While the video game industry is just beginning to wrap up this home console generation — and rumors of new systems from Sony and Microsoft begin to pile up — a steady flow of quality titles continues to populate store shelves.
If you’re on a limited budget, it can be hard to pick just a few games deserving of your hard-earned cash. Thankfully, we’re here to help with the latest titles that simply can’t be ignored. Regardless of your system of choice, there’s a title on this list that will satisfy your craving for something fresh.
The final chapter in the epic Mass Effect trilogy is already a hot topic across the web, but not for the reason you might expect. The game’s ending is so controversial that gamers are demanding it be changed. Disgruntled players have held everything from online petitions to charity drives in order to catch the eye of the game’s developers and hopefully get them to weave a new final yarn.
While the first game in the series had the distinct taste of a role-playing game, both Mass Effect 3 and its predecessor are much more action-oriented. The newest title even offers you the ability to focus more on story rather than dispatching foes, making firefights brief while letting you hop between chunks of narrative without many speed bumps, even as your character attempts to save mankind from utter extinction.
Your decisions will ultimately shape what type of ending you encounter, and playing the role of a renegade may produce a darker final note than if you focus on keeping the peace. Regardless of how it all pans out, the conclusion to one of the most popular gaming franchises of the past decade simply can’t be ignored. In fact, you may want to do everything in your power to secure a copy now to check out the ending that has everyone up in arms — before its history is rewritten.
Every few months, the argument over whether video games can be considered art comes back into the spotlight. Journey is one of the rare titles that gamers can hold high during these arguments, as an example of the most artistic and creative uses of interactive digital entertainment.
With the dusty boots of a sand sherpa, the game places you in the middle of a vast, windy desert. After a few brief control cues, the game sends you on your way, and it’s up to you to figure out what to do next. Using your own instincts to guide you, you’ll explore dilapidated ruins, unlock abilities like flight, and even run into other gamers exploring the same space online.
Journey is one of those rare games that is more about living in the game’s world than filling in details to a story or vanquishing evil. It’s a game that will both relax and confuse you, but you’re likely to enjoy every second of it.
Shooters are one of the most popular video game genres, bar none. Unfortunately for most mobile consoles, shooters also require extremely precise controls in order to make players feel like the mercenaries that they want to be. As you already know from our in-depth PlayStation Vita review, we absolutely loved the console inside and out, and its remarkably comfortable dual analog controls make it the perfect host for a mobile shooter. Unit 13 is exactly the game we were craving.
Unit 13 lets you play the roles of various members of an anti-terrorist military outfit. Each grizzled soldier has his own strengths and preferred weaponry, and you’ll find that each adds his own specific flavor to the adventure. During the main campaign’s 36 missions, you’ll do everything from sniping enemies at range to taking down guards in silence using only your knife or a variety of other weapons.
The best thing about Unit 13 — aside from the console-quality controls provided by the Vita — is that there is just so much to do. You can spend hours perfecting each mission, focus on unlocking weapons for specific soldiers, or even jump online and take out bad guys with a friend. It’s the kind of game you’d expect to be playing at home on your HDTV, but the Vita lets you carry it around in your pocket.
Read More From Mike Wehner
-
http://profile.typepad.com/kikirose Kiki Rose