Break out the Hi-C and Dunkaroos, because gamers from the ’90s have a lot to look forward to in this week’s new game releases. Resident Evil Revelations 2 brings back characters from the original survival horror games in a new, episodic adventure. Interstellar real time strategy classic Homeworld has been remastered so you can relive your Babylon 5 fantasies in stunning new HD. Indie whale brawler Starwhal comes to consoles so you can gather your friends together for some friendly couch-based competition. Finally, Dragon Ball Xenoverse is the closest experience yet to jumping inside the TV and taking control of your saturday morning anime.
What will you be playing this week?
Resident Evil Revelations 2 – Episode 1
PS3/PS4/Windows/X360/XB1 (February 24/25)
Set between the events of Residents Evil 5 and 6, Resident Evil 2 protagonist Claire Redfield returns to lead this four-part episodic adventure. Barry Burton is also back, along with his daughter Moira, who serves as a supporting character, kidnapped along with Claire and taken to a mysterious and monster-infested island prison.
In true survival horror fashion, caution will be required to make it out alive. While Claire packs the muscle, Moira, controlled by a second player or AI, is crucial in helping you find keys, secrets, and scarce ammunition.
Homeworld: Remastered
Windows (February 25)
Originally released in 1999, the original Homeworld was the first fully 3D real time strategy game. Take command of space ships ranging from nimble fighters up to devastating dreadnoughts. This remastered collection combines Homeworld and Homeworld 2 into an epic, galaxy-spanning space opera.
The Remastered edition spruces up the classic game’s visuals with updated textures, new visual effects, remade cinematics, and support for HD resolutions. Multiplayer for both games has also been combined into a single experience for ease of online play.
Starwhal
PS3/PS4 (February 24)
Psychedelic narwhals flop through the void of space, viciously attempting to spear one another’s exposed, beating hearts before the same is done to them. Originally released for PC in 2014, this fast and fun competitive game is easy to learn, hard to master, and perfect for playing on the couch with your friends.
The game’s full, original title was Starwhal: Just The Tip, but the latter part was dropped in a likely effort to avoid alienating larger audiences from what is an otherwise silly game for all ages.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse
PS3/PS4/Windows/X360/XB1 (February 24)
Featuring virtually any character you can think of from long-running anime series Dragon Ball Z, Xenoverse is the 3D brawler that many fans have been waiting for. Fully destructible environments will let players feel the visceral satisfaction of blasting Frieza clear through a mountain with a fully-charged Kamehameha.
The game features an original story that’s heavy with alternate timeline shenanigans, freeing it up to throw canon to the wind and settle fanboy debates about who would beat whom. Players can create and customize an original character from the game’s various races, putting themselves into the Dragon Ball saga.
What else is coming:
- Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires (PS3,PS4,Vita,Windows,X360, XB1/Feb. 24) –– Like Empires add-ons for previous entries in the series, this expansion adds new systems for strategic and tactical army management to the large-scale brawler.
- Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty (Linux, Mac, Win/Feb. 25) — The classic, late-90s platformer Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee has been remade from the ground up so new players can experience this quirky story of an enslaved race claiming their freedom.
- Limbo (PS4/Feb. 24) — A breakout platforming hit on Xbox Live Arcade in 2010, Limbo was held up alongside games like Braid as heralding the indie game revolution we seem to be living in now.
- There Came an Echo (Win/Feb. 24) — Take control over a squadron of elite operatives in this real-time strategy game featuring an innovative and robust system of voice commands. Star Trek actor and general geek celebrity Wil Wheaton leads the cast.
