Games

New Game Releases 10/07/25 – 10/13/25

Top Releases:

  • Battlefield 6 (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 10th
  • Little Nightmares III (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Switch 2/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 10th
  • Bye Sweet Carole (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 10th
  • Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 10th
  • Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 10th
  • Yooka-Replaylee (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 9th

Rearrrr, puh-choom!!! Uhuhuhuhuhuhuh!! KABOOM!! Pshew! Pshew! Spherggh!! OH MY GOD, MY LEGS!!! LET’S FUCKIN’ GET ‘EM BOYS!!! Berrrroww! Budda, budda, budda!! Shrak-poom!!! Kra-kow! BOOSHHH!!!! Pe-kew!! ZING!! EAT LEAD YOU FUCKERS!!!!

Battlefield 6 (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 10th

Developed by: Battlefield Studios
Published by: EA

If the horrors of war aren’t terrifying enough for you, Bandai Namco has Little Nightmares III waiting in the wings. There’s also another scary game to choose from, Bye Sweet Carole, an adventure title with some really nice, hand-drawn graphics. For all you Nihon Falcom fans out there, the PSP Japanese exclusive fighting game, Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga, is finally coming to North America, on modern consoles.

Rounding things out are a couple of family titles. We’ve got Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club, a multi-genre title where players guide Snoopy around familiar locations from the Peanuts comic strip & animated films, solving puzzles and competing in mini-games. Finally, we have Yooka-Replaylee, a remake of the 2017 title Yooka-Laylee. This new version of the game contains updated graphics & controls, removes the need to unlock moves and locations (as they are all available from the start), and gives players a map that will allow them to track goals and fast-travel to various locations.

Little Nightmares III (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Switch 2/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 10th

Developed by: Supermassive Games
Published by: Bandai Namco

Bye Sweet Carole (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 10th

Developed by: Little Sewing Machine
Published by: Maximum Entertainment

Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 10th

Developed by: Nihon Falcom
Published by: Refint/games

Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 10th

Developed by: Cradle Games
Published by: GameMill Entertainment

Yooka-Replaylee (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 9th

Developed by: Playtonic Games
Published by: PM Studios Inc./Playtonic Friends

Ports and Expansions:

  • Disgaea 7 Complete (Switch 2) – Releases Oct. 10th
  • Little Nightmares: Enhanced Edition (Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Oct. 10th

Everything else:

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

Games:

In notable games, 2015 saw the release of a brand new arcade game, if you can believe that, with Luigi’s Mansion Arcade. Co-developed by Capcom & Sega, and published by Nintendo, Luigi’s Mansion Arcade and uses assets and art from the 2013 DS title, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. The cabinet uses a sit-down style arrangement and is, at its core, a light-gun game, with players using life-size replicas of the Poltergust to attack & trap ghosts.

Why, of all things, would Nintendo go back to arcades in 2015? Well, it’s because of the rise of adult-themed arcades like Dave & Busters, where arcade games are more like, eh, experiences, than games. The most successful modern arcade games are more like theme park rides or, in the case of Luigi’s Mansion Arcade, offer a unique playing experience. Now, just how successful was Luigi’s Mansion Arcade? It’s hard to say, as all revenue information is kept confidential. However, I’ve seen this in the wild across numerous arcades and family entertainment destinations, so it must be doing pretty well.

From 2005, we’ve got Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, the ninth game in the series, and the third to be released in North America. Released for the GameCube, this would also be the first game in the series to release on a home console since 1999’s Japan-only Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 on the Super NES, and the first home console release for the series in North America; FUN!

Set in a continuity outside of the rest of the main Fire Emblem series, Path of Radiance puts players into the role of Ike, who is part of a human-like race called the Beorc. His people are constantly at odds with a shape-shifting race of creatures called the Laguz, who are said to be something between human and beast. As the game begins, Ike sets out on patrol and comes across a group of mercenaries who have captured a young woman. Upon rescuing her, Ike discovers that she is the princess of Crimea, a neighboring kingdom, who has escaped death at the hands of an invading army.

