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New Game Releases 08/12/25 – 08/18/25

Andy Tuttle

Top Releases:

The August slowdown continues, well, if you call 40 releases slow. Still, nothing this week sparks joy in me, how about you? Maybe you’re like my daughter and super stoked for the newest game in the Bendy franchise, Lone Wolf. Maybe you like AA Xbox 360-style throwbacks and Echoes of the End is calling out to you. Maybe you’re one of those people that buys every game developed by Nintendo and you are dying to check out Drag x Drive. Maybe you’re a die-hard football fan and you just gotta pick up Madden NFL 26; they have new animations! Maybe Midnight Murder Club made a great impression on you during early access and you just have to get the full release. Finally, maybe you like early internet meme games and want to relive your younger days with the quirky RPG OFF, which has been remastered. Whatever your reason for getting a new game this week, I hope that it brings you all the joy you’re looking for.

Bendy: Lone Wolf (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Aug. 15th

Developed by: Joey Drew Studios
Published by: Joey Drew Studios

Echoes of the End (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Aug. 12th

Developed by: Myrkur Games
Published by: Deep Silver

Drag x Drive (Switch 2) – Releases Aug. 14th

Developed by: Nintendo EPD
Published by: Nintendo

Madden NFL 26 (PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Aug. 14th

Developed by: EA Orlando
Published by: EA Sports

Midnight Murder Club (PC/PS5) – Releases out of Early Access Aug. 14th

Developed by: Velan Studios
Published by: PlayStation Publishing

OFF: Remastered (PC/Switch) – Releases Aug. 15th

Developed by: Mortis Ghost/Fangamer
Published by: Fangamer

Ports and Expansions:

It’s been over two years since Age of Wonder 4 hit the market and we are now being graced with the game’s fourth expansion, Archon Prophecy. There is a lengthy video above describing all of the new features that I just could not get through; should be fun! ALSO! Senua’s Saga Hellblade II is getting an enhanced edition that is free for everyone who owns the game. This will allow for 60fps when playing the game (if that shit mattes to you), as well as an upgraded photo mode, a “Dark Rot” mode (whatever that means), and developer commentary.

Everything else:

Notable Releases from 10, 20, and 30 (and sometimes 40) years ago:

Games:

Kicking things off, from 2015, we’ve got the tactical RPG Shadowrun: Hong Kong, the sequel to 2013’s Shadowrun. Funding for the game was done through Kickstarter, with developer Harebrained Schemes asking for $100,000; they would not just meet their goal, but smash it, earning $1.2 million from players. While the game earned praise from critics, many were quick to point out that Hong Kong didn’t differ too much from its predecessor, but it hardly detracted from the game’s enjoyment. Players might not have been keen, though, as Hong Kong only sold about half of what the first game’s expansion, Dragonfall, sold. A bundle containing all three Shadowrun titles was released in 2022 but we haven’t seen much from this franchise, or Harebrained, since then, particularly after the poor reception to their 2023 game The Lamplighters League.

From 2005, we’ve got the game Advance Wars: Dual Strike, back when companies used to name their games with a cute subtitle that indicated it was on the Nintendo DS. This was the third Advance Wars game to release in North America, after spending a decade as a Japan-only exclusive, and was the first to release on Nintendo’s then brand new handheld. Gameplay in Dual Strike is very similar to that of its GBA counterparts, though there were new units added to the game, such as the Black Boat, which can take units across water, and the Oozium, a slow-moving gelatinous blob that can defeat any unit in one hit.

Dual Strike took advantage of the second screen in a couple of ways. The most common was that it would show stats about the terrain and what each unit could do but, on occasion, players would see a simultaneous battle happening in real-time, with another squadron of troops form your army. You could reinforce that battle, ensuring they succeed, then the CPU or another human player would take control of the upper screen’s CO and engage in a final, co-op battle against the enemy army.

The critical reception to Dual Strike was overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the game as a major step forward from the GBA releases. Battles were addictive and, most importantly, fun to play, making Dual Strike one of the DS’ killer apps, with critics telling players that if they hadn’t gotten a DS by now, this was the perfect time to jump in. A second DS title in the franchise would arrive in 2008 and would, sadly, be the last original Advance Wars game.

From 1995, we have one of the most maligned pieces of video game hardware ever released, Nintendo’s Virtual Boy. Following the success of the Game Boy, Nintendo was seen as the leader in portable gaming, crushing competition from both Sega and Atari. In an effort to remain the leader, while also show how innovative and forward thinking the company was, a new portable system was announced, promising immersive, 3D stereoscopic graphics that would put players into the game, so to speak. Under the lead of Game Boy creator Gunpei Yokoi, this new system, to be known as Virtual Boy, was supposed to revolutionize gaming.

