to the east

Available on: PC and Nintendo Switch

Ritter fish

Enjoy games like Zelda: A Link to the Past and Earthbound? Of course you do. You are a reasonable adult with a lot of taste.

In that case, you have to try Eastward, a new top-down game in the vein of every 16-bit RPG you’ve ever loved. The pace is slow and takes a long time to get started, but the investment is worth it. Just an incredibly beautiful and stylish experience. Magnificent at every possible level.

Bethesda

Deathloop is the best reason there is currently to buy a PlayStation 5. It’s a murder puzzle game about waking up on a beach to find out you’re stuck in a time loop – really, a secular tale that never goes out of style. The combat system allows for thrilling experimentation, and excellent voice acting brings a memorable cast of characters to life. The star of the show, however, is the setting of Blackreef Island, which you’ll want to explore loop after loop.

Disco Elysee

Disco Elysium received numerous accolades when it was released in 2019, including a perfect score from GameSpot, numerous game of the year nominations and several awards for best story. An extended Final Cut launched on PC and PlayStation (4 and 5) earlier this year, adding extended voice play (as in over a million words of voice play) and additional quests. Xbox and Switch releases are scheduled for the end of the year.

Play this if you haven’t.

Capcom

Resident Evil Village, aka Resident Evil 8, marks 25 years of the illustrious survivor-horror franchise. It’s a celebration of everything that makes the series great: suspense, memorable characters, explosive fights and surreal locations. And, of course, the horror. So much horror.

Resident Evil Village is a given to fans of the series – and worth playing for anyone who thinks they are up to the task.

Insomnia games

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is the latest AAA exclusive, and that’s right maybe the best so far too. Like Demon’s Souls and Returnal before it, it shows what the PlayStation 5 is capable of – that is, this game looks unbelievable. Not only that, but it uses the SSD hardware of the PS5 not only to shorten load times but also to shape the tier design. A great adventure that any PS5 owner can enjoy.

Nintendo

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is the latest example of Wii U among the Switch’s most valuable assets. Like Mario Party 8, Bayonetta 2, Pokken Tournament, and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Super Mario 3D World was originally a Wii U game. It was brought to the Switch alongside the short but sweet Bowser’s Fury add-on, which makes a wonderful package for those who missed it the first time around. (Which is pretty much everyone.)

Square Enix

Hitman 3 is the culmination of IO Interactive’s Hitman reboot that debuted in 2016. While it is without the multiplayer element of Hitman 2, it takes the fantasy level design of its predecessors, adds new spins, and improvements and sends this incarnation of the franchise the right way. You can also play it in VR, if you like that sort of thing.

EA

Night clubs in air conditioning ducts. Face to face confrontation of the Street Fighter with a squirrel. It Takes Two has it all. We follow Cody and May, a married couple who are planning a divorce and who find themselves trapped in the bodies of toys made in their image by their daughter. You know, typical stuff.

This is a game about partner teamwork and problem solving, and as such, it’s an exclusively two-player affair. If you have a partner present enough to play for 12 hours of cooperative platform, you are sure to have a good time with It Takes Two.

Capcom

If you’ve ever played a Monster Hunter game, you already know what to expect with Rise. If you haven’t, it’s basically a progression of boss fights against increasingly powerful monsters. Defeating them grants you better equipment, which allows you to hunt bigger monsters. Rise introduces mechanics that make combat smoother, as well as a new roster of exceptionally designed monsters to hunt. There’s a lot going on here too – you’ll spend over 50 hours seeing all the game has to offer.

Nintendo

It took over 20 years, but Nintendo finally gave us a sequel to Pokemon Snap. The aptly named New Pokemon Snap is surprisingly fun – considering that “taking pictures of Pokemon” looks a lot more like a free-to-play mobile game than a full-priced title in 2021. But New Pokemon Snap does more than just justify its existence. It’s a fun getaway that’s sure to bring a smile to Pokémon fans.

BioWare

Mass Effect Legendary Edition takes the first three Mass Effect games, throws in all their DLC – it’s heaps of DLC – and turns it all into 4K. And while the resolution upgrade is significant, it’s not the only improvement. Options have been added, quality of life features have been included, and controls have been tightened up, especially in the original Mass Effect.

If you’ve never played in the franchise before, this deal may be the best value for 2021. There is a parcel from Mass Effect here.

Double fine

Psychonauts is a sleeper. Either you missed out on the original 2005 game or played it, loved it, and have been waiting for a sequel ever since. 16 years later, it is here in all its original, charming and creative splendor. This dynamic platformer has been acclaimed by critics and has been called one of the most memorable games of 2021. GameSpot has called it an “amazing achievement in almost every way”, and this astonishing achievement is a particularly stark affair. interesting for Xbox owners, who can play the game on Xbox Game Pass.