What follows is, of course, a multi-hour campaign in which players will guide Ike and a cast of 46 different characters across multiple tactical-battles in an effort to thwart evil and save the world. Upon release, the game was a big success in Japan, selling over 150k copies by the end of 2005, and moving nearly half a million copies around the world. Critics had a mostly positive reception to the game, praising the combat and story, as well as the transition to 3D graphics. Most critics felt it didn’t add a whole lot to the Fire Emblem series, or tactical games in general, but it was solid and well made.

The success of Path of Radiance convinced Nintendo to make a follow-up game for their upcoming console, the Wii, with the hope that it would arrive in the “launch window” of the console, and would arrive in February of 2007, three months after the Wii released in Japan. Path of Radiance’s main protagonist, Ike, would debut in 2008’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Wii’s entry in the popular fighting game franchise. Sadly, there is no way to play Path of Radiance on modern devices but I am optimistic, however, that we may see it appear on the Switch’s GameCube app one day…I mean, I can dream, right?

From 1995, we’ve got one of my favorites, You Don’t Know Jack! Released for PC, YDKJ is an irreverent party game in which players compete in a game show-style trivia game, earning points for choosing the right answer. The origins of the game can be traced back to a children’s educational game called That’s a Fact, Jack, which aimed to help children from 3rd through 10th grade learn various facts about history, geography, and so on. While not a huge hit, the game did gain the attention of developer Berkeley Systems, creators of the hit screen saver software, After Dark. Wanting to branch more into the video game space, Berkeley asked the developers of Jack, a company called Learn Television, to recreate the game for an adult audience.

Not really keen to just create a simple trivia game for adults, designers (and brothers) Harry and Tom Gottlieb wanted to make something that was funny, but weren’t sure how to do that with a trivia game. Tom wondered out lout, what if you took high-brow trivia and mixed it with pop culture trivia? Like, what if you had a question that was both about Shakespeare and The Brady Bunch, what would that look like? After brainstorming further, the brothers would come upon the final form of this new funny trivia game for adults, calling it You Don’t Know Jack.

For those unfamiliar with You Don’t Know Jack, the premise is simple. A number of players (sometime up to eight, depending on the title), enter a pre-show green room where they are greeted by the host or perhaps another crew member of “the game show”, and enter their names. From there, the players are whisked away to the actual game, where they will choose a category and answer a multiple choice question. All the while, the game’s host will crack jokes and make fun of the players. After so many rounds, players will take part in a grand finale called “Jack Attack”, where they must match items to some kind of on-screen prompt. Point values in the Jack Attack can skyrocket and, players with hefty leads, can see it evaporate if they continually give wrong answers, as you will lose money for guessing incorrectly. Once a winner is crowned, players hear one more wisecrack from the host before being told, very loudly, “YOU DON’T KNOW JACK”.

You Don’t Know Jack was a big hit with both critics and players. By May of 1996, the game would sell over 250k copies and was the 17th best selling PC game of the year. The Gottleib brothers idea to fuse comedy and trivia was revelatory. It seems like such a no brainer idea, that it was a shock that it took this long happen. There is a very “Gen X” appeal to the game, with much of the pop culture references centering on 1970’s/80’s TV sitcoms, and other trends, movies, and events that would appeal to 20 and 30 something’s in 1995.

One of the big things that critics noted as the lack of graphics in You Don’t Know Jack, as the core gameplay takes place on a black screen covered in text. This meant that the entire game hinged on the disembodied voices of the host and his “crew”, and your own “buy-in” that you & your friends were part of some elaborate TV game show. During the end of the year accolades, both Computer Gaming World and Computer Game Reviews awarded it their Best Puzzle Game award, with Computer Gaming World, only one year later, calling it the 75th greatest PC game of all-time.

