We’ve decided to change things up here at Press Start. Starting this month, we have turned our monthly release list into a weekly release list and we’ll still be bringing you the teams most anticipated games of each month.
Dark Souls 2 – I’m so happy that this month I can pick a game that I’m legitimately excited for and going to play. The whole reason why I started playing the first Dark Souls is for Dark Souls II. The game is unforgiving, relentless and frustrating, but oh so rewarding at the same time. The boss battles are extremely imposing, as they should be, common grunts can kick your ass if you’re not careful, and even walking around corners without caution can mean a death. It’s the kind of game were you have to be fully attentive and careful, which is fantastic. The level of involvement required by the player is enormous. You have to BE your character, or you WILL DIE.
I got some hands-on time with the game at a press event, but back then, I had no appreciation for the franchise. Now, after having spent more than 25 hours on the first game (and counting), I can say with full confidence that it’s a great series that I will without a doubt enjoy to death. Literally. Again. And again. God damn I’m so ready to die you have no idea.
Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate – The portable version was a reasonably solid game for what it was but it just didn’t feel as fluent as it could have been both in gameplay and using the at times awkward PS VITA. I hope that this cash in port can see some true benefits to the gaming experience rather than companies wallets.
Daylight – Powered by the Unreal Engine 4, procedurally generated levels, an interesting premise, Daylight looks like a solid horror game. Though from previews I’ve been slowly losing interest and been less than impressed, there’s no doubt the actual release will have me jumping on board to give this a go.
Kinect Sports Rivals – Kinect Sports Rivals has interested me ever since release. The games were always promising on the Xbox 360 but didn’t appear to have the technology to back it up. Hopefully now this will be a completely different situation with Kinect 2.0. I’ve always wanted a good virtual motion representation of Tennis and I’m hoping that I get it.
Trials Fusion – I’m going to be honest here, I’ve been purposefully avoiding any information about Trials Fusion possible. It’s not because I hate the series, in fact it’s the opposite. Trials is a series that has been around for a really long time, since I was in primary school. Even since then, I still love the core Trials experience. For me, it doesn’t get old. The reason why I’m avoiding information is because I know I will love the game, I just want to be surprised by what they bring to the table in Trials Fusion.
Child Of Light – Ubisoft have copped a lot of flak for homogenising most of their major product lately – namely games like Watch_Dogs, Assassin’s Creed and FarCry. But Child of Light seems to be a game that provides a different experience. A side scrolling platformer with RPG elements, I’m especially excited to see what Ubisoft does not only on a gameplay level, but also on an aesthetic one. This is the first fully original game to use the UbiArt Framework engine since both Rayman Legends and Rayman Origins, so I’m especially excited to see how Ubisoft can continue to bring these unique game worlds to life without a narrow focus on photorealism. Hopefully it’s the breath of fresh air that I’m expecting it to be.
The Elder Scrolls Online – After putting hundreds of hours into Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim there was always part of me that wondered what Bethesda could or would do if they were to open their games up and allow the adventure to be experienced with other people. After sinking some hours into the beta version of the game I was initially skeptical. At first, it felt like everything I loved about the previous games in the series had been remover. The Elder Scrolls Online went from my most anticipated game of this year to something that wasn’t even registering. However, after some more time spent my excitement has built back up thanks to some solid story telling and beautiful art design. Eventually you start to see some of the real Elder Scrolls brilliance, but it takes some time (at least in the beta version) It remains to be seen if the gamble they have taken in taking the Elder Scrolls series online will pay off. But I at least want to be in there to see it sink or swim.
The Elder Scrolls Online – Can’t wait to see this over priced game flop in an attempt to overthrow the all mighty Warcraft. First couple months are gonna be real juicy for Bethesda and fans alike in regards to a massive game with endless content but I still remain hopeful that they can keep up with what the current market is currently putting out in the MMORPG genre of game.
Goat Simulator – I think it’ll find a place similar to Surgeon Simulator where watching Lets Plays on YouTube and Twitch might be just as fun as the $US10 product.
Titanfall – It’s such an easy game to get sucked into on the One, I’m excited to see how it performs on the 360. I have a feeling it’ll be just as good.
