STACK #249 July 2025

FEATURE GAMING

KIRBY AIR RIDERS Release date: TBC, 2025

LOST SOUL ASIDE Release date: Aug 29, 2025

JUDAS Release date: TBC, 2025

Get ready for an update of the GameCube game Kirby Air Ride for Nintendo’s shiny new Switch 2. Kirby Air Riders is a sequel, starring everybody’s favourite globular pink entity in a fun 3D racing game through all sorts of weird, wild, and, of course, cute environments. The original game’s director Masahiro Sakurai has returned to oversee this one, so we’re expecting great things.

A violent meteor storm has brought mysterious dimensional invaders from beyond the starlit skies, leaving you setting out on an odyssey to save your younger sister Louisa – oh, and the rest of humanity, too! Attack, dodge, and parry your foes, from everyday grunts to frightening bosses, in adrenaline-charged battles through various dimensions, from snow-covered worlds to ancient lands and beyond.

If you’re a fan of the BioShock games then you’ll know the name Ken Levine, who was the creative force behind them. Now he’s turned his attention to a new series that bears some familiar sci-fi hallmarks, as we find ourselves on the spaceship Mayflower carrying the last remnants of humanity. A first-person shooter, with the story promising revolution, as well as many possible endings.

MAFIA THE OLD COUNTRY Release date: Aug 8, 2025

MARATHON Release date: Sep 23, 2025

METAL GEAR SOLID DELTA SNAKE EATER Release date: Aug 28, 2025 The leader of the gang when it comes to going stealthy, the classic series returns in this remake of 2004’s prequel Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater . Set in the Cold War era of 1964, the story of Naked Snake unravels as he sets out to save a Russian rocket scientist and sabotage a Soviet nuclear superweapon. Expect a faithful recreation, but with modern sensibilities and top-notch graphics.

This fourth main entry in 2K’s Maf ia saga is set to take the prequel route, whooshing us back to 1900s Sicily, and the fictional town of San Celeste. Continuing the series’ third-person outlook, this action-adventure will have us be exploring the origins of the Mafia. We’ll step into the shoes of young Enzo Favara, as he finds his way into organised crime life, specifically that of the Torrisi family.

Way back in 1994, Bungie released first person shooter Marathon on the Apple Mac, with two sequels following. Now it’s coming back, with a thoroughly modern coat of paint while maintaining a cool retro visual aesthetic. Get ready for a future set – the year 2893 - multiplayer extraction shooter that focuses on player versus player gameplay, with the promise of a bunch of loot nabbing as well.

METROID PRIME 4 BEYOND Release date: TBC, 2025

POKÉMON LEGENDS Z A Release date: Oct 16, 2025

SONIC RACING CROSSWORLDS Release date: TBC, 2025

We’re off to Paris! Well, Lumiose City, which is based on the French capital, in the newest Pokémon adventure – the second in the Legends series. While story information is thin on the ground as we write, we know that it’s set within an urban redevelopment project in the grand city for both people and Pokémon, and exciting news is that we’ll be seeing the return of the Mega Evolution mechanic.

Samus Aran is finally back, in a new adventure that’s certain to get our puzzling – and, of course, shooting - juices flowing. Long in development, this one’s set to play out in a first person perspective within a Galactic Federation research facility, as Samus runs, guns, scans, rolls, explores, and more, leaving a trail of wasted Space Pirates – led by notorious bounty hunter Sylux - in her wake.

In an ocean of competitors to Mario Kart , not surprisingly the moustachioed tradie’s biggest rival off track has also proven to be his greatest racing game adversary. Yes, Sonic the Hedgehog’s kart racers have been superb, and that tradition is surely set to continue when we get to hit the track in CrossWorlds . SEGA have declared that their elite racing game team is on it, so we’re excited!

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