【Double Cross (1996)】

Welcome to July,Double Cross (1996) the sleepiest month for video games in 2017 thus far.

It's not that there's nothingnew to play. Nintendo fans especially have some exciting stuff coming up. But in a year that's already seen bona fide Game of the Year contenders like Horizon: Zero Dawnand The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, these quiet summer months offer a respite from the "must-play" deluge.

Then again, there's always something for everybody. One person's overlooked game is another's most anticipated. Here are the highlights that we picked out for July.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (July 11)

One of the most-overlooked Final Fantasygames in series history. Final Fantasy XIIcame out in March 2006, just a few months before the PlayStation 3 launched in November. There's actually a lot of Final Fantasy XV's DNA in this game's handling of combat and exploration, along with an ensemble cast of memorable heroes. The Zodiac Agefreshens up everything -- and adds in a previously Japan-only jobs system -- for a PlayStation 4 release.

Available for PS4

Fable Fortune (July 11)

Eyes up, Fablefans. This is likely the last time you'll see Lionhead Studios' fantasy universe for some time. Fable Fortunetakes the characters, creatures, and concepts from Fable's land of Albion and wraps a card-collecting game around them. It's not finished yet, but you'll be able to buy your way into early access on July 11.

Available for Windows 10 and Xbox One

The End is Nigh (July 12)

From the creator of Super Meat Boycomes a new game that will make you hate everything in life. The End is Nighseems to draw some of its inspiration from Meat Boy, particularly the maddeningly difficult platforming. It's coming to PC first, via Steam, though expect future releases for Switch and possibly other consoles as well.

Available for Windows (via Steam)

Splatoon 2 (July 21)

Splatoon 2adds some new combatants and weapons, but it primarily looks like more of the same. That's perfectly fine. The original game, released in 2015, proved to the world that Nintendo can put its unique stamp on the unlikeliest of genres: online shooters. All this sequel needs to do is deliver that core experience for Switch owners... though by all appearances so far, it goes further.

Available for Switch

Fortnite (July 25)

Fortniteis a new entry in the survival game genre that divides your time up between two separate phases: the daytime, when you go out to scavenge for useful debris and fortify your base; and the nighttime, when an assortment of creatures come out to... "play." This one has been in development seemingly forever -- it was announced in 2011 -- but it's finally far enough along that you'll be able to buy into the "early access" this month.

Available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One

Pyre (July 25)

The latest from Supergiant Games -- the studio behind Bastion and Transistor-- is an unusual tactical RPG game. Or a sports game, if that's how you prefer to define it. The story is tied together by "combat" encounters in which two teams of players -- each possessing different capabilities -- attempt to score points by bringing an orb into a goal zone. It's nifty.

Available for PC and PS4

Hey! Pikmin (July 28)

The Nintendo 3DS may be nearing the end of its life, but it's not dead yet. July brings a brand-new Pikmin game unlike any that have come before it. Hey! Pikminis a side-scroller -- a marked shift away from the earlier 3D strategy games. You're still playing as Captain Olimar and still making use of adorable, little alien critters to solve puzzles, but you're doing it all in a game that seems to draw heavily from Nintendo's voluminous library of revered platformers.

Available for 3DS