Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin Box Art

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin

Developed by the two-man team of Edelweiss, Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is a cross-genre title that combines side-scrolling combat with a crafting and farming simulation. It follows a young harvest goddess Sakuna, who is banished from the celestial capital, where she lived in lazy luxury, to an untamed island teeming with demonic beasts. There, she finds her calling farming rice and bettering the lives of the mortals in the local mountain village. The game is inspired by Japanese mythology, albeit with some original twists, and features a charming cel-shaded art style.

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Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass Box Art
  • Genre
  • Platform
  • Release date
    Oct 22, 2020

Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass

The Expansion Pass for Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield grants access to two upcoming expansions: The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra. Both expansions come with a new area to explore, new Pokémon to catch, clothing, handy features, and more.

In The Isle of Armor players explore a beautiful island and become apprentices at a Fighting Dojo, where they are gifted a legendary Pokémon Kubfu. The expansion also adds Gigantamax forms for starters Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon.

Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass Pre-Order Bonuses →
Monster Truck Championship Box Art

Monster Truck Championship

Like the name suggests, Monster Truck Championship is a monster truck simulator developed by Teyon. The game includes 25 circuits across different cities in the US and game modes such as freestyle, race, destruction, time attack, and a competitive online mode for up to eight players.

The 18 vehicles in the game can be fine-tuned to the player’s liking, and over 50 customization elements can be used to improve performance and style.

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FIFA 21 Box Art

FIFA 21

FIFA 21 is the latest entry in EA Sports’ popular soccer game series. It includes 30 official leagues, 700 teams, and 17,000 players, and offers more ways to play in the streets and the stadium with the new Volta Squads and enhanced Career Mode. Players can also join forces with a friend in the new FUT Co-Op and play Squad Battles and Division Rivals cooperatively.

FIFA 21 will be available on the next-gen consoles with a plethora of improvements thanks to the more powerful hardware: haptic feedback, near-instant load times, dynamic lighting, lifelike animations, and spatial audio.

FIFA 21 is now available on GamerSaloon – Where Gamers Play for Real Money.

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Port Royale 4 Box Art

Port Royale 4

Port Royale 4 is a trading and city-building sim set in 17th-century Caribbean. The player takes control of a small colony and grows it into a bustling city by developing production chains, creating trade routes across the sea, battling fleets of rival nations, and fending off pirates.

In a departure from the previous installments, PR4 features turn-based naval battles. The player may choose to represent England, France, Spain, or the Netherlands, each providing different benefits and gameplay styles. The game includes over 60 cities, 50 different buildings, and 18 historically authentic ship types.

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WWE 2K Battlegrounds Box Art

WWE 2K Battlegrounds

While there won’t be a mainline WWE 2K installment in 2020, the company is instead releasing WWE 2K Battlegrounds: an arcade-focused wrestling experience with over-the-top action set to the background of outlandish environments.

The game’s modes include Exhibition matches (with online and local multiplayer), a solo Campaign whose story is told through original comic strips, the last-man-standing mode King of the Battleground, and Online tournaments. Over 70 wrestlers are included at launch and more will be available as DLC, one of them as a pre-order bonus.

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Super Mario 3D All-Stars Box Art

Super Mario 3D All-Stars

To commemorate the he 35th anniversary of their Super Mario franchise, Nintendo is launching Super Mario 3D All-Stars: a bundle of three 3D platformers remastered for Nintendo Switch. These include Super Mario 64 (1996), Super Mario Sunshine (2002), and Super Mario Galaxy (2007). In addition to the games themselves, Super Mario 3D All-Stars also includes the games’ original soundtracks (for a total of 175 tracks) that can be listened even while the screen is off.

Notably, both the physical and digital availability of Super Mario 3D All-Stars will be time-limited, with the sales ending in March 2021.

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WRC 9 Box Art

WRC 9

French developer Kylotonn is working on the next installment of their officially licensed off-road racer series. Titled WRC 9, it brings the 2020 World Rally Championship to the players’ screens. The game includes three new rallies (Kenya, Japan, and New Zealand), over 15 classic cars, and 100 special stages.

There are two new game modes in WRC 9. The first is a Clubs system that allows the players to create custom championships and compete online against their friends. The second is a Co-Driver mode for playing in a co-op. Besides these new modes, the developer also promises improved physics and reworked engine sounds.

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NBA 2K21 Box Art

NBA 2K21

NBA 2K21 is the latest installment in 2K Games’ popular basketball sim series that is said to bring best-in-class graphics and gameplay, varied game modes, and competitive and community online features.

It will be available on both current and next-gen consoles, but instead of free cross-generation upgrades, 2K is opting for separate versions of the game. These include the Standard Edition for current-gen platforms, the Standard Edition for Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, and the pricier Mamba Forever Edition that grants access to both. Let’s take a closer look.

NBA 2K21 is now available on GamerSaloon – Where Gamers Play for Real Money.

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Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions Box Art

Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions

Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is an anime-style soccer game based on the long-running Captain Tsubasa manga series. The game is developed by a Japanese studio Tamsoft and published by Bandai Namco in the West.

As an arcade soccer game, Rise of New Champions features accessible controls and high-speed gameplay. Players take on the role of the titular protagonist Tsubasa Ozora and advance through the ranks of multiple Soccer leagues. The game Story, Versus, and Online Versus modes.

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No Straight Roads Box Art

No Straight Roads

No Straight Roads is an action-adventure game with rhythm-based combat developed by an independent Malaysian studio Metronomik, for who this will be their debut release. In single-player mode, the player controls either Mayday or Zuke – an indie rock duo, who set out to topple the EDM empire that controls Vinyl City, the world capital of music.

