Video game releases for August 2016

Below are some of the big video game releases for the month of August 2016. Be sure to check out the list we put together of our most anticipated games of 2016 and 25 games for the summer of 2016. Here are the free games you get with your Xbox Live Goldsubscription for August.

What are you looking forward to playing? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.

Note: Only games with specific dates are listed below. Some games are announced for August but have no firm release date.

AUGUST 2:

Abzu, (PlayStation 4 and Windows PC) — In our feature on the game, Matt Nava explains his and developer Giant Squid's fascination with the ocean and how it has inspired Abzu. "You go there and you have this almost religious experience, this transformative, beautiful experience. At the same time, it’s extremely frightening and adventurous. There are so many different kinds of emotions together. Serenity and adventure. That was something we wanted to capture."

Batman: The Telltale Series, (Android, iOS, Mac, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One) — "The complex life and fractured psyche of Bruce Wayne has lent itself to becoming a bold evolution of the signature 'Telltale' role-playing experience," Telltale Games co-founder Kevin Bruner said in a statement. Along with the debut trailer, Telltale has announced that voice actor Troy Baker will be donning the cowl for the Bruce Wayne/Batman role.

AUGUST 3:

Mobius Final Fantasy, (Android and iOS) — In a gameplay presentation on the game, longtime Final Fantasy series producer Yoshinori Kitase shared his thoughts on bringing the series to smartphones and tablets. "A new era of gaming is here, we’re crafting a full-scale, high-quality RPG world the likes of which has never been seen on smartphones and tablets. This is the end product of longtime Final Fantasy creators bringing the series to mobile — and things will never be the same."

AUGUST 9:

No Man's Sky, (PlayStation 4 and Windows PC) — Hello Game's spiritual successor toSpore is hard to describe so we'll let the game's creator Sean Murray give it a shot. No Man's Sky's lore was developed with help from a Star Trek and Watchmen writer, Dave Gibbons. The PC version of the game will be released three days later on August 12. Cross your fingers it isn't delayed again.

AUGUST 16:

Bound, (PlayStation 4) — Michal Staniszewski, game director at Bound developer Plastic, described the project as a "notgame [...] which is also a game." It's a 3D platformer starring a ballerina, and it's designed with a focus on narrative to tell a "mature story." The art house project has a visual style to match, with environments inspired by modern art. "If you are interested in art movements such as Suprematism, Concretism, Neoplasticism, or what Bauhaus has delivered, then you are going to love the world that we have created," said Staniszewski. For more on Bound, check out the trailer and screenshots.

Grow Up (PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One) — Grow Up is the sequel to last year's Grow Home, Ubisoft Reflections' robot-starring platformer. The trailer marks the return of B.U.D., the tiny climbing robot who starred in Grow Home, and this time, he's heading to the moon. B.U.D. is searching for M.O.M., the spaceship that took care of him in the last game.

AUGUST 19:

Metroid Prime: Federation Force, (Nintendo 3DS) — Federation Force is the upcoming Metroid spinoff from Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon developer, Next Level Games. It is also Nintendo's reminder to fans that there hasn't been a great Metroid game in almost a decade. The game will feature both single-player and cooperative elements and have players take control of a Galactic Federation marine, rather than series protagonist Samus Aran. The demo is out now and here you can watch 15 minutes of gameplay.

AUGUST 22:

Obduction, (Mac and Windows PC) — The kickstarted spiritual successor to Mystincludes members of the Myst and Riven development teams. Here's the official description of its story, straight from Cyan:

You've been abducted from your cozy existence and added into an alien landscape with a stereotypical, Kansas farmhouse with a white picket fence. But the farmhouse is just the first building in a rather bizarre little town that borders the road — curious structures that beg questions rather than provide answers. And adding to the curiosity, you stumble upon a strange, strange kiosk that reassuredly welcomes you to "Hunrath".

Here's the teaser trailer and our interview with the developer.

AUGUST 23:

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, (PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC) — The Square Enix stealth action-adventure continues the story of Adam Jensen and his role in combatting the rise of global terrorism in the aftermath of the events in the previous game, Human Revolution. In our preview, Eidos Montreal compared their Deus Ex titles to the first three Star Wars films — and, accordingly, suggested that the studio will eventually make a third entry in the series. Game designer Antoine Thisdale told Polygon that Mankind Divided is "a bit of The Empire Strikes Back" of the series. Thisdale continued with the dark-middle-chapter analogy, saying that Mankind Divided is "not meant to be a pretty, happy game." You can find out more about the game by reading our in-depth feature and watching eight minutes of gameplay.

AUGUST 30:

Attack on Titan, (PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Windows PC and Xbox One) — Dynasty Warriors developer Omega Force takes on the dark, post-apocalyptic manga/anime Attack on Titan with their popular beat-em-up formula. Check out 20 minutes of gameplay and our E3 2016 interview with Koei Tecmo CEO president Hisashi Koinuma.

World of Warcraft: Legion (Mac and Windows PC) — The newest World of Warcraftexpansion will see the return of an old villain who may not be on the side you might expect. Along with that, the expansion will bring a huge visual upgrade with greatly increased draw distance.

http://www.polygon.com/

By James Elliott