PCs, mobile, handhelds, Facebook, consoles both last and current-gen — how are you supposed to keep track of all the games coming out? Well, that’s what I’m here for.
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, let’s get to it…
This Week’s Open-World Zombie Fest
Dying Light (PC, Xbox One & PS4, Jan. 27th)
Dying Light, the new open-world zombies ‘n’ parkour game from the makers of Dead Island arrives today. I’m sure the game won’t have a particularly deep or moving storyline, but it certainly looks nice and looks to serve up some mechanics you’re not used to seeing in a zombie game. And hey, it will have zombies in bikinis in it, so uh, that’s something.
This Week’s Pretty 2D Indie Game
Gravity Ghost (PC, Mac & Linux, Jan. 26th)
Gravity Ghost is essentially a puzzle-heavy, 2D Mario Galaxy featuring a beautiful anime-meets-Van Gogh art style. This one’s been in the works for quite a while, and by all accounts it’s a pretty top-notch bliss out experience. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week’s Four-Player Fighter
Stardust Vanguards (PC & Linux, Jan. 30th)
Stardust Vanguards essentially combines the four-player party game fighting of Smash Bros. with the aesthetic of a 16-bit shoot ’em up. There’s almost elements of Nidhogg mixed in. All in all, it looks like a pretty intense, crazy experience. Here’s the game’s Steam page.
This Week’s Episodic Adventure Game
Life Is Strange: Episode 1 (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 & PS4, Jan. 30th)
Square-Enix tries to horn in on Telltale Games’ racket this week, with the first episode of their adventure series, Life is Strange. The game, about a girl who can rewind time trying to solve the mystery of a friend’s disappearance, was developed by the makers of Remember Me, and certainly looks nicer and more polished than the average episodic game. We’ll see if the gameplay and writing holds up.
Pick of the Week
Grim Fandango Remastered (PC, Mac, Linux, PS4 & PS Vita, Jan. 27th)
Possibly the best graphic adventure game of all time returns on modern consoles with Grim Fandango Remastered. This new version of Tim Schafer’s classic will stick closely to the original, but will featuring improved controls, a new lighting system and, of course, higher resolutions. If you haven’t played Grim Fandango, you really owe it to yourself to give it a shot, because it still stands as one of the top-three best written games of all time in my opinion.
A good varied week as 2015 starts to take off in earnest. Any games you’re itching to get your hands on that I failed to mention? Hit the comments and let the world know.