Welcome to the second to last full week of the year of 2024 and hopefully the last week in the office for most of you. This week's major release revolves around Xenomorphs, but unfortunately requires a VR-headset, but if you've been nice, maybe Santa will bring you one? The rest of this week's new releases turns you into an animal detective, being in charge of a pirate ship, being a young car mechanic in Poland in the 90's, a viking adventure in the netherworld and finally trying to solve some late night crimes in the Victorian era.

Alien: Rogue Incursion / This week's major release / Thursday 19 December / VR Game
Experience the universe of the Alien films like never before: in terrifyingly immersive single-player VR. An all-new action-horror entry into the classic franchise, Alien: Rogue Incursion transforms you into Zula Hendricks-the ex-Colonial Marine hellbent on exposing Weyland-Yutani's black-site experiments-on an extremely dangerous mission to the uncharted planet Purdan. With her synth companion Davis 01 for guidance, Zula must infiltrate the infested Gemini Exoplanet Solutions research facility and survive the ever-present threat of the most cunning Xenomorphs ever encountered, with both skilled stealth and serious firepower at her disposal. And when the threat she discovers has extinction-level consequences, Zula suddenly finds herself with humanity's fate on her shoulders. Steam link

Welcome to the last week of the month of November, which is a weak week for new game releases. The biggest release this week combines steampunk with magic in a fantasy world. This is followed by some sin slaying, some neon coloured blood, a Japanese inspired shop, a scary enigma and finally some parkour in an unexpected environment.

New Arc Line / This week's major release / Tuesday 26 November / Early Access
Take a stand in the eternal conflict between Arcane Magic and Steampunk Revolution and tip the uneasy balance between sorcery, elves, dwarves and mysterious monsters on one side and steampunk gadgets, zeppelins, and tesla guns on the other in this single-player, party-based, story-rich RPG. Steam link

In case you missed it, we're about to enter the last week of May and soon summer is here. It's a pretty busy release for new games, even though there are no AAA releases, there are still plenty of interesting new games being released. This week's major release involves not getting sacrificed to the gods. The rest of this weeks' releases range from being the saviour of Persia to being in charge of Titans and that's just the first two releases. This is followed by taking the reins of a martial arts cat, exploring the black priory and racing F1 cars. Hopefully we've managed to cover most bases this week, but there's always next week for those of you that didn't see anything that tickled your fancy.

Soulmask / This week's major release / Friday 31 May
Soulmask is a sandbox game that prioritizes an authentic survival experience. As the "last one" blessed with the mysterious mask, players will grapple for survival in a primitive land steeped in mysterious faiths, carving out a path to ascendance. Start from nothing, explore, build, recruit tribesmen to fortify your clan, and ultimately unravel the mysterious truths hidden behind the civilizations of this world. Steam Link

The month of April continues with more low-key releases and this week's major release is a somewhat new take on the MMO genre which focuses on players being nice to each other. As for the rest of this week we have a VR Western, a gigantic game, some roads in need of repair, a zone free of infection and turn-based tactics game involving mutant animals.

Sky: Children of the Light / This week's major release / Wednesday 10 April
Sky: Children of the Light is a peaceful, award-winning MMO from the creators of Journey. Explore a beautifully-animated kingdom across seven realms and create enriching memories with other players in this delightful puzzle-adventure game. Steam Link

"Balatro," the latest indie game sensation published by Playstack has reached a significant milestone by selling one million copies in its first month. This achievement highlights the game's widespread appeal and the enthusiastic response from the gaming community. "We're incredibly grateful for the support and enthusiasm from players worldwide," says Harvey Elliott, CEO of Playstack. "The game's success is a testament to the quality and creativity that the indie sector can deliver, proving that even in uncertain times, innovative games can thrive. We extend our deepest thanks to every player who has joined us on this adventure."

LocalThunk, the solo developer behind "Balatro," shared their gratitude for the game's reception as well. "I'm so grateful to all the players and people that have made this happen. I still can't grasp the response to this game, and I am overjoyed that so many people have been able to have fun with my silly creation. I'm so fortunate that I can continue working on my passion as a career. Thank you!"

Thank you so much for all the amazing support we've received while developing this game! It's crazy to think it's been over TWO YEARS since we launched Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, and I'm super happy y'all stayed along for the ride! I would like to seriously seriously thank the team behind Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, as they've done an amazing job on everything we threw at them, and they continue to surprise me with the wacky and wild things they continue to come up with about Turnip Boy and his adventures! Out now on Steam, Switch, Xbox, Xbox Game Pass, AND MORE.

