The film was initially going to be directed by Edgar Wright, but he ultimately left the project citing creative differences with the MCU team. Director Peyton Reed was brought in to helm the film, shooting a script that used most of original story & script from Wright and another filmmaker, Joe Cornish, but had several changes done by the film’s star, Paul Rudd, and writer/director Adam McKay.

Ant-Man would open in first place with a box office gross of $57.2 million, making it the second lowest MCU debut to date (just ahead of The Incredible Hulk). It’s overall grosses would come to just over $500 million, worldwide, an impressive number but not enough to put it in the top ten grossing films of 2015. Undeterred, Marvel would continue making Ant-Man films based on the strong critical reception and a desire to see the character appear in other MCU films. However, the most recent outing, 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, while a box office success, was a critical dud and has kind of put the character on ice for the time being.

From 2005, we’ve got the film Hustle & Flow, the first major motion picture from director Craig Brewer. After two festival circuit darlings, 2000’s The Poor & Hungry and 2004’s Resolutions of the Complacent Man, Brewer was approached by director John Singleton, who was impressed with Brewer’s work, and offered to help finance his next film, Hustle & Flow. The film centers on a drug dealer and pimp named DJay, who finds himself stuck in a rut and experiencing a midlife crisis. After reconnecting with an old friend, DJay decides to try his hand at rapping, experiencing both the good and bad side of the local rap scene.

Several film studios rejected Brewer’s script, infuriating eventual financial backer John Singleton, who felt in his gut that this raw, thought provoking film needed to be seen by a wide audience. Star Terrance Howard initially declined the role of DJay, not wanting to be typecast as yet another black pimp/criminal/thug, but ultimately took the role as he felt there was more to the character than just the surface level “hood” caricature.

For the film’s soundtrack, several Southern hip hop artists appear, but it was the film’s standout song “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp”, by rap group Three Six Mafia, that stole the show. It would garner one of the film’s only Oscar win, Best Original Song, on two nominations (Howard was nominated for Best Actor). At the awards ceremony, host John Stewart would jokingly say that in the Oscar count, Three Six Mafia had one while acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese still had zero.

From 1995, we’ve got the teen comedy classic Clueless, starring Alicia Silverstone as a stuck up, Beverly Hills teenager who tries to fall in love with an older college guy…her step brother played by future Ant-Man, Paul Rudd. Okay, admittedly, Clueless isn’t really ABOUT that, but it does happen, and it’s weird, and I think we all just kind of overlook it because we like the movie.

Anyway, while we may all assume that Clueless was a smash hit adored by critics, it’s really wasn’t. Releasing in a packed Summer, Clueless didn’t even open in first place, getting trounced by Apollo 13, and only had a final worldwide gross of $88 million. In North America, the grosses were so low that it didn’t even manage to crack the top 20 for 1995’s box office, coming in at #32.

While it wasn’t hated by critics, it wasn’t exactly their favorite movie of 1995. Roger Ebert was a fan, while Janet Maslin gave praise to its likeable cast, but Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers said that the REAL teen movie of the Summer was Larry Clark’s Kids, a gritty story about a group of young New Yorkers who all fuck each other and get AIDS. It’s a crowd pleaser.

After it’s theatrical run, Clueless would go on to have a major cult following, particularly among its target teenage audience, and even spawned a television adaptation. the National Society of Film Critics would award the film with Best Screenplay, while the National Board of Review would give the Breakthrough Performance award to Alicia Silverstone. This film would launch her career, leading to roles in Batman & Robin, Excess Baggage, and Blast From the Past.

Albums:

In notable albums, 2015 saw the release of Currents, by Tame Impala. This was the artist’s third album and would go on to become his most successful to date. Currents had five singles in the US, “Let It Happen”, “Cause I’m a Man”, “Eventually”, and the most successful, “The Less I Know the Better”, which went quadruple platinum.

Critics adored Currents, with just about every musical outlet calling it one of the best albums of 2015, including the British publication Q, who called it the album of the year. Currents received several awards in Tame Impala’s home country of Australia, while in the US it was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Alternative Music Album (losing to Alabama Shakes’ Sound & Color).

