The Top 5 Games Coming Out In August 2021
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[UPDATED 8/5/2021] this article has been updated due to New World being delayed to September.
We are now in August of 2021 and there’s a handful of titles that stand out among the rest that’s worth checking out before the big triple A titles start getting most of the attention during the busy months of the year. Here are the top 5 that really stood out compared to the rest.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut (PS4/PS5) - August 20, 2021
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is for those looking to get more from the 2020 open world game that has given a lot of praise for how the folks at Sucker Punch handled 12th century Japan and has provided a satisfying combat system that makes Jin’s journey a fun ride. It has slowly become one of the exclusive titles that are a must-own if you have a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 system, and the Director’s Cut is simply reinforcing that notion with the addition of an expansion and features for the PS5.
For PS4 and PS5 players, the Director’s Cut will give you access to the Iki Island expansion, a new storyline where Jin journey’s to Iki Island to investigate the Mongol presence in the area. The expansion isn’t a bite-size DLC as it’s said that Iki Island will at least add more than 10 hours of game time.
For PlayStation 5 owners, you get more in the Director’s Cut as this version will feature 4k resolution support, 60 FPS, Japanese lip sync, and has set the game to fully utilizing the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback (unique vibrations) and adaptive triggers features. Those planning to pick up the PS4 version of the game can upgrade to the PS5 version, but it will cost you.
New World (PC) - Delayed to September 2021
UPDATE (8/5/2021): Original set to release at the end of August, Amazon Game Studios announced that they are delaying the game for another month to work on the feedback received during the closed beta.
New World is an MMORPG by Amazon Games Studios and is currently the most highly anticipated title in the genre right, which is good because it’s been awhile since we’ve seen an MMO with a lot of potential to grow into something many will enjoy for years.
New World is all about exploration, combat, and a PvP system that can feature 50 versus 50 battles. It’s not the typical World of Warcraft formula as it plays similar to Guild Wars 2 but with more freedom in character progression that reminds me of Runescape. It’s an interesting combination and many definitely agree as many players flocked to check out the game’s beta where the game peaked to have over 200 thousand concurrent players on Steam at one given moment, according to SteamDB. Those are promising numbers as those are just players that have pre-ordered the game and those lucky enough to score a beta code for free.
There’s interest indeed and with what the beta has shown so far, New World features a dense world that you can easily spend over 40 hours and still have no experience in endgame content. The best part? There will be no subscription needed to play the game. Buy it once, and you’re good to go.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, PC) - August 24
Set in the Aliens universe, you play as a group of marines tasks to complete specific missions, but unfortunately those missions require a team of three to go through waves of xenomorphs attacking you on all sides in order to complete each one. Developed and self-published by Cold Iron Studios, this game is meant to be played with up to 3 players and will feature AI-companions filling up the team in case a player drops out during a match. There will be four campaigns available at launch and each campaign has three missions that are packed with various xenomorph hordes to slow you down.
Based on the gameplay footage released so far, it has the potential to scratch that survival shooter itch. It’s also coming out at a lower price (~PHP 1,295 via Steam), but be sure to find a friend to play with first, as you don’t want AI soldiers watching your back.
Pyschonauts 2 (Xbox Series X|S, PS5/PS4, PC) - August 25
Those looking for a quirky platformer will have to keep an eye on the release of Double Fine’s Pyschonauts 2 in a few weeks. A crazy adventure where you play as Raz, a pyschonaut that journeys through various minds in order to take down a dangerous villain. Each level is unique and feels like a psychedelic trip with the various colors and twisted shapes to represent one’s mind and give more context about a specific character in the game.
The first game was released back in 2005 and was considered a cult hit. It took 10 years for a sequel to be announced and after years of development and delays, it’s finally ready to be released, making this one of the most highly anticipated titles this year.
Twelve Minutes
If you want something completely out of the box, the top-down point-and-click interactive thriller Twelve Minutes might be a game for you. It features high-profile actors such as James McAvocy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe as the voice actors of key characters in the story.
To put it simply, Twelve Minutes is about you being trapped in a time loop, replaying only 12-minutes of a specific night at an apartment where a man and a wife enjoys their dinner and is eventually invaded by an armed individual. Once the 12-minutes are up, the evening repeats with just the man being the only person aware of what has happened in the previous loop. It’s all about player choice as what you do in those 12-minutes will change the outcome each time and will give players more context about the overall story.
