Top Releases:

• Rhythm Heaven Groove (Switch) – Releases Jul. 2^nd
• Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains (PC/PS5/Switch/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Jun. 30^th
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: World Update 22 – US National Parks (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Jul. 4^th

Are you ready to celebrate America! It’s 250 years of the ol’ red, white, & blue, and I can’t think of a better way to party than by playing Rhythm Heaven Groove, a very odd Japanese rhythm game. It will, at the very least, but a nice way to get your house party started with some fresh beats and wacky imagery. If you want to keep the party going, you can play one of the all-time great American board games, but with a twist, by firing up Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains. It’s gonna take a few hours, though, so try not to miss the fireworks show.

Since most Americans are not going on vacations or long road trips this year due to high gas prices (and high prices in general), Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has you covered with World Update 22 – US National Parks, which will allow you to visit any US National Park that you desire (virtually of course). Who needs real nature when you can lock yourself in a dark room, staring at a television set while your air conditioner or oscillating fan keep you cool. Life is great right now! Happy 4th of July everybody and, before you watch the game trailers, enjoy the song of the Summer, Vince Staples’ “Blackberry Marmalade”:

Rhythm Heaven Groove (Switch) – Releases Jul. 2^nd

Developed by: Nitnendo EPD/TNX
Published by: Nintendo

Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains (PC/PS5/Switch/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Jun. 30^th

Developed by: Behavior
Published by: Ubisoft

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: World Update 22 – US National Parks (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Jul. 4^th

Developed by: Asobo Studio
Published by: Xbox Game Studios

Everything else:

• Ah Spare Me Giantess (PC) – Releases Jul. 1^st
• High On Life 2 (Switch 2) – Releases Jul. 1^st
• Lullabies Made of Static (PC) – Releases Jul. 1^st
• HYPERWIRED (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Jul. 2^nd
• The Carcass (PC) – Releases Jul. 3^rd
• Scholar Adventure: Mystery of Silence (PS5/Switch/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Jul. 3^rd

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

Games:

In notable games, 2016 saw the release of Pokémon Go, a mobile title that became a massive phenomenon across America. Released just two days after the 4th of July holiday, deep in the heart of Summer, Pokémon Go took advantage of a public that was spending more time out doors, as its core gameplay forced players to explore the outdoors, catching Pokémon in their neighborhoods and local parks. Developed by a company called Niantic, Pokémon Go was built off of one of their previous mobile games, Ingress, in which players worked collectively to capture and control zones in their cities.

Using GPS in players phones, Pokémon Go guides players to various points of interest where they can collect supplies to help them catch Pokémon and fill out their Pokédex. One of the fun features of the game is that players can use their phone’s camera to see the Pokémon they are catching, because who hasn’t wanted to see a Pikachu standing in front of your city’s local art museum?

The app was a massive hit when it launched on July 6th, quickly topping the “free app” charts across Android and Apple devices. With a free-to-play model, entry into the game is completely without risk, though you are able to spend money to gain various bonus items, increase your inventory, collect cosmetics for your in-game avatar, and other various things. Players were more than happy to indulge in these purchases as well, helping Pokémon Go become one of the highest grossing apps of the year.

By the end of July 2016, Pokémon Go had over 100 million downloads (on just Google Play) and had earned over $200 million in revenue, worldwide. That eclipsed previous revenue records held by Clash of Clans and Candy Crush Saga. Despite the positive reception from players, critics were not impressed with Pokémon Go. Most critics seemed to have fun with the game and were finding themselves going on longer than normal walks. However, they felt the game was a fad with a short shelf life, wondering how long it would last and assuming that it would disappear after a few months. Most scores were in the middle, as critics called Pokémon Go a little average and a little bland.

After ten years, Pokémon Go is still available and still collecting revenue and users at a very sustainable rate. Estimates are that about 5-10 million people play the game on a daily basis, while something like 60 to 80 million people play it at least once a month. As far as revenue, estimates put its annual intake at roughly $550 million, still pretty good for a decade old mobile title.

From 2006, we’ve got the Xbox 360 game Chromehounds, a mech combat simulator developed by From Software. While Chromehounds features a single player campaign, the core game is played online as part of the “Neroimus War”. In this mode, players join one of three nation states and work in small squads to take control of various zones on a map. This online campaign would play out in real time, with each nation state having two real world months in which to conquer the entire world map. Once a nation state accomplishes this goal, the map is reset and the next war begins. If, after two months, there is no victor, the map resets and the next war begins.

Critics weren’t too hot on Chromehouds, giving it average scores, praising the level of mech customization but heavily criticizing its weak story. In 2009, Chromehound’s servers would be shut down, ending the online game mode, leaving only the barebones single player mode available.

From 1996, we have the fighting game Star Gladiator, from Capcom. Released into arcades in July of 1996, Star Gladiator was Capcom’s first attempt at a 3D polygon fighter, and used the same arcade board as Battle Arena Toshinden 2 (which Capcom distributed). The fighting style took heavy inspiration from both Soul Edge and Battle Arena Toshinden, in that each character would wield a weapon that was tied heavily to their move set.

