Games

New Game Releases 09/09/25 – 09/15/25

Top Releases:

  • Borderlands 4 (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 12th
  • Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 9th
  • Dragon Ball Gekishin Squadra (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch) – Releases Sep. 9th
  • Garfield Kart 2 – All You Can Drift (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 10th
  • NHL 26 (PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 12th
  • LEGO Voyagers (PC/PS5/Switch) – Releases Sep. 15th

With last week’s Silksong release kicking off the Fall video game season, we should now expect to see big, major releases until at least the beginning of December. Each week, all of the different video game publishers will be locked in a fierce battle for your heard earned money which, thanks in large part to the P.O.S.-in-Chief, Donald Trump and his asinine tariffs have stretched our already thin pocketbooks even thinner.

Developed by: Gearbox Software
Published by: 2K

What’s it going to be, then, my friends? Are you willing to shell out the dough for Borderlands 4, a game that was (according to rumor) almost going to launch at an $80 dollar price tag (it is now confirmed to be $70)? Personally, I haven’t been excited for Borderlands since the second game’s release back in 2012, only grabbing the third entry on sale for $20 bucks a couple years ago (and have yet to play it). There’s supposed to be a huge “post launch map” which is ALWAYS a great idea. Why would I buy a game if I didn’t know that I’d need to devote at least a year of my life to it?

In a recent interview, Gearbox head honcho Randy Pitchford talked about the existential dread that comes from knowing that, one day, literally everything will cease to exist, even Borderlands. I hope he’s right, I’m not sure future civilizations need to know about how popular Claptrap was.

Borderlands 4 (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 12th

Developed by: Limited Run Games
Published by: Atari

Borderlands 4 won’t be the only game this week to embarrass us in front of future generations, we’ve also got a collection of every Bubsy video game ever made in The Purrfect Collection. Why? I mean, why not? There’s also a new free-to-play Dragon Ball game coming out called Gekishin Squadra, a second title for the Furries with Garfield Kart 2, as well as a game for all the guys who beat up the Furries in high school, NHL 26. Last up, we’ve got an artsy-fartsy LEGO game coming out from Annapurna Interactive called Voyagers, a co-op puzzle platformer that my daughter saw the trailer for and, after it was over, exclaimed, “Oh, heck yeah we’re getting that one!“; I guess I know where MY hard earned dollars are going this week.

Dragon Ball Gekishin Squadra (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch) – Releases Sep. 9th

Developed by: GANBARION Co., Ltd.
Published by: Bandai Namco

Garfield Kart 2 – All You Can Drift (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 10th

Developed by: Eden Games
Published by: Microids

NHL 26 (PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 12th

Developed by: EA Vancouver
Published by: EA Sports

LEGO Voyagers (PC/PS5/Switch) – Releases Sep. 15th

Developed by: Light Brick Studios
Published by: Annapurna Interactive

Ports and Expansions:

I’m currently reading the novel Children of Dune which was really boring for the first couple of hundred pages before finally getting interesting in its back 400 pages. I wonder if the MMO Dune: Awakening is also like that? I thought Dune and Dune: Messiah were great through and through, it’s only with Children that I’m really starting to see the series go of the rails. Anyway, Dune: Awakening has an expansion coming out called Lost Harvest that I’m sure will excite fans of the game. Oh, and did you know that a new POSTAL game had come out? Neither did I! It has a new expansion as well. ALSO! Marvel Rivals is coming to PS4, just in time for the game’s fourth season.

  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Legacy of the Forge (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 9th
  • POSTAL: Brain Damaged – These Sunny Daze (PC) – Releases Sep. 9th
  • Dune: Awakening – Lost Harvest (PC) – Releases Sep. 10th
  • Marvel Rivals (PS4) – Releases Sep. 12th

Everything else:

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

Games:

Kicking things off, from 2015 we have Undertale, probably one of the most popular video games of the last ten years. I know very little about Undertale so I decided to let my daughter, a self-proclaimed “mega fan”, write about it:

This next game is Undertale. This is a turn based indie RPG created by Toby Fox. The story follows a kid who falls underground. While you can change your name, the character’s official name is Frisk. Fun fact, naming yourself Frisk in-game will activate hard mode, but only for a small amount of time. A special thing aobut this game (misspelling intentional) is there are 3 different endings. Neutral, where you spare some monsters and kill others, genocide, where you kill every frickin’ monster (If you do this then I hate you) and, my favorite ending, true pacifist! True pacifist is likely the hardest of ‘em all. You have to spare every monster, and as if having only 20 HP wasn’t bad enough, you ALSO have to date Papyrus and Undyne, and (slight spoilers) discover the TRUE LAB of doctor Alphys. Look, all of this will make sense when you play the game. There are generally funny jokes, memorable characters, and you know that “Megalovania” song? THAT COMES FROM THIS GAME!!!!!!! And if you crave more…Deltarune is a… Sequel? Spin-off? Prequel? Another parallel universe entirely? So, I recommend playing this game immediately! You’ll have a skele-TON of fun!

