You would think it would be easy for us to keep track of every video game launch thanks to the fact that we write about video games. Unfortunately, no. Not when hundreds more seem to appear every time we even blink. The industry is in a good place and there is plenty of choice for us players. But just like finding your next TV binge, you’ll have to dig through some mud to get there.
We’ve sifted, and we’re here to report that the next great new games are off too many radars. We consider it our duty to put them back on. Take a moment to join us for a spotlight on some recent sleeper hits.
Chernobylite
Games set in Chernobyl’s Exclusionary Zone aren’t a dime a dozen, but they’re hardly unheard of either. The Metro series owes its roots to such a premise, and Stalker has been all the rage for over a decade. Which sets? Chernobylite apart from its brethren, depending on how well the player performs at different points in the story, any character in the game can die. The story continues – no time to mourn your failures when you find a betrothed.
Enemy military agents are the least of your problems in Chernobylite, but make no mistake, they are still problems. This is not just a survival game; it is a science fiction survival game. Seemingly supernatural threats lurk deep within the harrowing Exclusionary Zone, and as the mystery unravels, the sci-fi gets deeper and deeper.
Chernobylite originally launched for PC, PlayStation and Xbox One in 2021, but recently came to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in April.
Buy it here on Amazon!
Prinny presents NIS Classics Volume 2
Prinny presents NIS Classics Volume 2 is two games in one, both of which have been lovingly remastered. There’s Makai Kingdom, starring a hilariously edgy former god who will do anything to regain his power; and then there’s ZHP: Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman, a completely off-the-wall dungeon crawler with a distinctly “Super Sentai” vibe.
Both games serve as spin-offs within the Disgaea universe, so there are plenty of familiar faces in varying degrees for the ride. Like the flagship line of Nippon Ichi’s classic JRPGs, battles are all turn-based, but include grid-based environments for allies and enemies to traverse. If you like hard turn-based scratches and damage counters that reach nine or more digits, Prinny Presents will give you a good time.
Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2 is available on Nintendo Switch and PC.
Buy it here on Amazon!
Sniper Elite 5
It would hardly be fair to label Sniper Elite completely niche, but it also can’t be said that publisher Rebellion Developments’ third-person tactical shooters share even an inch of the limelight with more forward-thinking action-oriented mega-hits like Call of Duty and Battlefield.
The most recent title, Sniper Elite 5, carries its legacy well with major refinements to everything the series’ devoted fans swear by: stealth-centered gameplay, thrillingly accurate sniping, and deep weapon customization systems. In fact, Sniper Elite 5 has taken the integration of sandbox elements through its immediate predecessor to the next level, with massive levels offering a dizzying number of ways to play.
Sniper Elite 5 launched in May for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Buy it here on Amazon!
AI: The Somnium Files — Nirvana Initiative
Japanese video game writer and director Kotaro Uchikoshi seems to have a recurring problem with his homeland. His three-part visual novel series, Zero Escape, has become an icon among UN and JRPG aficionados abroad. On his home turf, the third and final game, Zero Time Dilemma, was nearly canceled due to low sales.
Uchikoshi’s latest series, AI: The Somnium Files, doesn’t seem to do much better there. But again, it draws a lot of attention from the admittedly rather small target audience in western markets. AI: The Somnium Files arrived in 2019, mixing themes from franchises such as Ghost in the Shell and Philip K. Dick’s Neuromancer to create a successful new IP.
AI: The Somnium Files — Nirvana Initiative lives up to Uchikoshi and his team’s legacy of quality games, so I hope enough westerners grab this game to make sure there’s more. With a vibrant cast, intriguing criminal cases, and that same spark of philosophical musing fans who love Zero Escape, there’s plenty here to love.
AI: The Somnium Files — Nirvana Initiative is available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Download it here on Amazon.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut
Death Stranding’s original launch in late 2019 may not have lit the sales charts like legendary creator HIdeo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid games always did, but it still performed respectfully, winning several high trophies at The Game. Awards that year. It’s certainly a divisive game, with some loving the intentionally bizarre story and (again, intentionally) tedious journeys through a world where even a stubby toe can come back to haunt you.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut a few of those less positive heads tilted in a more enthusiastic direction. The most annoying elements of the base version can now be cleverly designed with a whole host of extra features that can make an eternally exhausted protagonist Norman Reedus Sam Porter Bridges’ life a little easier.
But wait, there’s more. With an expanded arsenal comes fresh new ways for Sam to face tough enemies, and there’s even a buildable race track. Kojima never does things in half measures.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut is available for PlayStation 5.
Download it here on Amazon.
Road 96
-2.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
Say it with us now: “procedural-generated road trip game.” That in itself sounds intriguing, although perhaps not groundbreaking, or even particularly interesting. But when this random twist is tied to the player character’s attempt to escape an authoritarian regime in a country quite blatantly inspired by the heart of North America, well, Road 96 begins to grab us.
Even then, that’s hardly the main selling point. All this fiction-with-a-familiar-horizon comes together to represent an alternate reality’s own summer 1996. Expect every ounce of Road 96 vibe to ooze with 90s nostalgia, from outfits and truck models to dated slang and more. We’re convinced this is a game unlike any other, and a fitting indie gem to enjoy this summer.
Road 96 is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Buy it here on Amazon!
0 Comments