May hasn’t been as hectic as the last couple of months when it comes to releases, but it’s certainly not for lack of trying. This week is especially chockers: Rime is finally available, almost four years after it was announced, another Star Ocean game appears, the Wii U gets a new game, there’s a platformer about a dog trying to save its owner, and Ultra Street Fighter 2 lands on the Switch.
But the one that will probably catch most people’s eyes is the return of an underrated gem: the remaster of Vanquish hits PC this week, complete with an unlocked framerate and 4K support.
The Elder Scrolls Online – Morrowind (PC, PS4, XBO)
What is it? Morrowind comes to Zenimax’s MMO spin on the Elder Scrolls world.
Should you care? If you’ve stuck with ESO for all this time, you’d probably be compelled to check Morrowind out. I’ve heard good things as well, so it might be worth considering if you enjoyed the early days of ESO.
Disgaea 5 Complete (Switch)
What is it? An over-the-top tactical JRPG set in the Disgaea universe, where every character is supposedly evil.
Should you care? Disgaea 5 is a self-contained story, so if you like JRPGs you should be able to play this without prior knowledge of the series. I’ve heard it runs real well on the Switch, too.
Darksiders: Warmastered Edition (Wii U)
What is it? Darksiders! On the Wii U!
Should you care? It’s nice that someone is selling new games on the Wii U in 2017, even if they first launched on the PS3 and 360 over seven years ago.
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (PS4)
What is it? The PS2 classic returns.
Should you care? Provided it works out of the gate this time, maybe? There aren’t many JRPGs that take inspiration from Star Trek.
Rime (PC, PS4, XBO, Switch)
What is it? A third-person puzzle adventure starring a boy shipwrecked on an island.
Should you care? The artstyle might appeal to anyone who enjoyed The Witness or The Last Guardian. Be keen to see how it performs on the Switch when it drops; seems like a good game on the commute.
Get Even (PC, PS4, XBO)
What is it? A thriller starring a mercenary who wakes up with amnesia in an old asylum.
Should you care? I’m out just at the cliche, but those who loved the first Outlast might be into this.
Portal Knights (PC, PS4, XBO)
What is it? A 3D sandbox RPG featuring four player co-op, randomly generated worlds, crafting, tactical combat and random events.
Should you care? Depends whether you have a group of friends or not.
Birthdays the Beginning (PC, PS4)
What is it? A sandbox game from Yasuhiro Wada, the creator of Harvest Moon, that echoes SimEarth, Populous and Minecraft a little.
Should you care? The PC port was panned pretty hard, but the PS4 version should run better.
Vanquish (PC)
What is it? A third-person action shooter from PlatinumGames with mechs, rifles, electric chainsaws, cover, and generally just a lot of shit blowing up.
Should you care? Very much so.
Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (Switch)
What is it? Basically the definitive version of Ultra Street Fighter 2 on the Switch.
Should you care? No word on how the online play functions, which could be a dealbreaker for people. Wait and see how that holds up first.
Deliriant (PS4)
What is it? A first-person adventure about abuse, coping mechanisms and family relationships, where the environment developers as a character.
Should you care? How dark do you like your games?
Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 (PS4, PS3)
What is it? More Guilty Gear fighting!
Should you care? Yes if you love the series, no if you’re not into fighters or don’t have many friends.
Everspace (PC, XBO)
What is it? A first-person arcade space dogfighter with rogeulike elements, but without millions of controls or long waiting times between action.
Should you care? Was a little repetitive when it first launched in Early Access last year, but the game looked great and had a solid soundtrack. I’ll be keen to see what improvements they’ve made in the last several months.
Emily is Away Too (PC)
What is it? A sequel to the original Emily is Away, a narrative adventure from the view of a Windows XP desktop where you talk to friends through an instant messaging service to determine your fate.
Should you care? The original is free-to-play and pretty unusual. Worth an hour or two.
Bokida: Heartfelt Reunion (XBO)
What is it? The minimalist open-world puzzler lands on XBO, after launching on PC last week.
Should you care? Looks really neat. Don’t know if the world and puzzles will stand up to The Witness, though.
Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada (PC, PS4)
What is it? It’s a Samurai Warriors game from Koei Tecmo, so have a guess.
Should you care? If you want another 10,000 warriors to slice and dice, sure I guess.
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception (PS4, Vita)
What is it? A visual novel/strategy that begins with the player being saved by a girl “who sports both adorable animal ears and a beastlike tail”.
Should you care? There’s an audience for games like these. Check out some gameplay footage on YouTube and you’ll know if it’s your deal or not.
Friday The 13th: The Game (PC, PS4, XBO)
What is it? An asymmetrical horror survival where players either try to escape from Jason Voorhees – or they take control of Jason and try to murder the counsellors of Camp Crystal Lake.
Should you care? Seems like a good game for watching on Twitch, although the trailers are a touch off-putting for my taste. A lot of work has gone into giving Jason lots of animations to kill people, which is something.
Balthazar’s Dream (PC)
What is it? A pixel-art platformer starring a dog trying to save their owner.
Should you care? It’s really cute.
It’s a big week of releases – and that’s not even the full extent of everything that’s out. Is there something I didn’t include that you think everyone should know about? Let us know below!
Comments
18 responses to “This Week In Games: Vanquish Returns”
This is me quietly still holding a torch for Xbox One backwards compatibility for Vanquish and Metal Gear Rising.
Or Vanquish 2. Such an underrated game.
Birthdays actually came out a while ago, though this may be the physical release. Also out this week:
– Embers of Mirrim (PC/PS4/XBOne)
– Pox Nora (PS4)
Perhaps the most important release in the history of gaming is also out this week too. Yes, everyone knows I’m talking about Nekopara Vol 3. No self-respecting gamer should be without a copy!
Morrowind doesnt come out until the 6th
It’s available from today US time according to Steam.
its early access for PC players. The full release is on the 6th
Ultra Street Fighter 2, I’m very torn on.
Vanquish is a lock. It was a game a I got from Dick Smith (back when Dick Smith was actually not in dire straits) for about $20 in a bargain bin. It was brand new at the time I think. I loved it.
Eager to see how this Friday 13th game pans out, there really is a Twitch genre now isn’t there?
And I kind of want Darksiders. I got the sequel on Wii U but never played it.
Not being up to date with this stuff, but is F13 a physical or digital release?
I’m interested to pick up Vanquish and give it a go with mouse + keyboard.
Even after all these years I still can only barely manage shooters with a gamepad, and I gave up on the game about half way through.
Is there a physical release for Star Ocean: Till the End of Time?
Wouldn’t mind revisiting that game but not if it’s digital only.
Actually quite a few awesome looking things there! Deliriant, Rime and Portal Knight all seem real cool.
Hyped for Disgaea 5 – demo is out on the eShop if you want to test it out. Looks really nice on the Switch.
Apparently it has been delayed a week. At least the physical version has.
Oh, boo. i’m buying digital, so not too fussed – still sucky though.
Is there any confirmation on that delay from Nippon/Nintendo that the physical release is delayed? I’ve only seen EBgames move their date so far and I am super hyped for it but I prefer physical copies to digital..
@ynefel
Looks like digital got delayed too.
http://www.vooks.net/disgaea-5-complete-delayed-aussie-eshop-match-delayed-retail-release/
Just noticed that on the eShop last night. =(
I hope all this meh ESO content isn’t delaying ESVI.
Also, Deliriant sounds like it could be interesting or vomit-inducingly pretentious. Anyone played it?