FRASER
BROWN
I’m going big this month.
MMOs. Open worlds. Big
ol’ maps that’ll take an
age to conquer. Chuck
your responsibilities in
the bin and dedicate
your time to one of
these epics.
ELDEN RING
bit.ly/3qij5jQFromSoftware’s open world
behemoth is impossible to escape
right now, so you shouldn’t even try
to outrun it. Just let it embrace you
and feedyou runes andthen stab
you in theback and steal those
runes. It’stoughand brilliant and
so-far the best thingabout 2022.ALL-CONSUMING
GUILD WARS 2
bit.ly/3tl8WF5Though it’srarelyin the spotlight,
Guild Wars 2remains a cracking
MMO – ifnot the best one thenat
least themost fun – and the new End
of Dragonsexpansion absolutely
deserves a look. Ride giant siege
turtles! Goon fishing expeditions on
your very own boat! Paradise.MMORE
TOTALWAR: WARHAMMER III
bit.ly/364jakyThe final gamein Creative
Assembly’strilogy, WarhammerIIIis
full of novelties,with a campaign that
sends youjumping between realities,
and factions that include aunited
daemonic army with a customisable
leader. It’sTotal Warat itsmost
experimental and weird.WAAARGH
FORZA HORIZON 5
bit.ly/3Il3jLpForzaHorizon 5wants you to know
that you’re thebest.The fastest,
sexiest, most talented driver around.
Optimism andglee shoot outof
everyexhaustas you speed across
the massive Mexican playground. I
wish I wasthere right now, so I’d
better wrap this up quickly.RUSH HOUR
DISTANT WORLDS 2
bit.ly/3KZggMJDistant Worlds 2 ’s obsession with
minutiae and simulatingso much of
its galaxy and the empires fighting
within it makes it one of the more
complex 4X romps,but with its
automation options you could
probably play it in your sleep. Put the
AI in charge and see what happens.PASS THE BUCK
DRAGON’SDOGMA:
DARK ARISEN
bit.ly/3wnWCWJRecentforays into Monster Hunter
Riseand Elden Ringhave reminded
me how great Dragon’s Dogmais,
with its enigmatic world and huge
monsters you can climb like a wall in
Assassin’s Creed. It’sgot a cracking
character creator, too.MONSTER MASH
OLD WORLD
bit.ly/36t8fQWOld Worldfeels like Civ’s early
game spread acrossan entire
campaign, with a big chunk of
Crusader Kings-style intrigue thrown
in for good measure. Crush the world
under your boot while arranging
marriages, watching your kids grow
up, andassassinating rivals.NEW ORDER
SIX AGES: RIDE LIKE THE WIND
bit.ly/3wh0992A storybook-style narrative
management game where you lead a
clan to glory or extinction, Six Ages
spits out countless compelling yarns
as you learn tobe a good (orrubbish)
ruler. The words are very good, and
so are the lavish illustrations, painting
a vivid picture of the life of your clan.STORY TIME
MUST
PLAY
A PERSONAL LIST
OF THE BEST
GAMES YOU CAN
PLAY RIGHT NOW
by Fraser Brown128
EXTRA LIFE
NOW PLAYING (^) IUPDATE (^) IMOD SPOTLIGHT (^) IHOW TO (^) I DIARY (^) I WHY I LOVE (^) IREINSTALL (^) I MUST PLAY