The mediocre year in gaming that was 2014 is rapidly falling behind us as we move into February 2015. It’s actually snuck up on us, but this month is shaping up to be one of the best in video games in quite some time. Here are the games we’ll be playing this month.
Evolve
It’s been a long time coming and through three previews, an alpha, a beta and pre-release access for review purposes opinions of Evolve have, well, evolved at Stevivor. Turtle Rock’s asymmetric 4v1 ‘copetitive’ shooter is certainly unique and can be a lot of fun. As Steve says in his review though, Evolve is “really a mixed bag. If you adore multiplayer, belong to a dedicated clan, thrive in competitive Esports-style play or simply turn your nose at the thought of single-player, this one’s for you, lone wolves need not apply.”
We’ve logged a combined total over at least 100 hours with Evolve here at Stevivor pre-release and we’ll likely double that now that it’s been released into the wild and servers are online. We’re keen to test how the servers stand up to wide release and how the gameplay shines/suffers through matchmaking and playing with random other players instead of a tightly controlled preview/review environment.
Evolve is available now for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D
Does this one really need any explanation?
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is widely considered (by me) to be the best Zelda game ever created. Arriving on the N64 in late 2000, it was not only a swan song for the console, but a massive departure from established series conventions. It was a huge risk for developer EAD at the time as fans wanted Ocarina of Time 2, yet it was one that paid dividends.
Improbably mashing the time bending nature of properties like Groundhog Day, Butterfly Effect and more recently Edge of Tomorrow with classic Zelda gameplay, Majora’s Mask managed to completely exceed expectations while simultaneously establishing a unique identity within the franchise. It’s also the series’ darkest tale. The impending destruction of Termina by the sneering moon above, the sad tale of Skull Kid and the variously heartbreaking, tear jerking and sometimes even uplifting lives of the residents of Clock Town coalesce into something truly special.
Such is the power of Majora’s Mask that incredibly detailed analyses of the game as well as real-world ghost stories have sprang up around it. Majora’s Mask is Nintendo at its most dramatic, most powerful and most dark. It’s the kind of game that Nintendo simply wouldn’t make today and for that reason alone it demands to be played.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D will be available for 3DS and New 3DS 14 February.
The Order: 1886
The Order: 1886 is criminally underhyped at this point (less then two weeks from release) especially for a game with such pedigree behind it. Developed by Ready at Dawn — responsible for the PSP God of War games — which is made up of former Naughty Dog and Blizzard staff, The Order has been in development since 2010 and is powered by the in-house developed RAD Engine 4.0. The engine has allowed the team at Ready at Dawn to create a stunningly gorgeous game and to recreate 1800’s London in intricate detail.
The London featured in The Order is set in alternate history however, allowing Ready at Dawn to play with the past. Technology is much farther advanced that it should be for the time period, with electricity widely prevalent and weaponry outpacing firearms of the day. Genuinely new and compelling stories and settings are increasingly rare in games and while a third-person cover shooter is hardly revolutionary, the meat of The Order hanging on the skeleton just might be.
In 2013 when it was announced at E3 there was a groundswell of support which soon evaporated after several troublesome and less than impressive showings. I was hardly impressed at E3 2014, but previewing Chapter 5 in December last year was the turning point. Everything Ready at Dawn was trying to achieve with The Order suddenly made perfect sense. London, the occult, Victorian era Knights of the Round, horror and a secret war between humans and beasts all clicked into place. And let’s not forget those fabulous moustaches.
The Order has suffered from a less than stellar pre-release run which could potentially derail a successful launch, but it would be a real shame if it did. The Order is the kind of game that belongs on PlayStation and is more than worthy of continuing into a franchise. It’s visually stunning, plays like a dream and looks to be much more than it appears on the surface. It has all the hallmarks of a potential classic and I for one couldn’t be more excited.
The Order: 1886 will be available exclusively for PS4 on 20 February.
What will you be playing this month?
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