All the summer’s stunning new games
SO another month has sailed by, and we’re now staring down the beginning of the school six-week holidays.
And while the seventh month signals the start of a summer of freedom (oh, to be young again), it also heralds the arrival of new games.
There’s something different to entice Monster Hunter fans, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword gets a release on the Switch, and there’s intense battle action with Worms Rumble.
Oddworld: Soulstorm (PEGI 16) PS5. Release: July 6
Adorable Mudokon Abe finally brings his latest adventure to the PS5.
Soulstorm is a re-imagining of 1998’s Abe’s Exoddus, picking up where 2014’s New ‘n’ Tasty! left off.
Sticking with the side-scrolling action the series is noted for, Oddworld has never looked so glorious running on the PS5 at 60 FPS at 1440p resolution.
This is the first title to introduce a loot system, with Abe able to crack open and explore bins and lockers for items to craft with.
While that sounds jarring, it actually blends in really well with the retro-feeling gameplay.
Watch Dogs Legion: Bloodline DLC (PEGI 18) XBOX ONE, PS4. Release: July 6
This story expansion to last year’s new Watch Dogs release heralds the return of a couple of fan favourite characters.
Legion is set in London and, rather than following the actions of a single hacker, focuses on a group called DedSec, which is attempting to liberate the city from its dystopian surveillance state.
Bloodline introduces a new storyline which is set before the events of Legion, and sees original Watch Dogs protagonist Aiden Pearce tasked with stealing a robot-controlling device from Broca Tech.
The problem is, Watch Dogs 2’s Wrench is about to interfere.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin
(PEGI 7) Switch, PC. Release: July 9
If you’ve just seen the Monster Hunter film and feel the need to be cleansed, then this is the game for you.
While the Monster Hunter series is superb, all that stalking and slaying doesn’t leave much room for character development – and the Stories spin offs were born.
This is the second title in the turnbased RPG series featuring a rich storyline with charming characters, challenging quests and friendly encounters with monsters familier to players of the main games.
Wings of Ruin follows a young Monster Rider who can use a Kinship Stone to form strong bonds with monsters, with memorable adventures to be had.
Worms Rumble (PEGI 7) XBOX ONE, XBOX X/S, Switch. Release: July 13
It’s hard to believe it’s been 26 years since those adorable, heavily armed worms first appeared on our computers.
Unlike all the games that have gone before, Worms Rumble swaps out turn-based artillery gameplay for real-time combat.
Face down other players in a host of joyous battle modes, including
Death Match, Last Worm Standing and Last Squad Standing.
And I’m pleased to report Rumble upholds the series’ tradition of bizarre and exotic weapons, arming players with artillery such as Sheep Launchers, Plasma Blasters and Sentry Turrets.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
(PEGI 12) Switch. Release: July 16 Originally released on the Wii in 2011, Skyward Sword is getting a fresh lease of life on the Switch.
While the story is largely unchanged, there are two different ways to play.
The first aims to replicate the functions of the Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuck through improved motion controls on the Joy-Con, while the second relies on the analogue stick to control Link’s sword.
As the name suggests, the game is now in glorious HD, running at 60 frames per second.
And if all that wasn’t enough, there’s also Amiibo support – with a gorgeous new Zelda and Loftwing figures – that allows for fast travel between the sky and the surface.