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New Game Releases 03/10/26 – 03/16/26

Andy Tuttle

Top Releases:

Welcome to Tuesday New Games, er, New Game Releases. It’s pretty wild that we have two games coming out based on massive, worldwide properties and it still feel kind of like a throwaway week of releases. Our top game is Monster Hunter Stories 3, the latest entry in the RPG spin-off series to Capcom’s popular Monster Hunter franchise. While I’m fairly excited for it, can the same be said of everyone else? Are we all really going to tear ourselves away from Resident Evil Requiem and the “Is it a failure or not?” discourse surrounding Marathon?

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Mar. 13th

Developed by: Capcom
Published by: Capcom

Another huge franchise, WWE is back with their 2K26 edition, this time with my boy CM Punk on the cover! Well, one of four covers, with the others being HHH, a collage of “Attitude Era” stars, and another collage of WWE stars vs. WCW stars in what is dubbed the “Monday Night Wars” edition. Like most sports games, WWE 2K26 is basically a roster update, containing (almost) all of the latest WWE superstars, there are some minor tweaks. Various match types have been added, including “I quit”, “Inferno”, “Dumpster”, and more, while each of the existing modes have seen minor changes to keep them just fresh enough to make them not feel too stale (at least for a while).

WWE 2K26 (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Mar. 13th

Developed by: Visual Concepts/Shiver Entertainment
Published by: 2K

The rest of our top releases just barely qualify as notable, if I’m being honest. 1348 Ex Voto is a medieval action/adventure title that is being derided as “the lesbian knight game” by the worst people you can think of. a remake of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is finally coming out after what feels like an eternity waiting for it. Finally, another long delayed game, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is arriving this week. Carpenter is a self-proclaimed “hardcore gamer”, so it’ll be interesting to see how he does in his first major attempt at making one. To be clear, Carpenter only wrote the game’s story and musical score, he didn’t, like, write programming code or put together character animations.

1348 Ex Voto (PC/PS5) – Releases Mar. 12th

Developed by: Sedleo
Published by: Dear Villagers

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Mar. 12th

Developed by: Koei Tecmo
Published by: Koei Tecmo

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Mar. 12th

Developed by: Saber Interactive
Published by: Focus Entertainment

Ports and Expansions:

Remember when Ghost of Yotei came out in 2025? It did. Now it’s back with a multiplayer mode called Legends. You can play in 2 or 4 player modes, clearing missions, surviving enemy hordes, and slaughtering mythical creatures; you know, just like they had in 1600s rural Japan. A new expansion for Cities: Skylines is coming out, called Race Day. As its name implies, you will be able to host races in your city, allowing for the construction of brand new event buildings and race tracks. Finally, one of my favorite Switch games from 2019 is making its way to PC, The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince. This beautiful, narrative puzzle adventure game is such a delight to play. If you’ve never experienced it then I would strongly suggest picking it up.

Everything else:

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

Games:

In notable games, 2016 saw the release of The Division, a live service, third person action/RPG that takes place in the Tom Clancy universe. Set in New York City after a deadly pandemic has brought humanity to the brink, players must work together to restore order to the United States through the only way they know how; gunfire.

Reviews were mostly positive, with some critics comparing it favorably to the MMO’s Guild Wars 2 and World of Warcraft. While the game was fun enough to play, the lack of diverse content was seen as a hinderance to greatness, with critics feeling like there wasn’t a ton of stuff to keep players engaged for the long haul. Unlike Bungie’s Destiny 2, which (at the time) was seeing unprecedented levels of new content and support, Ubisoft seemed content to just let The Division flounder.

Sales of The Division were outstanding, earning over $300 million in its first week of release. This broke all kinds of industry records, including the biggest first week launch for a brand new property. During the lifespan of eighth generation consoles (i.e., PS4 & Xbox One), The Division would sell over 10 million copies. A sequel arrived in 2018, The Division 2, with players now fighting in Washington DC.

A film adaptation was planned but scrapped after, you know, the world down due to COVID-19 in 2020. It suddenly felt kind of inappropriate to make a movie about roving bands of criminals and freedom fighters trying to kill each other after they’re unable to agree on what to do during a worldwide pandemic. If you’d like to experience The Division today (and not in regards to COVID trauma), the game is still active and online, though your chances of meeting other players is probably far lower than it was ten years ago.

From 2006, we have the game Metroid Prime Hunters for the Nintendo DS. While the game contains a few different control schemes, the most accomplished is, of course, the one where you aim on the touchscreen using your stylus. This helped Hunters feel more like a PC first person shooter than a console one, making playing with more “console friendly” control schemes feel a little cumbersome (at least according to some critics).

