With new platforms, new genres, and new developers arriving every week, the video game release schedule is more crowded than ever. So we’ll help you cut through the list, by picking five games that seem worth your time and money this week. And we’ll start with the next big open world game.
Pick Of The Week
Watch Dogs 2, Tuesday, November 15th (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
The first Watch Dogs was fun but heavily flawed, and we wound up declaring it the most frustrating game of the year. The sequel appears to address a lot of this: Instead of generic white guy Aidan Pierce, you play Marcus Holloway, a hacker thrown in jail for his skin color thanks to an algorithm out for revenge in a fictionalized version of San Francisco. It’s also made the game’s fun but somewhat shallow hacking mechanic much deeper. Also, you beat the crap out of people with what amounts to an improvised mace, a pool ball tied to a bungee cord. Really, you had us at that.
This Week On Consoles
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier Chapter 1, Tuesday, November 15th (PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
You know what we needed in these difficult times where we struggle with our problems as a nation? Telltale to remind us that no matter how bad it might get, it could be a hell of a lot worse. You could be Clem! Yes, the adorable child who has had a life that makes your average war orphan decide maybe they should stop complaining is back, and at the rate Telltale has been going with this series, she might be the last human being alive. Joking aside about the vast bummer this series has become, it’s still excellently written and asks some tough moral questions, which is rare in gaming. Just hopefully Clem doesn’t have to light a baby on fire or something because man, this series is heavy enough.
Overcooked! Gourmet Edition, Tuesday, November 15th (PS4, Xbox One)
The ridiculous multiplayer cooking game is back and, well, you can see how ridiculous it is for yourself. Mixing cooking and platforming, you and three buddies have to work out how to navigate a host of situations, ranging from cooking on ever-shifting semis to an ice floe to Hell. The original was absurdly entertaining and a great party game, and we’ll be excited to see how the boxed release goes.
This Week On PC
Killing Floor 2, Friday, November 18th (PC, PS4)
The original Killing Floor was Call of Duty‘s Zombies mode on steroids and with even more of a splatstick sense of humor, and the sequel doesn’t change much. It does, however, look tighter and a bit more brisk, and if you’re looking for some cheesy shooter escapism, this will be your best bet.
Runbow, Friday, November 18th (PC)
The multiplayer Wii U game comes to PC and hopefully a wider audience. The concept is fairly simple: Players dash across a level to get a trophy, while the background cycles different colors. Obstacles and traps the same color as the background disappear, so it’s on you to find powerups and remember where the danger spots are.
Any games you think should have made the cut? Let us know in the comments!