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5 Video Games You'll Want to Buy In June

The mid-year release lull is a quality over quantity situation, but June has five great games you don't want to pass up

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There's always a great game on the horizon. The summer months tend to have fewer releases than the rest of the year, but you can find a hot new title in brick-and-mortar stores and digital shelves almost every week.

Nintendo Switch players had a handful of classic Resident Evil games to enjoy last month, including the beloved Resident Evil remake and Resident Evil 4. Gamers looking for something a tad campier could check out Yakuza Kiwami 2 on PC, a beat-'em-up game that puts you in the shoes of an oddball gangster with a knack getting into ridiculous situations. For the exploratory types, Rage 2 delivered a robust, post-apocalyptic world to explore that’s packed with freakish mutants, roving gangs, and Mad Max-style vehicles.

This month's selection, while small, is extremely varied, with a little something for everyone. Fighting game connoisseurs have the brutishly unforgiving Samurai Shodown to look forward to in June, which pits you against ferociously powerful opponents in risky one-on-one battles to the death. If creating is your cup of tea, the Switch gets Super Mario Maker 2, letting players craft their very own Super Mario stages to share with others online. It features even more tools than the original game.

From Castlevania-inspired RPG action to hectic, team-based arcade racing, June has a lot on offer. Check it out below.

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Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: June 25 (Switch) June 18 (Other Platforms)
MSRP: $39.99

With the Castlevania series all but dead at this point, there aren't very many games that have risen up to fill the void left in the franchise's wake. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is attempting to assume the mantle as successor to the series. Produced by Koji Igarashi, famed producer of many 2D Castlevania games, Bloodstained promises plenty of side-scrolling action, RPG leveling, and demanding platforming to satiate players with a gothic monster-slaying hunger.

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Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: June 21, 2019
MSRP: $39.99

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is an enhanced remaster of the PS1 kart racer. Nitro-Fueled incorporates gameplay and tracks from the original game, draws elements from later Crash Kart Racing games, and boasts all-new features, too. The game includes online multiplayer action, customizable karts, a robust catalog of tracks and battle modes.

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Judgment

Platforms: PS4
Release Date: June 25, 2019
MSRP: $59.99

This curious Yakuza spin-off game is set within the same universe as the main series, but follows the misadventures of Takayuki Yagami, a detective on the hunt for a serial murderer in the fictional Japanese city district of Kamurocho. Judgment utilizes a similar melee action system as the Yakuza games, so you can beat down thugs in satisfying fistfights while searching for clues and puzzling out the case.

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Samurai Shodown

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One
Release Date: June 25, 2019
MSRP: $59.99

SNK's brutal, weapon-based fighting series is making a bombastic return with Samurai Shodown. While the game serves as something of a prequel to long-running series, fans of the classic games and newcomers alike can enjoy all of the new mechanics and story elements this new iteration offers. Samurai Shodown is renowned for its absurd damage scaling, and every blow is cripplingly powerful, forcing you to master spacing, defense, and offense to make every attack count. If you're looking for a fighting game with a unique pace, look no further.

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Super Mario Maker 2

Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: June 28, 2019
MSRP: $59.99

Super Mario Maker was a brilliant title that allowed players to craft their very own custom Super Mario courses. New patches introduced new tools and systems that expanded what you could create. Super Mario Maker 2 is an evolution of the original tool kit, featuring all new assets from the Super Mario 3D World games, as well as new enemies, environmental features, and even co-op modes.

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