Top Releases:

• Onimusha: Way of the Sword (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 4^th
• The Blood of Dawnwalker (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 3^rd
• Orbitals (Switch 2) – Releases Sep. 3^rd
• Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 2^nd
• BioEden (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 3^rd
• NBA 2K27 (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 4^th

It’s the beginning of the end of the beginning, or whatever the name of that Smashing Pumpkins song is. The Fall deluge has begun, but with the specter of GTA VI on the horizon, a larger than normal amount of titles are arriving in September and October, so plan to see multiple major releases each week, all trying to keep your attention for whatever little time they can before you, inevitably, lose yourself to Grand Theft Auto VI and our glorious new world of digital-only releaes.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 4^th

Developed by: Capcom
Published by: Capcom

The Blood of Dawnwalker (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 3^rd

Developed by: Rebel Wolves
Published by: Bandai Namco

Orbitals (Switch 2) – Releases Sep. 3^rd

Developed by: Shapefarm
Published by: Kepler Interactive

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 2^nd

Developed by: Digital Sun
Published by: 11 Bit Studios

BioEden (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 3^rd

Developed by: Broken Arms Games
Published by: Focus Entertainment

NBA 2K27 (PC/PS5/Switch 2/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 4^th

Developed by: Visual Concepts
Published by: 2K

Ports and Expansions:

• Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game (Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 3^rd
• Wo-Long: Fallen Destiny (Switch 2) – Releases Sep. 3^rd
• My Hero Academia: All’s Justice (Switch 2) – Releases Sep. 4^th
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants (Switch 2) – Releases Sep. 4^th

Everything else:

• Crimson Moon (PC/PS5/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 1^st
• Marsupilami 2 – Salsa Palombia (PC/PS5/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 3^rd
• SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed (PC/PS5/Switch/Switch/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 3^rd
• Asdivne Knot (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Switch 2/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 4^th
• Isle of Reveries (PC/PS4/PS5/Switch/Xbox One/Series X|S) – Releases Sep. 4^th

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

Games:

In notable games, 2016 saw the release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice for the 3DS. With Phoenix away in the mythical Kingdom of Khura’in, it is up to Apollo Justice and Athena Sykes to handle cases at the Wright Anything Agency. The game was mostly well received, though some critics were a bit put off by the weird, supernatural elements of the game’s story, and felt that the kind of Phoenix Wright formula was getting a bit stale. The game is easily available today on PC and modern consoles as part of the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy compilation.

From 2006, we have the debut of Roblox, one of the biggest games around today. I’m not a child so, like, I don’t really care about Roblox, but it is an interesting title, in that it allows players to create their own games, within the game, and share them with other users. It’s a kind of gaming platform utopia that developers had kind of been promising for years and (I assume) hoping would take off as it does two things; 1. it keeps players locked into your ecosystem, and 2. your community makes the content while you sit back and rake in the dough.

From 1996, we’ve got the PC title Magic Carpet 2, a sequel to the 1994 original. The game continues the same gameplay as its predecessor, build castles, keep them fortified, and destroy monsters and rival wizards on a quest for domination. While Magic Carpet was well received, it was knocked for its repetitive gameplay and generic level design. To help combat this, designer Peter Molyneux and his team added a nighttime mode to the game, which changed up the overworld, and included an underground map, giving players even more places to explore.

Like the first game, Magic Carpet 2 was well received by critics and players for its (at the time) incredible graphics and was highly praised for the improvements made to the game, overall, in comparison to the first Magic Carpet. While no ports of the game have been made for modern consoles, PC owners can pick up a copy of the game on GOG which should (theoretically) work just fine on any modern computer.

Movies:

In notable movies, 2016 saw the release of the horror film Don’t Breathe, and excellent film that does a solid twist on the home invasion trope. When three down on their luck criminals decide to rob a helpless, blind old man, they think it’ll just be a walk in the park. What they don’t realize is that this blind old man is a total psychopath with heightened senses. He ends up trapping the three criminals in his home and begins hunting them. It’s a tense thrill ride that I highly recommend checking out.

From 2006, we’ve got Idiocracy, a sci-fi comedy that was supposed to just be a joke about where the world might go one day if we didn’t stop watching reality TV and demanding everything be easier for us. While the film is a bit of a mess, with scenes that feel unfinished and rushed, it’s still got some solid jokes and a killer premise. If you haven’t seen the movie in a while (or ever), be prepared to hear far more slurs than you’re probably comfortable with, though it can all be waved away by just telling yourself “this is how people would talk if we ALL wanted to be Twitch streamers“.

From 1996, we’ve got the family comedy First Kid, in which comedian Sinbad plays a Secret Service agent tasked with protecting the son of the U.S. President. Created in a post-Home Alone world, the movie plays up the kind of “kid messing with adults” trope, which was starting to run its course. However, the movie is saved by the charisma and charm of Sinbad, who takes a thankless role in a forgettable movie and makes it into something kind of special.

Albums:

In notable albums, 2016 gave us My Woman from singer/songwriter Angel Olsen. I remember critics losing their shit over this album; I never listened to it. From 2006, we’ve got the album Dreams from the German-Norwegian band The Whitest Boy Alive. Andy Tuttle lost his shit over this album when it came out; you probably haven’t listened to it.

Finally, from 1996, we have the album The First Band on the Moon from the Swedish pop-rock group The Cardigans. The album would peak at #35 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, selling over a million copies in the U.S. based on the massive hit single, “Lovefool”, which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.

While I could not get enough of “Lovefool” when it would play on MTV and the radio, I didn’t actually pick this album up until, maybe, 2000. I remember finding the CD at a used record store for dirt cheap because there were, like, dozens of used copies. After leaving the shop and getting in my buddy’s car, I throw on the CD and, like, I was instantly hit with the soothing sounds of “Your New Cuckoo” and had my mind blown. I couldn’t believe I had been sleeping on The Cardigans for so long, as each subsequent track, “Been It”, “Heartbreaker”, Happy Meal II”, were just banger after banger.

When “Lovefool” finally came on, at the album’s halfway point, we were all so fucking jazzed up in the car that we began shout singing the song to people on the street as we drove down the streets of Chula Vista, California. First Band on the Moon is, easily, one of my all-time favorite albums and was an early piece of pop culture that my wife and I bonded over when we first started dating.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice (3DS) – Released Sep. 8^th, 2016

Roblox (PC) – Released Sep. 1^st, 2006

Magic Carpet 2 (PC) – Released Sep. 8^th, 1996

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