Best Games of Previous Week #3

With the Holiday season rapidly approaching we are running out of time to play all of the new games - and there's a natural flood of them. The previous week (December 9-15) has seen a lot of releases most of which one would call niche ones. The love for 2D-games is shining like never before - so we have several platformers of sorts. There's also some VR stuff, indies and a very promising shooter for PC - let's dig into the details.

Guacamelee! 2

The hefty Mexican is back at what he is best capable of - wrestling, beating enemies to death and turning into a battle chicken. The sequel to the original Guacamelee! has already seen the light of day on PC and PS4, and a few months later the game has approached Nintendo Switch. Juan Aguacate is once again tasked with an honourable mission to save the world - only this time he is happily living with his family and enjoying a well-deserved rest when the global danger unfolds. The signature mayhem of the game can be thoroughly experienced in a co-op mode for 4 players.

Released on: Nintendo Switch.

Kingdom: Two Crowns

Another installment in the critically acclaimed Kingdom series comes in its full pixelated glory. In case you are unfamiliar with Kingdom - and there's nothing to be ashamed of - these games bring you into some kind of a strategic adventure. Two Crowns is the third game and lets you experience the vast fantasy world where you have to build and defend your kingdom against the outer threats - both in singleplayer and co-op. Train units, tame majestic beasts, etc. - you have a huge number of possibilities that are rarely associated with a 2D-game like that particular one. Never judge by the looks!

Released on: Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC.

Gungrave VR

Here's the reason to unpack your dusty PS VR helmet and enjoy another deep dive into the virtual reality - Gungrave VR has made its way to the West with the global release. The IP has been abandoned for more than a decade, and it doesn't seem like a great idea to revive the series in VR if you want to draw attention among the gaming community. However, it's a fun project and what really matters - it's a VR shooter where you can actually move while saving the world! Still waiting for the VR technologies with full immersion though.

Released on: PS4/PS VR.

Everspace

The cosmic arcade action Everspace doesn't seem as exciting as Star Citizen or Elite Dangerous, but the game is not overcomplicated either which is an advantage, to be honest. It's a simple and visually appealing project that lets you enjoy the colourful outer space - and it's now available on Nintendo's latest. This rogue-like space shooter does a great job in engaging the player with the help of a delightfully delivered story and ever-changing encounters. You can craft new equipment while on your journey, enhance your weaponry and upgrade the ship to better deal with the enemies.

Released on: Nintendo Switch.

Earth Defense Force 5

Earth Defense Force franchise is a mastodon of console gaming which originated back in the glorious days of PlayStation 2 - and it's inevitably back. Earth Defense Force 5 is not actually the fifth installment in the long-running series with all of its sequels and spin-offs, but it doesn't really matter. Bugs are still threatening the very existence of humanity, and we are not in the position to be fussing around. Gameplay wise EDF5 is pretty much the same third-person shooter with fancier graphics and a few new mechanics, but it also features more content than ever and a local/online co-op.

Released on: PS4.

Insurgency: Sandstorm

The original tactical hardcore FPS Insurgency was an unexpected but a very welcoming project which has greatly contributed to the core PC gaming scene - and we are really excited to see it return in a form of a remake/sequel Insurgency: Sandstorm. The key difference is the presence of a fully-fledged singleplayer story campaign, although we first and foremost love the game for its realistic competitive multiplayer. Right now the game is skyrocketing with a very high number of positive reviews in Steam and it's very well worth of your attention. Sandstorm also releases on consoles in 2019.

Released on: PC.

GRIS

A charming and visually astonishing 2D platformer/adventure that has already earned the people's love. Its user score in Steam is close to 100% which is a sign of a masterpiece, to say the least. The most useless job would be to try listing GRIS' most valuable features as it is valuable and virtually flawless as a whole. The titular heroine - a young girl called Gris - is lost within the boundaries of her obscure reality and tries to escape the conditions of her painful existence. It's a deeply psychological and touching story unfolding with almost no dialogues and text.

Released on: Nintendo Switch, PC.

Below

As if we had none, here's another indie game - a top-down adventure Below which is dark and violent with death awaiting you around every corner. You'll have to navigate the deep and frightening underground labyrinths of a lost island trying to figure out what lies below. Your journey through the game is procedurally generated so there's no universal solution to the tricky situations you'll find yourself into. Monsters, traps and the very hostile environment - the world of Below is definitely not a hospitable one. 

Released on: Xbox One, PC.

Borderlands 2 VR

While we are all eagerly waiting for at least a slight glance at Borderlands 3 official news, the developers at Gearbox Software are letting us enjoy the fan-favourite shooter Borderlands 2 in VR. The game released a few days ago - and it's a proper VR title in comparison to the aforementioned Gungrave VR. It's a complete experience developed specifically for the PS4 headset; however, it's not issue-free as there are few awkward problems with implementing the game's base mechanics in VR - but it's not that bad either.

Released on: PS4/PS VR.

*****

Although the previous week was not packed with a bunch of major releases you still have a rich variety of projects to choose from. Don't be that guy that plays his favourite games hundreds of times - be open to something new and exciting, like the games listed above which we kindly recommend you to look at.