Ready to rumble?
June has some spectacular new titles on the way – here’s our round-up
WE SEEM to be whipping through the year at a fair old pace – how is it nearly June already?
There’s another very welcome long weekend on the horizon, giving everyone a chance to recharge their batteries.
But after you’ve been out with family, or caught up with friends, it’s important to take some time for yourself – and that might mean settling down in front of your console.
June heralds the arrival of some great new titles. The latest Street Fighter instalment lands at the start of the month, swiftly followed by Diablo IV. Alien fans are hoping that Dark Descent lives up to the hype when it arrives mid-june, and the much anticipated Final Fantasy XVI lands in time to see the month out.
Street Fighter 6
(PEGI 12) PS4, PS5, Xbox X/S, PC Release: June 2 After the meagre offerings that came with 2016’s disappointing Street Fighter V, developer CAPCOM has gone overboard for its latest release.
Street Fighter 6 boasts an embarrassment of riches when it comes to extra content. With an impressive roster of 18 fighters on offer, it also has three game modes to choose from: Fighting Ground, Battle Hub and World Tour.
The single-player World Tour mode looks fairly ambitious, while Battle Hub acts as the game’s online arena where you can compete in ranked and casual matches. You’ll even be able to play emulated Capcom arcade titles inside the hub, so try not to get too distracted.
Billed as the ‘next evolution of the Street Fighter series’, here’s hoping this is a return to form for the franchise.
Diablo IV
(PEGI 18) PS4, PS5, Xbox One,
Xbox X/S, PC
Release: June 6
Developer Blizzard has been very kind to Diablo fans, giving them ample opportunity to sample parts of the game early in closed and open betas.
The fourth main instalment in the long-running series, this action RPG offers endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons to explore, and lovely loot to plunder.
With the resurrection of the demon Lilith, Sanctuary is at risk and it’s your job to help quell that threat.
Diablo is all about progression, strengthening and upskilling your character through battles and quest completion.
So popular is the series that when Diablo III launched a decade ago, six million players joined in just two months, leading to now infamous server issues. In a bid to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, Blizzard recently held a ‘server slam’ weekend, which allowed the team to see how the game’s infrastructure will hold up when Diablo IV goes live on June 6.
Those who have pre-ordered the digital deluxe edition, will be able to access the game from June 2.
Crash Team Rumble
(PEGI 7) PS4, PS5, Xbox One,
Xbox X/S
Release: June 20
While it’s fun to play games alone, it’s even better when you can share the experience with friends.
Crash Team Rumble is a game that allows you to do just that.
Set in the weird and wonderful world of Crash Bandicoot, this 4v4 team-based game sees heroes and villains from Crash’s universe battle it out to capture the most Wumpa fruit.
Playable characters include Crash, Cortex, Tawna, Dingodile, Brio and Coco. Each character brings their own set of skills to the table as they work as ‘blockers’, ‘boosters’, or ‘scorers’ for their team.
Aliens: Dark Descent
(PEGI 16) PS4, PS5, Xbox One,
Xbox X/S, PC
Release: June 20
It feels like there’s been very little said about this game since it was first announced 12 months ago.
Set 20 years after the events of Alien 3, it follows a group of colonial marines who find themselves on the moon of Lethe, inside the seemingly abandoned Tantalus Base. With five starting character classes to choose from – each with their own set of unique weapons and abilities, you have to command the squad in real time to flush out the xenomorphs – and a handful of rogue agents that have been unhelpfully sent by the Weyland-yutani Corporation.
The few trailers that have been released feel oppressive and creepy. Could this finally be the Alien game fans have been waiting for?
Final Fantasy XVI (PEGI 18) PS5 Release: June 22
It’s been six years since the last numbered entry in the Final Fantasy series was released, so fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this new release.
The game’s 18 age rating suggests the series is making a return to its more mature, fantasy roots.
It’s set on Valisthea, where ‘Dominants’ are able to wield a powerful ability called Eikons. Protagonist Clive Rosfield is a Dominant who is on a quest for revenge following the destruction of his kingdom.
Producer Naoki Yoshida said with Final Fantasy XVI he wanted to produce a game that was neither for children or adults but that would reach ‘players of all generations’.
A timed PS5 exclusive (even PS4 owners won’t be able to play), it will be six months before PC owners can give it a whirl.