Following the success of You Don’t know Jack, the Gottlieb brothers changed their name from Learn Television to Jellyvision (now Jackbox Games), with the series going on to have over 20 follow-up titles across PC, consoles, mobile devices, and even Facebook, including two versions in their popular Jackbox Party Pack series. With millions of copies cold around the world, You Don’t Know Jack is among the best selling, most well known video game franchises of all-time. Ain’t that something?

Going back to 1985 this week, we have the arcade title Gun.Smoke and, yes, that is a period between the two words. Why, you might be asking? Well, to get around copyright laws, of course. You see, while developer Capcom wanted to associate itself with the classic western radio & television program Gunsmoke, they couldn’t very well use that name in North America without paying some kind of licensing fee. Thus, the period in Gun.Smoke (see, it’s different).

Gun.Smoke is a vertical shooter, with gameplay very similar to one of the company’s other 1985 releases, Commando. Players take on the role of a cowboy named Billie Bob as he hunts down bounties in the Wild West. As Billie moves through each stage, he must shoot as many enemies as possible while dodging their bullets. If you’ve played any vertical shooter in your life, then you know exactly what Gun.Smoke looks like, just replace a spaceship/jet with a cowboy, and outer space/the sky for an old Western town.

Praised by critics and enjoyed by players, Gun.Smoke was yet another hit for Capcom who were having one hell of a year following the releases of 1942, Commando, and Ghosts ‘N Goblins. Despite its popularity at the time, Gun.Smoke hasn’t had much of a lasting effect in the video game world, well at least not for Capcom. You see, the company tried to do a modern version of Gun.Smoke in the early 2000’s, working with a San Diego developer called Angel Studios, but they cancelled the game before release, selling it to Rockstar who renamed it Red Dead Revolver. This, of course, led to the development of Red Dead Redemption, one of the most successful video games of all-time.

Movies:

In notable films, 2015 gave us the biopic Steve Jobs, from director Danny Boyle and writer Aaron Sorkin. Unlike typical biopics, where the film gives you the life story of a famous figure, Steve Jobs focuses intently on three different moments in the life of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. It first brings us to the year 1984, moments before Jobs is set to publicly reveal the Macintosh 128k. We then move forward to 1988, with Jobs now out at Apple and on his way to publicly unveil his new project, the NeXT Computer. Wrapping things up, the film moves forward to the year 1998, with Jobs now back with Apple, following its purchase of NeXT, just before he is set to publicly reveal the iMac.

If you couldn’t tell, each segment finds Steve Jobs at a moment in time where he is ready to reveal his latest “baby” to the world and bask in the (hoped) glory that is to come. What the film does, in each of these scenarios, is remind the audience that Jobs had, for several years, publicly denied that he had a real baby, a daughter named Lisa. They do this by bringing Lisa into each time period, where Jobs must grapple with his refusal to accept responsibility as a father, while trying to make the world love some piece of machinery he has created. While Macintosh and NeXT are failures, the iMac succeeds. Why does the iMac succeed? Well, it’s because Jobs finally took responsibility for Lisa as her father, publicly embracing the role.

While I don’t know how true to life most of these moments from the film are, it is a brilliant way to tell a biopic and is, as you might imagine, incredibly emotional. I remember watching this film not long after my daughter was born, and wondering just how people can shun their own children publicly. The ego, the self centeredness of it all, it’s infuriating. It’s also something that happened to me, growing up, as my biological father wanted nothing to do with me until I was much older; for his own reasons that I’m still unclear about and, frankly, not very interested in. I can’t watch Steve Jobs without having some kind of emotional reaction, it’s a painful film to get through, but it’s also cathartic.

While not a box office smash, it was well received critically, earning two Academy Award nominations, Best Actor for Michael Fassbender and Best Supporting Actress for Kate Winslet. At the Golden Globes it would receive four nominations, the same acting nods (for Drama), with Winslet winning her category, as well as Original Score and a win in the Best Screenplay category. Listed among the best films of 2015, Steve Jobs is a fascinating watch.

