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 Local Multiplayer Game
Push Me Pull You (PS4, May 3)
Push Me Pull You may be one of the weirdest same-couch multiplayer games of all time. Basically, you and a partner control either end of a two-headed worm-like monstrosity, and you wrestle for control of balls with another such creature. Just check out the trailer above – this game is funny, kind of cute and completely off-putting at the same time. Push Me Pull You is definitely a party conversation starter.
This Week’s Musical Action Game
Tadpole Treble (PC, Mac & Linux, May 6)
Tadpole Treble is a new music game, where your aim is to avoid notes rather than hit them. You play as a tadpole named Baton, who basically swims along scrolling sheet music, dodging the notes that makes up that stage’s theme song. Tadpole Treble looks like a unique take on music games, and is pretty gosh-darned adorable to boot. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week’s Rumination on Death
Fragments of Him (PC, May 3)
Fragments of Him is about how people deal with death and loss. A young man has died, and you play as some of the people who loved him – his grandmother, ex-girlfriend and boyfriend – as they work through their grief and remember his life. Obviously Fragments of Him isn’t a great choice if you’re looking for something easy and breezy for a Sunday afternoon, but it could be a meaningful experience to those who have recently lost a loved one. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week’s Horse Racing Solitaire Game
Pocket Card Jockey (3DS, May 5)
Have you ever yearned to play a fast-paced mashup of solitaire and horse racing? Probably not, but Pocket Card Jockey exists all the same. Power your horse to victory by clearing cards in a simplified game of solitaire! Level up your horse RPG-style, and breed new generations of champions! Yeah, Pocket Card Jockey is a very strange concept, but it’s made by Game Freak, the folks behind Pokémon, so it’s probably worth a shot.
Pick of the Week
Battleborn (PC, Xbox One & PS4, May 3)
Battleborn is the latest entry in the suddenly-hot “hero shooter” genre. Think games like Team Fortress 2, where you play as unique characters with distinct abilities. Battleborn also works in elements of MOBAs, allowing your to level up your character within the confines of a match, and send forth various minions to do your bidding. Battleborn may sound too trendy for its own good, but it’s being made by the folks behind Borderlands and our own Dan Seitz found the game’s demo to be fun and accessible. If you need to get some aggression out, or just can’t wait ’til Overwatch, Battleborn looks like a good option.
One big game backed up by some solid smaller stuff this week. Any games you’re itching to get your hands on that I failed to mention? Hit the comments and let the world know.