As you might have noticed by now, I have kind of a thing for gaming retrospectives. I also love anything having to do with the number 12. For those reasons, I've decided to debut a new retrospective series where I take a look back at the best games from 12 years ago. In the case of this particular article, the year 2008. Now you may be thinking, "it's the end of 2021, shouldn't this article be about 2009 or even 2010?" And the answer is, I'm going back a full 12 years (and several months). I also meant to post this months ago but got a bit sidetracked. Just go with it. 2008 was a special year for gaming that saw a number of truly exceptional titles grace the various consoles of the day. Please join me as I look back at what I feel were 12 of the absolute best.

Well, we've almost reached Black Friday, which means there won't be too many more (if any) big gaming releases to talk about for the remainder of the year. Which means that this will likely be the last New Gaming Releases post until early 2022. On the upside though, at least we've got plenty of good stuff to share with you, today.

With only a few exceptions, the last several weeks have primarily been the Nintendo show, seeing several high profile releases arrive on their formidable Switch console. The latest of these was this week's dual drop of Pokémon remakes, (Brilliant) Diamond and (Shining) Pearl. Though they do represent a welcome new way to enjoy those games, the word on the street is that they sadly don't manage to top the original Diamond/Pearl remake, Pokémon: Platinum. That being said, if you're a Pokémon fan and you somehow missed out on the trio in their original Nintendo DS incarnations, these are probably still going to be a pretty safe purchase for you.

Also out in the last 8 weeks, the hotly-anticipated 5th installment to the Forza Horizon series; a port of the beloved BioWare classic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic; and the first 2D Metroid game in nearly 2 decades. Unravel the myth of the Pokémon that control time and space, then jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 56 days.

It's that time of year again! No, I'm not talking about Halloween (this time). I'm talking about the World Series! After some particularly fiercely fought and exciting playoff battles, we've finally come to the main event. The AL vs NL matchup that will determine who is the best team in all of baseball. This year, I am particularly excited to watch because my Atlanta Braves have made it for the first time in 22 years! Here's hoping they show Houston what's up.

I will say that I'm a little sad my other team, the San Francisco Giants got knocked out early. I would have loved seeing how they stacked up against the Braves in the postseason. That's right, I have two baseball teams too. I didn't always live in Atlanta, you know. At any rate, I've been a fan of both baseball organizations for years and I've loved playing the sport probably longer than that, even digitally. There have been a great number of baseball video games over the years and in honor of (one of) my team(s) making it to the final round this year, I thought I would share 6 of my favorites.

Is September almost over already? Time sure flies towards the end of the year! The big release this week looks to be Kena: Bridge of Spirits. A charming 3D action-adventure title, seemingly inspired by the 3D Legend of Zelda games, Bridge of Spirits appears to be a pretty solid first effort for debut studio, Ember Lab. If you're growing restless waiting for Breath of the Wild 2, this might just be a pretty decent way to help pass the time.

Also out in the last month, another collection of top-notch Castlevania games (and just in time for October, too); one of the most famous video games of all time; and a brand new installment to the now long-running Tales series. Find the Rot, then jump past the break to see more new release from the last 28 days.

Sorry for the delay in posting the usual June E3 news but we (like so many others) were waiting on Sony to get with the program and give the fans at least some idea of what they can expect to get excited about over the next year or two. Well, a year later Covid-19 still wouldn't take a hint and kindly flock off so this year's E3 event still wasn't the typical show everyone is used to. It was back, though, online only and rebranded as the "Electronic Entertainment Experience", but we'll always take some kind of a show over no show at all.

Microsoft and Bethesda got things going with their first E3 press conference as one singular industry titan. Followed shortly after by Nintendo, who did their now-standard E3 Nintendo Direct presentation. Sony, however, decided it was too cool for school, skipped E3 altogether and waited till just this month to hold their own upcoming releases showcase. But now that we've heard from all 3 players, we can finally round up the highlights for you.

Hello again! Welcome back to our roundup of yet another month's worth of fantastic new releases. The big title this week is actually something we've been waiting for since at least 2019. Probably even longer! Psychonauts 2 is the hotly anticipated and long-overdue (it's been 16 years, and 3 Xbox/PlayStation generations, to be exact) follow-up to the 2005 original. Though the development process may have been protracted and seemingly uncertain at times, it all appears to have been a worthwhile endeavor in the end as the critics are receiving it particularly well so far. Our only complaint is that we wish there was a physical version to gawk at.

Also out in the last month, another long-awaited sequel, in this case, to the crazy over-the-top No More Heroes franchise; another welcome and super good-looking remake of the PC classic Myst; and a much-appreciated DRM-free version of what is arguably the single greatest entry to the Tomb Raider series. Get psyched, then jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 28 days.

Well, it's been a pretty good month for the Switch. As you may notice below, all but two of this month's featured releases can be found on Nintendo's dual purpose dynamo. One of the bigger titles, which came out just this week, is Square Enix's Neo: The World Ends With You. A sequel to their popular 2008 DS orginal, Neo features more great music from the same composer, a new cast of characters, and superior gameplay and three-dimensional graphics.

Also out in the last month, what will supposedly be the final installment to Inti Creates' excellent Blaster Master Zero trilogy; the long-awaited Xbox (Series X) version of Microsoft's newest flight simulator game; and the fan-appreciated motion-control-optional HD remaster of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. "Only the possibility of you can change our fate." Jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 35 days.

Here we are again with another great month of gaming releases to tell you about. The big title this week seems to be Scarlet Nexus, an anime-infused "brain punk" action RPG, somewhat similar to Bandai Namco's own Tales series (and brought to you by some of the very same people). If you like stylish, high-quality animation and a pretty unique and fun-looking combat system, this could be just the ticket.

Also out in the last month, a new installment to Nintendo's long-running Mario Golf franchise; an HD remake of the incredible 1986 Sega Master System classic, Alex Kidd in Miracle World; and the long-awaited release of one of the most anticipated games of the year, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. "We are all connected." Jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 28 days.

Another month, another Notable New Releases post. This week saw the re-release of a 2004 PlayStation 2 title, newly remastered for current platforms, of course. Shin Megami Tensei III is another enjoyable entry in the popular Atlus RPG universe. While the third entry in the main SMT series, the PS2 release was actually the first to see a western release. Of course, there have been several released since, both in the main and the spin-off series. But, having the option to experience this visually-upgraded classic, especially for those who may have missed out on it the first time around, is most welcome indeed.

Also out in the last month, the original Mass Effect trilogy, now remastered for newer consoles; the eighth numbered installment to the so-long-running-it's-scary Resident Evil series; and Returnal, a new Housemarque title that may quite possibly be the first must-play true exclusive for the PlayStation 5. The world has been swallowed by chaos. Jump past the break to see more new releases from the last 35 days.