From 2005, we’ve got the film Domino, from director Tony Scott and, hot off his big break with Donnie Darko, writher Richard Kelly. Based on a true story, Domino follows the story of model turned bounty hunter, Domino Harvey. Hated by both critics and audiences, Domino was the first of three box office disasters for Kelly, the others being 2006’s Southland Tales and 2009’s The Box.

While the film was purported to be one of director Tony Scott’s favorites, he admitted that he got “lost in the sauce”, so to speak, indulging too much in the insanity of the film saying he, quote “…fucked up on that one“. Critics felt that Domino tried too hard to be an “art film”, and in the process before more of a “trash film”, so that must be fun to hear. Sadly, the film’s subject, Domino Harvey, would die of a drug overdose only four months before the film’s release.

From 1995, we’ve got another box office bomb from a well known writer and director, Assassins. Directed by Richard Donner and written by The Wachowskis, Assassins tells the story of a woman named Electra (played by Julianne Moore) who is being hunted by one assassin (played by Antonio Banderas) while being protected by another (played by Sylvester Stallone). What follows is a tech-laced, thriller where, I hate to say, hardly anyone gets killed by assassins.

While the film was initially written by The Wachowskis, when the script finally got to director Richard Donner, he disliked it so much that he had someone else come in and completely re-write it. Originally, Assassins was much more violent and blood soaked, with an unlikeable protagonist and nary a love story in sight. Donner wanted to make a more subdued film, a character study about a man who wants to leave the world of assassinations behind and find true love. While the end product is totally awful, it’s not all that great either, and teeters precariously close to pure boredom.

The film is only saved by the polar opposite performances from its two male leads, with Stallone and Banderas both seeming to think they are in two different movies. Stallone might as well be sleepwalking through the most mind-numbing dialogue possible, but he is strangely effective in portraying a man at his wits end with killing. Banderas, on the other hand, is a Looney Tunes cartoon character who makes more goofy faces than Jim Carrey. Case in point, there is a very famous reaction GIF of Banderas looking at a computer with an astounded look on his face. He leans back, closes his yes, bring his thumb to his mouth in joy, then opens his mouth in, awe, ecstasy? Who knows; it’s wild.

Hated by critics, hated by audiences, Assassins was a complete misfire. The Wachowski’s lobbied to have their name removed from the script but were denied by the Writers Guild of America; they have since disowned the film. Despite the poor reception, Assassins would not derail either filmmakers careers, with Donner bouncing back with the 1997 hit, Conspiracy Theory, and The Wachowski’s having their breakthrough hit in 1996 with Bound and, of course, the biggest movie of their career, 1999’s The Matrix.

From 1985, we have an actual box office success, the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Commando. While it may have captivated audiences, being the 21st highest grossing film of the year, it wasn’t well received by critics. To most critics, Commando had very little of the excitement and artistry that Schwarzenegger’s last film, 1984’s The Terminator had, but it was at least better than the other 1985 military revenge film, Sylvester Stallone’s pile of dog shit, Rambo: First Blood Part II.

Seen as a cult classic today, Commando has a campy appeal for its ridiculous one-liners and over the top action, including a scene where Schwarzenegger lifts a phone booth out of the ground and flips it upside down (while a guy is in it). I really can’t, in good conscience, recommend this movie, it’s really bad, but you might have a good time if you get together with friends and drink a few beers while you watch it and laugh.

Albums:

In notable albums, 2015 gave us Revival from Selena Gomez. The album was a major commercial success around the world, selling over a million copies, and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Critics enjoyed the album as well, naming it among the best releases of 2015; cool. From 2005 we have an album that I actually care about, The Mouse and the Mask from Danger Doom, a collaboration between rapper MF Doom, producer Danger Mouse, and television network Adult Swim. The album was a critical and commercial success

The album would peak at #41 on the Billboard Top 200, and #2 on the Billboard Independent Album chart. Only one single was released, “Sofa King”, though it would not hit the Billboard Hot 100 chart. While the album primarily features MF Doom rapping, guest artists Ghostface Killah, Cee Lo Green, Talib Kweli would appear, as would several characters from Adult Swim shows, including Master Shake & Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and various cast members from Harvey Birdman and Sealab 2021.