Initially conceived in 1985 by a U.S. company called Reflection Technology, the Virtual Boy started out its life pretty much how it would eventually come out, as a portable head set with a screen inside that showed red & black images in stereoscopic 3D. Reflection would reach out to Mattel and Hasbro, as well as Sega, hoping to get one of them to fund the project, but each one felt that the technology was too cumbersome, too harsh on the yes, and induced too much motion sickness. However, when Reflection brought the device to Nintendo, Yokoi saw an opportunity to change the industry, like he did with the Game Boy, fully embracing the technology.

Unfortunately, for Yokoi and players, Nintendo didn’t have a lot of time for the Virtual Boy. The company was also developing their next home console around the same time, the Nintendo 64, and were banking on that machine to carry them through to the next century. As a result, the Virtual Boy and its games were kind of left to Yokoi and a few small teams to figure out on their own. It seems that Yokoi could tell that the system was not ready for market but was basically told by Nintendo to release it so that they could get everyone’s attention on the N64.

Nintendo had modest hopes for the Virtual Boy, anticipating that they would sell over 2 million units in the first year of release. To promote the machine, the company entered a deal with NBC and Blockbuster, spending $25 million on an ad campaign that had NBC airing commercials during their prime time line-up which instructed viewers to rent the machine at their local Blockbuster for $10 dollars, receiving a $10 dollar coupon off the price of the machine at any retailer. While the plan was to showcase how amazing the device was, it ended up having the opposite effect.

Once the general public got hold of the Virtual Boy they saw just how un-immersive it actually was and, like Mattel, Hasbro, and Sega, learned very quickly that this machine was not portable, that the graphics were hideous, and that it was physically uncomfortable to use, with major eye strain and motion sickness, as well as how awkward it was to use the device. By the end of the promotion, it was reported that Blockbuster sold their Virtual Boy units for a cool $50 bucks, far less than Nintendo’s asking price of $180 (about $380 in 2025).

As for launch titles, they are generally considered some of the strongest games in the entire Virtual Boy library. In a ranked list from NintendoLife, they placed Teleroboxer #9, praising the first person view but calling it too short. Red Alarm was ranked 7th, again praising the first person view while also giving high praise to the controls. Mario’s Tennis was ranked #4, feeling like it was an excellent showcase of the Virtual Boy’s stereoscopic 3D effect. Finally, Galactic Pinball was ranked #3, praising the game’s controls, physics, and fun factor.

The Virtual Boy has been Nintendo’s black spot for 30 years now. That 2 million unit goal was far too high, with the company only moving about 770k units. Gunpei Yokoi would leave Nintendo shortly after, claiming that he was already planning to retire and the company indicating that the Virtual Boy failure did not lead to his departure. Yokoi would go on to create another handheld, the Wonderswan, for Bandai, but would tragically die in a car accident in 1997, two years before it was released. Original creators, Reflection Technology were hit the hardest, financially, far more than Nintendo, and would cease operations by the end of the 90’s. Sadly, it’s founder would also die not long after, passing in 2001.

Over the years, Nintendo has been fairly candid about the failure of the Virtual Boy and doesn’t really seem too keen on revisiting it. While various easter eggs have popped up over the years in a few Nintendo games, there has been no re-release of any Virtual Boy titles, and I would assume that there never will be.

From 1985, we’ve got a game that you probably haven’t heard of, but was highly regarded upon release and in the years after, A Mind Forever Voyaging. This PC text adventure game was developed and published by Infocom who were best known for the Zork series, as well as the very well received Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy text adventure game. In A Mind Forever Voyaging, players take on the role of of a super computer called PRISM who, in turn, tasks players with taking on the role of a fictional character named Perry Smith.

PRISM has been assigned by its creators to help solve several problems gripping the U.S. in the year 2031, including a failing economy, a staggeringly high suicide rate among teenagers, and the United States’ slipping position in the nuclear arms race. The plan initially works, but the scientists continue to ask PRISM to move the simulation further and further into the future, showing how, over time, these policies would doom the world. Designed and written by Steve Meretzky, who co-designed/co-wrote Hitchhiker’s Guide, AMFV was a blistering take down of the policies of the Ronald Reagan administration.

Meretzky, in his criticism of President Reagan, had hoped that AMFV would stir some kind of controversy or, at the very least, get him and the company some hate mail. Instead, it just got tons of praise, proving that the game was either only played by like-minded people or they were too stupid to understand. Critics loved the story and was, in the words of Computer Gaming World, transcendental. Despite the overwhelming praise for the story, most critics agreed that there was little to no replay value in AMFV, but its story was so good that it had to be experienced.

