With temperatures routinely climbing into the medically perilous reaches of the thermometer, video games offer an ideal escape from the mid-year swelter.
Typically, the summer months represent a void on the game-release calendar, a season when publishers take a breather after the winter and spring release smorgasbord and prepare for the upcoming fall flood. This year, however, the hits just keep on coming with a handful of high-profile releases rubbing shoulders with the expected remakes and remasters on the summertime calendar.
Here are nine titles that should provide plenty of excuse for gamers to stick to the couch and avoid the harsh light of the dog days:
The Technomancer
* Release date: June 28
* Summary: Centuries after humans colonized Mars, the planet is a dusty ruin where water is as valuable as gold and the remnants of mankind live in the ruins of their more-advanced forebears. Zachariah is a cybernetically enhanced warrior - aka "technomancer" - who is about to undergo initiation into the ranks of the planet's elite fighting force while struggling to stay ahead of pursuit by secret police.
* Why it's hot: Post-apocalyptic Mars is an untapped setting for a role-playing game, and developers say the story and game world will react dynamically to players' decisions. Gamers will be able to customize their character's equipment through a deep crafting system and upgrade their technomancer along four skill trees, each of which emphasize a distinct approach to combat.
* Age rating: M for mature
* Price: $60 PC/Playstation 4/Xbox One
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens
* Release date: June 28
* Summary: Play through a slightly more-blocky retelling of the events of 2015's "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens."
* Why it's hot: The Lego video games are notorious for offering a tongue-in-cheek take on major pop culture releases. The toymaker has a long association with the Star Wars franchise in particular, but this latest outing makes a few noteworthy shifts to the series' formulaic gameplay by offering up levels with free-roaming flying sections, a combat cover system and "multi-builds" that let players select from several build options at certain points. The story also expands upon the film by offering additional insights into the events between "Return of the Jedi" and "The Force Awakens."
* Age rating: E-10 for ages 10 and up
* Price: $60 PC/Playstation 4/Xbox One; $50 Playstation 3/Wii U/Xbox 360; $30 Nintendo 3DS/Playstation Vita
Monster Hunter Generations
* Release date: July 15
* Summary: A fledgling hunter must prove himself/herself by taking down dozens of enormous beasts on a quest that also will charge them with defending villages from the wrath of the Fated Four mythical beasts.
* Why it's hot: When it first was released more than a decade ago, "Monster Hunter" established itself as one of Playstation 2's most popular co-operative games. The series' latest entry spices up the hunting experience through new special moves called "hunting arts," which can inflict massive damage, aid allies or heal characters; this version also features "hunting styles," which offer four distinct move sets for each of the more than 14 types of weapons. In another franchise first, players now can control the Felyne cat assistants and take them on their own missions to earn special rewards.
* Age rating: T for teen
* Price: $40 Nintendo 3DS
Batman: Return to Arkham
* Release date: July 26
* Summary: Relive two of the Caped Crusader's most celebrated video game outings, updated for a new generation of hardware.
* Why it's hot: When they released in 2009 and 2011, "Batman: Arkham Asylum" and its sequel, "Batman: Arkham City," were heralded by critics as excellent action-adventure games and the most true-to-form digital representation of the comic book character ever. "Return to Arkham" packages both titles and their downloadable content together - and at a reduced price - and features completely remastered visuals that take advantage of the increased processing power of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
* Age rating: T for teen
* Price: $50 Playstation 4/Xbox One
No Man's Sky
* Release date: Aug. 9
* Summary: Embark on a stellar journey to the center of a digital galaxy populated by 18 quintillion (1018) stars and planetary systems, all waiting to be explored and catalogued.
* Why it's hot: Since it was announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2014, "No Man's Sky" has been one of gaming's most hotly anticipated titles. The title's massive explorable "universe" is the product of procedural generation, which uses certain computational rules to automatically create a seemingly infinite number of planets. Players can land on these in their starships - without any interruption between space and surface - and freely explore the planet to harvest resources and interact with a near-infinite variety of lifeforms, which also are the product of procedural generation. The developers of "No Man's Sky" have kept the storyline under wraps but promise that players will feel strongly compelled to fight, explore or trade as they embark on an epic quest toward the core of the game's digital galaxy.
