Although many studios seemed to be holding back releases this year, a new console and retro returns are breathing new animated life into the video game industry. This summer brings the official launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, with a couple of exclusives and some older, well-known games debuting on the platform. Other highlights among this summer's video game releases include a Sega reboot and the long-awaited release of a Hideo Kojima sequel to his polarizing 2019 game.
Mario Kart World
One of the most highly anticipated releases for the new Nintendo Switch 2 is the brand-new Mario Kart game, which features a somewhat open-world twist on the familiar format. The off-track sections enable "longer races that are more interconnected across multiple tracks," Esquire said. "The online offerings, too, are more advanced," making the new game "one of the biggest leaps forward for Mario Kart that we've ever seen." The first new Mario Kart game in over a decade, the title is the "system-selling launch title of the Switch 2", which debuts alongside the system. (out now for Switch 2)
Dune: Awakening
The new multiplayer MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) has already proven to be a popular game during its advanced release period; it will likely continue on that path now that it has officially been released for PC.
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The desert planet of Arrakis is "transformed into an expansive (literal) sandbox where you're free to build your own base in a world shared with other players," and the game's "concept, scale and customization are already giving us plenty of reasons to get excited" despite its release being delayed for three weeks, said Games Radar. Dune Awakening is the latest from Conan Exile's developer, Funcom, the studio "behind some of the best MMORPGs." Players can expect an "impressive survival experience." (out now for PC)
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Hideo Kojima's highly anticipated sequel to 2019's Death Stranding finally arrives this summer, and the hype is mounting. The first game "challenged the idea of human connection through refreshing gameplay mechanics that fundamentally reexamined the very act of movement," said IGN. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach can be seen as an "attempt to take the premises of the first game to the next level." (June 26, preorder for PS5)
Tamagotchi Plaza
Nostalgic millennials to the front, because the '90s era digital pets are back in this new Switch exclusive. "Tamagotchi is back," said Esquire. And not just one, but a whole plaza of them. There has not been a Tamagotchi game for consoles since 2012, so cozy game fans are in for a treat. It is a "hallmark of what we like to call 'casual hardcore,'" meaning anyone who is "down the retro Harvest Moon rabbit hole or has spent thousands of hours with The Sims will want to keep this on their radar. (June 27, preorder for Switch 2)
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Another retro comeback, this time with Sega's revival of its retro "ninja hack-and-slash series Shinobi," which goes "all the way back to the '80s arcade days," said Esquire. The series has been "dormant since the PS2 era," and the new game is a "throwback to the side scrollers of old, with a painterly art style and fluid combat and platforming." Ninja and samurai-based games are having a moment, and Sega is "throwing its hat in the ring and going back to where it all started with a new spin on retro action." (Aug. 29, preorder for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch and PC)
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