It’s the last month before the Holiday deluge of titles that usually occurs around this time of year. Many big names will be out in September including Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Forza Motorsport 6 and Mad Max but August shouldn’t be completely written off. Along with some much awaited indie titles and exclusives, this month sees the release of a compelling remake and one of the best compilations ever created. There’s a ton to look forward to this month. It’s just a shame that you’ll have so little time to complete everything. Here are our picks for the top 6 games of August 2016.
Rare Replay
Released today, the Rare Replay is perhaps the most definitive compilation any single developer has ever released. Containing 30 games, a variety of retro challenges and playlists, and documentaries pertaining to the history of Rare, the Rare Replay offers countless hours of enjoyment.
Whether you want to revisit the shooting excellence that is Perfect Dark, explore the world of the Banjo Kazooie series or even tackle Battletoads, Rare Replay has something for everyone. The retro titles may be a tad too over-challenging for some but this compilation retails for $30 and features Blast Corps. That should be an automatic buy for you but luckily, there are 28 other games to justify your purchase (sorry Perfect Dark Zero).
Rare Replay is currently available for Xbox One.
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
When you talk about games we hardly know anything about, The Chinese Room’s Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture stands out. The PS4 exclusive has been developed in collaboration with SCE Santa Monica and using latest CRYENGINE technology. More than anything though, the Amnesia: A Machine of Pigs developer is bringing its signature brand of eerie, atmospheric story-telling to the console.
From what we know, players will experience the story through six key characters during the apocalypse in Shropshire. The game’s title leads us to believe that the Rapture has finally arrived and there are those left behind who must tackle with the consequences. Numerous questions arise but the overall interactivity and influences from British sci-fi fictions make us more and more intrigued with the game each day.
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is out on August 11th.
Volume
Mike Bithell’s eagerly awaited stealth puzzler will finally be releasing this month for PC, PS4 and PS Vita. As a combination of LEGO meets Metal Gear Solid, Volume will task players with sneaking through various missions and environments to complete heists. The level editor is especially interesting since it allows players to create their own simulations and share them, thus creating a strong community of user creations over the next several years.
Featuring a unique art style and the brains behind Thomas Was Alone, Volume struck us initially with its concept and atmosphere. It faced several delays over the years but now appears ready to release on August 18th 2015.
Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Futuristic RPG noir returns but this time, it heads to Hong Kong with Shadowrun: Hong Kong. Harebrained Schemes has been killing it with Shadowrun Returns and Shadowrun: Dragonfall, delivering two compelling role playing experiences through Kickstarter funding. Shadowrun: Hong Kong will continue the turn based combat and gameplay style that the series is known for while throwing you into a conspiracy involving mega corporations in 2056. There’s still quite a lot we don’t know about the game but it will improve on the engine introduced in the previous games.
Shadowrun: Hong Kong releases on August 20th for PC, Mac OS X and Linux.
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
Normally, I don’t like to include remasters or HD ports since, well, it’s a game you pretty much played several years ago when it first released. Some remasters have defied those expectations like DmC: Definitive Edition but Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is something else entirely. It’s essentially a remake of the original game, improving on the core mechanics will completely overhauling the graphics for Xbox One. Presented in 1080p resolution and 60 FPS, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition has plenty to offer for first time players.
That’s not all though. If you pre-order Gears of War: Ultimate Edition before New Year’s, you’ll receive all four original Xbox 360 games in the series completely free (lacking DLC but hey, can’t have it all). Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is out on August 23rd for Xbox One.
Until Dawn
Honestly, I didn’t have much hope for Until Dawn. Its initial support for PS Move and subsequent fall into development Hell more than a few times made me doubt whether the adventure horror would ever release. Nonetheless, it’s here and it actually looks pretty interesting if you’re looking for an atmospheric and scary game where your decisions decide the ultimate fate of the characters.
B-movie horror fans will find a lot to like here as the story of a group of friends contending with a serial killer on a snowy mountain unfolds. If the cheesy teenage drama doesn’t appeal to you then try experimenting with ways to get these meddlesome kids killed instead.
Until Dawn releases on August 25th in North America and August 28th in Europe for the PlayStation 4.