From 2005 we’ve got the game Battalion Wars for the GameCube. Part of the Wars series of games (i.e., Famicom Wars), the Western release was initially going to be titled Advance Wars: Under Fire. However, the game’s plot wouldn’t have really fit in with the already established GBA series and the decision was made to nix any perceived connection to the Advance franchise. However, the gameplay in Battalion Wars is (somewhat) similar to Advance Wars, being that both are but from the same Wars cloth, with players guiding units around a map, tactically, as they attempt to wipe out their opponent.

Where Battalion Wars vastly differs from the Wars series is that you control units in a third person perspective, with battles happening in real-time a la Command & Conquer or Warcraft. Reviews were mostly positive, with critics enjoying the third person gameplay. There were some, though, who felt the controls were clunky and unrefined, and if you’ve ever tried to play an RTS game with a controller then you probably know exactly what they mean.

The GameCube console was not that big of a seller, so copies of Battalion Wars didn’t exactly fly off the shelf, but it moved a respectable 400k copies worldwide. A sequel, Battalion Wars 2 (or BWii) would appear on the Wii in 2007, though it would only manage to sell about 350k copies (on a far more popular console) and effectively doomed this franchise to the dustbin of history.

From 1995 we have a big one, a brand new console that helped shape the next generation of video games and introduced a whole new crowd to video games. I am talking about Sony’s big gamble, the PlayStation. I’ll go more in-depth on the origins of the console and its launch, etc. in this year’s Notable Events (look forward to that in December), but just to give some quick background, Sony and Nintendo would enter into a partnership in the early 90’s to create a CD-ROM based add-on to the Super NES. Prototypes were built and things were looking promising but Nintendo balked at the last minute and pulled out of the partnership. This infuriated Sony who vowed to return to the market with their own console to try and dethrone Nintendo.

When Nintendo’s main rival, Sega, got wind of this, they decided to rush production of their next console, the Saturn, cutting corners and forcing in a 3D processor that made the device nearly impossible for third-party devs to make games for. At E3 1995, Sega famously shadow dropped the Saturn to an unsuspecting public at a (then) astronomical price of $399 (about $825 in 2025). Sony, at that same conference, opened their presentation with one simple number “$299”; the rest is history.

The console would first release in Japan, in December of 1994, selling 300k units that month, compared to the Saturn’s 500k units, which was mostly attributed to the release of Virtua Fighter. However, after six months on the market, the PlayStation would move 2 million consoles in Japan, keeping pace with the Saturn and showing that Sony was a strong competitor. However, when it came to the US & Europe, the PlayStation wiped the floor with Sega’s floundering console, thanks in large part to a strong marketing campaign (U R NOT RED E) and a more varied, more well received line-up of launch titles. Let’s go over them now!

The biggest title was, by far, the arcade port of Namco’s Ridge Racer, the highly popular arcade racing game that many critics found to be a far superior port than the Saturn’s Daytona USA. The other major title for the PlayStation was the Sony published Battle Arena Toshinden and, while not as popular as the Saturn’s Virtua Fighter, the game showed that the console was more than capable of displaying “high quality” 3D polygon graphics. It was clear that the speed and graphical capabilities of the PlayStation could match (and exceed) what the Saturn was doing.

Ridge Racer was not the only arcade port from Namco, they would also release Air Combat, a kinda/sorta remake of their 1993 arcade title of the same name. Critics went gaga over the game, calling it addictive and one of the greatest flight sims of all-time. A major commercial success as well, it would go on to become the Ace Combat series. While some may have assumed that Street Fighter: The Movie was a port of the arcade title, it was, in fact, an entirely new game. While it was a commercial success, it was critically reviled.

You (usually) can’t have a console launch and not have some sports titles to go with it, and the PlayStation didn’t skimp on them, with three launching on day one. The first is yet another arcade port, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, the most faithful home console adaptation of the popular 2-on-2 basketball game. Sony would release a first party sports title, ESPN Extreme Games, which was, basically, a racing game with combat elements similar to those seen in the game Road Rash. ESPN Extreme Games is awful, but strangely addictive, and would go on to be renamed 1Xtreme to tie it in with its sequels 2Xtreme and 3Xtreme, all made by 989 Studios. The last sports title is Power Serve 3D Tennis, a forgotten tennis sim published by Ocean that was mildly praised by critics.

