S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHORNOBYL

Here’s a recent and obvious one to kick things off. Every step of the way, it feels like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is trying to kill you. The game takes a lot of pride in how brutally demanding it is, to the point where it can feel actively hostile to the player. Terrifying mutant monstrosities, a constant dearth of weapons and ammo, radiation and extreme weather, or the plain and simple fact that you’re incredibly easy to kill- plenty of factors come together to ensure that you never feel at ease in the Exclusion Zone.

Helldivers 2

Arrowhead Studios delivered an absolute smash hit with Helldivers 2, a co-op game where players team up to fight waves upon waves of enemies across the backdrop of alien planets. Many of its ideas can be traced back to live service games like The Division’s PvP mode, but the game’s ability to induce a constant sense of chaos as you try to complete the objectives without veering into frustrating territory is what makes it so addictive in the first place. The gameplay has a knack for crafting some amazing stories, and that power of shared experiences and personal stories is what made it such a big thing.

Hi-Fi Rush

We wouldn’t really imagine a developer of games like The Evil Within creating a brightly colored rhythm game, but Tango Gameworks actually did that with Hi-Fi Rush and shadow dropped it out of nowhere. And the best part is that it all works beautifully despite the game being something that’s well out of the developer’s comfort zone. Everything from the fleshed-out world that operates on a tempo to a diverse range of rocking tracks and a combat loop that’s more rewarding than it is punishing, Hi-Fi Rush makes for a great first rhythm game for fans to get into this niche genre.

Palworld

Palworld felt like an interesting contrast of genres with initial trailers showcasing cute Pokemon-like creatures holding realistic guns against the backdrop of lush green plainscapes. And when it was released in early access recently, fans absolutely lapped it up thanks to a solid set of mechanics that work well in conjunction with one another. Sure, there are a few rough edges here and there – but the sheer creativity of it all is what makes it so endearing in the first place.

A Plague Tale: Innocence

A Plague Tale: Innocence might feel like a cheap knockoff of The Last of Us at first glance, and while that notion is true on some level – it isn’t entirely indicative of the entire story. Set against the backdrop of one of the darkest times of history, the story of Amicia and Hugo is an emotionally charged tale that features an equal share of heartfelt moments and adrenaline-pumping set pieces – which combined with the wonderfully well-realized characters makes for an incredibly exciting experience through and through.

Stray

Stray might not be a sprawling epic or a thrilling ride, but its unique concept of putting you in the paws of a stray cat was apparently more than enough reason for hundreds of thousands of fans to want to pick this one up. The puzzles are pretty simple, but interesting world-building and a snappy runtime that never lets the player get bored of the mechanics is what made it such a big deal when it was released back in 2022.

Demon’s Souls

The game that started it all. Demon’s Souls, first released for the PlayStation 3 back in 2009, surprised everyone with its brutal difficulty and intimidating boss battles. Featuring excellent art style and an eerie atmosphere (who can forget the crazy Valley of Defilement), Demon’s Souls went on to become an unexpected hit among players. Although later Souls games will take the genre further in different ways, Demon’s Souls still remains a memorable experience. If you have a PlayStation 5, you can try the excellent remake which was released back in 2020.

Lies of P

Lies of P is developer Neowiz’ take on the Souls formula, and while the initial showings were definitely promising – it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the final result would rank amongst the dozens of similar FromSoftware that keep releasing left, right, and center. But that skepticism was proven wrong, and Lies of P managed to actually deliver a worthy Soulslike with excellent level designs, memorable boss battles, and a couple of unique mechanics of its own.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Larian’s latest Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game that has huge ambitions, and it would be safe to say that it has set a new benchmark for RPGs in this generation. Baldur’s Gate 3 features a complex web of mechanics that work well in cohesion with one another, and there’s a bunch of distinct possibilities right from story endings to different playstyles and much more – and the attention to detail in each aspect is the major drawing factor which makes Baldur’s Gate 3 such a fun time.

