2020-08-01_PC_Gamer_(US_Edition

TOM
SENIOR

Left-click on my
character portrait to
put me on overwatch.

XCOM: CHIMERA SQUAD

xcom.com

Command a cool, supercharged

SWAT team on a mission to restore

law and order to a city about to fall

into total anarchy. XCOM: Chimera

Squad is a messy tactics game in

some ways, but it’s still good XCOM,

with refreshing city-scale scope.

Make sure you level up Verge; he’s

amazing after a few ability unlocks.

BREACH AND CLEAR

GEARS TACTICS

xbox .com /en-US/game s/gears-tactic s

How has this happened? A Gears

strategy game out-scored an XCOM

game this month—and deservedly

so. It looks great, and Gears makes

some clever tweaks to the XCOM

formula to make fights even bloodier.

Execute enemies to give of your team

extra actions, and then use those

actions to execute more enemies!

FIRE IN THE HOLE

MIDDLE-EARTH:

SHADOW OF WAR

shadowofwar.com/purchase

Of all the games in my backlog,

Shadow of War has captured me

completely. The combat system drew

me in, but it’s the orc politics that

keeps me playing. Turn enemies into

spies, and then assassinate warlords

to steal their fortresses. It’s fun to play

a total monster.

DESTINY 2

bungie.net

The Destiny 2 seasonal events are

balls, but this is still a gorgeous,

satisfying sci-fi shooter. The developer

is floundering a bit trying to figure out

how to update their already bloated

living game without destroying it, but

if you haven’t tried Destiny yet and

you like cool guns and tons of lore,

this is a great choice.

GRIND FOR GUNS

SNOWRUNNER

snowrunner-thegame.com

One of the most dramatic gaming

moments I’ve enjoyed this week was

trying to get my truck out of a mud in

Snowrunner. This sim models dirt

and surfaces to make basic traversal

a puzzle. Heavier vehicles can power

through, but once their wheels sink

into a deep filth patch, good luck

getting them out.

DRIVE HARDER

ORI AND THE WILL

OF THE WISPS

orithegame.com

What can I say. Ori and the Will of

the Wisps is just beautiful. The

platforming is sharp, and the combat

is fun once you’ve unlocked the big

smashy hammer, but the main

appeal is the gorgeous artwork. Each

new zone is exciting to explore, and

the massive bosses are terrifying.

ALIEN: ISOLATION

sega.com/games/alien-isolation%E2%84%A2

Alien: Isolation went on sale

recently, at absurdly low value for an

innovative horror game that still

looks and sounds incredible. The star

is the Alien, of course. It hunts you

using advanced AI that registers

every sound you make. If you hide in

closets all the time, it starts checking

them. And eats you.

GET EATEN

MAGIC: THE GATHERING ARENA

magic.wizards.com/en/mtgarena

The venerable collectible card

game finally has a good digital

version. Magic: The Gathering Arena

is free to download, and you can

unlock a generous collection of cards

without paying anything. You need to

spend if you want to get serious

about competitive multiplayer, but

it’s so worth it.

COLLECT AND KILL

MUST

PLAY

A PERSONAL LIST

OF THE BEST

GAMES YOU CAN

PLAY RIGHT NOW

by Tom Senior

EXPLORE A FAIRYTALE

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