It’s hard to avoid it: Video games have felt like they’ve been in a bit of a lull lately.
That’s not to say there aren’t tons of great things coming out now or coming soon. Players still have the likes of Gotham Knights, God of War: Ragnarok and the new Pokémon game to ask Santa this coming holiday season. But the summer is a little late compared to the last few years.
Interest in the sport, however, has not waned much. New consoles are still flying off the shelves faster than they are being manufactured, and people are still eager to avoid the pain (and lingering pain) by keeping up with the latest games. . So if you’re looking for something new to play, here are a bunch of recent releases that will be worth your while.
Escape Academy
Escape rooms have been around for years now, but there’s still something new about sinking your teeth into the real good. On the same subject : 10 video games that have exceeded their welcome. One with puzzles that are neither difficult nor easy, but balanced enough to let you feel smart enough to avoid them.
Escape Academy takes the classic escape room and turns it into a cooperative video game, in which you run through a selection of timed levels while working through a story about being recruited to a school for expert escapers. Like real escape rooms, it is best with a friend, but it can also be enjoyed. There’s not much to go back to once you’ve solved all the puzzles, but it’s a smart and fun romp that can rack your brain for hours.
Available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
In 2019, Fire Emblem: Three Houses enchanted players with its large cast of beloved characters, each with a backstory and dynamic to discover. It’s a wonderful story of students forced to grow up during wartime, complete with all the drama it entails. To see also : What Apple TV’s MLS deal says about sports and streaming. Now Warriors Emblem Warriors: Three Skins allows us to spend more time with our old friends, although in a different way.
While most Fire Emblem games are turn-based strategy games that emphasize slow, tactical strategy, this Warriors spinoff focuses more on action. You spend some time planning the advance and directing specific enemies towards the enemy forces (making sure, for example, that the archers are in position to use their advantage against the enemy), but you will spend more time getting your hands on it. Get dirty, hack and slash your way through hundreds of enemies during each mission. (Don’t worry, it’s all presented in a beautiful, bloodless cartoon.)
The game is fun, if a little silly at times, but like its predecessor, it’s the characters and the story that will probably keep you going on an adventure.
Available now on Nintendo Switch.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series
While Mario, Sonic and Crash Bandicoot were fighting for everyone’s heart in the late 90s, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile stood out as an innocent game full of charm and drama. This may interest you : 10 Overlooked Video Games in Great Franchises | ScreenRant. Combining 3D graphics with 2D gameplay, players of all ages can go through colorful levels, collect items and solve puzzles.
Phantasy Reverie Series remasters of the original Klonoa and its sequel, preparing with two games that hold up very well in 2022. Both feature a unique type of gameplay in which you must use your enemies as a way to get more jumps while you are in the air, leader. to so many situations that you have to think carefully about every jump you make.
For the budget price of $40, you get two family-friendly adventures in a series that are honestly worth more attention.
Available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Loot River
The game’s graphics are set in a dark fantasy world with combat but justice and graphics that are reminiscent of old-school systems like the original PlayStation. Now, just for fun, throw in a block puzzle like Tetris. That is, more or less, the real purpose behind River Loot.
Every time you play, the game throws you into a new randomly generated dungeon full of floating platforms of different shapes and sizes. While on the platform, you can use the right stick of your controller to move it like a small mobile island. By reshaping the environment in this way, you can set up strategic battle stages, escape from battle or make your way to places with useful treasures to collect. It’s a difficult but exciting game that sets itself apart in the game following the same pattern as Dark Souls.
Available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Steam
Mario Strikers: Battle League
I’m a nerd who doesn’t go out much, so I’ll just say: Games are more interesting when Mario and his friends are involved.
This new Mario Strikers game is a great soccer game, complete with unique graphics and Mario Kart-esque elements. It’s definitely a multiplayer-focused affair, though. Whether you have friends to play with indoors or you intend to take on other players online, Battle Royale is all about (mostly) friendly competition. While there is only one competition to be played, they probably won’t justify the purchase on their own.