Valheim

Valheim launched into early access in 2020, and it instantly became a smash hit with hundreds of thousands of fans flocking to make a living in procedurally generated worlds. Valheim features interesting boss battles, a high level of replayability, and memorable boss battles – but what makes it stand out amongst the crowd is a very tangible sense of progression as you get stronger and stronger with each biome you clear.

Lords of the Fallen

Talking about Souls games that managed to win the hearts of hundreds of fans, we have Lords of the Fallen. Released last year, Lords of The Fallen thrusts players into an appropriately murky dark fantasy setting and dates them to take on brutal bosses and trudge through overwhelming odds. Add to that an excellent world-shifting system and gorgeous visuals, and Lords of the Fallen becomes an unmissable game for fans of Soulsborne releases.

Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is the kind of game that never fails to surprise the player. It’s a weird mishmash of genres ranging from farming simulation to adventure and much more, and the fact that it all works beautifully in a cohesive fashion makes it such a great time. It’s a game that’s bursting at the seams with its creativity, and there are more than a few fans who took note of this one.

Phasmophobia

Blending together a horror experience in a multiplayer format is definitely a tough task, but Phasmophobia aces that with its excellent atmosphere and clever design. Phasmophobia was released at a time when friends were isolated from one another, and the sense of camaraderie that arises from trudging through decrepit locations and taking up tasks together is something that brought us closer to one another during such challenging times – which is one of the biggest reasons behind Phasmophobia’s runaway success.

The Forest

Survival games are dime a dozen these days, but Endlight Games’ smash hit The Forest managed to stand out amongst the barrage of similar contemporaries thanks to its excellent understanding of what makes a game of this ilk tick. The Forest features brutal survival mechanics, and the scenarios it puts you through force you to be dynamic in your approach and come up with interesting solutions to the problem at hand – and that is what makes it a game that’s worth spending dozens and dozens of hours in.

Last Epoch

The recently released Hack and Slash action RPG Last Epoch took the video gaming industry by storm, boldly making a name for itself in a genre. Last Epoch’s primary reason for success is its flexibility in build crafting, and its ability to appease both the casuals who don’t want to dive deep and veterans alike. In addition to this, Last Epoch also offers plenty of valuable loot as you progress through the game’s bevy of dungeons, and that engaging hook of player progression is another major drawing factor for the game.

Rocket League

Driving an abnormally large ball into a goalpost while seated in a car might just sound like someone’s wildest dream, and the developer made that dream come true with Rocket League. And despite a few inherent frustrations that come with this interesting yet unwieldy concept, Rocket League manages to be a greatly fun game that becomes even better if you have a few friends to play alongside as you make memorable stories of last-minute victories and defeats alike.

Launched in 2019 for PS4, PC and Xbox One, A Plague Tale: Innocence is about Amicia and Hugo de Rune, who are on the run during the Hundred Years’ War. During this, a terrible plague spreads via rats, and players must solve puzzles to traverse treacherous paths and avoid confrontation. Why is the French Inquisition pursuing the siblings? You’ll have to play to find out.

A Plague Tale: Innocence has sold over one million units and received extensive acclaim (read our review here). It received a sequel, A Plague Tale: Requiem, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch, which topped three million players. Asobo has confirmed it’s working with Focus Entertainment on a new project, likely A Plague Tale 3. Stay tuned for potential announcements in the future.

https://twitter.com/EpicGames/status/1742580422704337055

A Plague Tale: Innocence

A Plague Tale: Requiem introduced new gameplay options like controlling rats, a crossbow, larger environments for more opportunities and so on. But it’s easy to forget just how straightforward Innocence was. For the most part, you would be running, sneaking around, bonking enemies with the slingshot, solving small puzzles to progress past the rats, and so on. Not to say that any of this was bad. It’s smaller scale than Requiem and a perfect introduction to the world.

