15. Past Cure (2018)

There’s sordid plot, shoddy action and oddly ilfitting puzzles in a supernatural third person shooter…and then there’s Past Cure. The development team was small and fairly inexperienced, thus resulting in uneven AI and performance. However, that doesn’t excuse the story which was just a meandering mess when it wasn’t outright dull.

Wanderer Seth – Metal Gear Survive

Agile, brutal and not like most wandering crystal zombies, Wanderer Seth seemed imposing at first. That is, until his poor AI and predictable patterns made it all too easy to topple him. Simply build some turrets, run away and repeat. It was both underwhelming and incredibly hilarious.

When Square Enix revealed The Quiet Man, the premise seemed novel enough, as players would essentially partake in a journey without sound. No voiceovers, no dialogue, nothing. However, on top of the short length and confusing story, players didn’t find many redeeming qualities about this action adventure title. At least if the “Mostly Negative” user reviews on Steam are anything to go by.

Well, the good news is that you can now re-experience the game with sound. A recent update called The Quiet Man: Answered places all the words and sounds back in. It even comes with subtitles in 29 languages. According to the a story synopsis, this update will “bring light to the truth” and “maybe even uproot the mystery that was thought to have been solved”.

Sound fun to you? The Quiet Man: Answered is available as a free update and can be enabled for a second playthrough. The game itself is out on PC and PlayStation 4. Will the addition of words really add more to the story? Or is it just another gimmick on top of the original gimmick? Check out some brief snippets in the trailer below.

Déraciné

FromSoftware has been working like crazy to diversify its portfolio and Déraciné is perhaps its most off-beat title. As a faerie of sorts, the player moves around a boarding school, influencing the lives of its students. Freezing time and building personal bonds with the students are the core tenets of the game. However, it’s perhaps most intriguing because it’s a PlayStation VR title. What does the story hold and will it contain the same deep world-building that’s defined so many FromSoftware games? Déraciné arrives on November 6^th so it won’t be long before we find out.

Overkill’s The Walking Dead (PC Version)

Though the Xbox One and PS4 versions were delayed into 2019, Overkill’s The Walking Dead is still coming to PC next month. Focusing on four survivors, each with their own unique skills and backstories, the first person shooter lets you play either super-stealthy or guns blazing in scenarios teeming with zombies. Players will need to loot supplies and defend their home camp, ensuring it survives against the onslaught of the undead. Overkill’s The Walking Dead arrives for PC on November 6^th.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

After a sudden delay, Spyro Reignited Trilogy is set to release on November 13^th for Xbox One and PS4 (no Switch or PC confirmation yet). Featuring remasters for Insomniac’s original games, namely Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! and Spyro: Year of the Dragon, the trilogy promises gorgeous graphics paired with the same awesome platforming. If that weren’t enough, a remastered version of the soundtrack also accompanies the original with the ability to choose between the two.

Fallout 76

When Bethesda first announced Fallout 76, we were expecting any number of things. An online FPS/RPG with social elements and games-as-a-service content was not one of them. Impressions from the beta have ranged from enthusiastic to somewhat worried but we honestly won’t know how good Fallout 76 is until it releases. Will it bomb? Or should we learn to stop worrying and just love the always-online gameplay? We’ll find out on November 14^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Hitman 2

Those craving a solid stealth experience needn’t worry as Agent 47 is back in town. Hitman 2 promises a full game with six locations, different story missions, Contracts and different targets to hunt post-launch. Of course, the same challenges and variety of gameplay remain but IO Interactive is adding some intriguing new content. Ghost Mode lets you compete against another player, fighting to assassinate targets faster than them while the original Hitman’s locations and missions will be available and updated in the sequel. Releasing on November 14^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC, Hitman 2 should be yet another excellent outing with our favourite assassin.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!

It’s Pokemon! Well, it’s sort of Pokemon. The original 151 creatures are here, battles with trainers and Gym Leaders still apply and Pokemon can be captured and trained. However, Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! take several cues from the mobile Pokemon GO series, incorporating Joy-Con controls for capturing Pokemon. You can forego motion controls altogether and sure it’s weird, but this is still a proper Pokemon game. We’ll find out how fun it is when it launches on November 16^th for Nintendo Switch.

