Top New Game Releases This Week On Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC — June 24-30

This week you can try Nier Automata, Wolfenstein 2, and Lumines on new platforms.

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New Releases is back with its first standard episode in some time. E3 2018 brought a few surprise games, like the announcement of Life Is Strange 2 prequel The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit and Nier Automata coming to Xbox One via the Become As Gods Edition. That’s not the only port launching this week either, as Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is making its Nintendo Switch debut. Meanwhile, Lumines Remastered is set to let us feel the beat as we line up colored blocks, while The Crew 2 has a garage full of land, sea, and air vehicles ready to race.

Nier Automata: Become As Gods Edition — June 26

Available on: Xbox One

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Nier Automata was critically praised during its initial launch, so it’s about time Xbox One owners get to experience the world of androids battling machines on an abandoned earth. Even better, this version includes some previously released DLC quests and costumes.

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Lumines Remastered — June 26

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

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Another enhanced re-release, Lumines Remastered is still the same block-matching game with a killer soundtrack as it was on PSP. Luckily, the full soundtrack made the jump to the current generation too. The remaster was led by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, who not only produced the original, but also created another trippy cult classic, Rez.

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The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit — June 26

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

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Life Is Strange 2 is happening, and this free prequel spin-off will help set up the events of the sequel. It stars a 10-year-old boy named Chris, whose imagination lets him become the titular Captain Spirit. It might seem kiddish, but expect to make the same tough choices Life Is Strange is known for–and what you choose will directly affect how you play the sequel later this year.

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The Crew 2 — June 29

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

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The Crew 2 once again lets you race clear across the United States, but this time you can do it in cars, planes, boats, bikes, and off-road vehicles. You can switch between them on the fly, and with the variety of races and terrain waiting you, you’ll definitely be doing a lot of hot swapping.

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Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus — June 29

Available on: Switch

The Nintendo Switch is also getting a hyper-violent port this month. It’s the same Nazi-killing campaign that other systems got last year, but this version lets you fine-tune your shots with the Pro Controller gyro, or fully aim your guns with the Joy-Cons. Being able to take the war anywhere your Switch can go ain’t too bad either.

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New Releases

Game of Thrones Stars Kit Harington and Rose Leslie Just Got Married

Rose Leslie and Kit Harrington, also known as Game of Thrones’ Ygritte and Jon Snow, have just been married at the Kirkton of Rayne church in Aberdeenshire, Scotland this past Saturday.

Leslie and Harrington began dating in 2012 on the set of Game of Thrones, while their characters had also formed a relationship in the show’s second season. The couple announced that they were engaged to be married.

The ceremony was attended by many of their fellow cast members from Game of Thrones, including Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Maisie Williams, and Sophie Turner. The ceremony was followed by a reception at Wardhill Castle.

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What Would a God of War Set in West African or Aztec Mythologies Be Like?

With 2018’s God Of War, Kratos and his son Atreus have stepped out of the shadow of Mount Olympus, and into the wilds of Midgard. They’ve been exploring the fabled worlds of Norse mythology, fighting drooling Nordic beasties and making sense of ancient stories about gods and monsters. See why Jonathon Dornbush called it a ‘Masterpiece’ in IGN’s God of War review here.

However, taking Kratos from the Mediterranean to Germanic regions is more than a matter of swapping wine for mead and chains for an axe. It’s a fundamental tonal shift that tells us far more about the world of God of War than it does about Kratos himself.

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Preacher: Season 3 Has a Strong Start

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.

As far as comic book shows go, Preacher has so far proven to be a pretty loose adaptation of the source material. Certain moments might be ripped straight from the comics, but the strange journey of Jesse Custer and friends has veered in some wildly different directions over the past two years. But for the most part, that’s been to the show’s benefit. And that fast and loose approach will no doubt come in handy for Season 3. The series is finally tackling the events of “All in the Family,” one of the best and most unsettling chapters of the comic. But as great as that story is, it doesn’t exactly seem like ideal fodder for a ten-episode season. It’s a good thing that “Angelville” shows no sign that Preacher is going to start playing by the rules now.

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WTF Happened in the Westworld Finale?

This review contains spoilers for the Westworld Season 2 finale, “The Passenger.” Check out the video above as we try (perhaps unsuccessfully) to explain the ending.

However you felt about Westworld’s Season 1 finale and how predictable it may or may not have been (depending on how far down the Reddit rabbit hole you fell over the course of last season), it was clear that showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy had carefully laid out the breadcrumbs to explain every reveal, making sure that the show always adhered to its own internal logic.

I have no doubt that Season 2 was just as meticulously plotted, but this season’s insistence on maintaining a nonlinear narrative – plus several more dueling timelines – resulted in a story that seemed unnecessarily complicated, if not purposefully incomprehensible, in places – and that was especially true of “The Passenger.”

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Ni No Kuni 2 Update Adds New Items And Difficulties

If you needed an excuse to hop back into Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom, its latest update may be the perfect one. The update, which is available now on PS4 and PC, fixes bugs, adds new rare loot items, and introduces two new difficulty options.

Bandai Namco detailed the patch notes in a Facebook post. “It’s been a few weeks since the release of Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom and we’ve been reading your feedback online,” the post reads. “We’d like to thank the community for their support!” All the patch notes are listed below.

PS4 & PC improvements

  • Improved the game stability
  • Added a shortcut for “Save” in the main menu
  • Added special icon on the message that appears before the battle with tainted monsters
  • Added region names on the map menu when zoomed out
  • Made “Lock/Unlock settings” for users to lock/unlock the equipment when changing them at the main menu
  • Changed the color of skirmish flag effect when the battle is cleared
  • Changed the timing of the pose during the victory screen when the battle is finished
  • Added help comment for citizen rank up and save
  • Fixed the bug during the side quest 051 “Trainee Priestess Speio” where quest will not proceed even when the magic “Rejuvenate” is learned
  • Fixed the bug caused by the order of the actions during Chapter 6, the factory floors.
  • Fixed other minor bugs

PC-specific improvements

  • Improved camera movements when a PC mouse is used
  • Fixed the screen blackout when [CapsLock] key and [Q] key is pressed at the same time during the full-screen mode
  • Fixed the drop of framerate when 2 monitor screens are used

The patch also adds new rare item drops, which goes hand in hand with its new difficulty options. Hard and Extreme difficulty modes have been added to make battles longer and more rewarding. Playing on these harder difficulties increases the quality of equipment and rare item drops.

The mode that players have been playing on thus far is now just Normal mode. If you’re looking to hop on a different difficulty, you won’t have to start over. The new difficulties can be accessed by starting a new game, or heading into the options menu mid-game.

Since now’s the perfect time to continue or get started, make sure to look over our guides to managing your country and our Ni No Kuni 2 beginner’s tips. You can also check out our full thoughts on the game in our Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom review.