As revealed by director Mathieu Turi (previously directed Hostile) on Twitter, the show is currently in the works- although details other than remain scant for now. Focus Entertainment will also joining the team as co-producer on the show alongside French production house Merlin Productions.

We don’t know whether this will be a re-treading of the same narrative found in A Plague Tale: Innocence or something related to the upcoming A Plague Tale: Requiem, or perhaps even something completely new based in the same universe. We should hopefully know more about it in the near future though, so stay tuned for more details.

https://twitter.com/MathieuTURI/status/1504430034202812417

Some of the major games on sale include The Ascent (33 percent off), Prey (35 percent off), A Plague Tale: Innocence (75 percent off) and Cyberpunk 2077 (50 percent off). Even award-winning titles like Deathloop and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy are having some great sales with the former being 50 percent and the latter being 35 percent off.

Along with Steam, numerous other storefronts like the Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store are having holiday-long sales. The Epic Games Store is doling out free games until December 30th with a new title being available each day. As if getting ahead of everyone else, the PlayStation Store also has its January Sale currently live with several titles discounted till either January 7th or January 19th, 2022.

A Plague Tale: Innocence was available for free through PlayStation Plus in July and is currently available on Xbox Game Pass. A free update allowed the game to run at 4K/60 FPS on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 along with adding DualSense support for the later. A sequel, A Plague Tale: Requiem, is also in development and slated to release next year.

Next week’s free game is Rebel Galaxy, an open world action RPG developed by Double Damage Games. Along with having a number of ships to choose from and upgrade, players can also look to create alliances and indulge in trade. It received a sequel in Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, which offers a more Freelancer-esque space dog-fighting experience.

Hey folks,

The release of Speed Brawl on the Epic Games Store has been temporarily delayed as we investigate a technical issue.

In the meantime, we’re offering Minit as the free title alongside A Plague Tale: Innocence this week.

Thanks for your patience!

— Epic Games Store (@EpicGames) August 5, 2021

It’s been announced that next week, we will get A Plague Tale: Innocence. The game is a narrative-driven title where you play a sister and brother in a dangerous world during the Black Death years in France, with gameplay focus on stealth and puzzles. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Speed Brawl. This game is a multiplayer-focused brawler, based around speed, billed as “Sonic meets Streets of Rage.”

A Plague Tale: Innocence and Speed Brawl will be free from August 5th-12th. The current free titles are Train Sim World 2 and Mothergunship. You can check out current and future free titles at the Epic Games Store through here.

Players who want to jump back into A Plague Tale: Innocence can do so without any hassles on Xbox, while PlayStation players will have to first update the game to the latest patch on the PS4 and then start the game on PS5. Xbox Smart Delivery seems to triumph over PlayStation’s management of game versions and cross-gen saves time and time again.

Asobo Studio recently unveiled the upcoming A Plague Tale: Requiem, which will be coming next year to consoles and PC. A Plague Tale: Innocence is already available on Xbox Game Pass, while PS Plus owners have got access to the game just recently as a part of the monthly games lineup. A Plague Tale: Innocence is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and as a cloud-exclusive release on the Switch.

If you've played #APlagueTale: Innocence and are about to dive back into your save on next-gen:

– PS4 to PS5: make sure to download the latest patch on PS4 before starting on PS5 to get your cloud save.
– Xbox One to Xbox Series: automatic cross-progression.

— A Plague Tale (@APlagueTale) July 5, 2021

It was announced that a native PS5, Xbox Series X/S update for the game was going live on July 6th that would take advantage of features of the new consoles, such as the PS5’s DualSense controller and 4K/60 FPS support. It’s a bit early, but the update is now reportedly live for both PlayStation and Xbox systems. Current gen owners of the game will get a free upgrade. Keep in mind, there can always be some slight regional hiccups, so if you’re not seeing the update, it may be possible it won’t be live for you until tomorrow in your region.

A Plague Tale: Innocence is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch via cloud streaming. For PlayStation Plus users, the PS5 version of the game will also be given out as part of the service starting on July 6th.