Keeping track of all the games arriving each week on PC, handhelds, consoles and mobile is no easy track, but don’t worry, I’m here to help. Every week in Five Games I separate the wheat from the chaff and pick the titles you need to play attention to.
We recently freshened up the Five Games format a bit. The Pick of the Week is now listed first, and the rest of the games are filed under headings that will hopefully be more helpful for you. Looking for the latest indie hotness? Check the Steam picks. Want to download something for your Xbox One or PS4 on a Saturday night? Hit up the Console Downloads section. Now, without further ado…
Pick of the Week
Overwatch (PC, Xbox One & PS4, May 24)
Unlike this month’s other big “hero shooter” Battleborn, Blizzard’s Overwatch sticks pretty closely to the Team Fortress 2 blueprint. There aren’t really any RPG or MOBA elements in Overwatch, it’s a pretty standards six-on-six arena shooter, but it sets itself apart with its large, diverse, inventive cast of characters. Cowboys, ninjas, hyper intelligent gorillas and, uh, badass climatologists? Overwatch has it all.
Overwatch has been in beta for some time, and for the most part, fan response has been enthusiastic. Yes, there was that unfortunate blowup about a character’s backside, but otherwise, response to Overwatch‘s actual gameplay has been nothing but promising. Get ready to join the melee when the full retail version of Overwatch launches tomorrow.
This Week on Steam
Total War: Warhammer (PC, May 24)
The Total War games have traditionally been all about realism and historical accuracy, but now the series goes full-on fantasy with Total War: Warhammer. Expect all the attention to detail and well-honed real-time strategy gameplay you’d get from a regular Total War game, except with a lot more orcs, elves and wizards. If you’ve ever wanted to play Peter Jackson, this is your chance. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAgtYDLgMM0
Lumo (PC, Mac, Linux & PS4, May 24)
Lumo is a charming-looking throwback to the era of isometric PC adventure games. As the adorable wizard Lumo, you’ll platform, dodge traps and solve puzzles across hundreds of different, challenging rooms. Indie platformers are a dime-a-dozen, but this one looks like it’s coming from a unique place. Here’s the game’s Steam page (it’s also available on PS4).
Chronicle: Runescape Legends (PC, May 26)
Chronicle: Runescape Legends is an interesting new take on virtual collectible card games like Hearthstone. Basically, you lay down four cards, creating a “quest” your character has to battle through. The other player does the same, and at the end you and your opponent face each other in a duel. Do you pick challenging cards with powerful rewards, but risk being defeated along your quest? Or do you go with easier cards, ensuring you make it to the duel against your opponent? It may sound complicated, but so do most card games at first. Chronicle: Runescape Legends is free to play, but like all games like this, you can buy cards for real money. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week in Retail Releases
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 & PS4, May 24)
Another Ninja Turtles movie is coming to theaters, so unsurprisingly a new game is also on the way. Ninja Turtles games have been pretty lousy for a while, but TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan might break that trend, as it’s being developed by Platinum, the action masters behind Bayonetta and the well-received Transformers: Devastation. Hopefully Turtles fans will finally have a cowabunga-worthy game on their hands.
Heavy on the Steam stuff this week, but it’s still a big week with Overwatch finally making its official debut. Feel free to shout ’em out below.