SHENMUE III
Almost 20 years after the series
halted, Yu Suzuki is picking up
where Shenmue II left off. This
epic follows Ryo Hazuki on a
quest for revenge, and is set in
rural China. As well as deep
combat, it’ll feature life
simulation elements.RESIDENT EVIL 2
Capcom has taken its horror
classic and remade it with an
over-the-shoulder camera and
ghoulishly detailed graphics.
It’s not just a visual overhaul:
Even some of the puzzles have
been tweaked, so diehard fans
will enjoy something new.MANIFOLD GARDEN
Sure, we may have been writing
enthusiastically about William
Chyr’s Escher-esque puzzle
game and its imminent release
for *cough cough* years, but we
really do think 2019 might be
the year it emerges from its
stunning, geometric cocoon.BOYFRIEND DUNGEON
“If you like that sword so much,
why don’t you just MARRY IT?”
is the premise of Boyfriend
Dungeon. Well, perhaps not
marry, but at least have a fun
fling with it, because instead of
romancing traditional NPCs
you’ll be wooing your armory.2019 Preview
FEATURE
SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE
A
fter three Darks Souls games (and a Bloodborne),
FromSoftware is trying something slightly different. Rather
than a painstaking marathon, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
sprints along at a much faster pace. Combat is quicker,
more deadly, and more generously checkpointed. There are no stats,
there’s only one weapon, and you’re armed with a grappling hook and a
toolbox of prosthetic gadgets. You’re as fragile as you are deadly, but
can use your stealth and manoeuvrability to silently take down your
foes. And, if it does all go wrong, a revive mechanic lets you spring back
to life after your enemies have grown bored of staring at your corpse.
THE DIVISION 2
U
bisoft’s sequel trades the New York winter for Washington
D.C. in the summer, letting you and your pals fight through a
more open space, taking advantage of longer sightlines and
flanking opportunities. Ubisoft is keen to stress that,
despite the setting, there are absolutely no political overtones here. Hey
look, it’s a downed Air Force One! Despite a muted launch, The Division
earned itself a fanbase, and improved a lot over its many updates. The
Division 2 hopes to build on that momentum with free DLC episodes
planned throughout its first year, and a more robust endgame that will
let you specialize your character towards a particular playstyle.
OOBLETS
P
erhaps the most gif-friendly game in existence, Ooblets
takes inspiration from Pokémon, Harvest Moon and Animal
Crossing. The result is a farming game where you grow
creatures from seed, then train them to compete in
dance-offs. It’s the little details which really make Ooblets a charming
prospect, though. Instead of health bars, the dance-offs revolve around
gaining or losing ego. Instead of living in a backpack, ooblets trail after
your character like ducklings. And instead of new hairstyles just
popping into existence in character customization, they are sprayed
onto your head as if they’re coming from a can of whipped cream.OBSERVATION
T
his sci-fi thriller is being developed by Alien: Isolation
alumni, which shows in its distorted computer interfaces,
eerie atmosphere, and creeping sense of dread. You play as
an AI in charge of a stricken space station, working with
(and, perhaps, against) an astronaut trying to escape. Think 2001, but
from HAL’s perspective. Cameras are placed around the station, and
these are your eyes and ears. You’ll help Dr. Emma Fisher fix the station
and figure out what happened to it, but something seems to be
infecting your systems, with the repeated words ‘BRING HER’ spookily
compelling you to do something presumably unpleasant.