Masochistic players who love to take on more challenges than what life hands can test their skills in Ghost ’n Goblins Resurrection and Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection. And here I thought video games were supposed to entertain us?
Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection
Release Date: June 1 (PS4/Xbox One/PC) One of the most brutal retro games is back to show that even after years, it’s still hard - or that our skills haven’t improved at all. Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection (and there will be plenty of the latter) tells the story of Arthur trying to save his princess from the Demon Realm. Using an arsenal of eight weapons, skills, and magic, you need to eliminate enemies, avoid traps, adapt your strategies, and most importantly, never give up. You may die, lower the difficulty, and realize it’s still unmerciful, but eventually, you’ll manage to help Arthur, eliminate the demons, and save your maiden. The game was first released for Switch on February 25, and it’s now arriving for the remaining platforms.
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown
Release Date: June 1 (PS4) Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is one of Sega’s gifts to celebrate its 60 years of life, success, and iconic releases. The game is the remaster of an already revised version of the original, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. The game will feature online modes and uses the Yakuza series graphics engine to bring fighter models and stages remade to a high level of detail. A DLC called Legendary Pack can be purchased and adds over 2,000 customization items for the fighters. Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown will arrive day one on PS Plus.
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2
Release Date: June 4 (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series SX, PC) The new game in the Ghost Warrior franchise is a sequel to their latest “Contracts” series. The campaign will put users in the role of a mercenary who needs to hunt down some high-value targets in the modern-day Middle East. The scenarios bring opportunities to infiltrate and eliminate your victims indirectly through accidents like the Hitman series. Mixing technology and stealth, the game presents us with our greatest challenge yet, with most targets over 1000m away. The cinematic bullet cam is present and gives us more agonizingly visceral details, although welcomed since our objective is to kill after all. An optimized version for PS5 should be released in the second half of this year.
Edge of Eternity
Release Date: June 8 (PC) This JRPG has been in Early Access on Steam for so long that people had forgotten about it, but it’s finally coming. With solid Final Fantasy influences, Edge of Eternity features the classic turn-based battle with a twist, targetable grids in the battle that eagers for strategy if you want to make the most of your skills and spells. We play Daryon and Selene in a world affected by the Corrosion. The protagonists venture out searching for a cure while having to help the people of Heryon fight a mysterious invader. It’s a tale of magic versus technology, showing the impact of the Final Fantasy saga affected the game’s plot. Edge of Eternity comes out of Early Access on June 8 on Steam and adds 20 more hours of gameplay, new chapters, characters, and events that will determine your outcome according to your choices.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Release Date: June 10 (PS5) Back to Midgard in 4K, lots of FPS, faster loading times, and new adventures with the series’ favorite ninja. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is the definitive version - until they re-release it for PS7 - to enjoy the remake of the classic JRPG. In addition to graphical and performance improvements, the PS5 version will include the DLC InterMISSION, which adds a new storyline to Midgard through the eyes of Yuffie Kisaragi and her countryman Sonon. They must infiltrate Shinra to retrieve the Ultimate Materia and return power to Wutai while weakening the evil corporation. Remember that those who own the PS4 version of the game can upgrade their FFVII Remake version to the PS5 for free but will have to purchase the DLC separately. However, if you got your FFVII version from Plus, it doesn’t include the free upgrade. So if you want to play the DLC, you need to buy the PS5 version. And I recommend, since we will have the Fort Condor mini-game revamped for the new generation, and it’s looking peachy.
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection
Release Date: June 10 (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC) One of the most hardcore series of old returns with its Master Collection to reclaim the crown that the Soulsborn games usurped. Ninja Gaiden’s Ryu Hayabusa and his gang Ayane, Kasuni, Momiji, and Rachel return in style and shadowy garments in 4k, 60 FPS, and control improvements to make sure you don’t miss a single bloodshed moment. The remastered version includes three classic games re-released in a single package, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, its sequel Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge. Players can expect the series renowned brutal display of violence in frenetic and punishing gameplay.
Guilty Gear -Strive-
Release Date: June 11 (PS4, PS5, PC) There’s far more than Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter to fighting games. The Guilty Gear series is gaining more and more space in this arena with its blend of precise gameplay, beautiful Japanese-inspired graphics, and a set of unique characters. Guilty Gear Strive is the new chapter in this journey and the eighth in its franchise. The idea is to reconstruct what the saga is known for, bring classic aspects back in an improved format, and add new mechanics involving scenario-based combos. The fighting game will be optimized for PlayStation 5, and an arcade version is also expected to arrive in Japan this year.
Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart
Release Date: June 11 (PS5) Rift Apart is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series since 2016 and begins years after the events of Into the Nexus, a game released in 2013 for PS3, ignoring the PlayStation 4 reboot. The game features two playable Lombaxes. The first bears the title namesake, Ratchet, while the other is Rivet, a female resistance fighter from another reality. Together with Clank, you must chase Doctor Nefarious through multiple realities to thwart his… nefarious objectives. Rift Apart showcased gameplay that made many consider it the “first” authentic PlayStation 5 game, and honestly, it feels like we are playing a movie.
Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance
Release Date: June 22 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series SX, PC) Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is a four-person, cooperative action RPG. The game allows the player to choose between four iconic heroes of the author R.A Salvatore and evolve them during the campaign, learning new skills and obtaining new equipment. The proposal resembles the gameplay of other action RPGs but is recommended to be experienced with a controller and play with other players. The hard part is having friends. Face famous enemies of the franchise such as Beholders, Frost Giants, and White Dragons to prevent monsters from dominating Icewind Dale, overpowering them, and avoiding your screen going black with a message written “Game Over” in the middle of it. Dungeons & Dragons Dark Alliance will be available to Game Pass subscribers - on both PC and consoles - from day one and released on the Xbox Cloud service as well.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX
Release Date: June 24 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series SX, Nintendo Switch, PC) One of the most remarkable games of the 80s is back with a remake for current generations. Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX keeps the platform mechanics and the pixel art style but renews its look to please Greeks and Trojans. There will be an option in the start menu for the nostalgic to retain the Master System graphics. Also confirmed among the new features is the presence of a Boss Rush mode that lets you face endless matches of Jan Ken Po (Rock Paper Scissors) - one of the hallmarks of the bosses in the original Alex Kidd in the Miracle World. Players can also expect improvements to the combat system, the protagonist’s overall movement, and game navigation.
Legend of Mana
Release Date: June 24 (PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC) Such nostalgia! Legend of Mana was the spiritual successor of Seiken Densetsu 3 at the time (known today as Trials of Mana) and placed us in the role of a protagonist who had to restore the world and the mana to its former self after a war that burned down the Mana Tree nine centuries ago. The game featured an artifact system, where we created dungeons and towns by placing them on the map and sidequests that tell the game’s main plot until we unlock the Mana Tree. This lack of linearity confused some players at first. Still, it didn’t cloud the other excellent mechanics such as the fluid combat system, pet, and golems creation, tending the orchard, crafting weapons, instruments, and other features. The remastered version features graphical improvements, new control features, and some mini-games previously only available in the Japanese version. So far, we don’t know if they kept this mechanic or even the hot-seat multiplayer mode.
Mario Golf Super Rush
Release Date: June 25 (Nintendo Switch) If you told me a short, pot-bellied Italian plumber would be so engaged in sports and, above all, skilled at the most diverse of events, I would ignore you. But if I had known beforehand that this was true, I would have saved a lot of money on gym fees and earth-flavored supplements. Mario Golf: Super Rush marks the return of the series after more than seven years without a new title. In addition to the traditional gameplay of a golf match, the game introduces Story Mode, where you play your Mii character and earn levels after rounds to evolve its skills, allocating status according to your playstyle. And the Speed Mode, where there is no pause between shots and players must race to hit the hole.
Scarlet Nexus
Release Date: June 25 (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series SX, PC) Bandai Namco’s new action RPG has arrived. First, the game was supposed to be a Code Vein successor, but Bandai decided to abandon the Soulslike formula and adapt to a fast-paced style of action - retaining anime aesthetics. In Scarlet Nexus, we play Yuito and Kasane as members of the OTF, Others Suppression Force, fighting the those who need Suppression… the Others. The protagonists have different fighting styles. Yuito delivers more blunt attacks with his sword, while Kasane uses the kunai for broader strokes with increased range. Both Yuito and Kasane also have their own skill trees and will be joined by several other characters throughout their missions. Later in 2021, Funimation will distribute a Scarlet Nexus anime, produced by Bandai in partnership with Sunrise Origin Studio.
Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny
Release Date: June 29 (Nintendo Switch) The new episode of Nippon Ichi’s RPG extravagant and exaggerated franchise arrives in the West. The journey gives us Zed, a zombie protagonist, and his sister Bieko against the God of Destruction. Due to his unique power Super Reincarnation, Zed has the benefits to gather allies to defy the deity. The game is permeated with quirky characters and, of course, off-the-charts numbers. If level 9,999 wasn’t enough, they went and increased it to 99,999,999. The latest Disgaea is also the first in the franchise to feature three-dimensional graphics, bringing new possibilities to the game system. Group attacks have become more prominent, and the characters have been given additional details, with even the old familiars getting a new face. The game maintains the same tactical gameplay, featuring various classes, weapon mastery, reincarnation, and other things that the series is known for. But come on, 99,999,999, seriously?! The game was released for PS4 and Switch on January 28 in Japan. For now, Disgaea 6 worldwide release is reserved for the Switch, and we don’t know when - or if - it will be released for other platforms.
