Following the trend that started back in May, August is another one of those empty-your-wallet months. Check what hot Upcoming Games are coming down the pipeline in the following weeks!
Do you hear that? That’s the sound of all those green notes as they slip out your wallet and into the pockets of developers and publishers. August is quite packed with highly-awaited titles such as Abzû, No Man’s Sky and Deux Ex: Mankind Divided. Telltale’s very own Batman will also start kicking in with the delivery of its first episode and there’s even space for a discreet jewel called Obduction. On the expansion side of things, World of Warcraft and Fallout 4 are getting a fairly large amount of new content – and pay attention to the latter, as it is the last new thing we’ll see from Fallout 4’s Commonwealth.
We have compiled a fair list of 10 games that will surely devour your free time this month.
Abzû
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4
Release Date: August 2
Labelled as the “underwater Journey,” Abzû brings us to the mystical depths of the sea. The game definitely reminds us of the hits that made That Game Company famous a few years ago.
It has the minimalist, yet epic, nature of its environments, the seamless gameplay, and a similar sense of beauty that Flower and Journey had. The lack of dialogue and those notes of music accompanying each of our actions also recall That Game Company’s work (especially given Journey composer Austin Wintory’s involvement). However, we can expect Abzû to hold a name by itself. Not only because the studio behind it is the recently created Giant Squid (though there are some That Game Company folks within the ranks) and its aiming high, but also because they have promised an enhanced experience beyond the exploration gameplay of Journey and Flower.
If you liked Journey, then Abzû should definitely be on your radar.
Batman: The Telltale Series
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Android plus iOS devices.
Release Date: August 2
Batman: The Telltale Series comes from the people who made episodic gaming famous again, and will start its episodic adventure with Realm of Shadows. We’ve already seen its world premiere trailer – and it did not disappoint us at all.
Telltale has said multiple times that their own version of Batman will complement other existing interpretations of the character and that they are quite proud with what they have achieved. This is probably due to the fact that they have revamped their own engine for this title, something much requested by their community. On top of that, you can expect your fair share of decision making both as Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight. Their stories will interlace, offering more insight about the psyche of this hero and the far-reaching consequences affecting Gotham City.
No Man’s Sky
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4
Release Date: August 9
With a slight delay behind it (the game was originally scheduled for June), No Man’s Sky is finally arriving during the second week of August.
Everything we have seen so far about the game pinpoints to a sort of “promised land” for Sci-Fi exploration lovers. No Man’s Sky is… big. It relies on procedural content generation for adding the variety and personality behind each of the 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 unique, explorable planets in the game. You can hold different encounters on those planets, and also outside of them. Venturing through galaxies and systems comes at a price, of course. If the skirmishes and outer space wars between factions do not kill you, the danger awaiting in the planetary biomes will certainly try to do so.
No Man’s Sky is also about upgrading your ship to maximize your survival rates through those epic journeys. Crafting plus trading will play a critical role in exploring No Man’s Sky’s universe, as bigger and better ships and equipment will bring you closer and closer to the edge of the galaxy.
Grow Up
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release Date: August 16
The tiny robot B.U.D is growing up – and has some unfinished business with the moon. That’s the core premise of Grow Up, the sequel to Ubisoft Reflection’s Grow Home, released last year. The game is an adventure platform title that will allow you to control the friendly robot B.U.D again and move around in an open world environment. Grow Up seems to follow the same principles of the first game: procedural creations and gameplay based purely on physics.
On this occasion, the climbing robot will search for M.O.M, the spaceship that took care of him in Grow Home. The first installment was developed by a very small team within Ubisoft for internal testing only. We are glad to see that the concept grew into what seems to be a “climbing saga,” one of those little games that becomes something larger.
Metroid Prime: Federation Force
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: August 19
While it may not be the Metroid you are looking for, Metroid isn’t over yet. Federation Force is the next cooperative first-person shooter in the Metroid family. It comes as a spin-off from Next Level Games, creators of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. Federation Force moves away from series protagonist Samus Aran and instead follows a Galactic Federation marine. Federation Force replicates gameplay elements similar to those of Metroid Prime Hunters and adds a multiplayer mode call Blast Ball, based on 3vs3 matches.
Obduction
Platforms: PC
Release Date: August 22
Obduction has come in under the radar but it has quite a lot to offer. It has been labelled as the spiritual successor of Myst and Riven – it’s, in fact, developed by the same very guys, Cian Worlds. So if you want to revive the days of classic puzzle solving, then keep this game under your radar.
In Obduction, the protagonist has been abducted from the Earth by aliens and “added into an alien landscape with a stereotypical, Kansas farmhouse with a white picket fence.” Of course, that farmhouse is just the beginning of a universe we can only begin to comprehend. The goal? To find your way home, by exploring the environment of different worlds. On top of your point and click system, expect freedom and heavy choices, with substantial consequences.
Get yourself a taste of Obduction with its teaser trailer.
Deux Ex: Mankind Divided
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Release Date: August 23
Adam Jensen is back in this highly-awaited sequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Created by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix, the game returns to the world that we last saw in Human Revolution – and oh, boy, it’s not a nice one. The next chapter of this stealth-action adventure puts Adam back in his fighting gear and inside a grimmer scenario. This time, against the rise of a terrorist thread posed by organized groups of augmented humans.
Jensen’s return comes with all sorts of new technology and body augmentations at our disposal inside a revamped combat and role-playing system to improve the occasionally sluggish gameplay of Human Revolution. But beware: game designer Antoine Thisdale confirmed that this installment “is not meant to be a pretty, happy game”. He also hinted at the possibility of yet another title for the saga.
Attack on Titan
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Xbox One
Release Date: August 30
Relying on the rather fitting “destroy everything that moves” style of game design, Attack on Titan comes from Japanese studio Omega Force and builds on the famous manga/anime universe. The game has already gathered good reviews from critics in Japan, where it was already released back in February. Main points of praise are the fighting encounters against those damned, ugly giants and the fidelity to the first season of the anime.
World of Warcraft: Legion
Platforms: PC
Release Date: August 30
World of Warcraft: Legion may be an expansion in midst of full-length titles this August, but it justifies its place as a wallet melter with its remarkable amount of content.
The folks at Blizzard have created their sixth expansion, following Warlord of Draenor and function as a sort of sequel to previous expansion The Burning Crusade. Characters will hit a new level cap at level 110 and there will be new equipment for each of the classes and specializations. On top of that, Legion brings a brand new area called the Broken Isles and adds a demon hunter hero class, available at level 98. The transmogrification system has also received a revamp and there are more dungeons and raids available for everyone. The cherry on top is an overall visual upgrade, much needed for a game that is nearly 12 years old.
Fallout 4: Nuka World
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Release Date: Unspecified date for August
Okay, so it’s more of a DLC than a full game or Legion and yes, it has yet to receive an official release date. However, we know that Nuka World relies heavily on narrative, as the Far Harbor expansion did. This means extra hours of adventures, more weird stories for the Sole Survivor, and the possibility of fully exploring a Nuka-Cola themed park. Also, Bethesda has confirmed that Nuka World will be their final expansion to the world of Fallout 4, so it gets on the list purely for the sake of goodbyes.
Getting Ready to Rumble
Here at The Game Fanatics we are quite excited for this month’s upcoming games as it certainly offers a lot of styles for different gaming palates. What about you, faithful readers? Which games are you dying to play first? Are you following the release date of other upcoming games not included here? Let us know in the comment section down below!