In the “Everything Else” category, we’ve got another 3D polygon fighting game, Zero Divide, which was highly praised by critics. This did not, however, translate into sales, and the title was quickly forgotten (with the sequel only arriving in Japan and Europe). With the failure of previous CD-ROM based consoles, like the 3DO and CD-i, you would see many of their titles get ported to the PlayStation, the first being Crystal Dynamic’s Total Eclipse Turbo, a 3D flight simulator set in space (it was not well received). Lastly, we have Kileak: The DNA Imperative, the PlayStation’s first FPS title.

Developed by Genki who, at the time, were only known for making racing games, and published by Sony, Kileak was an attempt to draw in the Doom crowd, but poor controls and lackluster gameplay made Kileak a dud. It still sold reasonably well, though, and inspired two follow-up games, 1996’s Epidemic and 1997’s BRAHMA Force: The Assault on Beltlogger 9 (say that five times fast).

Last, but not least, is the game that has had the biggest impression on the video game industry, the debut of Ubisoft’s kinda/sorta mascot, Rayman. Now, it’s weird to think about, but Rayman was, for about a week, a PlayStation exclusive (before releasing on the Atari Jaguar). For those unaware, Rayman is a 3D action platformer with players moving the titular character around typical “Mario style” levels, searching for creatures, called Electoons, who have been captured by Mr. Dark and his villainous cohorts.

Seen by Sony as a way for the PlayStation to appeal to a younger audience, particularly in Japan, Rayman would become a smash hit for the company, with the title moving nearly a million copies by the end of 1997, and four million in its lifetime. Rayman was such a commercial hit in Europe that it is the best-selling PlayStation game of all-time in the UK, and the second best-selling PlayStation game of all-time in France.

The success of Rayman would allow Ubisoft to continue growing, seeing them become one of the biggest and most successful developers in the next century, with multiple Rayman sequels releasing across every platform, even spawning its own successful spin-off, Rabbids. Out of all the PlayStation day one launch titles, Rayman is easily the best which is so bizarre because, for me, I just do not associate Rayman with the PlayStation, in any way. You can’t deny it, though, it’s an all-time, great video game.

Movies:

In notable films, 2015 saw the release of The Visit, from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. While not necessarily “found-footage”, the film is shot from the perspective of the main characters, teenage siblings Becca and Tyler, in a loose documentary style. They have been sent to stay with their grandparents for a week while their mother goes on a cruise vacation. While there, the siblings notice strange occurrences in and around the house, including their grandmother’s strange affliction, referred to as “sun downing” in which she goes into a kind of manic state in the evenings, becoming unpredictable and violent. The film culminates in a trademark Shyamalan twist that had me gasping at first watch.

The Visit was a low-budget affair from the director who had two back-to-back commercial flops in The Last Airbender and After Earth. Most studios shunned the director afterwards, meaning he had to self-finance the film himself, raising a $5 million budget that necessitated a quick and dirty film shoot. What came out of this was a pretty brilliant, taut thriller that showed audiences why they fell in love with the director after his breakthrough 1999 hit, The Sixth Sense. Critics praised the film, calling it a return to form, with even the perennial cynics over at The Golden Raspberry Awards bestowing Shyamalan with their Razzie Redeemer Award.

From 2005, we’ve got the animated movie Corpse Bride, co-directed by notable weirdo Tim Burton (along with a guy named Mike Johnson whose weirdo status is unknown as of this writing…he’s also not the current Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives). Now, you might assume that this was Burton’s second time in the director’s chair for a stop-motion picture, after The Nightmare Before Christmas, but that film was directed by a man named Henry Selick. Burton’s contributions came in the story and production level.

Corpse Bride takes inspiration from a 17th century Jewish folk tale, and sees a young groom-to-be (played by Johnny Depp) getting cold feet and running away from the ceremony. In an effort to lose the bride’s wedding ring, he places it on a branch which, unknown to the groom, is actually the outstretched arm of a deceased woman (played by Helena Bonham Carter). Through this comedy of errors, the groom is now betrothed to the corpse and must spend the film trying to get out of this peculiar situation.

Received warmly by critics, Corpse Bride ticked off all the signature Tim Burton check mark boxes; quirky lead, gothic romance, a whimsical supporting cast, weird German expressionist angles, an obsession with black & white, Danny Elfman. It was all there. For their efforts, Burton and Johnson were nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, losing to another stop-motion film, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (funny enough, it’s cast also featured Helena Bonham Carter).

From 1995, we’ve got one of the most 90’s movies of the 90’s, Hackers. Written by Rafael Moreau, the film follows the exploits of a group of young computer hackers who accidentally stumble upon a plot to extort money from the U.S. government. For the film’s ragtag team of misfits, Moreau would engross himself in the late 80’s/early 90’s hacker subculture, meeting young people and learning all about their hip lifestyle and hobbies.

