November is the “blockbuster” season in the video game market – and even the pandemic has failed to change that. In fact, the video game industry saw high sales and profits in 2020. At the same time, the decision to invest $ 60 (more than R $ 300) – and often more than 60 hours – in a game may have remained tougher given the impact of the economic crisis on purchasing decisions this year.
Still, one perennial question remains unanswered: What is it worth buying a new cast of big games in addition to new consoles? Below are some recommendations on what to play and with what equipment. Since these are video games that are little simple – certain games require certain devices – the list is more of a flowchart than a leaderboard. May you find useful information.
THINKING OF A NEW CONSOLE?
If you are thinking of taking the plunge into the new generation of video game consoles, you will need luck finding one. Stocks from online sellers sell out quickly, even at prices as high as $ 500 for Microsoft’s Xbox Box X series or Sony PlayStation 5.
Both are powerful machines, which means they can run visually stunning games, but as with any new console, not many great titles are immediately available. Most games for these consoles will still run on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.
But for anyone determined to get a new machine as soon as possible, it’s worth considering some slightly cheaper alternatives. The new, compact Xbox S-series has less power than the X-series but still runs the same games and costs $ 300. Sony sells a variant of the high-performance PS5 without a drive and costs $ 400 ($ 2,034).
WHAT ARE THE BEST GAMES FOR PLAYSTATION 5?
The PS5 offers one of the season’s most pleasant surprises, “Astro’s Playroom,” which is installed on every console sold. The player guides cute robots through multi-colored obstacle courses. However, the biggest draw is not the game’s appearance or the tasks that the player has to perform, but the tactile feel.
Video game controllers have been able to vibrate like a cell phone for decades to signal the effects of a car explosion or collision. “Astro’s Playroom” is designed to demonstrate that DualSense, the new PS5 controller, can do a lot more.
It seems to slip in the hands when a robot walks through the sand and pulsates heavily when the robot moves through the water. The most impressive thing is that the controller’s trigger buttons can withstand the pressure of the players’ fingers in different ways: for example, they offer the gradual resistance of a compressed spring or the sudden crack of a plastic ball crushed by a hand, robotized.
“Demon’s Souls Remastered” technically only works on the PS5, although it is a modified version of a game for the PlayStation 3 that has become one of the biggest hits of the past 12 years. At first glance, this is just another single game that allows the player to control a knight, mage or other protagonist and fight against men and monsters while looking for deadly traps.
More subtly, it’s a game that can involve support – and betrayal – between multiple players, and was developed by a creator whose inspiration was to be aided by silent strangers during a blizzard. Demon’s Souls was designed to be a brutally difficult game, the difficulties of which are mitigated by the ability to leave useful messages and warnings of danger to other players. On the other hand, gamers can intrude into other people’s games and wreak havoc.
WHAT ABOUT THE XBOX X SERIES?
For the Xbox S-Series and X-Series, the best exclusive offer isn’t a game, but a subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, which is available for about $ 10 per month on new consoles and their previous versions. The subscription gives players access to more than 250 titles – including all of Microsoft’s own top-notch Xbox products.
Game Pass is constantly being improved, with new versions that would otherwise have to be purchased separately (for Xbox or other devices). This month the new offer is the latest chapter in the fascinating science fiction adventure “Destiny 2: Beyond Light”. But even without considering top titles, Game Pass includes a large number of smaller and more eccentric games that many people might otherwise be reluctant to try.
If it’s part of the package, why not try Mudrunner, 2017, a serious simulation game about driving big trucks through the mud. Or “Carto”, a new adventure game that involves making maps and is very entertaining to play?
What about new games that don’t require new consoles?
“Assassin’s Creed Valhalla” and “Watch Dogs Legion”, two of the most interesting games of the season, are available on the new consoles, but also for PCs, Google Stadia and PlayStation 4. Both games are produced by Ubisoft, the powerful distributor who hit the headlines made a few weeks ago due to numerous reports of sexual offenses in the company that resulted in the departure of key executives and developers. While all of this was boiling, the sub-developers continued to strive to produce these games.
“Valhalla” positions the player as a 9th century Viking (called Eivor) leaving Norway for England, where he or she builds a colony, defies monarchies and knocks down numerous Anglo-Saxon enemies. It’s a visually spectacular game full of vignettes related to characters, but it requires the player to have the stomach to take on the role of an invader and colonizer.
With Watch Dogs, players in the near fascist future can become members of the resistance near London, where the population is dominated by the surveillance state and a privatized police force.
The game describes a crowded London in great detail and allows players to recruit and take control of the thousands of people pictured around the city. This means that it is possible to play as a cunning old lady, an abrupt member of the Queen’s guard, or like anyone else. It’s a neat ploy that makes up for the well-intentioned but shallow political vision the game adopts.
On a smaller scale, there is “The Pathless”, a colorful game that takes place in a setting of dream forests and temples. It’s available for PC, PS4, PS5, and Apple Arcade, the iOS subscription game service. In “The Pathless” you play as an archer who explores the beautiful terrain with the help of a bird that can transport the character through cliffs. The best feature of the game is the archer’s ability to run faster if he hits targets with his arrows while moving. With the help of an automatic aiming system, it is easier to gain pace than it looks.
BUT WHAT IF I HAVE A NINTENDO SWITCH?
With the exception of “Carto”, the Nintendo Switch system does not run any of the games mentioned so far. The largest console release this November is Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a derivative of the acclaimed action-adventure game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
While Breath of the Wild was a sleek epic adventure set in a war-torn world riddled with knights, castles and monsters, the new game is a story set before the previous narrative and has replaced the unprecedented possibilities of Zelda start exploring nature by fighting, fighting and even more fighting. The sensation is more or less that of seeing a great novel turned into a toy for a theme park. You really have to want to live with these characters again.
A better game for the Switch this holiday season is Hades (also available for PCs). “Hades” was released in September and can prove to be the best game of the year on any platform. Because of this, it still deserves attention. Playing as Zagreus, son of Hades, you must fight and argue to leave the underworld and accept the protection – and powers – that the Greek gods grant you on your way.
Hades is defined as “rogue-lite,” a video game genre that allows a gamer to advance as far as possible, but brings them back to the beginning of the adventure when the character dies – just by maintaining the powers they are at has acquired along the way. In “Hades” this structure supports a fast-paced narrative of Zagreus’ frustrated and repeated efforts to reach his mother in the world of the living. As one reviewer pointed out, a game about repeatedly trying to escape hell could be perfect for 2020.
There is something good to play on all of these devices. And stay tuned: the major version season isn’t over yet. The most anticipated game of 2020, Cyberpunk 2077, was released on Thursday (10th) after it was repeatedly postponed. Apparently the blockbuster season will be longer this year. Developers need more time. Isn’t that true for all of us?
The New York Times
Translation by Paulo Migliacci.