Horizon: Forbidden West is finally here.
Welcome back to This Week In Games, and to a week a lot of people have been waiting for. This week, there are a few significant titles to talk about beyond Aloy’s long-awaited return. Usually, with a launch this big, you’d see many other publishers steering clear. But Dying Light 2 has now had almost two weeks to itself, and it’s time to start dropping games again.
February 15
Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires (PS5, XSX, NS, PC, PS4, XBO)
Dynasty Warriors Empires is a spin-off of the legendary Musou franchise. Though large Musou battles are still prevalent in the game, players create their own Three Kingdoms hero and conquer mainland China themselves. The Empires difference is that it inserts opportunities for political machinations and strategy in between the hack-and-slash combat fans know and love. This latest version launched in Eastern markets in 2021, but now launches in the West. Something to note: There is no retail disc for the PS5 version. If you want the game on PS5, you’ll have to buy it digitally from the PlayStation Store.
February 17
Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection (NS)
The pure cultural impact of Ezio Auditore, the Assassin’s Creed hero so popular he’s still getting rereleases on modern hardware. The Ezio Collection contains the original Assassin’s Creed II, and its direct sequels Brotherhood and Revelations. This will be the first time these games have been made available on Switch and should run rather beautifully on Nintendo’s handheld given their age. If you never played these games in their heyday, or maybe (like me) you’ve come to miss the old Assassin’s Creed format, they’ll be worth a look. Everyone else has honestly probably played them already.
The King of Fighters XV (PS5, XSX, PC, PS4)
Often overshadowed in the West by competitors like Street Fighter and Tekken, The King of Fighters has nevertheless built a loyal following. KOF XV hopes to put SNK’s long-running technical fighter back in the ring. It’s an opportune moment to arrive — all the genre’s major players are currently working on new titles or still supporting older ones. KOF XV breaks the fighting game drought with a new roster of characters, and a complex array of moves to master. This series has always been a little different, determined to defy genre conventions and do its own thing, sometimes to its detriment. But it’s always true to its weird anime-inspired self, and I have to respect it for that.
Total War: Warhammer III (PC)
The Warhammer Fantasy roster is deep indeed. The third (and possibly final?) major game in the Total War: Warhammer series from Creative Assembly drops this week, featuring eight new playable armies, each with their own Legendary Lords. This series is known for deep, time-consuming strategy, and is perhaps the best digital representation of the beloved tabletop wargame ever created. I’m sure this will have an endless stream of DLC like previous games. A match made in heaven, honestly.
Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden (NS, PC, PS4)
Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is the second game in this emerging series of JRPG deck builders from Square Enix. The game’s story, characters and world are entirely made up of cards on a table. It seeks to recreate the feeling of playing a real-world deck builder game. Compared to the earnest and in-your-face approach of most modern JRPG’s, Voice of Cards takes a far more subtle approach. It presents a clever design challenge, and the developers tackle it with creativity and heart. I’m looking forward to this one.
February 18
Horizon: Forbidden West (PS5, PS4)
Aloy’s journey continues. From the ashes of Zero Dawn, a new threat has emerged, one that could destroy the entire world. As Aloy rushes to solve the mystery, her leads begin to dry up. Her last and only hope for answers lies in a territory known as the Forbidden West, a hostile place beyond the borders of the only home she’s ever known.
As I write this, I’m still under the Horizon review embargo. That review embargo drops at 7:01 pm AEDT tonight, February 14. Swing back then and see what we thought!
Spaceflight Simulator (PC)
I saw this pop up in my Steam recommendations and had to put it on the list. I am a complete sucker for a dumb Job Sim and this fits the bill spectacularly. Games like these are silly and are very aware of it. The perfect kind of game to pop on while you catch up on your podcasts.
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