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 Park Ranger Sim
Firewatch (PC, Mac, Linux & PS4, Feb. 9)
In Firewatch you play as a forest ranger voiced by Mad Men‘s Rich Sommer assigned to, well, firewatch, who starts to notice strange things happening around his park. As you investigate the creepy goings-on, your only human connection is to Delilah, a supervisor you communicate with via walkie-talkie. Your responses to her frequent chatter will shape your relationship, and the kind of help she’ll offer you. An interesting, unique take on the “walking simulator” genre.
This Week’s Stealthy Platformer
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia (PC, Xbox One & PS4, Feb. 9)
The last of Ubisoft’s 2D Assassin’s Creed spinoffs arrives this week. Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia takes place in 1918 during Russia’s October Revolution, and tasks you with infiltrating the Tsar Nicholas’ house and stealing a precious artifact, while avoiding royal guards and Bolsheviks. AC Chronicles: Russia should be another solid dose of platforming and stealth.
This Week’s Laser-Blasting RPG
Defragmented (PC, Mac & Linux, Feb. 12)
Defragmented is a futuristic, cyberpunk RPG, but don’t expect any slow, menu-based battles. The action part of this action-RPG plays like a twin-stick shooter, with neon-colored lasers flying in every which direction. Carefully level up your characters, then blast everything away to a pulsing synth soundtrack – Defragmented is a mix of disparate flavors that may work better together than you might imagine.
This Week’s Expansion
Dying Light: The Following (PC, Xbox One & PS4, Feb. 9)
Open-world zombies ‘n’ parkour-fest Dying Light returns with its first full expansion. Dying Light: The Following leaves the city behind in favor of a sprawling natural landscape, and lets you run over zombies in custom dune buggies. Sounds good to me. Oh, and The Following is a standalone expansion, so you don’t have to buy the original Dying Light to play it.
Pick of the Week
Unravel (PC, Xbox One & PS4, Feb. 9)
Unravel and its adorable, woolly protagonist Yarny may seem like a cuddly, feel-good indie, but the game is actually a fairly demanding little puzzle-platformer. That’s fine during the puzzling sections, but some of the platforming can be a bit frustrating thanks to imprecise controls. That said, Unravel is beautiful, heartfelt and inventive enough to make up for its somewhat irksome moments. If you’d like to read our more in-depth review of Unravel, you can do that right here.
A good selection of different types of games 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.