June is fair game
JUNE has arrived, and as is befitting of a British summer, it’s been pouring down.
Still, if the sun was cracking the flags you’d feel more guilty about staying indoors to play this month’s new releases.
There’s the welcome return of fight classic Tekken, rally racing action with Dirt 4 and silly fun with Crash Bandicoot.
TEKKEN 7 PS4, XBOX ONE, PC. Release: June 2
MY thumbs have literally been aching in anticipation of Tekken 7 landing this week.
The PlayStation classic celebrates its 23rd anniversary by taking the game back to its roots – with 1-on-1 bouts, and stylish gameplay.
Claiming to boast a much darker ‘storyline’ than its previous titles, Tekken 7 serves as the conclusion of the Mishima clan saga – and explains the reasons behind Heihachi’s feud with his son and grandson Kazuya and Jin.
There are 38 playable characters, 10 of which are fighters not seen before, including a new Jack series model and Akuma – from the Street Fighter universe.
Make sure you have plenty of space on your hard drive though, with the game coming in at a hefty 41.61GB for PS4 players. PC gamers will need at least 60GB.
WIPEOUT OMEGA COLLECTION PS4. Release: June 7
STICKING with PlayStation classics, WipEout gets the remastered treatment this month.
The Omega Collection combines the content of WipEout HD, Fury and 2048.
There are nine modes to race on 26 reversible circuits, 46 unique ships, and a mixture of new and classic music tracks from big names like The Prodigy and Chemical Brothers, to new emerging artists.
This rapid combat racer that’s induced many a bout of travel sickness (surely it wasn’t just me?) also has a smoother frame rate and PS4 pro owners will be able to run it in 4K.
DIRT 4 PS4, XBOX ONE, PC Release: June 9
THE 12th game in the Colin McRae Rally series, and the sixth title to carry the Dirt name, it’s a series which is loved for its magic mix of style, speed, action and heart-pumping realism.
Dirt 4 promises to be a slightly different beast than has gone before, with two handling modes comprising Gamer and Simulation, and the ability to create and customise your own rally stages. As the official game of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, the game includes Lohéac Bretagne, Montalegre, Lydden Hill, Hell and Holjes tracks. And alongside the roster of supercar, there are also crosskarts, Super 1600s and RX2 to razz around in. Dirt 4 will also build upon the team management systems introduced in Dirt Rally, with players being able to hire personnel to repair cars, boost team profiles to secure new sponsors, and buy and sell new and used cars. Developer Codemasters is hoping the heavy customisation will attract a whole new type of player to the game – and double the fun for fans of the franchise.
ARMS Nintendo Switch Release: June 16
A VERY different kind of fighting game comes to the Switch.
When it was announced back in January, I had fears this would be a repeat of the Wii boxing – arms flailing and flapping and translating to very little on screen.
Early reviews though seem to suggest that while the controls take a bit of getting used to, once you’ve grasped the concept, this game is actually really good fun.
You hold the controllers in a ‘thumbs up’ position, and through a series of simple motions and button presses,
learn to punch, dodge, parry and KO other players.
As the name suggests, Arms sees you choose a fighter and equip them with your own combination of extendable arms to battle your opponent.
Each fighter has their own special moves to learn and master – and there are some quirky arenas for the action to take place in.
Sounds very promising indeed.
CRASH BANDICOOT: N.SANE TRILOGY PS4. Release: June 30
AS THE month began with PS classics, then I suppose it’s fitting that the month ends with one.
The much-loved Crash Bandicoot sees us into the summer with the release of N. Sane Trilogy – a collection of remasters of the first three titles Crash Bandicoot, Cortex Strikes Back and Warped.
Rumour has it, that sales of this nostalgia-laden trilogy will be watched very closely to see if it’s worth another Bandicoot standalone sequel. The graphics do look glorious is HD, with PS4 Pro owners being able to enjoy the game in 4K - or ‘fur-k’ as the box suggests...