Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut

Ghost of Tsushima is many things. A great action-adventure title with stellar sword combat. A well-told story with strong characterization and memorable events. And to top it all off, the stealth is incredibly on point, whether assassinating enemies from above, poisoning them from afar, or using smoke bombs to slit their throats at close range. While stealth helps trivialize the game as one gets further in, it helps reinforce the legend of Jin as the Ghost, becoming a fiercer foe as his skills improve.

Bathhouse – Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Of the many places that Sam Fisher has infiltrated, you wouldn’t think a bathhouse in Tokyo would provide many challenges. Nevertheless, Chaos Theory’s Bathhouse mission, which involves gaining entry into the location and discovering Douglas Shetland’s contact, is surprisingly tense. After Fisher eavesdrops on the conversation, he’ll then need to survive a battle between the I-SDF and mercenaries before subsequently neutralizing Shetland’s bombs. On the plus side, at least the player can decide to stab or throw Shetland off the roof instead of shooting him since Sam finds it more courteous (we think).

UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY

In the early years of the Uncharted series, Naughty Dog tried to cram boss fights into the games, and the results were mixed- decent at best, atrocious at worst, but always unnecessary. As time has gone on, Uncharted has stopped feeling the need to have any boss fights at all, and its last entry, The Lost Legacy, relegated its final confrontation against the villain to a glorified interactive cutscene. And you know what? That was absolutely the right choice. Uncharted has always been about its cinematicism, storytelling, and blockbuster action more than anything else, and The Lost Legacy was a better game for its decision to focus on that rather than ticking the boss fights box.

Desperados 3

THQ Nordic’s Desperados 3 is a unique game in the fact that it uses its popular Wild West themes to create a compelling stealth experience. As one of five playable characters, Desperados 3 offers a wide variety of weapons and skills to conquer the many different combat scenarios it presents players with. It plays primarily like a tactics game, and you can either take your enemies head-on or employ more creative strategies which usually involve stealth. Another important point worth mentioning is that the game is a prequel to Desperados 2 and as such fans would, of course, have to know the basic plot before jumping into the game.

The month is almost out but Xbox Game Pass still has some big name games coming up. Key among them is Control, which arrives for PC subscribers on January 21st. It’s joined by Desperados 3 and Donut County, both playable on Android, consoles and PC. Outer Wilds will also be playable on Android on the same day.

Next week sees the release of Cyber Shadow, a retro action platformer published by Yacht Club Games, on January 26th. It will be available for Android, consoles and PC. January 28th is going to be a big day though with The Medium being available on Xbox Series X/S and PC. The Yakuza Remastered Collection (which compiles Yakuza 3 to 5 Remastered) is out on the same day as well for consoles, PC, and Android.

Long story short, there’s a lot to look forward to, especially for Yakuza fans. Several titles will also be leaving the service on January 29th – you can check out more information on those here. Stay tuned for more details on Xbox Game Pass especially with February on the horizon.

Desperados 3 was one of 2020’s biggest surprise hits, a game that not many had been keeping an eye on, but one that came along and took quite a few by surprise given how good it turned out to be. Given the game’s quality, there have been quite a few questions about when or if a Switch version might release. As it turns out, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen anytime soon.

Speaking recently in an interview with GamerHub TV (which you can view in full below), Moritz Wagner, head of design at developer Mimimi Games, said that even the the studio is a big fan of the console and even though they have often explored the possibility of a Switch port, due to the game’s CPU-heavy nature, Nintendo’s hybrid simply wouldn’t be able to run the stealth tactics title.

“We love the Switch as well, especially our boss,” Wagner said. “He’s a big fan. [But] I don’t think it’s gonna work. We have been trying this for quite some time. It’s something that’s always coming up again. Sometimes THQ’s like, ‘Well, we could have these people look into it. Maybe they could make a port.’

“The thing is the game is very demanding,” he continued. “Especially CPU, which is a big problem for the normal consoles already getting this game running. Which sometimes you might not believe it, because it’s not Red Dead or something, right?”