No Straight Roads can also be played by two players in a couch co-op on any platform. Exclusive to Nintendo Switch is the Assist Mode, which allows a third player to join and assist in battles.

No Straight Roads Pre-Order Bonuses →
PGA Tour 2K21 Box Art

PGA Tour 2K21

PGA Tour 2K21 is an officially licensed golf simulator developed by HB Studios and published by 2K Games. It includes a new PGA Tour career mode where the player can take on pros like Justin Thomas in courses such as TPC Sawgrass and East Lake Golf Club as they compete to win the FedExCup. Similarly to the other titles in 2K’s sports game lineup, the MyPLAYER feature allows the creation and customization of a player with equipment and apparel from real-life brands.

In addition to the career mode, PGA Tour 2K21 also offers local and online multiplayer with modes like Alt-Shot, Stroke Play, Skins, and 4-Player Scramble, as well as Online Societies with full seasons and player-run tournaments.

PGA Tour 2K21 is now available on GamerSaloon – Where Gamers Play for Real Money.

PGA Tour 2K21 Pre-Order Bonuses →
Fairy Tail Box Art

Fairy Tail

Developed by Gust and published by Koei Tecmo, Fairy Tail is a fantasy RPG based on a hit manga of the same name. Players build their dream party from a roster of 16 playable characters – including Natsu, Lucy, Jellal, Mirajane, and Laxus – and set off on an adventure that includes both fan-favorite moments from the story and game-original episodes.

Strengthening the bonds between party members not only unlocks more powerful attacks in battle, but also triggers original dialogue written specifically for the game. The development is supervised by the author of Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima himself.

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Maid of Sker Box Art

Maid of Sker

Maid of Sker is a first-person horror game from independent developer Wales Interactive. Based on an eponymous 1872 novel by R.D. Blackmore, it borrows heavily from Welsh folklore and is set in Sker House, a real dwelling that is said to be the most haunted in Britain.

The gameplay mechanics revolve around sound, with the player having to run, hide from, and distract enemies that possess supernaturally sharp hearing. Their only weapon is a sound-based defensive device that can cause temporary disorientation. The game offers multiple endings that depend on the player’s actions and paths taken.

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Catherine: Full Body (Switch) Box Art

Catherine: Full Body (Switch)

With the launch of Catherine: Full Body on Switch confirmed, owners of Nintendo’s console will soon be able to step into the shoes of 32-year-old slacker Vincent and experience the dark and mature storyline involving a love square between himself, his long-term girlfriend Katherine, a seductive hottie he meets in a bar, Catherine, and his mysterious amnesiac neighbour, Rin.

Compared to the original Catherine, the Full Body version offers improved visuals, alternate endings, and a safety mode for the game’s puzzle sequences. It has launched for PlayStation 4 last year, so this article is concerned specifically with the upcoming Switch release.

Catherine: Full Body (Switch) Pre-Order Bonuses →
Paper Mario: The Origami King Box Art

Paper Mario: The Origami King

In a surprise announcement, Nintendo has revealed a new installment in the Paper Mario RPG-platforming series. Titled Paper Mario: The Origami King, it features a brand new story that involves Princess Peach being turned into an origami by King Olly, the ruler of the Origami Kingdom.

In contrast to the turn-based 2D combat of the previous Paper Mario titles, The Origami King features a new 360° ring-based battle system where Mario has to line up enemies to cause the most damage and chain attacks. Mastering the new system is said to require both puzzle-solving skills and a quick wit.

Paper Mario: The Origami King Pre-Order Bonuses →
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town Box Art

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is a 3D remake of the 2003 GameBoy Advance title Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town. In addition to the overhauled visuals and modernized controls, it also brings new events and more romanceable characters.

The player steps into the shoes of a young city-slicker who returns to the farm of their late grandfather to find that it has fallen into disrepair. It is up to them to restore the farm, befriend the townsfolk, and perhaps even find love.

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town Pre-Order Bonuses →
Trails of Cold Steel III (Switch) Box Art
  • Genre
  • Platform
  • Release date
    Jun 30, 2020

Trails of Cold Steel III (Switch)

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III is a JRPG with turn-based battles developed by Nihon Falcom and published outside Japan by NIS America. It picks up over a year after the events of the previous game, and centers around the returning Rean Schwarzer. As an instructor at the newly opened Thors Branch Campus, he takes lead of Class VII and has to guide the new generation in the face of an uncertain future.

Like with the previous launches of Trails of Cold Steel III on PlayStation 4 and PC, the upcoming Nintendo Switch release in the West is accompanied by some modest pre-order bonuses and special editions detailed below.

Trails of Cold Steel III (Switch) Pre-Order Bonuses →
Hunting Simulator 2 Box Art

Hunting Simulator 2

Neopica’s niche Hunting Simulator returns for a second installment that promises bigger and more varied natural environments in Texas, Colorado, and Europe, over 33 animal species to track, 75 official weapons and gear from manufacturers like Browning, Winchester, Verney Carron, and more.

Perhaps the most interesting addition is the hunting dog that will accompany the player and sniff out animals and trails. Dogs can be trained to get better at tracking, and different breeds are better at different tasks.

Hunting Simulator 2 Pre-Order Bonuses →
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath Box Art

Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath

Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath is a major expansion for MK11 that continues the story where the original game left off. It adds three new playable characters to the roster – Robocop, Sheeva, and Fujin – as well as three new skin packs that will be released over time. One skin pack can be obtained on day one by pre-ordering the expansion as detailed further below.

Aftermath can be purchased separately as a digital upgrade, or bundled together with the original Mortal Kombat 11 for those who don’t yet own it.

Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath Pre-Order Bonuses →