Battlefield 5

The next iteration of Battlefield saw its own delay by roughly a month for additional polish. We’ve gotten a better look at the various War Stories contained within, the schedule for Tides of War and even how the game’s economy will work. While Firestorm won’t be available till March 2019, Battlefield 5 should still have a host of interesting mechanics to exploit like fortifications and Companies on top of the new maps and modes. It’s out on November 20^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Darksiders 3

The much-awaited sequel in the cult classic franchise is nearly upon us. Gunfire Games’ Darksiders 3 takes place in a seamlessly linked open world while returning to the hack and slash action that defined the first game. Playing as Fury, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, there will be whips, acrobatics, magic and different forms to take advantage of. How the quest to defeat the Seven Deadly Sins plays out remains to be seen but it should be a marked improvement over Darksiders 2. Darksiders 3 releases on November 27^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Tetris Effect

You’ve played Tetris, sure, but have you played Rez creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s version of Tetris? Tetris Effect arrives for PS4 and PlayStation VR on November 9^th, bringing a more musical-based rhythm to the puzzle experience. While we doubt players will still be seeing Tetris blocks falling after the game is over, Tetris Effect should provide a surreal yet visually resplendent experience for fans of the series.

Spider-Man DLC 2: Turf Wars

Turf Wars is the second chapter for The City That Never Sleeps, the DLC saga for Insomniac’s Spider-Man. While there isn’t a whole lot known at this point, it will bring new story missions, new suits (hopefully with suit powers this time) and some new enemies. Will famed villain Hammerhead make an appearance? Time will tell but for now, stay tuned for the DLC’s launch in November if you want even more Spider-Man.

Honourable mentions

Here are a few honourable mentions outside of our top ten that may be of interest.

• Underworld Ascendant
• Kursk
• Ride 3
• Artifact
• Farming Simulator 19
• The Quiet Man
• Football Manager 2019

In a rather sudden announcement, Square-Enix has confirmed that its cinematic beat ’em up The Quiet Man will be releasing on November 1st. It’s unknown currently whether this is just for Japan or the entire world. Check out the latest story trailer below, which blends live-action footage with actual gameplay.

First announced during Square Enix’s E3 2018 presentation, The Quiet Man is developed by Human Head Studios (of the cancelled Prey 2 fame). It focuses on an individual with martial arts prowess and the seemingly strange events that occur around him in the city. One of those events seems to be his lady love being kidnapped by a mysterious plague doctor mask-wearing fiend (and his friends).

While the overall premise is still kind of bizarre and out there, The Quiet Man is meant to be a cinematic experience “which can be completed in one sitting” (according to Steam, at least). It will be releasing for PS4 and PC, with no information on other platforms as of yet.

Square Enix had promised back in June that they would showcase more of their upcoming game, The Quiet Man, in August. They’ve been true to their word, and we’ve already been able to see some footage of what the gameplay will look like. Now, two more new videos have been released for the game, with one focusing on the story and the other showcasing more of the combat in the game.

The first of the videos is called ‘Silence Rings The Loudest’ and gives us a glimpse into what the story is about, but a lot of it is still shrouded in mystery. As of now, all we can tell for sure is that it’s going to be a tale of revenge (maybe?). It’s pretty short, so we’re hoping Square will have meatier and more telling stuff to show in the future.

The second video shows off the combat system in the game. And it’s even shorter, at barely 40 seconds in length. The protagonist (named Dane) beats up enemies, and his focus meter grows, which allows him to unleash some badass finishers, which really embody a cinematic feel.

You can check out both of the videos below. The Quiet Man is set to release for the PC and PS4, but we have no information regarding the release date right now.

The Quiet Man was announced back in June and Square Enix had promised then that we would be able to see more of the game in August. Well, it’s August, and they’ve kept their word, as they’ve shown plenty of gameplay footage for it via a livestream, which we’ve embedded below for your viewing pleasure.

The stream was held earlier today with the game’s producer  Kensei Fujinaga present for it. It looks like the game is trying to deliver a cinematic experience, which explains why it uses live action footage instead of cutscenes. Even during combat sections, there are some cinematic elements, such as flashbacks that occur while you’re fighting. While we can see the character travelling from one place to another, it seems like gameplay is more linear, with the player taking control of the character mainly during combat sections. While some of the cinematic action moves are nice, it does feel like combat isn’t very fluid.

You can check out the gameplay in the video below starting from the 39th minute. The Quiet Man is being developed by Human Head Studios and is set to be released for the PC and PS4.

https://youtu.be/wF6mmWQLmCE

Along with many interesting announcements and gameplay reveals, Square Enix showcased The Quiet Man. Sounds cool, right? The trailer started with live-action footage of a delivery man that’s hearing impaired battling a few thugs. It then shifts to…gameplay? We’re not quite sure but the delivery man takes down the thugs handily. Check out the trailer below.

This is The Quiet Man and it’s coming to PS4 and Steam. More information is promised for August, which is when Gamescom 2018 takes place. Why not just showcase the actual game there instead of having this trailer? It’s developed by Human Head Studios and currently has a Steam page. That’s more or less it.

Regardless, Square Enix’s other announcements were kind of cool. Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn is receiving a collaboration event with Monster Hunter World in Summer 2018 and players will battle a Pink Rathian. Platinum Games is working on a new IP called Babylon’s Fall which is also due for PS4 and Steam in 2019.