Top 10 Games of May You Need To Check Out

After April delivered with games like Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 3, Outlast, Persona 5 and What Remains of Edith Finch, May will see yet another deluge of big names. From triple-A and indie shooters to fighting games and Jason Vorhees, May 2017 has plenty to look forward. Let’s check out the 10 games you should look forward to next month.

Prey

Arkane Studios didn’t exactly have a great 2016. Despite Dishonored 2 launching to great critical praise, much of it was over-shadowed by PC issues. It’s since reassured players that Prey won’t suffer the same problems. As a re-imagining of sorts for the classic franchise, Prey takes place on-board the Talos I space station with protagonist Morgan Yu. Morgan is trying to figure out why he’s there while also battling the mysterious Typhon. The game presents a System Shock 2-like vibe (which is understandable since it was inspired by the same) and promises a strong narrative. Dishonored players can expect the same open level design but with more guns, shape-shifting and weirdness. Prey releases on May 5^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Strafe

Fancy some old-school, 16-bit Quake-style shooting? Pixel Titans’ Strafe may be just what you need. Delayed to May for additional polish, Strafe mixes the bloody mayhem of Quake with a rogue-lite approach. Upgrades are to be had among four unique zones with randomly generated levels on each play-through There are more than 30 guns to be had and +20 enemies to slaughter and the game is incredibly generous about leaving the fruits of your slaughter all over the walls. Strafe will release on May 9^th for PC and will head to PS4 later this year.

Injustice 2

Get ready to choose a side as NetherRealms’ Injustice 2 arrives on May 16^th for Xbox One and PS4. Taking place directly after the first game with the despotic Superman’s regime in shambles, Injustice 2 features several new heroes and villains this time around. Gorilla Grodd, Atrocitus, Braniac, Captain Cold and Poison Ivy will tussle with the likes of Supergirl, Robin, Firestorm and Cheetah. There’s also a pretty complex gear system, allowing players to increase their overall base stats, learn new moves and even utilize powerful set bonuses. How this will be balanced in multiplayer remains to be seen but for the most part, there’s tons of possibility for customizing one’s fighting style.

The Surge

Deck13 Interactive already tried its hand at a Dark Souls-style action RPG with Lords of the Fallen. The Surge goes back to the same well but has a dystopian future as its setting. You play as an average worker with a mega-corporation that happens to be having a bad day. Robots go rogue, exo-suit wearing employees vie for your blood and things are generally just terrible. Fortunately, you also have an exo-suit and it can be upgraded by dismembering foes and taking their limbs. This helps encourage a somewhat different play-style from Dark Souls but we’ll see how it pans out when The Surge releases on May 16^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia 

A remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia will feature the contemporary battle system that’s defined titles like Fire Emblem Awakening. Otherwise, many of the strange (at the time) elements of Fire Emblem Gaiden are intact including an overworld and towns that can be navigated. The romance options are fairly limited (read: not included at all) but this is Fire Emblem. There will be plenty of tactical RPG goodness to embrace when it arrives on May 19th for the Nintendo 3DS.

Friday The 13th: The Game

Jason’s coming to town and he’s more than a little bloodthirsty. Based on the revered horror movie franchise, Friday the 13^th: The Game will be an asymmetrical multiplayer title pitting seven Crystal Lake counselors against one Jason Vorhees. The goal of the counselors is to survive while Jason must eliminate them. Brutal execution moves can be used to dispose of the counselors but if escape isn’t an option, the latter can use a special “victory condition” of sorts to beat Jason. Friday the 13^th: The Game has made waves for its unrelenting brutality and quite frankly, we can’t wait to see how its multiplayer handles when it’s out on May 26^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Get Even

Part psychological journey, part stylish shooter, Get Even comes from the minds at The Farm 51, who also developed Painkiller: Hell & Damnation. The game itself has you rescuing someone but not everything is so cut and dry. The limits of reality and perception are tested throughout. If you’re not in the mood for philosophy, Get Even’s gameplay revolves around bending bullets and decimating your foes. It’s out on May 26^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Rime

Long in development, controversial and pretty abstract in its own right, Tequila Works’ Rime will finally be out in May for Xbox One, PS4 and PC (the Nintendo Switch version arrives in Q3 2017). There’s not a whole lot we know about the game aside from it centering on a boy who must escape a curse and the island he’s inhabiting. That means lots of puzzle solving and exploring the open world among a wordless narrative. Interestingly, light have some role in the gameplay. We’ll find out how that works when Rime releases on May 26^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Farpoint

Virtual reality games may have somewhat cooled off since PlayStation VR launched last year but Farpoint still looks awfully compelling. As a first-person shooter, Farpoint has traversing an alien environment and battling swarms of ugly aliens. Perhaps the most significant factor that differentiates Farpoint from other VR shooters is your ability to move within the game. With sleek visuals and high octane action, Farpoint looks to deliver the goods when it launches on May 16^th for PlayStation VR.

Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2

Though not quite a sequel to Revelator, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 is a pretty meaty update. Along with the customary balance changes, each of the previous 23 characters will be receiving new moves. Two new characters – Baiken from previous games and the brand new Answer – are also being added while Jam, Raven, Dizzy and Haehyun get new episode story scenes. There will also be a new After Story that takes place after the main story. Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 is out for PS3, PS4 and PC on May 26^th in North America and Europe so if you haven’t had a chance to play the original, it’ll be worth picking up.