* Age rating: T for teen
* Price: $60 PC/Playstation 4
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
* Release date: Aug. 23
* Summary: Two years after millions died at the hands of cybernetically enhanced humans who were computer-hacked and forced to go berserk, society has segregated technologically augmented people in a kind of mechanical apartheid. In an irrevocably changed world, an augmented agent is tasked with investigating the actions of a group of terrorists.
* Why it's hot: Since the series' debut in 1999, the "Deus Ex" cyberpunk series has been considered one of the finest examples in gaming of true freedom of choice. Games in the series feature adaptive storylines that change based on whether players choose to approach situations stealthily, by employing diplomacy or engaging in out-and-out combat. The newest entry in the series features a next-generation-worthy graphical upgrade and picks up directly after the events of 2011's "Deus Ex: Human Revolution," and once again places players in control of elite augmented agent Adam Jensen. The newly minted Breach arcade mode casts players as a hacker - unrelated to Jensen - with upgradeable abilities to infiltrate stylized levels that simulate computer systems.
* Age rating: Rating pending
* Price: $60 PC/Playstation 4/Xbox One
XCOM 2
* Release date: Sept. 6
* Summary: Twenty years ago, aliens invaded the earth, and XCOM, mankind's elite troop of defenders, failed to prevent them from taking over. Now, the remnants of the extraterrestrial defense program must operate from the shadows, engaging in guerrilla attacks in an attempt to overthrow mankind's oppressors.
* Why it's hot: When it released as a PC exclusive in February, "XCOM 2" was praised by critics and fans for how it twisted the series' formula by forcing players to engage in faster-paced, hit-and-run style missions while retaining the balance between strategic base management and methodical, tactical gameplay. "XCOM: Enemy Unknown," the 2012 predecessor to "XCOM 2," was a hit on consoles, and the popularity of that game and the hue and cry from console gamers about the sequel's PC exclusivity fueled "XCOM 2's" forthcoming transition to the Xbox One and Playstation 4.
* Age rating: M for mature
* Price: $60 Playstation 4/Xbox One; previously released on PC.
ReCore
* Release date: Sept. 13
* Summary: Joule, one of the only humans on a planet controlled by robotic forces, must figure out why the planet's mechanical residents have suddenly become aggressive. Along the way, she forges friendships and relies on the aid of the few robots who have remained friendly.
* Why it's hot: A third-person action game, "ReCore" is the latest project by Keiji Inafune, the mastermind behind "Mega Man," and the developers who worked on the vaunted "Metroid Prime" series. Gameplay elements such as fast-paced, acrobatic combat and a focus on environmental puzzles speak to the game's ties to those franchises. Developers say the "ReCore" world will be freely explorable and will shift and be impacted by sandstorms. The game's friendly artificial intelligence "Corebots" can be installed in different robotic frames that give players access to new abilities to aid in combat and environmental traversal.
* Age rating: T for teen
* Price: $40 PC/Xbox One
Destiny: Rise of Iron
* Release date: Sept. 20
* Summary: The wall on the borders of Old Russia has collapsed and a horde of mutants have broken into the quarantined zone, uncovering relics of immense power but also posing a threat far greater than they know. Journey into the Plaguelands and stop them before it's too late.
* Why it's hot: The fourth major expansion to developer Bungie's massively multiplayer first-person shooter "Destiny" features a new campaign with missions set in the Plaguelands, a new location on Earth, new strikes and raids, additional maps and game modes for competitive play, a higher ceiling for character advancement, new enemies and a slew of powerful new armor and weapons.
* Age rating: T for teen
* Price: $30 Playstation 4/Xbox One; the Xbox One version requires both "Destiny" and "The Taken King" expansion pack to be installed.
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @Phillips CTFP.