Set between the events of Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Hunters finds Samus exploring planets in the Alimbic Cluster in the Tetra Galaxy; okay. This is just to say that Hunters takes place on multiple worlds, with Samus able to move between them. Along the way, she encounters other bounty hunters who have, themselves, been drawn to the Alimbic Cluster, like Samus, through some kind of telepathic means.

Hunters was received favorably by critics, many of whom enjoyed the touchscreen controls and thought that developer Nintendo Software Strategy has put out the hand held system’s first truly great first person shooter. Not every critic was a fan, however, with some calling the touchscreen controls highly uncomfortable and joking that they would be sending Nintendo a bill for all of the physical therapy they would need destroying their wrists.

The game’s multiplayer mode was also polarizing, with some critics praising its inclusion and ease of use, particularly over Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection service, while others called it haphazard and devoid of content. Regardless, Hunters sold well, moving well over 500k copies worldwide, and earned multiple awards and nominations, including IGN’s Best DS Action Game honor. The game was re-released in 2015 on the Wii U’s Virtual Console service, but has since been abandoned by Nintendo.

From 1996, we’ve got the game Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri, a first person shooter for PC, from developer LookingGlass Studios (then known as LookingGlass Technologies). Terra Nova is a mech-combat simulator, with players moving their unit around a large map, attempting to complete missions using their squad of mechs. The game has a tactical-shooter feel and was one of the first 3d games in the industry to be part of the genre.

Development on the game started in 1992 and was changed multiple times over its production, as LookingGlass’ executive team tried to chase rapidly increasing technology and new game trends, such as full motion video. It was the deep dive into FMV territory that ultimately doomed Terra Nova, as the game’s programming budget was re-allocated to the FMV team, as well as a big shot screenwriter from outside the company, who re-wrote the entire game, leading to extra programming work to update the already existing stories written into the game.

Despite their efforts to appeal to the cutting edge of PC gamers (with Terra Nova requiring a significant amount of computing power to run at its highest settings), the game was a huge flop, only moving about 100k units. While that may seem respectable, the budget for Terra Nova was out of control, particularly after the FMV sequences were added. In the end, the executive team agreed that they were wrong to shove these full motion sequences into Terra Nova, calling the videos cheesy and low effort.

A sequel to Terra Nova was initially planned but, after the poor reception, it was scrapped. In its aftermath, Terra Nova went on to inspire another tactical-shooter, Tribes 2, which considered itself a spiritual sequel. One major feat of technology in Terra Nova, the ability to procedurally generate animation, was re-used in the first person shooter Jurassic Park: Trespasser. In the end, Terra Nova tried too hard to chase existing trends instead of trying to innovate. The lack of an online multiplayer mode was also a major hindrance on the game’s sales. It was, again, cut due to budget constraints brought on by the inclusion of full motion video sequences. It’s a good thing that all video game companies have stopped chasing industry trends, right? Right?

Movies:

In notable films, 2016 saw the release of Zootopia, probably the biggest new Disney property since Frozen (and the “awakening” moment for many new furries). Set in a world full of anthropomorphic animals, in which predators and prey attempt to live in harmony, a young police officer named Judy (a rabbit) must team up with Nick (a fox) to uncover a vast conspiracy to return the animal world to its natural, violent tendencies.

Zootopia was a box office smash, setting records around the world on its way to making over $1 billion dollars. It was the fourth highest grossing film of the year and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, beating Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana, My Life as a Zucchini, and The Red Turtle.

The success of the film led to a merchandising blitz, with Zootopia figures, plushies, clothes, books, games, etc., all flooding store shelves. Disney was quick to incorporate the film into their theme parks, opening an entire Zootopia themed land at Shanghai Disney (and is rumored to be part of whatever third gate eventually hits the Disneyland Resort in California). A sequel, Zootopia 2, released in 2025 and was a similar box office success and is up for Best Animated Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards. Can it succeed twice or will it be bested by Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters?

From 2006, we have the film Failure to Launch, one of a plethora of not only romantic comedies to come out in the 2000’s but, specifically, ones that star Matthew McConaughey. In the film, McConaughey stars as a man in his thirties that still lives at home, where he relies on his parents to meet his every need and whim; much to their chagrin. The parents then get wind of a woman, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, who is an expert at helping men leave “the nest”. They hire her in the hopes that their son will finally move out and be independent. In the process they, surprise, fall in love while hilarity ensues around them.

Failure to Launch was a critical dud, among the worst reviewed films of the year. However, audiences went NUTS for the movie, propelling it to a massive $130 million dollar box office take. If there’s anything redeemable about the film, it’s the supporting cast of established comedians like Rob Corddry, Patton Oswalt, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Bartha, and Bradley Cooper (who, yes, was once thought of as a comedic actor).

