Vacation is over (insert frownie face here), but gaming season is here, starting with the re-re-release of Diablo III. Leave it to Blizzard to see a bazillion copies of something. There games are so good, though, so I can’t argue with how it works. The Playstation family gets a lot of games this week too. I’m going to keep this brief because I want to go make cinnamon rolls and play more WWE Supercard. So here are this weeks releases….~Don P.

Releases19_Diablo3

Despite being two and a half years old, Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, & Xbox One) is still a big deal this week. First, console owners finally get more icing to add to the already delectable Diablo III cake that came out last year for PS3 and Xbox 360. Second, current-gen consoles get their first (or second if they played it on last-gen consoles, or even third if they played that and the PC version like our own Chris Scott) taste of this sweet, delicious loot game. A new hero (the Crusader), a higher level cap, and more are bundled into this little treat. I was having a hard time avoiding this but after writing all of these references to desserts, I may have to just try to get this one despite it not being in my budget. Or hide, while the rest of the world raves about Diablo III. Again. *sigh*

[one_half]Releases19_Chess2Chess is fun, sure, but it hardly changes. Unless someone throws some sort of battle chess out there, I tend to ignore chess games since I have Pure Chess on my Vita.  But now there’s Chess 2: The Sequel (PC). The twist here is that it is an honest, and quite frankly, intriguing evolution of the age-old game. Briefly, you pick an army which has a variant skill-set to utilize, like having two Kings, or units mimicking move-sets of those around them. And, to speed up a sometimes painfully-slow game, the king just has to reach the middle of the board. [/one_half]

[one_half_last]Releases19_CounterspyCounterspy (PS3, PS4, &Vita) is a stealth sidescoller set in the Cold War era. It looks like there is still enough action to grab people like me who don’t really like (ie. suck at) stealth games, and of course the Cold War era is one of my favorites. It’s also part of the Playstation Play program, so if you bought any of the last few games in the program (you should have bought Rogue Legacy), you get a tad bit of money back.[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Releases19_PvZI’ve played a lot of this game on Xbox One, and can atest to how addictive it can be. Plants vs. Zombies: garden Warfare (PS3, PS4) finally comes to the Playstation family, though, so if you missed out, now is your chance to see what all of the fuss was about. PvZGW may have dropped off my top ten list for the year, but if you have kids especially, the game is something to look into. My kids love playing split-screen.[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Releases19_HotlineMiamiAnother game getting another brief moment to shine, Hotline Miami(PS4) hits the Playstation 4 this week. I loved this game on the Vita, and it sold a ton on the PC. It’s also cross-buy, I believe, so if you bought it on PS3/Vita, just download it and…play it again? [Note: Read our review of the PS3/Vita version here.][/one_half_last]

Are you picking up anything this week? Biding your time until Madden or Destiny come out? Let us know in the comments below.

About Author

By Don Parsons

got into podcasting in 2007, and transitioned into writing in late 2008. In late 2011, he went from blogging to writing for a small site called Vagary.tv. Don attended E3 for Vagary.tv in 2012. Now, Don is one-fourth of the foundation of Critically Sane.