Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: entertainment, game of thrones: A Nest of Vipers, journey, Onechanbara Z2, Tembo The Badass Elephant, The Binding of Isaac Rebirth, video games, wolfenstein: The Old Blood

Sweet Release! Journey PS4, Game of Thrones Episode 5, Tembo The Badass Elephant, Onchanbara Z2, Wolfenstein, The Binding of Isaac

Published Tue, 21 Jul 2015 23:45:43 -0500

by Jared Cornelius

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By Jared Cornelius

Welcome back to Sweet Release! Bleeding Cool's look at the new games hitting store shelves and digital platforms. It's hot as hell here on the Jersey coast and the last few weeks hasn't given anyone a real reason to be indoors.  While I've continually complained about an inconsistent release schedule, this week we actually get some decent, if not good excuses to stay inside. Yes dear reader the games this week are actually pretty good, with a wide variety for almost everything, but don't get those triple A hopes up just yet, we still need to make it through August.
First off this week is Journey from, thatgamecompany, making its PlayStation 4 debut. The 3rd person art exploration game places you in the role of a scarfed nomad making their way across an expansive desert environment. Critically acclaimed for its unique storytelling and online gameplay that actually makes you enjoy playing with other people, Journey resonated with players from across the world. Just take it on face value that the less you know going into Journey the better, the unique narrative is really the crux of the experience. The good news is if you own a copy on PlayStation 3, its cross-buy with PlayStation 4, so viola free game!  Journey released to PlayStation 4 on Tuesday with a PlayStation 3 version currently available as well.
Speaking of narrative cruxes, the fifth episode of Telltale Game's Game of Thrones series releases this week. Entitled, "A Nest of Vipers" it presumably has something to do with Dorne. The third person adventure game series is heavy on the storytelling and has ties directly to the show, taking place between the third and fourth seasons.  Game of Thrones has been the closest in content to their hit Walking Dead series and is heavy with melodrama, and personal dilemmas while being very…very light on the combat. I've been behind on this one, so I couldn't spoil it if I wanted to.  Game of Thrones Episode 5: A Nest of Vipers releases Tuesday on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC, and tablets. It releases Wednesday on Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Like Sonic The Hedgehog, but hate what Sega's done with him for the last 15 years? Well maybe Tembo: The Badass Elephant will satisfy that craving for fast moving animal action. The 2D platform game features the titular Tembo whose part elephant, part commando, and apparently all bad ass. Tembo features really does look like a Sonic game, with momentum playing a big part, as well as the collection of peanuts (rings) and a dash attack. It does separate itself with a healthy dose of destructible environments and a really nice cartoon art style. Believe it or not this was actually developed by Game Freak, the folks who make Pokémon, so good on them for an interesting side project!  Tembo: The Badass Elephant released Tuesday on PlayStation 4 and PC, with an Xbox One release Wednesday.
Brace yourself for a visual assault and perhaps one on your taste as well, as Onechanbara Z2: Chaos releases this week from XSeed Games. The 3rd person hack and slash series is an insane mash up of cheesecake bikini babes and over the top zombie slaying grindhouse gore. The bare bones premise is the sexy ladies are vampire hunters and slay a ton of zombies on their way to a boss fight. The levels are fairly linear, but the developers are claiming they've added replay value via new level objectives and hidden collectibles.  There's only been one other Onechanbara game to hit US shores so it's hard to decipher how much is actually new, but there are four characters to choose from, a bunch of costumes to dress them in, and both English and Japanese voice acting. The last game on the Xbox 360 honestly wasn't very good, I'm curious to see if any big changes have been made.  Onechanbara Z2: Chaos released Tuesday for the PlayStation 4.

For insane collectors of boxed video games it's a good week as Wolfenstein: The Old Blood gets a retail release. The 1st person shooter takes place before the events of 2014's New Order and is more of a traditional Wolfenstein, with a large section of the game taking place in the titular castle. Old Blood also adds new enemies, new weapons, and some alternate history World War II science without going Iron Sky crazy. The reviews weren't quite as glowing as New Order, but for $19.99 you could do worse. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood released Tuesday on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Finally, this week after an incredibly long wait, Nintendo finally gets The Binding of Isaac: ReBirth on Wii U and Nintendo 3/2DS. The bizarre isometric rouge-like from Edmund McMillen, one of the developers behind the beloved 2D platformer Super Meat Boy has allegedly been trying to make its way onto Nintendo platforms for ages now, but hit quite a few snags due to some "objective content". What objective content you ask, "When Isaac's mother starts hearing the voice of God demanding a sacrifice be made to prove her faith, Isaac escapes into the basement facing droves of deranged enemies, lost brothers and sisters, his fears, and eventually his mother." Isaac features procedurally generated dungeons, so no two play games are the same. The Binding of Isaac: ReBirth releases on Thursday on Nintendo 3/2DS, Wii U, and Xbox One. It's also currently available on all three PlayStation platforms and Steam.

That's it for this week folks. You can check out my other regular column, Typing on The Dead, where I review and dissect the latest issue of The Walking Dead.

Jared Cornelius is some guy from the Jersey coast who's coasting until the end of summer. Coast with him on Twitter @John_Laryngitis.

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