Re: NEW GAMES in June 2025

On 6/4/2025 8:05 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

  NEW GAMES FOR PC TO BE RELEASED IN JUNE 2025
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I decided to put my money (where time=money) where my mouth is since I said I'd rather see what's been out a month and look through these again.  Steam %s of positive.

* The Alters (June 13)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1601570/The_Alters/
     Looks like a third-person cross between Subnautica and
     X-Com, except with a lot of cloning and not set in the
     ocean. Looks interesting.

88%. $35. It looks really cool.  I'm not into base building or survival though.  Very tempting.  Added to my wishlist.

* Dune: Awakening (June 10)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1172710/Dune_Awakening/
     On the plus side, it's Dune. On the downside: "a
     multiplayer survival game on a massive scale". I think
     I'll pass.

78%.  $50.  One of the guys I watch shorts of has been playing this a lot and it looks cool, but he lost everything due to some bug.  Since it's online he's screwed unless support restores his state.  Strike one.   Also it's an MMO survival game, so three strikes.

 * FBC: Firebreak (June 17)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2272540/FBC_Firebreak/
     A co-op shooter based on Remedy's "Control" franchise.
     I'm not seeing anything here that excites me too much.

67% oof.  $40.  It looks interesting, and it's part of PS+ so I was tempted to try it, but online and it appears you need other people to properly cooperate to play it.

* Horizon Journey (June 27)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1769960/Horizon_Journey/
     Another open-world survival game. Doesn't look
     interesting.

Hey, guess what?  It's not out.  Early access, no reviews, no timeline on release.  No thanks.

 * Kity Builder (June 17)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1622310/Kity_Builder/
     Retro-graphic'd Stardew valley clone with a more
     urban theme... and cats.  Maybe appealing to some, but
     not to me.

100%!  $8.  Well only 20 people reviewed it, so most likely all the devs and their friends and family.  Doesn't look like something I'd like so not touching it.

 * MindsEye (June 10)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3265250/MindsEye/
     A third-person action-adventure set in  some near-
     future cityscape. They boast about "best-in-class
     cinematics", which seems something of a warning sign
     if that's the biggest thing they've got to offer.

37% lowest so far.  $50.  Seems to be laggy and buggy with no attempt at fixing it.

* NWO - Anarchy Collapsed (June 3)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3275610/NWO__Anarchy_Collapsed/
     A 4X strategy game set in the near future. Might be
     interesting, although it looks a bit dry.

Another not out, at least they updated their timeline to Q4 '25.

* Parallel Experiment (June 5)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2012320/Parallel_Experiment/
     A co-op logic-puzzle game where each player only has
     half the puzzle. Even if I were interested in playing
     online, I'm pretty sure none of my friends would want
     to play this with me.

83%.  $10. Less than 200 reviews though. Negatives run the gamut. Progress wiping bug, online, and more interactive story than puzzler (not that makes a difference to me, both are out of my wheelhouse.)

 * Rematch (June 19)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2138720/REMATCH/
     It's footie!

77%.  $30.  Fairly average reviews, I suppose if you like soccer enough to play a game playing it.  It looks actually pretty good for that, but not my thing.

 * Ruffy and the Riverside (June 26)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1002260/Ruffy_and_the_Riverside/
     Cutsey 3D mascot-platformer. Not for me.

85% >100.  $20.  A strange mix of graphic styles using 2d sprites for mobs, and roblox-esque landscapes.  Looks fine if you like that sort of thing.

 * Shuffle Tactics (June 24)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2186580/Shuffle_Tactics/
     Roguelike deckbuilding tactical RPG. You lost me with
     the first two words, game.

71% >100.  $15.  Rather low rating for how few people have reviewed it. I don't see any reason to try this at less more than free.

 * System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster (June 26)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/866570/System_Shock_2_25th_Anniversary_Remaster/
     It's a remaster so I immediately dislike it, but it's
     also System Shock 2, so I must buy and play it. This
     dichotomy of opinions may cause cerebral hemorrhage.

89%. $30.  You've posted a lot more on this, but there's the current %. Only 708 reviews as of this writing.

 * Voidsayer (June 2)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2754370/Voidsayer/
     The store page calls it a JRPG but it looks more like
     a "Darkest Dungeons" clone to me.

73% 26 reviews.  Seems like Pokemon meets Darkest Dungeons.  Collecting and using dark monsters/animals to fight for you actually is a weak spot for me (not Pokemon, but from back in the AD&D days when charm person, monster summoning etc. was a staple for my M-U, and my EQ enchanter before the first expansion.) I'm not sure I'd be able to handle the turn based, and the latest reviews are all negative; boring, bad mechanics, dev completely changed combat for the worse after release.  They almost got me, but pass.  I might give it a try if it gets down to the $5 range and they fix the current issues.

 * Void Scout (June 2)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3226540/Void_Scout/
     Top-down turn-based action-shooter roguelike thingee.
     Probably good, but doesn't really seem to offer much
     new that would make me want to rush out and buy it.
 

93% 16 reviews.  $12  Looks vaguely like Space Hulk (the board game) Apperantly only one weapon and 2 enemy types.  Sounds more like a PoC and not something one should actually buy.
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Man that was a lot of work.  Doesn't seem worth it considering how the month was mostly a bust with one game, The Alters, that would be of interest for fans of survival and base building.
--
-Justisaur
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