Imminent! August arrivals

Hey, hey! New games are a comin'. Are you ready? Each month I will be bringing you an article detailing some of the exciting and popular new gaming releases for the next month. I won't be covering EVERY great new release, it simply wouldn't be feasible. Instead, I'm just going to focus on a small handful. August's list of new releases almost feels like the calm before the storm. Aside from a few releases, most publishers seem to be gearing up for the holiday season. So, shall we see what's on the horizon?

Why do they always seem to put rain in these?

For fans of the Shadowrun series, Shadowrun: Hong Kong will be available for the PC platform on the 20th. In this offering from Harebrained Schemes, players will find themselves in a Hong Kong dominated by megacorporations. There will be a single player campaign as well as a level editor for the more hardcore Shadowrun fan. This level editor will allow anyone to create their own content for Shadowrun and share it with other players through the usual outlets. (Steam, etc) If you like your games a bit grittier, darker, and more futuristic, Shadowrun: Hong Kong might be worth your investment. I'm eager to see the graphical rendering of a future Hong Kong dominated by corporations. Neon everywhere? Probably.

Lisa the Joyful is tentatively set to drop onto Steam on the 25th. This is the third game set in the post apocalyptic Lisa universe. In this game, we will be further introduced to the characters of Buddy and Buzzo (Let's play a game!), and we will learn more about the apocalyptic event that caused most of the world's women to suddenly vanish. While the first game was a bit of a mixed bag overall, if this game is anything like the second game, it should be a great play and well worth the pittance it would cost. If you enjoyed Earthbound as a kid, you'll definitely feel the tugs on your heartstrings when you see the animation style. The writing and subject matter is definitely mature, so take that under advisement.

What would an August be without a Madden release? Yep, it's that time again. Madden NFL 16 is going to attempt to intercept your money on August 25th for PS4, PS3, XboxOne, and Xbox360. As of this post, there are two editions of the game available for purchase; the core version and Madden NFL 16 Deluxe Edition. The deluxe edition will set you back ten extra dollars but yields fifty dollars worth of ultimate team packs. Definitely a great investment for people who enjoy that aspect of the game, but this version is only available as a preorder. When the game launches, that deal will be gone. (Likely replaced by another deal, but who's counting) Along with the usual graphical improvements, EA has promised to deliver a "completely transformed passing game" along with a new game mode known as Draft Champions. As someone who has always enjoyed the off the field aspects of the EA sports titles, I'm looking forward to seeing what this mode is all about.

Geralt, is that you?

The last game in our short list of August releases is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Acting as a sequel to Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, this story follows Punished "Venom" Snake into Africa and Asia as he seeks vengeance for what happened in the previous installment. As is usual with this series, the game leans more towards stealth rather than shooting. Interestingly, Konami is claiming that the game has improved enemy AI that will adapt to the tactics that Snake uses. For example, if you off a bunch of people with a certain weapon, the enemies will start to take care to protect that part of their body with body armor. Hmm.... There will also be base building in the game. From your home base, you can do things such as develop weapons and items for use and recruit units. In the continuing trend of technological integration, you'll be able to access this base from your smartphone. Neat! Anyways, that's only a few of the slew of things the game is claiming to bring to the table, so both new players and fans of the series will probably enjoy this installment. It will be available for consoles (minus the Wii U) on September 1st and then release for PC on the 15th.

Being that this is a new column, I'm still unsure as to how I want to present this information. Should I keep it brief, or go more in depth on the features of the game? I tend to think the former, because the latter could be very, very long for a single post. Regardless, let me know what you think! Hit me up in the comment section below, on my facebook, or on twitter. Until next time, #GameOn!