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New Game Releases 09/30/25 – 10/06/25

Andy Tuttle

Top Releases:

We’re in the final quarter of 2025 which means that the biggest releases are starting to appear, including this week’s top release, the open world samurai game Ghost of Yotei. The follow-up to 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, Yotei takes place over 300 years after the events of Tsushima with a brand new protagonist, Atsu, a young woman hell bent on revenge against the vile “Yotei Six”.

Early reviews have painted Ghost of Yotei as one of the best video games of the year, improving upon its predecessor with more fluid combat and a richer, more fulfilling story. It does seem that the game falls into the open world trap of too many side quests and activities, which vary in quality, though you should be able to safely ignore most of those if you just want to plow through to the end. Ghost of Tsushima is among my all-time favorite games, and I really hope that Ghost of Yotei delivers on the high expectations I am personally placing on it.

Ghost of Yotei (PS5) – Releases Oct. 2nd

Developed by: Sucker Punch Productions
Published by: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Our other big games this week are a couple of huge RPG’s that you almost certainly have time for in your life. First up is Digimon Story: Time Stranger, the seventh game in the series that I only became aware of in the last decade. Time Stranger was developed concurrently with 2017’s Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory, so that fans wouldn’t have to wait long for a follow-up; eight years later, and here we are.

The other big RPG is Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, a remake of the 1997 PlayStation game Final Fantasy Tactics, that features updated graphics, sound, and controls. You can, however, play the game in its original format if you so desire. I love Final Fantasy Tactics, it’s a fantastic game that will steal hours of your life if you let it. It’s worth it.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 3rd

Developed by: Media.Vision
Published by: Bandai Namco

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 30th

Developed by: Square Enix
Published by: Square Enix

Rounding things out are a couple of family-friendly titles. First we have Lego Party!, a Mario Party-esque title with players moving around a game board, activating events and competing in mini-games. Second, is the action RPG Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny, which can be played solo or with up to four players. As the title suggests, you will be able to choose from a handful of characters from various Nickelodeon cartoons, including SpongeBob, Jimmy Neutron, Danny Phantom, and more.

Lego Party! (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 30th

Developed by: SMG Studio
Published by: Fictions

Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 30th

Developed by: Petit Fabrik/Fair Play Labs
Published by: GameMill Entertainment

Ports and Expansions:

In this week’s ports, we’ve got one hell of a release as Super Mario Galxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 comes to the Switch. While the first Galaxy has already made an appearance on the Switch in the now unavailable Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, Galaxy 2 (which has a reputation for being the better game) is coming to the system for the first time; hopefully for more than a year. In the world of expansions The Sims 4 is putting out it’s 439th with Adventure Awaits, which adds new clothing & furniture, plus brand new getaway’s for your Sims to embark on that feature thrilling challenges they can compete in, helping to increase their skills.

Everything else:

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

Games:

In notable games, 2015 saw the return of Harmonix’s flagship video game series in Rock Band 4. After ending DLC support for Rock Band 3 2013, it seemed like the franchise, and the rhythm game genre in general, had seen its last days. However, with the advent of new consoles and the opportunity to carry over the previous generation’s DLC, Harmonix jumped into Rock Band 4 with both feet, letting living room bands across the world reunite.

While developer Harmonix and publisher Mad Catz had expected Rock Band 4 to be a big seller, the rhythm genre was, in fact, still on life support. It wasn’t quite dead, and likely never will be, but it wasn’t at nearly the same levels it was when both Rock Band and Guitar Hero ruled the gaming landscape. Sales of the game were so poor that Mad Catz would lay off nearly 40% of its workforce and led to the resignation of its CEO. By 2017, the company would go bankrupt, before emerging a year later under new ownership.

Harmonix would take over publishing duties after Mad Catz, continuing to put out weekly DLC, though it would often just be songs from a previous generation disc release and, maybe, one or two brand new songs. In 2021, Harmonix would be acquired by Epic Games, promising that DLC would be unaffected. However, a year later, DLC support for Rock Band 4 was terminated, with Harmonix now focusing on Fortnite Festival, a guitar rhythm game sub-mode for the popular online shooter. It’s hard to say if we’ll ever get another full band rhythm game like Rock Band again, though I often get ads for new versions of the guitar controller, so there are certainly people out there who want it, but how many?

From 2005, we have the North American debut of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Originally released in Japan for the Game Boy Advance in 2001, a DS port was developed by Capcom which contained the original game plus a bonus episode, and was slated for a North American release, with the publisher hopeful that American audiences would show an affinity for puzzle solving visual novels.

Well, affinity was shown, and more, as Ace Attorney quickly sold out in stores across America due to a low print run by Capcom. The company had to do at least three print runs of the game and, even then, it still wasn’t enough to fully meet demand as the game would completely sell out for a third time. Critically, Ace Attorney was a hit as well, earning praise from all of the various outlets. The game’s humor was a major plus for critics, reminding them of classic PC point & click adventure games like The Secret of Monkey Island and Space Quest.