While Star Gladiator was a success in Japan, it didn’t really hit in North America. 3D fighting games seemed to be dominated by Namco’s Soul Edge & Tekken, and Sega’s Virtua Fighter. Perhaps Star Gladiator would have done better if it had released as it was originally intended to be, a Star Wars fighting game. Capcom was deep in development on this title when they abruptly lost the Star Wars license, causing them to pivot to an original story and characters. This is, however, why you have a main character who wields a plasma sword.

A port to the PlayStation would arrive in the Fall of 1996 to solid reviews but poor sales. The game’s sequel, Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, would arrive in 2000. Also released in the year 2000 was Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which features Star Gladiator’s main protagonist, Hayato Kanzaki, as a playable character. Sadly, Star Gladiator is not available on modern consoles, but its sequel does appear in Capcom Fighting Collection 2.

Movies:

Going a bit out of order here because our 2016 and 1996 films are related. First up, from 1996, we have Independence Day, the MASSIVE blockbuster hit about a group of aliens who have come to Earth in order to conquer it. They are stopped by the brains & the brawn of America, with a scientist giving their spaceship a computer virus so that our military can take it down with missiles and the sacrifice of a drunken former air force pilot.

Independence Day would gross over $800 million at the box office, worldwide, making it the second highest grossing film of all-time, surpassing The Lion King and sitting comfortably behind Jurassic Park (it would hold this record until Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace released in 1999). While the film had a massive cast, including well known stars like Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Robert Loggia, and Randy Quaid, the breakout star was Will Smith, who would see the film turn him into a global sensation.

While it wasn’t a critical darling, it was highly praised for its special effects and earned an Academy Award win in the Best Visual Effects category. The film would get a sequel in 2016, our next notable film, Independence Day: Resurgence. Set twenty years after the events of the first film, the aliens are back with a vengeance and it is up to a new crop of hot shot pilots and scientists to save the Earth from invasion.

While the film did see some returning actors, including Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, and Robert Loggia, Will Smith declined to be in the film (rumored to be over his financial demands). Following the film’s poor box office grosses, producer Dean Devlin said that they should have stopped making the film when Smith backed out. Instead, they pushed forward thinking it would be fine without him and, well, it wasn’t.

With on a $41 million opening weekend, despite projections saying it would make $65 million, Resurgence failed to surpass the $50 million opening of its predecessor. Resurgence was so poorly attended that it couldn’t even beat the previous week’s #1 film, Finding Dory (which I finally just watched; yay me!). It’s worldwide gross was $390 million, a far cry from the original film’s final tally.

Unlike the first film, Resurgence failed to gain any Academy Awards nominations. However, it did receive FIVE Razzie nominations, earning it the distinction of being one of the worst films of the year (it would not “win” any of them). A planned third and fourth entry in the Independence Day franchise were slated to be released but, after the poor box office, those plans were put on the back burner. According to the rumor mill, the sequels were completely scrapped after Disney’s acquisition of Fox. Maybe we’ll get another one in 2036…maybe.

From 2006, we’ve got the film The Devil Wears Prada, but it doesn’t feature aliens or intense American jingoism, so I don’t really care about it. Other people, though, man, they REALLY cared about it. The Devil Wears Prada earned $327 million at the box office and earned two Academy Award nominations, Best Costume Design and Best Actress (Meryl Streep).

Albums:

In notable albums, 2016 saw the release of Say It Out Loud by the ska(ish) punk band The Interrupters. This was the band’s second album and it saw them continue their momentum in the underground music scene. While Say It Out Loud didn’t hit the Billboard Top 200, it did manage to peak at #7 on the Heatseekers chart and #22 on the Vinyl Record Sales chart. The success of the album earned them a spot on the 2016 Warped Tour and saw The Interrupters go on their first headlining tour.

From 2006, we have the album Return to Cookie Mountain from the alternative band TV on the Radio. Featuring the single “Wolf Like Me”, Cookie Mountain was a smash with both critics and listeners. The album would peak at #41 on the Billboard Top 200 and was called one of the best releases of both the year and, eventually, the entire decade, by multiple outlets.

Closing things out, from 1996, we have the album It Was Written by the rapper Nas. While the album was a huge commercial success, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, some fans called Nas a sell out, feeling like he had changed too much of his sound and image in order to earn more album sales and mainstream attention. Critics didn’t outright hate the album, but it was seen as a step down from his previous effort, 1994’s Illmatic.

Over time, though, the reputation of It Was Written has improved, with Billboard calling it one of the 100 greatest rap albums of all-time. However, this is Billboard we’re talking about. They measure greatness by how many records you sell. Despite what Nas’ original fanbase might have thought, the “mafioso” imagery and lyrical themes helped start a trend in rap that would last a few years and was a huge influence on the rapper Matisyahu so, you know, thanks for that, Nas, I guess.

Pokémon Go (Android/iOS) – Released Jul. 6^th, 2016

Chromehounds (Xbox 360) – Released Jul. 11^th, 2006

Star Gladiator (Arcade) – Released Jul. 1996

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