Turnip Boy is back! This time he's teaming up with the fearsome Pickled Gang to plan and execute the weirdest heist of all time. Shake down hostages, steal precious valuables, battle the fuzz, and use wacky tools bought off the dark web to move further into the vaults of the Botanical Bank. Turnip Boy is ready to commit more felonies in this comedic action-adventure game with roguelite elements. To pull off the perfect heist, you'll need to purchase an array of dangerous and wacky tools from the dark web, including a diamond pickaxe, C4, and… a cardboard box? However, bank robbing isn't easy, so be prepared for intense shootouts with security guards, the fuzz, elite swat teams and more!

As we're about to enter the month of November, October leaves us with a couple of final game releases. This week's AA release is a sequel to a puzzle game that was quite popular when it launched at the end of 2014. The remaining titles this coming week includes RPGs, something musical, something to do with leagues and legends, a cop that's a robot and some seasons greetings.

The Talos Principle 2 / This week's AA title / Thursday 2 November
Born into a new world where biological humanity is extinct but human culture lives on in a city of robots, you find yourself swept up in a mind-bending adventure involving a mysterious megastructure hiding enormous powers. The more you discover, the more you will be confronted with questions about the nature of the cosmos and the purpose of civilization. The broken promise of a better tomorrow, the fear of repeating humankind's mistakes, faith in reason or renouncing humanity altogether - the choices you make and the sides you take will determine the course of events.

After a slow week of new releases, we're in for an extremely packed week this coming week, as we have no less than two AAA titles and several other big releases. The first AAA title this coming week is a sequel from Gearbox with the second AAA title having been out on the PlayStation consoles for quite some time, but it's been given some new sparkly features on PC. We also have a space game that we know some of you have been looking forward to, as well as a time travel game and a few other little gems.

Remnant II / This Week's First AAA Title / Tuesday 25 July
Remnant II is the sequel to the best-selling game Remnant: From the Ashes that pits survivors of humanity against new deadly creatures and god-like bosses across terrifying worlds. Play solo or co-op with two other friends to explore the depths of the unknown to stop an evil from destroying reality itself. To succeed, players will need to rely on their own skills and those of their team to overcome the toughest challenges and to stave off humanity's extinction.

News that Prey 2 had not been cancelled, but rather delayed, was relieving to fans of the original. However, why has there been such secrecy surrounding the project over the last several months? According to a Shacknews source who asked not to be identified, Human Head was not happy with the terms of its contract with ZeniMax, and deliberately stopped work on the game in November so it could try to negotiate a more favorable deal. While doing that, many on the development team were laid off, with the hope they would be rehired if the contract issue was resolved favorably. The process seemed to be gathering some positive momentum until January when ZeniMax's responses all but stopped, causing some of the laid-off Prey 2 team to wonder if the game would ever see the light of day.

By March 1, the source said, things had progressed a bit, leaving the Prey 2 team hopeful that they would return to work soon. But that quickly soured the following day. The source could provide no further first-hand details after March 2. When contacted for a response, an official at ZeniMax responded that "we aren't commenting on the game's development beyond what was said in the statement that was released this morning." In light of the new information, the official stance that "the delay is due to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards" seems to throw Human Head under the creative bus. With development stalled for months, it's no surprise that the game would be unable to meet so-called "quality standards."

NZXT, a company built upon gamer's dreams, is proud to introduce the ground breaking from the Crafted series, the NZXT Rogue ultimate gaming SFF Chassis. "This project has been in the works for quite awhile, and after numerous trial and error, we have finalize come to realize the dream of building a best in class SFF chassis. The NZXT Rogue features break through features in every category like four HDD expandability, five 120mm fan cooling system, strengthened 3mm aluminum frame, high end ATX PSU support, and long graphic card support. For LAN gamers, we even threw in a standard carrying bag for easy transportation. We set out to design a SFF chassis that exceeds in cooling, durability and expandability, and I believe we have accomplished that. " said Johnny Hou, Chief Designer at NZXT. Features include: The NZXT Rogue supports up to 5x 120mm fans for cooling, spacious interior support for some 120mm internal water-cooling systems, four HDD drives, dual 5.25 External bay and a single 3.5; drive, Removable motherboard, security locking system, open window, durability, and space for high end graphics cards. The NZXT Rogue will be available in retail stores in late November 2007 with an MSRP of $149 online.