Post-apocalyptic paradise for gamers
Much like cinema releases and books, video and computer game releases have become a source of great anticipation.
Much like cinema releases and books, video and computer game releases have become a source of great anticipation. Dedicated gamers even have been known to book time off work so they can play the latest releases.
There are a few highlights in the gaming calendar between now and the E3 gaming expo in June, when publishers are expected to announce their releases for the next year or so.
Action and adventure games feature prominently, but there also is a fun-looking Australian-made game about moving house in there. So there’s something to appeal to a range of tastes, interests and abilities on the horizon.
Here are a few of the major game releases on the radar.
MOVING OUT (April 28; PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)
Created by Australian developers SMG studios, this physics-based game is all about being a wacky removalist, trying to move people’s stuff from their houses and flats, even with a range of strange obstacles in the way. As the developers have said: “No move is too big, too small, or too weird.” Even better, the game is designed for what is known as couch co-op, meaning several people can play simultaneously on the one screen, and it is family-friendly, with lots of setting adjustments to ensure it can be enjoyed by gamers of all skill levels.
MARVEL’S IRON MAN VR (February 28; PlayStation VR)
Developed for the PlayStation VR platform, this game puts you in Tony Stark’s armour and gives you the chance to be Iron Man. I played a preview version at a PlayStation VR event in San Francisco last year and was very impressed. The flight mechanics in particular felt great and fans of the character will be keen to experience this one.
DOOM ETERNAL (March 20; PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Doom Eternal is the sequel to Bethesda’s 2016’s first-person shooter Doom. It ups the ante with new gameplay elements while keeping the same in-your-face action of the sequel. I was really impressed with the preview I played a few weeks ago — this game has the potential to set the standard for action first-person shooters for some time to come. If you like the genre, this should be on your watch list.
FALLOUT 76: WASTELANDERS (April 7; PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Not so much a new game as an overhaul of an existing one, this free downloadable content for Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic role-playing game changes the focus from a multiplayer online experience — which has not been a success since its release in late 2018 — to a narrative drive affair closer to the style of the previous games in the popular series.
The free update promises an entirely new main quest (story) and a revamped version of the original quest from the release version of the game. It will also add non-player characters for gamers to interact with (missing from the original release) as well as dialogue options and new equipment.
As a decades-long fan of the series who was bitterly disappointed with Fallout 76 at release, I am looking forward to trying this new content.
WASTELAND 3 (May 19; PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
An isometric perspective role-playing game from inXile studios, Wasteland 3 is set in the US after World War III has ravaged the world. The series is widely regarded as the spiritual successor to the 1990s Fallout games and is being eagerly awaited by fans of the genre and traditional role-playing games alike, so it will be on quite a few radars.
THE LAST OF US PART II (May 29; PlayStation 4)
Developed by Naughty Dog exclusively for the Sony PlayStation 4 console, this sequel to the critically acclaimed The Last of Us — set in a world where a plague has killed most of the population and mutated others into zombies — picks up five years after the original game, telling us more of the story of Ellie and Joel as they make their way in a dangerous, uncertain world and find themselves dealing with a mysterious post-apocalyptic cult.
Given how good The Last of Us was, there rightly is a lot of anticipation for this one.
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