Oh God. Could this week be more stacked? Horizon: Zero Dawn. Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Torment: Tides of Numenera. The third season of The Walking Dead. And the Nintendo Switch.
It’s a busy week. Let’s break it down.
Torment: Tides of Numenera (PC, PS4, XBO)
What is it? The spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, more or less, and the latest modern take on oldschool RPGs from inXile.
Should you care? If you ever loved Baldur’s Gate, enjoyed Wasteland 2 or had fun with Divinity: Original Sin, then yes.
DESYNC (PC)
What is it? An Aussie-made FPS where you clear levels by killing enemies with as much style as possible.
Should you care? Think a neon version of Bulletstorm. This game could get buried this week, but it shouldn’t be forgotten.
Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)
What is it? A post-apocalyptic open-world adventure with Aloy, who fights to survive a world of corrupted men and machines.
Should you care? Yeah, you really should. Especially if you own a PS4 Pro.
Nintendo Switch
What is it? Nintendo’s latest console.
Should you care? A lot of people really, really do.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U/Switch)
What is it? The latest adventure in the Zelda universe.
Should you care? If you don’t, read Stephen’s first impressions and reconsider. I’d wager that Breath of the Wild is probably the best launch title for a game since the PS4/Xbox One launched. (If you can think of a better launch title, though, please let me know!)
Just Dance 2017 (Switch)
What is it? Ubisoft’s dancing franchise graces the power of the Switch.
Should you care? People either hate it or love it.
1-2 Switch (Switch)
What is it? A collection of 28 minigames showing off the various hardware features of the Switch, ranging from cracking safes to eating contests to invisible table tennis.
Should you care? I don’t mind the bundles that come with 1-2 Switch for an extra $30 on top of the console. That’s not bad value given all the games at hand, but I wouldn’t pay $60 or more for this. It’s no Wii Tennis, after all.
The Walking Dead – The Telltale Series: A New Frontier (PS4, XBO)
What is it? Telltale returns to The Walking Dead with a third season.
Should you care? This is a retail re-release; the episodes have already been available digitally, and the reception hasn’t been too bad. If you hadn’t gotten on board already though, or you’re not a Walking Dead fan, I’d wait until Telltale’s engine gets a serious upgrade. Even users on PC are complaining of abysmal frame rates, which seems an absurd thing for a Telltale game.
Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch (PS4)
What is it? The PS4 port of the top-down XCOM-esque strategy game.
Should you care? It’s a re-release of an iOS game, which launched on Steam back in 2015. Based on all the problems users complained about, I’d recommend playing the mobile version instead.
Tethered (Vive, Rift, OSVR)
What is it? A God-like game in VR akin to Populous.
Should you care? It’s a very relaxing game. Worth a look if you want something that doesn’t need fast reactions for VR.
A King’s Tale: Final Fantasy 15 (PS4)
What is it? Remember the retro side-scroller that came with Final Fantasy 15 if you pre-ordered? Yup, it’s that.
Should you care? Maybe not this week; there’s plenty out as-is.
Super Bomberman R (Switch)
What is it? Bomberman returns for the Nintendo Switch.
Should you care? Sure, but maybe when it goes on sale. Kogan, Dick Smith and EB Games are all selling this for $89.95 or more. I mean, really?
Grim Legends: The Forsaken Bride (PS4)
What is it? A hidden object puzzle-adventure.
Should you care? There’s a level of quality to this that justifies it being on consoles, but it’s still something that you might as well play on mobiles instead. And there’s better puzzle games abound, anyway.
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Extended Edition (PS4)
What is it? A Diablo-esque hack and slasher inspired by Dracula.
Should you care? Enjoy Reaper of Souls on console? Or Gauntlet Helldivers? Then Van Helsing is absolutely worth a look. It supports co-op too, which is the most important part. Might not be worth a look this week, with everything out, but definitely worth picking up at some stage.
WRC 6 (PS4)
What is it? A digital release of licensed rally racing.
Should you care? DiRT Rally has a lot more going for it, and it supports PSVR now as well.
Total War: WARHAMMER Old World Edition (PC)
What is it? A boxed release of Total WARHAMMER with a bundled novella, the Bretonnia DLC (which is free) and extra artwork.
Should you care? No. Buy Total WARHAMMER from Humble Bundle for $US12 instead and then you can spend the money you save on the Wood Elves DLC.
That’s not it, of course. There’s also a bunch of other titles hitting the Switch this week: Fast RMX, Human Resource Machine, Snipperclips, I Am Setsuna, Skylanders: Imaginators, Little Inferno, and World of Goo. They’re all digital releases, however, so we don’t have pricing details on those.
So those are all the big hitters out this week. Picking anything up? (Of course you are.) Which games will you get now, and what ones will you hold off on for later? Let us know in the comments!
Comments
67 responses to “This Week In Games: Oh God, Everything”
Zelda is all. Everything else is irrelevant.
Eh… I played A Link Between Worlds and didn’t see what all the fuss was about. Yeah it’s cutesy and the gameplay is pretty tight and varied. The exploration is pretty good. Nothing really makes it ‘special’ for me. Give me Xenoblade Chronicles any day.