I’d normally tell you the availability of the game but, sadly, A Mind Forever Voyaging is basically come true. The policies set forth by the Reagan administration would have a massive impact on the ensuing decades, shaping how our government works, how our society treats one another, and sprouted the seeds of division that have torn our country into multiple, tribalistic points of view. Fear is powerful and it will make you do things you never imagined, all so a handful of people can assume control over everything. Whatever tribe you belong to will certainly dictate who you think I’m talking about in the previous sentence.

Movies:

In notable films, 2015 saw the release of Straight Outta Compton, a biopic detailing the rise of Los Angeles rap group N.W.A., as well as the solo careers of members Dr. Dre, Ice Cube (played by his own son), and Eazy-E. Initial estimates had the film opening between $25 and $45 million, it would end up shattering that, earning over $60 million in its opening weekend, easily beating Guy Ritchie’s adaptation of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The film was a major success, becoming the highest grossing musical biopic of all-time.

Critics praised the film, calling it bold and energetic, while praising the actors for not just imitating real-life figures, but almost becoming them. Straight Outta Compton received several awards and nominations, including a nod for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards (losing to Spotlight).

From 2005, we have the comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin, the breakout role for actor Steve Carell who, at the time, was best known for his other 2005 release, NBC’s The Office. The show was struggling in the ratings but would find an audience after Virgin would go on to become one of the highest grossing, and most critically acclaimed films of the year.

For those not familiar with the film, the plot is, well, in the title. The movie centers around Andy, a 40-year-old man who has, well, never had sex before. One night, while playing poker with some work friends, they discover that Andy is a virgin and then spend the rest of the film trying to get him laid. It’s like American Pie but for dudes who spent their 20’s & 30’s watching Critical Role; like, the entire 4 hour, weekly livestream, not the hour and a half condensed version on YouTube.

Directed & co-written by Judd Apatow, Virgin kickstarted his career as well, after a couple of misfires, The Cable Guy and Freaks & Geeks. Initially, the film was far raunchier than the final product, with multiple scenes involving nudity. Apatow felt that these nude scenes took away from the film’s comedy and, after several test screenings proved his point, took the majority of them out and focused more on the comedic riffing between his four male actors.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin topped the box office for two weeks in a row, eventually going on to gross $177 million at the box office. Critics loved the film to death, calling it one of the best comedies ever made, setting a new gold standard on which all future comedies would be measured. Despite being placed on several “Best of..” lists for 2005, including from the American Film Institute, Virgin would not receive a single Oscar or Golden Globe nomination.

Following the success of Virgin, Judd Apatow became the new face of comedy, behind the camera, and followed it up with the even more successful Knocked Up, and led to multiple neo-romantic (and bro-mantic) comedies over the rest of the decade. While it has some questionable comedy, like the “you know I know you’re gay” scene, there is still something sweet and charming about this film that is raunchy, but relatable.

From 1995, we’ve got the action film Mortal Kombat, based on the hit 1992 video game. Despite poor reviews from critics, Mortal Kombat would go on to stun pundits when it opened up in first place, easily beating the other newcomer, The Baby-Sitters Club. Earning $23 million on opening weekend, Mortal Kombat held the record (at the time) for second best opening weekend in August, falling just behind 1993’s The Fugitive.

While most critics despised the film, most agreed that it contained wonderful action sequences, with top notch fight choreography. One booster of the film was Gene Siskel, if Siskel & Ebert fame, who gave the film a thumbs up and said it was easily the best video game adaptation up to that point. Even with its low score from critics, Mortal Kombat was, for over 20 years, the highest rated video game adaptation on Rotten Tomatoes, finally losing the crown to Tomb Raider in 2018.

Of course, it’s hard to talk about Mortal Kombat without bringing up the film’s soundtrack, which had a 14-year-old virgin…me…jumping out of my seat in the empty theatre and dancing until I realized there was a family sitting behind me, and I sheepishly sat down. A sequel, 1997’s Mortal Kombat Annihilation would arrive to worse reviews and was not saved by audiences, who guaranteed that this would be a bomb. Attempts at restarting the franchise would start & stop over the years, finally coming to fruition in 2021 with the reboot called, of course, Mortal Kombat.

Going back to 1985, we’ve got the debut film from director Tim Burton, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. This is one of my all-time favorite movies and had a profound influence on me growing up, helping to shape my humor over the years. One of the earliest VHS tapes I owned (well, recorded on a VHS from the video store copy) was Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and I would come home from school and watch it just about every afternoon (along with Three Amigos and Back to the Future). This film embodies my childhood unlike any other, except perhaps The Muppet Movie, and it brings me an intense amount of joy every time I see it.

While the film’s final gross of $40 million might not seem like a lot, that put it at the 15th highest grossing film of the year, and would be the equivalent of $119 million in 2025. The success of the film didn’t just make Pee-Wee a household name, it launched the career of Burton as a filmmaker, who would go on to make Beetlejuice and Batman, along with one of his long time collaborators, Oingo Boingo front man Danny Elfman, who got his big break scoring Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.

