Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition Box Art

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is a Kickstarter-funded 2.5D platformer developed by WayForward Technologies. In it players take control of Shantae, the titular half-genie, and embark on a quest to save the Scuttle Town and Genie Realm from the forces of evil.

As the game is already out on all current platforms, this post is concerned specifically with the upcoming physical Ultimate Edition from XSEED, which contains every single DLC released thus far, including the new Friends Mode and Costume Mode. Furthermore, there are limited Day One bonuses to be had, as outlined after the jump.

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Shining Resonance Refrain Box Art

Shining Resonance Refrain is a fantasy-themed action RPG developed by Media.Vision and published by Sega. In a departure from the classic tactical RPG and dungeon crawling of the Shining series, it features real-time action and musical elements.

The game follows Yuma Ilvern on her quest to stop the Empire from exploiting the power of the ancient dragons. Yuma and her friends are Dragoneers: warriors who wield mystical weapon-instruments to perform powerful Rune Songs. Once enough BPM (Battle Performance Mana) is built up, the party can perform a session through the B.A.N.D. system and gain various benefits.

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State of Decay 2 Box Art
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    May 22, 2018

State of Decay 2 is a third-person zombie survival game set in an open, post-apocalyptic world. It can be played alone or cooperatively with up to three other players using drop-in, drop-out multiplayer.

According to the developer Undead Labs, the world of the sequel is more dangerous and unpredictable, featuring unique survivor characters with their own backstories. There also are more ways to develop your base and manage your community. What’s more, State of Decay 2 is not only an Xbox Play Anywhere title, but also supports cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs.

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Detroit: Become Human Box Art

Detroit: Become Human is an action-adventure game developed by Quantic Dream and published by Sony exclusively for their PS4 console. It features three playable characters – all of them sentient androids – and their ultimate fate depends on the choices the player makes throughout the game.

Speaking of choice, Detroit: Become Human is said to be rife with dilemmas and difficult decisions; however, should the player regret the choice they made, they will always have the option to go back and replay the game differently.

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Onrush Box Art

Onrush is an arcade racing game developed by Codemasters and published by Deep Silver. Described by the developer as a game with no finish line, it is said to be all about style, flair, and taking down your opponents by slamming into them at breakneck speed. And in case a player is taken out, they can respawn right in the middle of the action.

A total of four gameplay modes are included in Onrush: Overdrive, Switch, Countdown, and Lockdown, which feature different mechanics and victory conditions. Online multiplayer supports up to 12 people in competitive 6v6 mode.

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Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Box Art

Harvest Moon: Light of Hope is a farming simulation and role-playing game developed by Natsume Inc and published by Rising Star Games in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the series. To reiterate, Natsume Inc was only the publisher of the series, but thanks to owning the rights to the name went on to develop their own Harvest Moon games, while the original developer, Marvelous, now uses the name Story of Seasons.

The latest game puts you into the shoes of a young man or woman, who is stranded in a small harbor town after a monsoon damaged their ship. They now have to make friends with the villagers, tend livestock and crops, and gather materials to rebuild the villagers’ homes as well as the town’s lighthouse.

As Harvest Moon: Light of Hope is already out on Steam since last year (and is the first game of the series to be released on PC), this post is regarding specifically the upcoming PS4 and Switch versions, which are said to include brand-new, console-only features. More on its pre-order bonus after the jump.

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Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Box Art

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is a story-focused single-player RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment. Much like the critically-acclaimed first installment, the upcoming game was successfully crowdfunded – this time via Fig rather than Kickstarter – with over $4M in contributions.

Deadfire puts the player on the pursuit of an awakened god, Eothas, and sends them on a voyage through the exotic Deadfire Archipelago. In addition to the brand new region to explore, there are new and returning companions (seven in total), persistent and impactful choices, dynamic weather, and revised spells and abilities. Other additions include upgradable ships, sub-classes, companion relationships, and player AI scripting.

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