With the ever-larger collection of platforms and new games arriving every week, it can be hard to keep track of which games come out when and which are worth your valuable dollar. So every Monday, we break out the star game of the week, plus a handful of picks for consoles and PCs to keep you playing. This week’s nominee is the long-awaited followup to a surprise of the last console generation.
Pick Of The Week: Dishonored II (PS4, Xbox One, PC, November 11th)
Truthfully, it doesn’t appear all that much has changed in this franchise beyond switching to a new locale — Karnaka, which appears to essentially be Victorian Spain — and the ability to choose between Dishonored‘s protagonist Corvo Attano or Emily Kaldwin, his daughter and disgraced heir to the throne. Aside from a few mechanical tweaks, and playstyle differences, you still sneak around, and choose whether to stab your targets or consign them to a fate worse that death. As we’ve noted this appears to be more of a refinement to the original rather than a complete change-up for the franchise. But, on the flip side, if it wasn’t broken, don’t fix it. We’ll have a review later in the week.
This Week On Console
Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers (Xbox One, PS4, 3DS, November 8th)
Cartoon Network throws all its current franchises, from Adventure Time to Uncle Grandpa, into an old-school brawler styled after the Konami beat-’em-ups that sucked up so many quarters back in the day. It looks to be an amusing button-masher, and a kid-friendly game in a week rather short on them. Just don’t let them hog Mordecai, he deserves better.
Small Radios Big Televisions (PS4, PC, November 8th)
This looks to be an exceptionally oddball puzzle game where you find various cassettes in an abandoned factory and explore the virtual worlds hidden inside them… and then alter them by messing with the tapes to find new solutions and clues. It’s a strange concept, but if you’re looking for a puzzle game to chill after a shooter binge, this will fit the bill.
This Week On PC
Tyranny (PC, November 10th)
Obsidian’s latest fantasy game has a hell of a hook: You’re an enforcer for an evil god-tyrant who has to get squabbling generals in line and crush a rebellion. This being a riff on Obsidian’s hugely popular return to isometric RPGs like Baldur’s Gate, you of course have a big pile of decisions to make, and what you choose changes the course of your game. There’s also a mystery to solve if you want to play it through, of course, like just who your boss really is. If you need an RPG to close out the end of the year, it’s hard to think of
Transport Fever (PC, November 8th)
If you’re tired of Civ already, or just need a slightly lighter sim game than controlling the fate of the world, this game starts you in 1850 and gives you the job of building a transport empire with trains, harbors, and more. Hey, it’ll give you something to do during the holidays.
Any we missed? Let us know in the comments!