Consoles, PCs, handhelds, Facebook, smartphones — the world of gaming is becoming increasingly confusing and fragmented, but don’t worry, we’re here to simplify things for you. Each week 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, let’s get to it…
This Week’s Twin-Stick Shooter
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 & PS4, Nov. 25th)
The quintessential twin-stick shooter is back, with Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions. More colors, more things going boom, more cramped thumbs! Oh, and now the game’s grids are wrapped around 3D objects for an extra headache-inducing layer of complexity.
This Week’s 1920s Fighter
Speakeasy (PS4, Nov. 25th)
Ever wish that Rex Banner episode of The Simpsons was a fighting game that let you decapitate caricatures of celebrities from the Roaring 20s? Probably not, but that’s now a thing that exists. Speakeasy pits thinly veiled versions of, say, Amelia Earhart and Charlie Chaplin against each other in Rock-Paper-Scissors style battles – the gameplay looks very simple, but I certainly have to give the developers credit for a swingin’ good concept.
This Week’s Obscure Sim
Fireworks Simulator (PC, Nov. 26th)
The games industry kind of blew it’s load last week, so this week we’re back to including wacky obscure simulator games on our list. But hey, at least Fireworks Simulator has explosions! You also get to mix your own fireworks from raw materials and programs elaborate fireworks shows. That…actually sounds pretty interesting. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week’s Horror Game
Haunted House: Cryptic Graves (PC, Nov. 25th)
Hey, remember Haunted House? No, you probably don’t. It was an Atari 2600 game where you explored a house as a pair of disembodied eyes. Well, over 30 years later Atari is reviving the series with Haunted House: Cryptic Graves and the game actually looks pretty solid. Sort of like a horror-themed Myst with some pretty solid looking graphics. Atari somehow managed to miss Halloween with this one, but you still might want to give it a shot. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
Pick of the Week
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS, Nov. 25th)
Atlus’ dungeon crawling/high school life mashup returns in adorable handheld form with Personal Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth. This particular game dials back on the life sim stuff a bit in favor of a more hardcore focus on dungeon hacking, but it looks like it still has plenty of that unique Persona flavor.
A bit slow after last week’s blowout, but things will pick up again in the first couple weeks of December before really falling off a cliff for the Christmas holidays. Any games you’re itching to get your hands on that I failed to mention? Hit the comments and let the world know.