Wagner went on to say that if a new, more powerful Switch variant should release in the future (which is something that has been strongly rumoured of late), Mimimi Games might reconsider the situation. As it stands right now though, it doesn’t seem like Desperados 3 will be coming to Switch in the near future.

“I don’t think that it’s gonna happen,” Wagner said. “I hope that it might at some point happen. We’re always reevaluating it if something new comes up, but the game just doesn’t really run. Maybe if there’s a new version of Switch that is a bit more powerful, it’s something that we can look into again. I’m not quite sure if they’re currently looking to something, but not in the near future sadly.”

Desperados 3 is currently available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. In our review of the game, we awarded it a score of 7/10, and concluded that “despite a wealth of inconsistencies in its gameplay and level design, Desperados 3 often makes the most of its real-time tactics gameplay.” You can read our full review through here.

Mimimi Games recently also confirmed that they’re now at work on their next game, which is another real-time tactics game currently referred to as Codename Süßkartoffel, and will be entirely self-published by the developer. Read more on that through here.

Mimimi Games has released the third Season Pass mission for Desperados 3. Money for the Vultures – Part 3: Once More With Feeling takes players to an imposing fortress at Hector’s behest. What will ultimately go down and how Rosie will react remains to be seen. Check out the trailer below.

Desperados 3 has had a pretty good run since its release, receiving wide-spread critical acclaim and updates which added free missions. As a prequel to the first game, the story focuses on John Cooper, namely his origins and how he became so notorious. John works with four other characters, like Kate O’Hara, who each have their own unique abilities.

For more information on Desperados 3, check out our official review here. More details on the first two DLC missions, “Late to the Party” and “Five Steps Ahead” can be found here. Those looking to get into the game can pick it up for 40 percent off on Steam till November 6th.

Mimimi Games’ Desperados 3 continues to receive support with its second paid DLC, Money for the Vulture – Part 2: Five Steps Ahead, now being available. As part of the Season Pass, it sees Cooper and his gang returning to Louisiana. Check out the trailer below.

The new mission takes place in Bayou State but in a new location and features a reunion with Isabelle. If this is in line with Part 1, then expect roughly 1.5 to 2 hours of playtime. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like there’s a new Baron’s Challenge available as a free update. There’s still one more DLC left so perhaps a new “What If?” mission will be available there.

Desperados 3 is currently available for Xbox One, PS4 and PC, taking place before the first game and seeing John Cooper managing a gang of outlaws. It’s received a strong amount of praise since launch thanks to its wealth of strategic options. Check out our review for the game here.

#15. ARAGAMI

Fans of Tenchu games, you don’t want to miss this one. Aragami is not flawless, and with a little more polish, it could have been a significantly better game, but when it works, it works very well. It’s a strictly stealth-oriented game through and through, which is something that old school stealth fans will appreciate greatly, and it looks beautiful to boot. Developers Lince Works are currently working on a sequel, and if they can take the first game’s solid foundation and introduce some smart improvements, they might have a real gem on their hands.

Mimimi Games has been adding free updates to Desperados 3 with the Baron’s Challenges. However, its first paid DLC for the tactical strategy title, Money for the Vultures Part 1: Late to the Party, is now available. Check out the release trailer to see what kind of mission the gang is taking on this time.

Set after the base game’s story, it sees Cooper and his posse going after Vincent DeVitt’s treasures. Along with new characters like Rosie from Baton Rouge, there are also looters and a vault to deal with. The developer promises an average playtime of 90 to 120 minutes for this first part, which sounds pretty good.

For those who haven’t picked up the DLC, a new Baron’s Challenge is available in a free update. The challenge is called “What if?” and you can check out what it contains in the trailer below. Stay tuned for more details on Desperados 3’s paid DLC in the coming months – the game is available now for PS4, Xbox One and PC. Check out our review for it here.