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 New Hardware
Oculus Rift (Mar. 28)
Okay, so, the Oculus Rift isn’t a game, but it bears mentioning that the first of this year’s three big virtual reality headsets is being unleashed today. The Rift launches with 30 games, all of which can be glimpsed in the trailer above. If you want to know more about Oculus Rift, check out our handy, in-depth guide to all the upcoming VR headsets. Now, onto this week’s five games.
This Week’s Episodic Game
The Walking Dead: Michonne – Episode 2 (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 & PS4, Mar. 29)
Warning: The above trailer contains some spoilers for Episode 1 of The Walking Dead: Michonne.
The second episode of The Walking Dead: Michonne arrives this week, and without giving too much away, it seems like some tables are going to be turning in this installment. Should be more grim ‘n’ gritty goodness.
This Week’s JRPG
Nights of Azure (PS4, Mar. 29)
Nights of Azure is an action-RPG in which you summon a wide variety of demons to help you in frantic hack ‘n’ slash battles. It’s also published by Koei Tecmo, the folks behind the Dead or Alive series, so the game’s abundant cleavage may raise some eyebrows, though word is the lesbian relationship between the game’s two main characters is actually handled in a mature manner. Obviously, Nights of Azure isn’t for everybody, but it looks nicely polished, and should appeal to the anime fanatics out there.
This Week’s VR Action-RPG
Chronos (Oculus, Mar. 28)
One of the Oculus Rift’s most promising launch titles, Chronos is an action-RPG from the same team of guys who made Darksiders. In Chronos, you delve repeatedly into a puzzle-packed labyrinth, with time progressing each time you return. You’ll start the game as a spry, but untrained hero, but as you age and “level up,” you’ll become weak and slow, but stronger magically. Chronos looks like an interesting game even without the added hook of VR.
This Week’s VR Outer Space Adventure
Adr1ft (PC & Oculus, Mar. 28)
In Adr1ft, you play as an astronaut who awakens in the wreckage of a space station with no memory of what happened to you. You then have to make your way around the wreckage in zero gravity, fixing issues and solving puzzles along the way. I’m sure I won’t be able to handle Adr1ft, but for those with iron stomachs, this game looks like one of the more ambitious VR experiences out there. That said, Adr1ft isn’t strictly a VR experience, as it’s also available on PC. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
Pick of the Week
Hyper Light Drifter (PC & Mac, Mar. 31)
A surprise success on Kickstarter (the project was looking for just $27,000 and raised over $600,000), Hyper Light Drifter is essentially a super-stylish futuristic version of The Legend of Zelda. You play as The Drifter, who searches a beautiful, Studio Ghibli-inspired world for a cure to the illness that afflicts him, while handing out beatings with a variety of badass weaponry. Hyper Light Drifter looks like a gorgeous, unique, heartfelt game, and is almost certainly the next big indie thing. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
An interesting, varied week. Anybody jumping aboard the Oculus Rift train? Any games you’re itching to get your hands on that I failed to mention? Hit the comments and let the world know.