From 1996, we have the movie The Birdcage, a screwball comedy about a son who must introduce his fiancée’s Conservative parents to his. Seems easy enough, right? WRONG! You want to know why…BECAUSE THEY’RE GAY!!!! Based on the French film La Cage aux Folles, The Birdcage features a fabulous, I mean fabulous, performance from Robin Williams who, like, talks with a lisp and wears “gay” clothes. Nathan Lane is his partner, a drag queen who, at one point, pretends to be A WOMAN! Hilarity ensues.

I’m being kind of a dick (well a lot of a dick) to this movie, but I do enjoy it, as a product of its time. I haven’t seen it in probably 25 years so I can’t say how I feel about it now, but I’m sure it still provides some laughs. The Birdcage was a massive hit at the time, earning over $185 million at the box office (about $385 million in 2026), and went on to become yet another beloved film in Williams’ body of work, while giving Lane his first major live action film role after becoming a household name for his role as Timon in The Lion King.

The Birdcage continued a larger trend in film and popular culture to portray homosexuality as a normal part of life, helping to break down the stigma attached to it by showing that these men & women were “just like us”, so to speak. Comedy goes a long way in allowing people to accept ideas that are challenging, likely because laughing makes us feel good and it allows writers and performers to show just how foolish hatred and bigotry can be, while also playing up some of the more outlandish, stereotypical aspects of homosexuality in order to make “normies” feel comfortable.

As we are oh, so sophisticated in 2026 now, we can potentially turn our noses up at The Birdcage and say how much better we are NOW because we think it might be a little silly and farcical at the expense of homosexuals. However, we need to remember where the mentality of most Americas were in the 1990’s when it came to gay people, and understand that The Birdcage was a radical fucking film for its day, even if it doesn’t stick to a more serious and/or “real” portrayal of homosexuals. Anyway, give it a look.

Albums:

In notable albums, 2016 gave us Full Circle from country singer Loretta Lynn. The album features a mix of original songs, covers, and re-recorded versions of songs that Lynn had performed all the way back in the 1960’s. Full Circle was Lynn’s 43rd release and her highest charting album to date, peaking at #19 on the Billboard Top 200. The album would earn Lynn her 18th Grammy nomination, the final one before her death in 2022. Critics adored the album, calling it one of the best releases of 2016.

2006 gave us an album from another female country singer (well, alt-country), Neko Case’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. This was the singer’s third solo studio album and, like, ninth album she had appeared on in some capacity. While Case was not (and still really isn’t) a household name, her notoriety was only growing in the indie music scene. Fox Confessor… reached #54 on the Billboard Top 200, a major accomplishment for someone who didn’t really release any singles, and was hailed by critics as one of the greatest albums of 2006.

Closing things out this week, from 1996, we have the album Bad Hair Day from “Weird Al” Yankovic. While it contains typical Al songs that are either parodies (like “Gump”) or pastiches of popular music styles of the era (like “Callin’ In Sick”), the one major hit we all fondly remember is “Amish Paradise”, Al’s parody of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”. The album’s title and cover are also a parody/reference to Coolio and his hairstyle.

Famously, Coolio was pretty upset about the parody song, saying that he never gave permission to record it and that he felt it desecrated his song and the message it carried. While Yankovic does not need to secure permission from artists and/or songwriters when making parody songs, he would often check with them in order to see if it was “cool” with them, so to speak. After hearing from Coolio’s management that everything was good, Al went through with the song and put it on the album.

Over time, Al seemed to be a little cynical about the situation, claiming that Coolio may have complained publicly but didn’t have any issues cashing the royalty checks he receives from the song. By the mid 2000’s, social media posts seemed to indicate that the two were, at the very least, on courteous, professional terms, but far from buddies.

Critically, the album was a misfire, with most agreeing that the songs were not up to par with some of his previous efforts and that the content was too “juvenile”. It did have some critical fans, though, particularly the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette (the kings of music criticism) who called Al pop music’s King of Comedy. Commercially, Bad Hair Day was MASSIVE for Weird Al, peaking at #14 on the Billboard Top 200 and becoming his most successful album of all-time, selling over two million copies.

The Division (PC/PS4/Xbox One) – Released Mar. 8th, 2016

Notable Film Release: Zootopia – Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, J.K. Simmons, and Nate Torrence
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: the Loretta Lynn – Full Circle
Click here to listen to the album

Metroid Prime Hunters (DS) – Released Mar. 20th, 2006

Notable Film Release: Failure to Launch – Starring Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Bartha, Bradley Cooper, Terry Bradshaw, and Kathy Bates
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Click here to listen to the album

Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri (PC) – Released Mar. 5th, 1996

Notable Film Release: The Birdcage – Starring Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, Dianne Wiest, Hank Azaria, Dan Futterman, and Calista Flockhart
Click here to watch the trailer
Notable Album Release: “Weird Al” Yankovic – Bad Hair Day
Click here to listen to album

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