Critics felt that Ace Attorney was one of a few recent games, including Indigo Prophecy, that were helping to revitalize the fledgling adventure game genre. The success of Ace Attorney helped turn Phoenix Wright into one of Capcom’s most recognizable characters and led to the release of multiple sequels and spin-off’s over the last 20 years.

From 1995, we’ve got one of the greatest video games of all-time, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, for the Super NES. Released at the end of the console’s lifespan, Yoshi’s Island takes full advantage of the SNES’ capabilities, as well as a brand new version of the Super FX chip (Super FX2), to give the console some of its best graphics and gameplay. Set before the events of Super Mario World (presumably), Yoshi’s Island tells the story of everyone’s favorite green dinosaur, Yoshi, as he stumbles upon a lost child, Baby Mario. Having been kidnapped by the nefarious Kamek, Baby Mario is able to break free but, due to him being, you know, a baby, he can’t rescue his brother, Baby Luigi, on his own. Yoshi, being the kind-hearted character he is, sets off on a journey to rescue Baby Luigi and reunite the two brothers.

While the game shares some similarities with its Mario Bros. counterpart, Yoshi’s Island took the series in new directions, with the ability to throw eggs at enemies and objects, giving Yoshi the ability to hover for a few seconds after jumping, and to transform Yoshi into various vehicles, including a helicopter and submarine. Another difference is that Yoshi will not immediately lose a life if hit by an enemy. Instead, Baby Mario will fly off his back, floating in a bubble, with players needing to grab the floating infant before Kamek’s goons whisk him away.

With Yoshi’s Island, Nintendo opted to make the game more accessible to younger and inexperienced players. Unlike Super Mario World, which allowed players to bypass difficult levels by taking different paths on the world map, each level was designed in a way to help teach players how to play the game, thus getting better with each stage completed and, presumably, prepare them for more difficult challenges down the road (a design philosophy that continues to this day in Yoshi platformers).

At release, Yoshi’s Island received wide-spread critical acclaim, being called one of the best games of 1995, one of the greatest SNES games of all-time, the best Mario game of all-time, and perhaps the greatest platformer ever made (up to that point). Some critics, however, felt that the screening cries of Baby Mario were far too loud and annoying, deducting points just for that. Having spent hours with this game when I was 14, I certainly remember the crying and, yes, it was annoying, but not something I would have personally dinged the game on in my score.

Following the success of Yoshi’s Island, the titular green dino became a mainstay of the Mario franchise, spinning off into his own series of games as well, starting with 1998’s Yoshi’s Story for the N64, to the upcoming Yoshi and the Mysterious Book in 2026. The quality of these Yoshi games have varied over the years and, to some, the series has not reached the same heights that Yoshi’s Island did back in 1995. Luckily, Nintendo Switch Online members have access to the game on their Switch consoles right now, with the game available on the Super NES app. If you’ve skipped Yoshi’s Island over the last 30 years, I would implore you to give it a try and experience a masterpiece.

Movies:

In notable films, 2015 saw the release of The Martian, a film in which Matt Damon gets trapped on Mars and must learn how to adapt and survive, alone. Now, I should clarify, this is not a movie about the ACTOR Matt Damon getting trapped on Mars. He plays a character named Mark who is trapped on Mars. Can you imagine if Matt Damon actually got trapped on the planet Mars? That would be crazy.

From 2005, we’ve got the film Good Night, and Good Luck, one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. Set in the 1950’s at the height of McCarthyism, the movie tells the story of journalist Edward R. Murrow, played by David Strathairn, and his public conflict with U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy (who appears in the film using archival footage). With the film releasing nine months into the second term of George W. Bush’s Presidency, it was seen as a striking call to action for journalists around the world to speak truth to power because, you know it would never get worse for America then it did under George W. Bush.

The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, Best Picture, Best Director (George Clooney), Best Actor (David Strathairn), Best Original Screenplay (Clooney & Grant Heslov), Best Cinematography (Robert Elswit), and Best Art Direction (James D. Bissell & Jan Pascale), failing to win a single one of them. After winning the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Syriana, Clooney would jokingly exclaim, “Well I guess I’m not winning Best Director“. What a cad!

From 1995, we have the film Strange Days from director Kathryn Bigelow and writer James Cameron. While the film had high expectations due to the people involved, Strange Days was a box office failure, only grossing $17 million on a budget of $42 million. Set in the final days of 1999, Strange Days is a fascinating blend of sci-fi and film noir, with a dash of cyberpunk for good measure. A biting critique of police brutality and a society constantly under surveillance, Strange Days was a polarizing film with critics, earning high praise from Roger Ebert, who felt it was a technical marvel.

