Coming up in Gaming – August
August isn’t always a bumper month for gamers but it does traditionally see one of the the release of one of the biggest games of the year in the US with the yearly entry of Madden hitting store shelves. However, there are a variety of releases this month, including some old favorites and a collection of new titles that are sure to be successful and fun.
Big Releases
Perhaps the most important release this month is the latest entry in the long running EA property, Madden NFL 16. Featuring Odell Beckham Jr. on the front cover, the game is set to release on August 25 and continue as one of the most popular titles in the United States. It will be available on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
One of the biggest announcements that came out of E3 this year was the reveal of Rare Replay. The compilation contains 30 of Rare’s best games and is meant to celebrate the developer’s 30th anniversary. Some of the included games are Jetpac, Battletoads, Banjo-Kazooie, Blast Corps, Perfect Dark, Killer Instinct Gold, Conker’s Bad Fur Day and Viva Piñata, as well as some new features a staggering Gamerscore of 10,000. Rare Replay is due to release on August 4.
August also sees the Xbox One get another high profile game in the form of Gears of War Ultimate Edition. The game is a remastering of the original Gears of War, with upgraded visuals and performance that will be in stores from August 25.
Another highly anticipated title set to release this month is Volume, a game by Mike Bithell who created the widely praised platformer Thomas Was Alone. It is essentially a modern take on the Robin Hood story and sees players taking on the role of Robert Locksley as he uses an advanced piece of technology to simulate and broadcast complex heists all over the world. It features the voice talent of Danny Wallace, from Thomas Was Alone, and actor Andy Serkis. It will be available for PC, PlayStation 4 and PS Vita from August 18.
Other Releases
August 4
- Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight – 3DS
- Adventure Lib – PC / Mac
- Broken Bots – PC / Mac
- Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment – PlayStation 4
- The Castle Game – PlayStation 4
August 5
- Empyrion – Galactic Survival – PC
August 7
- AeternoBlade – PlayStation 4
August 11
- Celestian Tales: Old North – PC
- Garfield Kart – 3DS
- Gauntlet: Slayer Edition – PlayStation 4
- Goat Simulator – PlayStation 4 / PlayStation 3
- XBLAZE: Lost Memories – PlayStation 3 / PS Vita
- Toy Soldiers: War Chest – PC / Xbox One/ PlayStation 4
August 14
- Super Mega Baseball – Xbox One
- Hacknet – PC
- Bedlam – PC / Mac / PlayStation 4 / Xbox One
August 18
- Armikrog – PC / Wii U / Mac / Linux
- Dungeon Travelers 2: The Royal Library & the Monster Seal – PS Vita
- Bounty Train – PC
- Final Fantasy Type-0 HD – PC
August 20
- Shadowrun: Hong Kong – PC / Mac / Linux
August 21
- LBX: Little Battlers eXperience – 3DS
- Rampage Knights- PC / Mac
- Risen 3: Titan Lords – Enhanced Edition – PlayStation 4
August 25
- Amnesia: Memories – PS Vita
- Crookz – PC
- Once Pice: Pirate Warriors 3 – PC / PlayStation 4
- Overlord: Fellowship of Evil – PC
- Stiens;Gate – PlayStation 3
- The Talos Principle – PlayStation 4
- Until Dawn – PlayStation 4
- Nova-111 – PlayStation 4 / PS Vita
August 28
- Dishonored Definitive Edition – PlayStation 4 / Xbox One
- Lost Dimension – PlayStation 3 / PS Vita
August 30
- Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition – PlayStation 4 / PlayStation 3 / Xbox One / Xbox 360 / Wii U
August 31
- Freedom Planet – Wii U
- Hearthstone: The Grand Tournament – PC
- Rememoried – PC / Mac
- Airscape: The Fall of Gravity – PC
- Bubble Shooter Chef
Free Games
There’s plenty to get excited about for Xbox Live Gold members this month as the Games With Gold program for August includes a collection of excellent games. Those who own an Xbox 360 will be able to get their hands on Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light, two horror survival first-person shooters that received widespread critical acclaim when they first released. Based on Russian novels, they contain strong storytelling elements in a post-apocalyptic setting. While both have been remastered in for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in the form of the Metro Redux collection, they are still worth playing and stand up well compared to other games.
Meanwhile, Xbox One owners will get access to two games throughout August thanks to Microsoft’s new policy of including two titles on the console rather than the established one game. The two titles are the remastered How To Survive: Storm Warning Edition that comes with all the previously released DLC from the original Xbox 360 version of the game and Meta Gear Solid V: Ground Forces.
Sony has revealed the games that will be made available to PlayStation Plus subscribers earlier that they usually do, giving owners of their hardware the chance to see what free games they’ll be able to download during August. The first of these games is the PlayStation 4 game Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, a follow up to Guardian of Light. It is pretty much as you would expect from a Tomb Raider game though it does concentrate slightly more on action and has a more arcade feel to it. The second PS4 title is the platformer Limbo. The horror-inspired title was one of the stand out indie games that released in the last generation is this is the first time that it is available on the console.
Two more PlayStation 4 games come in the form of Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones, a platformer that involves a large amount of stealth gameplay, and the side-scrolling music creating game Sound Shapes. Those with a PlayStation 3 or PS Vita will be able to download God of War: Ascension and Castlestorm Complete Edition from August 4.