The charm in ALBW was the nostalgia factor from Zelda 3. It was far too linear IMHO.
Ah, I didn’t know that. Interesting…
Have you played any other Zelda game besides that one? Breath of the Wild is going to be something special.
Nope, that’s the only one I’ve played so far. I’ll probably get a Switch at some point, but not until the price comes down a fair bit. If it stays as high as the Wii U’s price did then I probably won’t get one in the foreseeable future.
I’m wondering, because for me there’s been plenty of times when a game i either hadn’t heard about or dismissed early on ended up being absolute must plays for me due to a combination of critical reception and watching a video or two such as a Giant Bomb quick look.
Is there a possibility that you could change your stance based on the reviews and the invariable flood of videos for it on youtube?
Also since you haven’t played any of the 3D Zelda’s your missing out on some of the appeal of BotW and also the series in general. Obviously for fanatics like myself I’ve played them all and you really need to try at least one of the 3D Zelda’s to get “what all the fuss is about”.
Yeah I’d give it a go for sure – I’ll generally give anything a chance 🙂
I get it, it’s not for everybody.
but you wanted to see what the fuss was about and didn’t play Ocarina of Time first?
Yeah, I did some research and took suggestions and that was the pick. I’ll probably play Ocarina of Time at some point. I’m alternating Vita and 3DS titles for portable play right now. Half-way through Stella Glow. I’m running low on 3DS titles (only Bravely Second, Yo-Kai Watch to go) so I might pick up Ocarina after that.
Oot was a foundational, landmark title which shaped the way games were made going forwards, but it’s not as interesting, mind-bending, or mature as majoras mask.
Less compromised versions of oot have been done, but MM is my favourite zelda game because it still hasn’t been topped at what it does.
I agree with this. OoT was groundbreaking, a staple that redefined the genre and videogames to a point… back in the day. It was a new thing, done well (for a first time). Majora’s Mask took that and then turned it over its head and did incredible things with it. I’d use the metaphor that OoT invented language but MM invented poetry.
If you want the nostalgia kick, ALttP (Zelda 3) is my favourite Zelda. It still holds up today.
Dragon Quest 8 was released on the 3DS not long ago and may be worth a look. (DQ7 is also available.) The basic mechanics are very much along the lines of traditional RPGs, so if you liked Bravely Second there’s a good chance you’ll like it. DQ8 was originally released for PS2 a few years ago.
Personally I steer away from Zelda games these days, although I have copies of quite a few of them purchased when I was more optimistic about the franchise. The mechanics seem to me to be more “action adventure” than “RPG” in nature. I got tired of repeating the same fifteen minutes of gameplay in OOT because of a quarter-second misstep in a jump.
Always been curious about Dragon Quest but had assumed (perhaps wrongly) that some prior experience of the series was necessary to enjoy later installments.
Nope as a matter of fact I picked up 8 and loved it hadn’t played any of the others previously.
Haha, I’ll be prepared to be downvoted to hell, but I haven’t cared for a Zelda games since the jump to 3D. And yes, that includes Ocarina of Time.
Downvoted, only cos you seem keen for for it…
Im with you, i 100% prefer the top down styles.
Going to need a price breakdown of the Switch stuff at some stage, can see an outlay of over $1000 this week if not savvy enough.
I already preordered all the things, but for launch day pricing Big w is winning, just ahead of target.
$519 for a switch/botw bundle is pretty good.
$594 for Switch, Zelda, Pro Controller and 1-2 Switch from Big W along with using staff discount and WoolWorths/BigW wish gift cards cheap.
Whist that is surely wonderful for you, it doesn’t really reflect the actual price from what I can tell.
You still save over $70 if you pay Big W full price vs EB. But a load of people can take advantage of part or all of the deal above so it’s worth posting.
I wouldn’t recommend Final Fantasy XV – A King’s Tale. It’s a fun novelty and it’s pretty well made, but the game itself isn’t very engaging.
That’s what I suspected. I’d rather watch the film and then play FF-XV without touching this. I watched a couple of episodes of Brotherhood, which were cool.
Since the Xboned version of Final Fantasy XV – A King’s Tale is going to be free to download. I’ll give it a go.
If it’s free go for it. Just don’t go out of your way for it.
Best launch title since the PS4/Xbone launch? Kind of wins that by default.
Can someone explain this like i’m 5?
Breath of the Wild will probably be the best game that a console has launched with in the last few years, compared to the launch titles that the Xbox One and PS4 had (things like Driveclub, Destiny, Sunset Overdrive, the nightmare that was Halo: Master Chief Collection, although I’m undoubtedly missing a few titles here).
Ryse mate… and Watchdogs I guess.
I don’t get it i don’t think any of those games listed were launch titles?
Ps4 launched with knack and killzone. Driveclub was delayed by almost a year, and launched near destiny.
Xbone launched with Dead rising 3, KI, Forza, and Ryse. Sunset overdrive and halo released almost a year later.