Fully rejected by critics who, like, didn’t get it, man, Hackers was a box office bomb that failed to break out of its niche audience, failing to earn any mainstream support. The film would, however, find life on video and cable television, achieving cult status, though it is sometimes hard to tell if its due to genuine appreciate of the film or because they get to shout silly lines like, “Hack the planet” at retrospective screenings.

Albums:

In notable albums, 2015 gave us That’s the Spirit from alt-rock band Bring Me the Horizon. The album was highly regarded by critics who called it one of the best rock albums of 2015, and was a commercial success, debuting at #2 on the Billboard Top 200. I’m sure if I was born in 1991 I’d have more to say about this band, but I was born in 1981, so I don’t really have an opinion here one way or the other; sorry.

From 2005, we’ve got the album How to Save a Life by the pop rock band The Fray. Now, this band, man, I can tell you what I think about them. You see, well, THEY SUCK! Generic, soulless, easy listening bullshit made to appeal to the most base, mainstream audience as possible. In fact, they’re so lame and generic that their hit single, “Over My Head”, was originally called “Cable Car” but because people are so fucking STUPID, they had to change the name to “Over My Head (Cable Car)”, which is a line repeated in the chorus.

You see, if you don’t name your song after a line IN the song, people will get confused and scared and they might not buy your album, so screw your artistic integrity, just rename the song! Critics positively compared the band to both Coldplay and Keane which, damn, way to talk shit about Coldplay and Keane. The Fray are still around and, presumably, have fans that eat at Applebee’s every weekend. I only eat at greasy spoon diners that have no Yelp reviews and let me smoke inside. Yeah, I break the law, what are you gonna do about it?

Closing things out this week, from 1995, we’ve got the album Dear You from the band Jawbreaker. Now, I could pretend that I was a very cool 14-year-old who listened to Jawbreaker in 1995, and I could also pretend that I’m a really cool 44-year-old who listens to Jawbreaker in 2025, and you COULD pretend to believe me; please?

Dear You was Jawbreaker’s major label debut after a stint as one of the coolest bands of the early 90’s, the San Francisco bay area’s “grown up” antidote to Green Day. You could wear their t-shirt and know that you weren’t support some fucking sell-out, corporate rock band, you were telling the world that you liked real shit. Anyway, after getting all of the money and promotion that a major label has to offer, Jawbreaker broke up due to the “cool kids” now thinking they were fucking sell-out’s, I’LL NEVER WEAR THIS SHIRT AGAIN!

Jawbreaker’s lead singer & guitarist, Black Schwarzenbach, whose last name was mispronounced by every substitute teacher in school, would later start the band Jets to Brazil. As time passed, old wounds between the members of Jawbreaker would heal and they would embark on tours, playing all those songs from the 90’s that totally kick ass and reminded people of that time they voted for Bill Clinton in the 1992 Presidential election. The initial hatred of Dear You subsided almost immediately after the band broke up, when fans realized they’d probably never Jawbreaker live again. Now it’s, like, regarded as a classic, and shit. I bet you haven’t listened to it. I totally have…not listened to it either.

Undertale (PC) – Released Sep. 15th, 2015

Notable Film Release: The Visit – Starring Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, and Kathryn Hahn
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Bring Me the Horizon – That’s the Spirit
Click here to listen to the album

Battalion Wars (GameCube) – Released Sep. 19th, 2005

Notable Film Release: Corpse Bride – Starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Emily Watson
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: The Fray – How to Save a Life
Click here to listen to the album

PlayStation w/Air Combat, Battle Arena Toshinden, ESPN Extreme Games (1Xtreme), Kileak: The DNA Imperative, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, Power Serve 3D Tennis, Rayman, Ridge Racer, Street Fighter: The Movie, The Raiden Project, Total Eclipse Turbo, and Zero Divide – Released Sep. 9th, 1995

Notable Film Release: Hackers – Starring Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Bradford, Matthew Lillard, Laurence Mason, Renoly Santiago, Lorraine Bracco, and Fisher Stevens
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Jawbreaker – Dear You
Click here to listen to album

Speaking of “cool music”, I talk a lot about old stuff in this column, but I do have a brand new music recommendation, the album Moments by the Australian band Cut Copy. Their single “Belong To You” has been on repeat in my car for the last two days and I am LOVING IT. Check it out.

If you like what I’m doing here consider supporting me on Patreon. You can also find me on Blue Sky where I occasionally make jokes and talk about stuff I like. I used to eat a lot of corndogs but then I got Type-2 diabetes.