PCs, handhelds, mobile, console, indies, triple A, free-to-play — the gaming scene gets more diverse and difficult to follow by the day, but thankfully I’m here every week to guide you through what’s happening with games.
As always, I’ll rattle off five games I think you might want to check out this week. Keep in mind, these articles aren’t meant to be comprehensive lists of everything coming out that week so much as a nice rounded tasting menu. So, here are the games you need to know about this week…
This Week’s Sports Game
EA Sports UFC 2 (Xbox One & PS4, Mar. 15)
It’s time to step back into The Octagon with EA Sports UFC 2. EA’s last MMA game was solid, but missing some polish and features. This time around, the grappling and physics have been improved, and you can create your own female fighter and run her up against Ronda Rousey and the rest of the women’s division.
This Week’s Puzzle Game
Nanobots (PC, Mar. 15)
I don’t feature a lot puzzle games in Five Games because, honestly, most of them are pretty dull/derivative, but Nanobots looks interesting. The game challenges you to erase various shapes made up of little triangular “nanobots,” with the catch beating that these nanobots quickly respawn, forcing you to carefully decide what path to take while erasing. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week’s Indie Platformer
Prio (PC, Mar. 18)
A platformer where you control the platforms themselves along with your character isn’t exactly a new concept, but Prio looks to do it with style. Featuring slick, colorful graphics, Prio challenges to light up all the blocks in the level, while toggling between red, blue and yellow platforms. Looks like a brain and thumb-straining good time. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week’s Other Indie Platformer
Mutant Mudds Super Challenge (Wii U & 3DS, Mar. 17)
The original Mutant Mudds was a fun little retro-style platformer that challenged players to jump between the background and foreground while blasting evil mud creatures. Well, get ready for more, because Mutant Mudds is back with a pack of 40 ultra challenging levels for those who thoroughly bested the original game.
Pick of the Week
Pokkén Tournament (Wii U, Mar. 18)
The Pokémon series is finally getting a fighting game spin-off, which is something that should have happened a long time ago. Developed by Tekken creators Bandai Namco, Pokkén Tournament looks to combine solid fighting game mechanics, with the accessible controls of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Also, the game lets you play as a luchadore Pikachu, so yeah, let’s get this Pokémon rumble started.
Whether you like brawling with Charizard or real-world MMA fighters, this week is all about getting those aggressions out. Any games you’re itching to get your hands on that I failed to mention? Hit the comments and let the world know.