While the film would spawn a sequel, 1988’s Big Top Pee-Wee (as well as a 2016 film, Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday), the biggest thing to come out of the film was the children’s television program Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, which ran for five seasons on CBS. Growing up in my early childhood without a father was tough, and being an only child until I was 7 was even tougher, so I would often latch on to entertainment that had strong male role models, as either father figure or an older-brother type. Pee-Wee helped fill that older brother role in my life, showing me cool things to watch and being just brave enough to make me feel like I could also be like him.

When Paul Reubens, the actor who portrayed Pee-Wee, died in 2023 I found myself crushed by the news. I’m so grateful for all of the entertainment and joy he brought me over the years. I’ll never forget those weekday afternoon’s and Saturday morning’s with Pee-Wee, laughing my head off, hoping that, one day, I could be just as cool as he was.

Albums:

In notable albums, 2015 saw the release of Compton by Dr. Dre, a companion album to the film Straight Outta Compton. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 and was well received by critics and listeners. Featuring a slew of guest artists, including Ice Cube, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Snoop Dogg (among many others), Compton came out of Dre’s desire to try and recapture the spirit of his early days after watching the making of Straight Outta Compton. Despite the praise, Compton would receive no Grammy nominations and is, as of 2025, Dr. Dre’s most recent album.

From 2005, we have the debut album from Aly & Aj, Into The Rush. A commercial hit, the album debuted at #36 on the Billboard Top 200 and stayed on the chart for a whopping 40 weeks. By the end of its initial run, the album had sold over 1 million copies around the world and turned the duo into critically acclaimed pop-stars. The success of the album led to multiple appearances on soundtracks to Disney films & TV shows, and even got the duo their own Disney Channel original movie, Cow Belles.

From 1995, we could have probably talked about the Mortal Kombat soundtrack but, instead, we are going to highlight the self-titled debut Garbage. Featuring a slew of hit singles, “Vow”, “Queer”, “Milk”, “Only Happy When It Rains”, and my favorite, “Stupid Girl”. Garbage takes me back to a very specific point of time, reminding me of exact places, moments, and people in time. I can see myself sitting on a very specific couch in our living room, watching MTV on a very specific television set, in a very specific entertainment center, using a very specific remote control to change the stations.

The album was a slow starter, failing to chart in during its release, before debuting at #193 on the Billboard Top 200 a few weeks later, reaching it’s peak position, #20 a full year after release. The band was, in the beginning, not really supposed to be a band, with Garbage being seen as more like a side project for three record producers; Butch Vig, Duke Erikson, and Steve Marker.

Once people started to take notice of the group, and their songs began to receive substantial radio play and MTV rotation, it became impossible for Garbage to ignore their success. With lead singer Shirley Manson in tow, the band would tour in 1996, helping propel them into a higher level of stardom and critical acclaim. At the Grammy Awards, Garbage would receive three nominations; Best New Artist, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group (for “Stupid Girl”). They would lose all three, but they would still press on, releasing eight albums, including their most recent one, 2025’s Let All That We Imagine Be the Light.

Closing things out this week, from 1985, we have the album The Head on the Door by The Cure. This was the band’s seventh album and was, at the time, their most successful, reaching #59 on the Billboard Top 200 and being certified gold in the U.S. The album would spawn two singles, “In Between Days” & “Close To Me”, but it was the entire album’s varied and eclectic style that helped make it such a hit.

While the album is unmistakably “The Cure” in its style, The Head on the Door features a slew of genres that ensured anyone could find a song they liked on the album. Critics found the songwriting to be some of Robert Smith’s best work to date and showed that he was growing and maturing as an artist. There would be Grammy nominations for the album, but it would turn The Cure into international stars, leading to a decades long career as one of the most successful, and cherished bands of all-time.

Shadowrun: Hong Kong (PC) – Released Aug. 20th, 2015

Notable Film Release: Straight Outta Compton – Starring O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge, and Paul Giamatti
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Dr. Dre – Compton
Click here to listen to the album

Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS) – Released Aug. 22nd, 2005

Notable Film Release: The 40-Year-Old Virgin – Starring Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, and Seth Rogen
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Aly & AJ – Into The Rush
Click here to listen to the album

Virtual Boy w/Galactic Pinball, Mario’s Tennis, Red Alarm, and Teleroboxer – Released Aug. 14th, 1995

Notable Film Release: Mortal Kombat – Starring Christopher Lambert, Robin Shou, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Linden Ashby, and Bridgette Wilson
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Garbage – Garbage
Click here to listen to album

A Mind Forever Voyaging (PC) – Released Aug. 14th, 1985

Notable Film Release: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure – Starring Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, and Mark Holton
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: The Cure – The Head on the Door
Click here to listen to album

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