From 2005, we’ve got the debut studio album from pop punk group Paramore, All We Know Is Falling. After signing a solo deal with Atlantic Records in 2003, singer Hayley Williams was unhappy with the way the label was trying to categorize her, a pop princess for tweens. She decided to form a band that could play music that she felt was more authentic to who she was as a person, not a manufactured record label construct. The result was Paramore and, through Atlantic’s indie label partner, Fueled By Ramen, All We Know Is Falling came out to solid, but somewhat tepid reviews.

Atlantic weren’t too concerned about the critics, their goal was for Paramore (and Hayley Williams) to grow in the public consciousness gradually. To appear like a genuine, authentic band, their hope was that young teens would discover the band organically through word of mouth be it from friends, trusted news sources, or other bands they listened to. To further promote the album, Paramore was booked as the opening band with some fairly heavy hitters in the pop punk world at the time, including Simple Plan, Funeral For a Friend, and Bayside.

All We Know Is Falling never managed to crack the Billboard Top 200, but it would reach #30 on the Heatseekers chart. In 2006, the band joined the Warped Tour, gaining a strong, cult following, organically growing their brand, er, band, much to the delight of Atlantic records. During this time, music critics, especially those in the punk realm, began to wonder just who Paramore was for. One critic opined that the band seemed to be for tweens who were “too edgy” for Pink, but “too scared” of My Chemical Romance.

By 2007 and the release of their breakthrough album Riot! it became very clear who Paramore was for; fucking everyone. Following the success of Riot!, All We Know Is Failing would start to see its sales soar, eventually going platinum in the US. However, the critical consensus on the album would start to drop over time, with music journalists saying that the album felt amateurish and incomplete when compared to the band’s later offerings. Sometimes a debut is a knockout, like Foo Fighters’ 1995 self titled album, and other times it’s All We Know Is Falling.

Closing things out this week, from 1995, we’ve got the album E. 1999 Eternal from rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Why is this album notable? Well, you may remember a song from the 90’s called “Tha Crossroads”, I know I do. Why, might you ask? Well, I think I heard it every FUCKING day for about six months in a row. For me, “Tha Crossroads” is synonymous with the Summer of 1995. When I was a teenager I worked at a Summer camp in the San Diego mountains, making great friends and life long memories.

One of those memories comes at a time when, during a break in camps, the staff all went on a road trip to a local water park. We were there from open to close and, I kid you not, every half hour they would play “Tha Crossroads” over the water park’s PA system which was patched into a local radio station, probably Jammin’ Z90. It became the running gag of the day, with everyone able to set their watches to when “Tha Crossroads” would play. By the middle of the day we’d be saying things like “Let’s meet up at the snack bar in two ‘Crossroads’, okay?“. For a while I knew all the words to that song by heart; not because I liked it, but because I heard it ad nauseum.

The general public also heard it, and fucking LOVED it. “Tha Crossroads”, with its music video that paid tribute to the group’s recently deceased mentor, rapper Eazy-E, was one of the biggest hits of 1995. It was so massive that it was the highest debuting rap single OF ALL TIME when it landed at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually going to #1 just a week later. At the 1997 Grammys (due to bizarre Grammy rules about release dates) “Tha Crossroads” won the award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The album itself was nominated in 1996 (again, bizarre) for Best Rap Album but would lose to Naughty By Nature’s Poverty’s Paradise.

The success of E.1999 – Eternal allowed the members of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to sustain life long careers in music, with the group still performing and putting out albums to this day. I hope you had a good time reading about this week’s notable releases, hopefully it didn’t take you too many crossroads to get through it.

Onechanbara Z2: Chaos (PS4) – Released Jul. 21st, 2015

Notable Film Release: Ant-Man – Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Peña, and Michael Douglas
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Tame Impala – Currents
Click here to listen to the album

Colosseum: Road to Freedom (PS2) – Released Jul. 19th, 2005

Notable Film Release: Hustle & Flow – Starring Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, DJ Qualls as Shelby, and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Paramore – All We Know Is Falling
Click here to listen to the album

Comix Zone (Genesis) – Released Jul. 1995

Notable Film Release: Clueless – Starring Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, and Paul Rudd
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Bone Thugs-n-Harmony – E. 1999 Eternal
Click here to listen to album

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