Onimusha Tops Charts as Major Releases Flood Market
James Whitfield
4 min read
Onimusha: Path of the Sword has ascended to the top of the weekly game rankings for the first time, displacing Genshin Impact from its previous position. The action title's climb reflects growing player enthusiasm ahead of its full release. Genshin Impact settled into second place, while The War of Genesis Side Story: The Rhapsody of Zephyr Remastered jumped two positions to third, buoyed by anticipation for its official launch. Zeus: God of Arrogance dropped one spot to fourth as initial launch momentum began to level off.
The middle and lower sections of the rankings saw significant movement. Dynasty Warriors 2: Complete Edition Remaster climbed to fifth place, while Princess Maker: Children of Prophecy fell two spots to sixth. EA Sports FC 27 held steady at seventh, and Silent Hill: Townfall rose two positions to eighth. Two major new entries appeared in the lower rankings: Marvel's Wolverine debuted at ninth place ahead of its imminent release, and Gears of War: E-Day entered at tenth as players anticipate its launch.
The gaming landscape continues to expand with new releases and announcements. Last week marked the official launch of Eclipse: The Awakening, a new MMORPG from publisher Smilegate and developer NPIXEL. Released simultaneously on PC and mobile on September 10, the title positions itself as an MMOLite experience designed to reduce player burden while maintaining the progression systems and competitive elements core to the genre. The game incorporates time-based progression content, skill fusion mechanics, and optional player-versus-player combat. Character name pre-creation servers filled rapidly, indicating strong early interest.
BlizzCon 2026 returned after a three-year hiatus with a slate of major announcements that captured industry attention. The most significant reveal was Diablo V, targeting a Spring 2029 release and set approximately a century after its predecessor in a fallen Sanctuary where Diablo has already triumphed. The game will tell an entirely new story within this transformed world. A long-rumored new StarCraft title was finally unveiled as well, reimagined as an open-world shooter rather than a traditional real-time strategy game. Led by Dan Hay, known for his work on the Far Cry franchise, the project will place players in direct ground combat across the Koprulu Sector, with a Spring 2030 launch window. World of Warcraft received a third play style option called World of Warcraft: Forever, built on original Azeroth with a permanent level 60 cap and continuously added zones and stories. Additional announcements included the first new Warcraft III: Reforged campaign in 23 years, a new hero for Overwatch, and a new character for Heroes of the Storm.
This week brings several landmark releases to the forefront. Marvel's Wolverine launches on PlayStation 5 on September 15, developed by Insomniac Games as a story-driven single-player action-adventure rather than an open-world experience. The game follows Logan as he rejoins Team X to confront Bolivar Trask, who is kidnapping mutants. Combat emphasizes melee-focused gameplay combining claws and kicks with visceral, cinematic direction including dismemberment effects.
On September 17, two major Japanese RPG franchises arrive simultaneously. Trails in the Sky the 2nd serves as the second full remake of the Trails in the Sky SC, following Estelle's quest to locate the missing Joshua while uncovering secrets about the Ouroboros society. The same day sees the launch of Fire Emblem: Manja Cheonhong as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, centered on the god-ruled Dagda Empire and a Great Gladiator Festival that grants the winner's wish. The narrative weaves together four heroes in a classic strategy RPG experience involving time travel, companion recruitment, and preventing catastrophe.
Tokyo Game Show 2026 runs from September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Japan, marking the event's 30th anniversary with a record five-day duration. Business Days occupy September 17 and 18, followed by public access from September 19 onward. Major Japanese studios and global publishers will participate extensively, while South Korean titles are expected to gain significant visibility, including Nexon's Fareidolia, NCSoft's Astrae Oratio, and Netmarble's Pearl in Blue.
Recent critical reviews have emerged for several releases. Valheim achieved a Metacritic score of 90 following its official 1.0 release after approximately five years in Early Access. The survival game earned praise for its procedurally generated world exploration, resource gathering, base building, and boss encounters. Version 1.0 introduced the final biome Deep North, over 40 new weapons, additional armor, creatures, and building options. Critics noted that while the expansion successfully concluded the Early Access period, certain quality-of-life mechanics, pacing in different regions, and restrictive design choices such as teleportation limitations when carrying ore remained points of contention.
Welcome to Elderfield, created by solo developer Chris Kort, recorded an 82 score across 10 reviews. The title blends cozy life simulation elements including farming and fishing with Lovecraftian horror and turn-based combat. Hand-drawn horror comic aesthetics, a peculiar yet humorous world, and surprisingly deep combat mechanics drew positive responses, though minor bugs, interface issues, and unclear progression structures were criticized.
Marvel's Wolverine scored 78 based on 113 critic reviews. The game's brutal combat, impressive visuals, cinematic presentation, and faithful narrative characterization of Logan with strong voice acting received general approval. Multiple outlets praised the decision to focus on a linear single-player story lasting approximately 10 hours rather than pursuing an open-world approach. However, critics noted that combat mechanics lacked depth and became repetitive in later stages, compounded by monotonous exploration, repetitive mission design, and predictable storytelling. While recognized as a polished Marvel action title, it failed to achieve the impact of Insomniac's previous works.
Hot Wheels Infinite Rush from Milestone earned a 78 score across 27 reviews. The arcade racer maintained the tight handling and vibrant toy-car aesthetic of the Unleashed series while introducing an open-world format spanning four islands. Vehicle collection, customization, and track building received praise, though critics faulted the open world for featuring numerous brief and repetitive activities.