Available now on Nintendo Switch.
Neon White
When you think of heaven, you may think of peace and pearly gates. Neon White, on the other hand, depicts heaven as a battlefield where killers hunt demons. By using a variety of weapons and abilities you will run, jump, slide, kick, spin and twist your way to the finish line as fast as you can.
This stylish, fast-paced shooter has a lot going for it, but its biggest asset is the leaderboard. Most of the game’s roughly 97 levels can be finished in less than a minute – some in less than 10 seconds – but you won’t be fast on your first try. You can probably go back and accept your silver medal time, sure, but when you check your score and see that your friend somehow managed to beat her 20 seconds faster than you did, it’s game on. I personally replayed this level several times in a row trying to shave off precious seconds, shooting for that top spot on my friends list.
The story can be hit or miss depending on your taste. If you’re not up for some cheesy, sexually suggestive dialogue, you’re probably better off skipping the cutscenes and sticking to the show itself.
Available now on PC and Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo Switch Sports
When the Nintendo Wii launched in 2006 it took the world by storm thanks to one game: Wii Sports. The package of motion-controlled sports like baseball, tennis and, perhaps most importantly, basketball has led to many family nights, many retirement home tournaments and more than a few cracked TVs.
Finally, Nintendo Switch has a worthy successor in the form of Nintendo Switch Sports. At its most basic, the new Sport is everything you’d want from a classic Switch. It’s just as easy to pick up and play as the original, and yes, the soccer game is still a blast.
Currently, Nintendo Switch Sports includes football, badminton, chambara (sword fighting), football, tennis and soccer. Nintendo has announced that golf will also come as a free update.
Available now on Nintendo Switch.
The new PlayStation Plus
Sony gamers are familiar with the PlayStation Plus service at this point, as a paid subscription has been required to play many online games for years. However, the service has recently received updates and new payment options in Sony’s effort to compete more directly with Xbox’s Game Pass service.
The Essentials package, the lowest level at $9.99 a month, is the same as always. But now you can choose the additional level for $14.99 per month ($99.99 per year) or Premium for $17.99 per month ($119.99 per year). What these new steps offer is a real list of “Netflix for games” of software that you can download and enjoy to your heart’s content without going to the store and buy it at full price.
The list of modern releases is very interesting. Acclaimed titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima, God of War and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla can be found in the extra level. If you only have a PS4 or PS5 and want an instant library of great games, this is a fantastic option.
Premium is a little upside down. Its main draw is a selection of classic games for older PlayStation systems as well as a large number of older games available through cloud streaming (Games 3 are the majority of this list). There are some classics here, such as Resident Evil: Director’s Cut and Monkey Run, but the old-school selection is still pretty cool. If you don’t care about books at all, there’s little reason to pay the premium price.
Available now for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Stray
I don’t consider myself much of a cat person, however Stray’s feline protagonist is one of my favorite new releases of 2022.
Stray is set in a seemingly post-apocalyptic future in which people seem to have been around for a long time. All that remained were the machines they had created, many of which reached maturity and lived an indefinite life in the recesses of our ancient past. You play as a cat – a normal, run-of-the-mill cat – who has been picked up by an AI drone in an attempt to escape the city and make it to the surface of the bright world.
The game is all about exploration and solving a light puzzle game, with the occasional escape sequence thrown in. Animating your character is the best of the class, though how many other games actually let you play as a cat at all?
Available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
There was a time when you couldn’t walk into a pizzeria, movie theater or arcade without seeing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game there, enticing players to spend quarter after quarter beating robots and ninjas. This new game, Shredder’s Revenge, feels like the development that some of us have wanted for years.
Not only is it a thrilling ride, with gameplay that is very reminiscent of the original game, it also manages to be one of the best modern beat-’em-up games of the last several years. Modern touches make enemies more fun than just hitting a button (though you’re welcome to just mash stuff, too). And since turtles are a team, you can play with up to four players on the same system, or up to six players online.
Available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