The launch exclusives for both consoles were nothing special, and the wait for a zelda quality game was a long one in both cases.
BOTW is probably going to be the highest rated launch title since Mario 64.
Yeah I don’t think your point got across very well. From what I remember the ps4 and XBone at launch were pretty lacklustre and there wasn’t anything decent for about 6-9 months and that’s being generous.
Sure, probably could have worded it better. But it’s a comment and you understood pretty quickly (as did everyone above) so hopefully people won’t hold it against me too much. Always next time.
Yeah wording made it sound as though you thought the launch games for PS4/XBOne were good and /since then/ no other launch games has been good… but, obviously there haven’t been any launch games since then.
XBONE owner and for the first time in a long time, I’m very jealous of other consoles! As a Zelda fan since NES, I’d love to play BOTW and some of the PS4 exclusives of late look amazing (Horizon: Zero Dawn, Bloodborne, Nioh etc).
Yeah unfortunately you are getting boned atm with those releases. Top notch.
You forgot Blackwake: http://store.steampowered.com/app/420290/
It’s an early access launch; we don’t typically include those.
Is super bomberman really being released this week? Eb still says April. :S Hoping it is this week.
2nd shipment of the game is for April – they sold out on their first shipment
and looks like JB-HiFi removed it from their site
GAH thanks!!! Make sense now.
My Dad, who exclusively plays racing games, bought a PS4 Pro and a HDR 4K TV *just* for Horizon Zero Dawn.
I’m helping him get it set up tomorrow and he’s paying me in Nintendo Switches, so that’s nice.
I ordered Switch, BOTW, Red Joycon, Pro Controller and a carry case. So that is around $800 already. Plus I already ordered and preloaded Horizon. PLUS Logan is out this week.
Ordered from EB? Drop into Big W first and pick out the bits you need cheaper, get the rest at EB.
Bomberman was the only other Switch launch title I was looking to get outside Zelda but jeez, that price. Big W are listing it for $79 but I was hoping it’d be closer to the $60 area.
The launch day eshop stuff is looking fairly compelling. Snipperclips in particular, now with four player co-op and competitive.
i preordered it from Ozgameshop at $55 delivered.
TORMENT is gonna be my life this week
It’s a shame both Horizon and Breath of the Wild are coming out this week, cause I only have time for one post-apocalyptic survival game where you play as a feisty protag armed with a bow, and I’ve been waiting over four years for Breath of the Wild, can’t say the same for Horizon.
Can someone who’s finished the game tell me if it’s feasible for me to beat Bloodborne before Breath of the Wild comes out? I’m
going through The Old Hunters content before I fight Gehrmancurrently.Ask these guys about Bloodborn.
https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/02/talk-amongst-yourselves-410/
How long have you been playing so far? The game can definitely be finished before Breath of the Wild, it’s just a matter of how much time you can dedicate to playing and how fast you normally move through bosses.
What a time to be alive / a gamer
Anyone know if EB are doing a Pro & Horizon bundle?
I ask about EB because I want to trade in my current PS4 and some games.
I believe Snipperclips and Shovel Knight (plus its newest expansion) will also be available digitally at launch for the Switch. If you haven’t seen Snipperclips yet, I implore you to, it’s arguably the best launch title outside of Zelda right now.
…PS4 and Xbone had launch titles? 😛
gonna be an awesome week cant wait for hzd and zelda. ps since when is tethered relaxing? maybe compared to disarming a bomb but fuck that game is all kinds of micro management crazy, it is fantastic though
@alexwalker you forgot Snipperclips!
So I did. Thanks, I’ll add that.
All about the Robot Dinosaur Hype Express!!!
I’ll pick up Horizon, since I already have a PS4, and Tides of Fate, simply because I suspect the writing will be great.
I would dearly love to get the Switch, but I can’t justify it with Zelda alone.. and I suspect they’ll still be consoles left in a month or so.
Pretty cool that Nintendo are actually releasing at least one game people care about for their console this time around, and their gimmick is marginally less dumb than the previous two generations. But still not enough to make me care. BotW looks good enough that I’m legit a little bummed to be missing out but I seriously doubt they’ll ever release another game for the Switch that I’ll want to play and I ain’t spending $500+ to play one game, no matter how good it is.
Horizon I remain deeply skeptical of because it has a massive hype-train but doesn’t seem to actually do all that much that’s really unique. There’s something to be said for taking existing concepts and mastering them but… ehh… I think I’ll wait and see if people are still talking about this one in the same way a couple months down the road.
Torment should be a larf assuming they didn’t mess it up. It looks like they probably didn’t.
Super excited for Horizon, my preorder is on its way yaaay. Hopefully it gets here by release day
see this; “Should you care? Yeah, you really should. Especially if you own a PS4 Pro.” is what shits me about having the original ps4
The best thing is that it doesn’t matter if you have the original is still looks amazing. But yeah I totally understand where you are coming from.
So if you’re not a Nintendo/PS4 player, nothing much coming out besides Torment? Yeah, sounds like the best week ever…