Games of May 2012

As the heat destroys any inclination to leave the confines of your room, take solace in the fact that there are plenty of games releasing this month. Here are the games of May 2012.

Max Payne 3 (Xbox360 PS3)

Max is back after nearly a decade with developer Rockstar at the helm of things. He’s moved out of New York and is currently making his way through the seedy underworld of Brazil with much flair and gusto. The series’ stylish and satisfying gameplay remains intact, enhanced further by better visuals, a stellar animation system and multiplayer that looks as engaging as the campaign itself. PC gamers will unfortunately have to wait till June as that version was delayed by two weeks.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier (Xbox360 PS3)

It’s been five long years since players stepped into the boots of Tom Clancy’s elite Ghost squad in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. Now thankfully they’re back with a new enemy and a plethora of fancy new gadgets at their disposal. While we haven’t tried out the game’s campaign yet, we were more than impressed with the game’s multiplayer we’ve spoken about here. Once again, the PC version of this game has been delayed by around two weeks.

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Dragon’s Dogma (Xbox360 PS3)

Capcom’s most ambitious project till date, Dragon’s Dogma is an action RPG (Role Playing Game), similar to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. This means it’s more of a fast-paced action game with accessible RPG mechanics and gigantic boss fights thrown in for good measure opening the door to a whole new demographic in the process. We recently spoke to Hideaki Itsuno, the game’s director who gives us the lowdown on his latest title and why it should be on your radar.

Game of Thrones (Xbox360 PS3 PC)

Having burnt their fingers with a RTS (Real Time Strategy) title set in the Game of Thrones universe, developer Cyanide are now experimenting with the action RPG route. The game will be based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, the first book of which is the Game of Thrones and will allow players to explore the Kingdom of Westeros where they’ll be able to affect the politics that shape the realm. Combat in this game features something called the “active slowdown tactical combat engine,” that slows down combat so players can make quick, tactical decisions.

Starhawk (PS3)

A spiritual successor to Warhawk, one of the PlayStation 3’s first multiplayer only titles, Starhawk will feature a single player campaign in addition to large scale multiplayer battles with support for up to 32 players. New to this franchise is the inclusion of something called “Build and Battle”, a mechanic that will basically allow players to build certain items, like bunkers, vehicles etc. giving this otherwise straightforward action game a tinge of RTS (Real Time Strategy) elements.

Sniper Elite V2 (Xbox360 PS3 PC)

It’s been ages since we played a game set in World War II, so Sniper Elite V2 is actually a pleasant change of pace from all the modern day action. As the name suggests, this game is all about sniping, but developer Rebellion have taken great pains to ensure the game’s sniping mechanic feels authentic, visceral, yet enjoyable at the same time. We’ve tried the demo out for ourselves and are completely stoked about shooting people’s brains out in glorious slow motion. Head here to read all about it.  

Dirt Showdown (Xbox360 PS3 PC)

While Codemasters are busy working on Dirt 3, they’ve allocated some of their studios’ resources to work on a spin off called Dirt Showdown, an arcade game that’s based on three pillars of gameplay - Hoonigan, Demolition Derby and Race. While the last two modes are fairly self-explanatory, Hoonigan is a brand new mode where players will have to pull off tricks and stunts after being unleashed in a “Joyride compound”.

Mortal Kombat (PlayStation Vita)

Last year’s well received Mortal Kombat game makes the transition to Sony’s handheld device, the PlayStation Vita. The Vita port will include the entire game as well as all the DLC released till date and will make use of the Vita’s touch-screen functionality. For more on the Mortal Kombat reboot, check out our rather glowing review.

Sorcery (PS3)

Sorcery seems like the perfect game to showcase the PlayStation Move as you move your Move controller just like a wand casting spells, warding off evil etc. Nothing else to this game really, but it does look like fun.

Diablo III (PC)

After nearly a decade in development, Blizzard’s isometric click-a-thon is nearly upon us, so make sure you stock up on the essentials like wrist bands, ice packs for your fingers, new mice and so on. If you’ve already played the public beta, you’ll know what to expect in the final version. If not, it really isn’t rocket science. Also if you haven’t already pre-ordered the game, we suggest you do so ASAP, so you can play it the day the servers go live.