We’re less than a week away from the unofficial opening of this year’s E3 Expo, and the new release calendar has begun to dry up in anticipation of gaming’s biggest showcase. But there will still be plenty to play in the month of June, including an off-kilter new puzzler from Nintendo (Sushi Striker: The Way of The Sushido), a side-scrolling sequel to one of the strangest games of the 90s (Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn), a dinosaur-themed theme park creator (Jurassic World: Evolution), and Mario’s latest sporting adventure (Mario Tennis Aces).
You can find out exactly why the Warp Zoned staff is looking forward to these games, and view the release schedule for all of this month’s new games, after the break.
Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (June 5)
Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn’s release date is literally hours away, and I’m still not even sure if I believe it’s a real game. As a sequel to the infamous fighting game from the Super NES/Genesis days, A Legend Reborn keeps the 2D perspective, but gives players a chance to throw down in a side-scrolling brawler. The game was developed by Saber Interactive (the same people behind NBA Playgrounds and Aliens: Colonial Marines), so my hopes aren’t ultra-high, but the cartoony graphics look great and the team seems to have successfully tapped into Shaq’s huge personality. – John Scalzo
** DELAYED TO JULY 31 **
Flashback: The Quest For Identity (June 7)
The original Shaq Fu was developed by Delphine Software International, and this French team was also responsible for Flashback: The Quest For Identity, one of my favorite Super NES games. Believe it or not, Flashback will receive a 25th anniversary re-release this month on the Nintendo Switch. Along with Out of This World, Flashback was just such an amazing experience for me, and being able to relive it is very exciting. – Mike Ryan
Sushi Striker: The Way of The Sushido (June 8)
I didn’t think there were any games I was interested in this month… until I saw the ridiculous Sushi Striker: The Way of The Sushido! In this absurdly adorable game, you eat sushi to match plates to create combos to fight enemies. I mean, it sounds suspiciously like real life, but that’s never stopped me from playing a video game before. And as all of you know, I’m a sucker for sushi-themed games. If I wasn’t so backlogged on games, this would be a day one purchase for me! – Nicole Kline
Jurassic World: Evolution (June 12)
Jurassic World: Evolution, which I’m a bit more cautious about, looks like a great concept… take the micromanagement elements of RollerCoaster Tycoon and then add dinosaurs. Seems like a slam dunk, right? But alas, it is a game based on a movie… and we all know how those usually turn out. So I’m hopeful that it’ll be fun, but I’m not expecting a lot. – Mike Ryan
Mario Tennis Aces (June 22)
It’s been generations since I owned a tennis game (not counting Wii Sports), but I remember Super Tennis on the Super NES quite fondly. Though not fondly enough to buy Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash on the Wii U given its poor word of mouth. However, Mario Tennis Aces appears to be shaping up to a more positive experience.
I downloaded the the recently-released demo and had a whole weekend with it. The controls seem quite complex, but once you start playing they are pretty intuitive, with the type of shots mapped to the corresponding buttons. The online Tournament Mode seemed a bit laggy, but it was a demo version so I’ll give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt. And the inclusion of a single-player Story Mode has probably sealed it for me. – Andrew Rainnie
What are you looking forward to this month? More games scheduled to be released in June 2018 can be found right here…
June 5, 2018
- BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle (PC, PS4, Switch)
- Happy Birthdays (Switch)
- Onrush (PS4, Xbox One)
- Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
- Vampyr (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
June 7, 2018
- The Banner Saga 2 (Switch)
June 8, 2018
- Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Xbox One)
- Sushi Striker: The Way of the Sushido (3DS, Switch)
June 9, 2018
- Unravel 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
June 12, 2018
- Fortnite (Switch)
- Jurassic World: Evolution (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
- Super Bomberman R (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
June 15, 2018
- Lego The Incredibles (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
June 19, 2018
- The Lost Child (PS4, Switch, Vita)
June 21, 2018
- Minecraft – Retail Edition (Switch)
June 22, 2018
- Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)
- New Gundam Breaker (PS4)
June 26, 2018
- The Crew 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
- De Blob (Switch)
- Far Cry 3: Classic Edition (PS4, Xbox One)
- Nier: Automata – Become As Gods Edition (Xbox One)
- Rainbow Skies (PS3, PS4, Vita)
- Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (Switch)
June 27, 2018
- Pokemon Quest (Mobile)
June 28, 2018
June 29, 2018
- Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (PC, Switch, Xbox One)
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Switch)
