Every week, it feels like there are more games for more platforms with more DLC to boot, especially this week, which kicks off a season with at least two major games arriving every week right through Thanksgiving. So every week, we’re going to pick out five games that are worth your time and money, starting with a sequel to a major sleeper hit.
Pick Of The Week: Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War, Today ($60, PS4, Xbox One, And PC)
Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor was basically Assassin’s Creed meets Batman: Arkham meets a clever system where you corrupt and undermine the orc ranks from within and create your own greatest enemy, complete with an alternate universe take on Tolkien’s mythology. For those who didn’t play the first game, a dead Ranger (think Aragorn) is revived by a ghost who turns out to be Celebimbor, aka “The Guy Who Made That Ring.” At the end of the first game, they decide to screw that hero noise, they’re going to invade Mordor and take it over. Needless to say, Sauron has a few objections. Good luck, bro.
The Evil Within 2, Friday ($60, PS4 and Xbox One)
Bethesda follows up their unusual take on survival horror with a new, more refined approach. When we tried out the game a few weeks back, we were impressed by its execution and distinct setting. But considering the Resident Evil series’ revival, can this slightly more traditional approach still pack scares? We’ll find out Friday.
WWE2K18, Friday ($60, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC)
Yep, it’s the first busy week of the year for gamers, with three major titles dropping this week. You can pretty much expect this pace right through Thanksgiving. Our sweaty friends at With Spandex will be taking the wheel with this beloved wrestling game series, but suffice to say, the franchise is building off of what works, and we’ll be curious to see what the fans have to say.
Echo, Wednesday ($25, PS4)
Echo traps you on an alien spaceship, which has a fancy ballroom for some reason, and is run entirely by a hostile AI. The AI learns from your moves, so if you run n’ gun, it’ll brace for war, but if you hide and sneak, it’ll start checking every crevasse. If you want to test your skills as a gamer, this will pit you against yourself, and it’s a fascinating experience.
Raid: World War II, Today ($40, PS4 and Xbox One)
From Starbreeze, the studio behind Payday 2 comes, well, what looks a lot like Payday World War 2 from the developer of several popular maps from that game, Lion Games Lion. You and a squad of buddies hit the map, gun down some Nazis, find the intelligence and/or the gold, and get out. If you want some friendly action, it looks fairly promising.
Any games we missed? Let us know in the comments!