Other critics were turned off by the first person view of murders, likening the movie to a snuff film. While audiences were initially turned off by the film, Strange Days would earn a cult following on VHS. Bigelow, who became the first woman to win Best Director at the Saturn Awards for the film, almost derailed her career because of Strange Days, but she would bounce back in the 2000’s, directing the well received thriller K-19: The Widowmaker, as well as the Oscar winning film The Hurt Locker, which earned her the Best Director award, the first woman to achieve that feat.

Albums:

In notable albums, 2015 gave us the Janet Jackson album Unbreakable. This was Jackson’s eleventh studio album and, as of 2025, has been her most recent release. A commercial and critical success, Unbreakable debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, her third album to achieve this feat since she began releasing music in 1982. While three singles were released, only “No Sleep” made it to the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at #67. This was Jackson’s 40th entry on the chart, solidifying her as one of the all-time greats.

From 2005, we’ve got the second studio album from rock band Franz Ferdinand, You Could Have It So Much Better. Following on the success of their 2004 self-titled debut, You Could… continued the band’s status as one of the premier rock & roll bands of the 2000’s, thanks in part to the endlessly catchy single “Do You Want To”. Peaking at #79 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Do You Want To” had heavy airplay on MTV 2 the day it was released, being played every hour on the hour. In the UK, You Could… topped the charts, debuting at #1, while in the US it would peak at #8 on the Billboard Top 200, easily overtaking their debut, which only peaked at #32.

Enjoyed by critics, the album was seen as a continuation of the band’s disco-rock sensibilities and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. While it wasn’t seen as groundbreaking, critics felt that the songwriting had improved since their previous release, and two Grammy nominations for the album (Best Alternative Album & Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal) gave the expectation that even greater things were in store for Franz Ferdinand in the future. Well, it didn’t quite work out that way, with each subsequent release failing to reach the heights of You Could…, sadly. It’s not that Franz Ferdinand have disappeared or failed to chart in recent years, they just aren’t the biggest band in the world, even if they should be.

Closing this out this week, from 1995, we have the album Daydream from Mariah Carey. While her previous album, Music Box made her a star, it was Daydream that started to show Carey break free from her “good girl” image and embrace the more sensual, no-nonsense, confident diva that she would eventually be known for. Bolstered by a bevy of hit singles, the two most well known are “Fantasy” and “Always Be My Baby”.

“Fantasy” was Carey’s ninth single to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was, in a historic moment, the first single to debut at #1 by a female artist, and only the second single IN HISTORY to debut at #1 (the other was Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone”). Featuring a sample of “Genius of Love” by the Talking Heads side project, Tom Tom Club, “Fantasy” received heavy rotation on both radio and MTV, taking over the airwaves in the late days of Summer and early Autumn. With initial sales of 229k, “Fantasy” was also one of the best selling singles of all-time, matching Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”.

“Always Be My Baby” also topped the Billboard Hot 100, her eleventh, tying Carey with Madonna and Whitney Houston for most #1 singles by a female artist. Carey’s previous single from Daydream, “One Sweet Day” (feat. Boyz II Men) also charted which meant that between “Fantasy”, “One Sweet Day”, and “Always Be My Baby”, she spent an astonishing 26 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, a half a year!

Praised by critics as one of the best albums of Carey’s career, Daydream felt unlike anything Carey had done before. Despite being in her mid twenties, Carey trended older because of her sound. With Daydream, it finally felt like this young woman was allowed to be a young woman. She was allowed to have fun, embrace modern musical trends (like having Wu-Tang Clan’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard rap a verse on the remix of “Fantasy”), and be herself. With six nominations at the Grammy awards, including Album of the Year, Carey was expected to sweep every category.

Instead, she went home empty handed, losing Record of the Year to Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” and Album of the Year to Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, with the other awards going to Annie Lennox, The Chieftains & Van Morrison, and two to Joni Mitchell. While disappointed, this was just a road bump in the legendary career of Mariah Carey, one of the world’s greatest vocalists.

Rock Band 4 (PS4/Xbox One) – Released Oct. 6th, 2015

Notable Film Release: The Martian – Starring Matt Damon
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Janet Jackson – Unbreakable
Click here to listen to the album

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS) – Released Oct. 11th, 2005

Notable Film Release: Good Night, and Good Luck – Starring David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, George Clooney, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., and Frank Langella
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better
Click here to listen to the album

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (SNES) – Released Oct. 4th, 1995

Notable Film Release: Strange Days – Starring Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Michael Wincott
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Mariah Carey – Daydream
Click here to listen to album

Hey, did you know that Franz Ferdinand put out an album THIS YEAR?! It’s another banger, full of immensely catchy tunes, check out this one:

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