A handful of new games were released on retail shelves this week, but the Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is once again taking the week off because none of them stand out too strongly. But a complete look at industry news from the last seven days and this week’s digital releases can be found below.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

• Next Week’s Retail Releases: Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force, Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate, N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure
• Nintendo Download: Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Kirby Mass Attack, Kirby’s Dream Course, more
• PlayStation Store: Hyper Light Drifter, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Tumblestone, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): We Happy Few (Game Preview), Hyper Light Drifter, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, more
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Quatros Origins

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Every publisher took the week off, so there’s no Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week this week. But there’s plenty of news from Comic-Con available after the break.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

• Retail Releases: None
• Nintendo Download: Pokemon Ranger, Buddy and Me, Wind-Up Knight 2, more
• PlayStation Store: I Am Setsuna, Moon Hunters, Sword Coast Legends, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Sword Coast Legends, Ninja Pizza Girl, 10 Second Ninja X, more

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Monster Hunter Generations, a monster hunting game for the 3DS from Capcom.

The Monster Hunter franchise got its more than a decade ago, and since then, its built a small, but loyal, following among gamers. The latest entry in the series, Monster Hunter Generations, will add new customization options and a new crop of monstrous bosses.

A few other new releases should also be on your radar this week. That includes Songs of the Deep (PC, PS4, Xbox One), a side-scrolling “MetroidVania” from Insomniac Games and exclusively available at GameStop, that follows a young girl who goes under the sea to rescue her missing father. Also of note is Resident Evil 5, a PS4/Xbox One re-release of the popular co-op title; and Ghostbusters (PC, PS4, Xbox One), a tie-in game partly based on the new movie.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

• Retail Releases: Ghostbusters, Song of the Deep, Monster Hunter Generations, more
• Nintendo Download: Tumblestone, Monster Hunter Generations, four Virtual Console games, more
• PlayStation Store: Kerbal Space Program, Song of the Deep, Ghostbusters, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Song of the Deep, Ghostbusters, The Solus Project, more
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Tumblestone, Kerbal Space Program, MX vs ATV Supercross Encore, more

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Rocket League, a multiplayer sports game that mixes soccer with car combat.

Originally released as a downloadable title for the PS4 and PC last Fall, Rocket League eventually made its way to the Xbox One earlier this year. Since then, it’s won multiple “Game of the Year” awards and become a smash hit with players who love multiplayer-focused games and stylized futuristic sports.

Now it’s available in a retail-exclusive Collector’s Edition for the PS4 and Xbox One, and you should add it to your circulating game collection right away. It has an incredibly broad appeal and Rocket League’s local multiplayer options also make it a good choice for “Game Night” programs.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

• Retail Releases: Rocket League, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII, Carmageddon: Max Damage
• Nintendo Download: Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Baseball Simulator 1000, Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll, more
• PlayStation Store: The Banner Saga 2, The Warriors, Energy Hook, more
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Carmageddon: Max Damage, Dex, Red Dead Redemption (Xbox One Backwards Compatibility)

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One), the latest Lego game set in a galaxy far, far away.

Based on the latest addition to the Star Wars saga, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens will let players recreate scenes from last year’s blockbuster film and go on “New Adventures” that fill in the gaps between Return of the Jedi and the sequel trilogy. Patrons of all ages know what to expect from the Lego series and this game will likely be able to deliver it.

Also of note this week are a handful of RPGs from Japan, a zombie game that’s all about survival, and a popular side-scrolling indie game that’s now available for the Wii U.

First up, there’s Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness for the PS4. As the fifth entry in Square Enix’s series of space-based RPGs, Integrity and Faithlessness is the first new addition to the series in over seven years. Also available for the PS4 (and the Vita) is Grand Kingdom, a tactical RPG from NIS America and Monochrome. Finally on the RPG front, Zero Time Dilemma will close out the trippy Zero Escape franchise on the 3DS and Vita.

Meanwhile, 7 Days to Die is a survival game for the PS4 and Xbox One where players have to craft a shelter and hold out against a zombie horde for as long as they can. It’s been available through Steam as an “Early Access” title for a few years now, but the Minecraft-like graphics and post-apocalyptic setting should appeal to a lot of people.

Finally this week, Terraria, the side-scrolling crafting and exploration title from Re-Logic, is now available for the Wii U.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

• Next Week’s Retail Releases: Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, Grand Kingdom, more
• Nintendo Download: Super Mario RPG, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Zero Time Dilemma, more
• PlayStation Store: Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, 7 Days to Die, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Inside, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 7 Days to Die, more
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): The Banner Saga 2, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II, Prison Architect, more

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is a tie between two Nintendo-published titles: Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE and Mario & Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE is an RPG for the Wii U that drops the medieval adventurers from a Fire Emblem-like adventure into a present-day version of Tokyo inspired by the Persona series. Developed by Atlus, it’s a unique title that’ll to a lot of people, and especially to fans of Japanese RPGs.

Meanwhile, Mario & Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games makes its Wii U debut a few weeks ahead of the actual Games, and it offers the usual mix of Olympic sports and mascot competition.

Also of note this week is Mighty No. 9 (PS4, Wii U, Xbox One), a new side-scrolling platformer from Keiji Inafune, the creator of Mega Man. Famously funded through Kickstarter a few years ago, Mighty No. 9 has been delayed several times, but retro gaming fans are very curious to see how Inafune’s return to the genre turned out.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

• Next Week’s Retail Releases: Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE, Mighty No. 9, Mario & Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, more
• Nintendo Download: Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Mighty No. 9, more
• PlayStation Store: Umbrella Corps, Mighty No. 9, Pac-Man 256, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Mighty No. 9, Pac-Man 256, Deadlight: Director’s Cut, more
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Heart & Slash, Kung-Fu For Kinect, Monochroma

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The Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Minecraft: Wii U Edition and Ori and the Blind Forest.

Most game publishers won’t release new games during E3 week, so the appearance of Minecraft: Wii U Edition on store shelves is great for librarians looking to fill out their Wii U collection with a title they know everyone will love. Minecraft’s Wii U Edition is the same virtual playground that we all know and love, but it also includes the Super Mario Mash-up Pack expansion, which adds Mario-themed characters, textures, and music to the game.

Also available this week is Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition, an enhanced and expanded version of the well-received “MetroidVania” for the PC and Xbox One. Players will still be able to guide young Ori through the forest of Nibel, but the Definitive Edition will add new areas, new abilities, more story sequences, and multiple difficulty modes to the game.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

• Retail Releases: Minecraft Wii U Edition, Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition
• Nintendo Download: Rhythm Heaven Megamix, Terraria, Super Paper Mario, more
• PlayStation Store: Trials of the Blood Dragon, Siren, more
• Xbox Games Store (Wednesday): Trials of the Blood Dragon, Monkey King Saga
• Xbox Games Store (Friday): Tour De France 2016, Bard’s Gold

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