From 1995, we’ve got the album Tragic Kingdom from No Doubt, their second release of 1995 but the one that put them squarely on the map. Recorded over the course of two and a half years, the Tragic Kingdom is No Doubt’s best selling album of all-time and was instrumental in the proliferation of ska music in the later part of the 1990’s. While the punk rock sound was now mainstream thanks to bands like Green Day and The Offspring, it was still somewhat rooted in the grunge-era “seriousness” that just made you feel, like, bad, ya know? With No Doubt’s peppy, ska influenced sound, punk rock could be bright, fun, and cheerful.

It’s no surprise then, that bands like Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, and Save Ferris would find immediate success not long after Tragic Kingdom, while the more upbeat sound of pop-punk would push its more more aggressive artists out of the limelight and help put a focus on “fun” bands like Blink-182 and New Fond Glory, while reigniting interest in older pop-punk bands like The Vandals and Descendents.

Back to Tragic Kingdom, the album’s seven singles were among the highest charting of the year, particularly mega hits “Don’t Speak”, “Spiderwebs”, and “Just a Girl”, and minor hits “Excuse Me Mr.” and “Sunday Morning”. At the Grammy awards, No Doubt would be nominated in two categories, Best New Artist and Best Rock Album, losing both to LeAnn Rimes and Sheryl Crow, respectively.

Tragic Kingdom has to be seen as one of the most important records of the 1990’s, helping to solidify the decade’s identity as one of optimism and fun before everything got, you know, really bad. The success of Tragic Kingdom would allow No Doubt to continue releasing albums and touring well through the 2000’s, before going on hiatus, then reuniting, then going on hiatus, then reuniting. It would also help singer Gwen Stefani become a household name, particularly after embarking on a successful solo career. She’s just a girl, y’all; that’s all that we’ll let her be.

Finally, closing out this week’s notable section, from 1985, we’ve got the album Dead Man’s Party from Oingo Boingo. While I just mentioned that No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom was like a breath of peppy fresh air in a world choked by depressing grunge & punk seriousness, there was “fun” music before that. Ten years earlier, Oingo Boingo took the world by storm with their unique new wave sound on Dead Man’s Party, driven chiefly by their all-time biggest hit, “Weird Science”.

Created for the John Hughes film of the same name, “Weird Science” took Oingo Boingo from indie darlings to mainstream cream of the crop, peaking at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another single from the album, “Just Another Day”, would peak at #85, making them the only Oingo Boingo songs to ever hit the chart.

The success of “Weird Science” would lead to Oingo Boingo’s music being featured in another film, 1986’s Rodney Dangerfield comedy, Back to School, in which they also appeared on screen. Front man Danny Elfman would also find himself in demand as a film composer, following the success he had on Tim Burton’s 1985 film, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, leading to a decades long career in the movie industry.

Oingo Boingo would continue to release albums and tour through 1995, but they would never top the success of Dead Man’s Party or “Weird Science”. It’s almost Halloween, and Oingo Boingo have always had a strong association with the holiday. Take some time this week to listen to Dead Man’s Party, put yourself in a good mood while constantly being reminded that you’re gonna die one day.

Luigi’s Mansion Arcade (Arcade) – Released Oct. 9th, 2015

Notable Film Release: Steve Jobs – Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Katherine Waterston
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Selena Gomez – Revival
Click here to listen to the album

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GameCube) – Released Oct. 17th, 2005

Notable Film Release: Domino – Starring Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, and Édgar Ramírez
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Danger Doom – The Mouse and the Mask
Click here to listen to the album

You Don’t Know Jack (PC) – Released Oct. 1995

Notable Film Release: Assassins – Starring Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas, and Julianne Moore
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom
Click here to listen to album

Gun.Smoke (Arcade) – Released Oct. 1985

Notable Film Release: Commando – Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, and Alyssa Miliano
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Oingo Boingo – Dead Man’s Party
Click here to listen to album

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.