Keeping track of all the games arriving each week on PC, handhelds, consoles and mobile is no easy feat, but don’t worry, I’m here to help. Every week in Five Games I separate the wheat from the chaff and pick the titles you need to pay attention to.
This week, we’re freshening up the format a bit. In the past, Five Games has been a jumble of different formats and platforms, but now we’re going to break things down into more helpful categories. Looking for the latest quirky PC game? Check out the Steam picks. Just want to download something quick and cheap on a Saturday evening? Focus on the console downloads section. Of course, we’ll still do an overall Pick of the Week as well. Hopefully these changes make Five Games a more helpful resource overall…
Pick of the Week
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4, May 10)
Developer Naughty Dog is promising Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will be Nathan Drake’s last adventure, so appropriately, the game is a little heavier and more character driven than past entries in the series. This is bolstered by the fact that Neil Druckmann, the writer of The Last of Us, took over as Uncharted 4‘s creative director after writer Amy Hennig left Naughty Dog.
Don’t worry though, the new writer and turn for the introspective doesn’t mean Uncharted 4 leaves out the action-packed set pieces you’ve come to expect from the series. Uncharted is still as big, beautiful and over-the-top as ever. It’s a game that tries to do it all, and based on most reactions so far, mostly pulls it off. Keep an eye out for our full review!
This Week on Steam
Stellaris (PC, Mac & Linux, May 9)
Stellaris is a new turn-based strategy game from the critically lauded team behind Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis. Explore the galaxy, colonize planets and forge an empire through either diplomacy or epic space battles. If you’re looking for sci-fi strategy with a truly mind-boggling level of depth, then Stellaris is the title for you. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
Rocket Fist (PC, Mac & Linux, May 12)
This one is summed up pretty well by its title. In Rocket Fist, you grab rocket-powered fists, then fist enemies and fellow players to death. Sorry, there’s just no way to phrase that right. Rocket Fist looks like a fun, frantic local multiplayer experience, but it also serves up a full singleplayer mode as well. If you miss simple action games like Bomberman and Robotron, this should be up your alley. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week in Console Downloads
Raiden V (Xbox Store, May 11)
Ready for some old-school, thumb-cramping shoot ’em up action? Well, you’re in luck, because the Raiden series is returning for the first time in nearly a decade. Raiden V looks to deliver the bullets, big bosses and crazy challenge you’d expect, so download the game and get ready to suffer.
This Week in Retail Releases
Doom (PC, Xbox One & PS4, May 13)
And here we have another classic shooter series returning after almost a decade! Unlike Doom 3, which took the series in a survival-horror direction, the new Doom is all old-school run-and-gun action. Forget cover mechanics, in Doom running up to an enemy and shoving a grenade down their throat is always your best strategy. Look forward to GammaSquad’s full review sometime this week.