The great British summer-time is nearly upon us. The kids are off school, the family are coming around for a BBQ and the sunny outdoors awaits.
If, like me, you think that sounds absolutely awful, here are five big summer releases to help see you through. It’ll probably be too hot anyway for outdoorsy stuff anyway, right?
Spider-Man
PS4// 7 September
Arguably one of the most highly-anticipated titles for years, Insomniac’s Spider-Man game allows players to live out their childhood dream – being a superhero. You will be placed in control of the webslinger at the peak of his powers, after he’s been donning the mask for a few years and honing his craft. The story is an original one and doesn’t tie in with any of the films, which you’ll know is a blessing if you’ve played the Amazing Spider-Man games. The new narrative will focus on the worlds of Peter Parker and Spider-Man colliding when well-known philanthropist and leader of Aunt May’s homeless shelter, Martin Li, is revealed to be the super-villain Mister Negative. The game sticks to the poplar open-world format used in previous releases, complete with a stunningly recreated version of New York.
Jurassic World Evolution
PS4, XBOX One, PC// 12 June
Ever wanted to build your own Jurassic World dinosaur theme park? We know your inner child is saying yes. You can now do just that thanks to the good people over at Frontier Games, who you might know from the loveable Rollercoaster Tycoon series or, more recently, the gorgeous space-explorer Elite Dangerous. Scheduled to release alongside the movie sequel Fallen Kingdom, not only will you be designing your own prehistoric paradise; you’ll be researching the qualities of over 40 different species of exotic beasts, whilst finding more priceless nuggets of information about the world surrounding the beloved franchise. Even the legendary Jeff Goldblum reprises his role.
The Crew 2
PS4, XBOX One, PC// 29 June
Ubisoft’s first open-world racing epic released in 2014 to mixed reviews, with the technical glitches and microtransactions undermining the projects limitless potential. Screeching back into stores four years later, the sequel looks to iron out some of these issues and aims to focus more on what made the original so unique – a world map which spans the whole United States (not to scale, obvs) and touted at the time as one the greatest open-worlds ever explored by a racing title. If that wasn’t enough for you, you’re no longer limited to four-wheeled ways of getting about: bikes, planes and boats are now readily available for you to tear recklessly across the land of the free.
PES 2019
PS4, XBOX One, PC// 30 August
The ongoing battle between EA and Konami has been intensifying over the last few years, and whilst FIFA may look the part thanks to its more complete licensing, nothing really beats PES in terms of pure gameplay. The more recent instalments have boasted the most realistic football experience that gaming has to offer, with all the nuances of the sport being beautifully realised; from the differences in style between specific teams or the customisation of tactics to adapt to different situations during a game. Pro Evolution Soccer has been pushing the limits of football games and friendships for nearly eighteen years – and this one is sure to be no different. Will it actually be better than FIFA? Nah, probs not – but we all love a trier.
Vampyr
PS4, XBOX One, PC// 5 June
One of the more intriguing entries on this list, the studio behind critics’ darling Life is Strange leave you in control of Jonathan Reid – a doctor turned vampire who is struggling between his oath as a physician and his new-found thirst for the red stuff (and we’re not talking about a nice merlot here, lads). Set in London during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic, the player is forced into choices and combat situations which influence the people of London and the way they behave towards you. It’s even possible to finish the whole game without killing a single person (very admirable), which maintains your cover as a trusted doctor, but inhibits your ability to gain further supernatural abilities. I think we all know which route we’ll be taking.
There’ are a few little gems for you to get your mits on this summer, before the busy autumn line-up is out. But with E3 right around the corner, who knows what else might be on the horizon? You should probably still go outside though – I’m told fresh air is good.
