May 2020 was originally going to be a huge month for gaming, but due to various unforeseen events, some of May’s biggest releases, including The Last of Us Part II and Marvel’s The Avengers, have been pushed back until later in the year.
Still, there’s some top-quality games waiting for those looking for something new to play. Here are the biggest new games for May 2020.
Star Wars Episode 1: Racer | May 12th
Developer: Lucasarts, Aspyr
Publisher: Aspyr, Lucasfilm
Platform(s): PS4, Switch
Now this is Podracing.
The latest in a recent line of re-releases of classic Star Wars titles, Star Wars Episode 1: Racer takes one of the few good scenes in The Phantom Menace, the Podracing scene (the other good scene being the fight with Darth Maul, obviously), and turns it into a fully-fledged racing game.
Originally released for PC and the N64 back in 1999, Episode 1: Racer includes all the racers that featured in the Tatooine scene from the original film, along with the same track and a large amount of new tracks to boot. While it’s definitely going to be dated by today’s standards, you’ll still be able to find something to love about this game.
The Wonderful 101: Remastered | May 19th (NA), May 22nd (EU)
Developer: PlatinumGames
Publisher: PlatinumGames
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Switch
Would you look at that? Another remaster. Bet you think that’s the last one you’ll be seeing in this list, huh? The Wonderful 101: Remastered has taken a unique route to release though, born as part of a Kickstarter campaign from developers PlatinumGames in order to bring the cult hit to new eyes.
Originally released for the Wii U back in 2013, The Wonderful 101 saw players control a horde of superheroes who were able to combine to fight giant alien monsters. The game is about as brilliantly Japanese as it gets, and the remaster will improve the visuals and framerate to provide the best Wonderful 101 experience yet.
Total Tank Simulator | May 20th
Developer: Noobz from Poland
Publisher: 505 Games
Platform(s): PC
If strategy is your bag, the Noobz from Poland have got you covered. No, that’s not an insult, the developers are literally called the Noobz from Poland, z instead of an s to boot. Total Tank Simulator is precisely what it says on the tin, as you throw together formations of tanks and other units across massive battlefields.
The battles in Total Tank Simulator take place in fully-destructible environments, with huge armies laying waste to the world around them. Better still, instead of just setting formations and watching the fight happen, you can actively control various units to turn the tide of battle in your favour. If you love strategy games, Total Tank Simulator should be right up your alley.
Saints Row: The Third – Remastered | May 22nd
Developer: Volition
Publisher: Deep Silver
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
You might notice a theme as we run through this list that most of May’s new games are remasters/ports of already existing games, but it’s hard to be mad at the chance to replay fantastic games that have been upgraded significantly. Saints Row: The Third – Remastered is one such game, beckoning players to visit a version of Steelport with shinier visuals and all of its oddities.
As the leader of the Third Street Saints, you leave your home base of Stilwater to take down The Syndicate, which rules Steelport’s criminal underworld with an iron fist. Naturally, you’ll do that by fighting zombies, entering cyberspace, saving the day while Bonnie Tyler plays in the background and beating people over the head with a giant dildo bat. Naturally.
Maneater | May 22nd
Developer: Tripwire Interactive
Publisher: Tripwire Interactive
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Bring your bigger boat. Bring your harpoon guns. Bring your barrels full of TNT. They’re not going to be enough, because Jaws has absolutely nothing on the raw power of the Maneater. Developed and published by Tripwire Interactive, you control a massive shark determined to seek revenge on the fisherman that killed your mother. It’s the Bambi SNL sketch with The Rock, but with sharks, and it sounds awesome.
As the natural predator of the waters, you must hunt and consume the wildlife for their nutrients, and occasional mutagenics, to grow and upgrade your shark in unique and interesting ways. It’s certainly going for a comedic take on killer sharks, with comedian Chris Parnell providing the narration for the game’s storyline. Is it going to redefine what it means to be a video game? Probably not. Is it going to be fun? More than likely.
Minecraft Dungeons | May 26th
Developer: Mojang, Double Eleven
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Alright, we’re mentioning it. Given that “The Event” is still currently ongoing, the best quality a game can offer right now is hours upon hours of content, something that RPGs can provide. That’s why Minecraft Dungeons is such a tantalising prospect, as it aims to combine the accessibility of Minecraft with the content rich replayability of action RPGs like Diablo.
A spin-off from the usual survival game, Minecraft Dungeons is an isometric dungeon crawler where you take on hordes of enemies in order to obtain better loot, to then take on harder enemies for even better loot. You know the cycle, repeated almost like a mantra as you slaughter whatever stands in your way to get the next shiny thing.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition | May 29th
Developer: Monolith Soft
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform(s): Switch
Holy hell, another remaster! Xenoblade Chronicles is more than just your bread and butter remaster though, as it includes a massive amount of new content, enough for the game to earn the distinction of Definitive Edition. When a remaster comes with a brand new epilogue story, you know it’s more than your typical upgrades.
Xenoblade Chronicles sees you playing as Shulk, who you might remember more as that occasionally shirtless guy with the red sword in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Xenoblade, like The Wonderful 101 before it, was a niche Wii U title for the longest time, so it’s good to see the Definitive Edition receive a second chance at success on the Nintendo Switch.
A Buttload Of 2K Games On The Switch | May 29th
Developer: Gearbox, Firaxis Games, Irrational Games, 2K Marin
Publisher: 2K Games
Platform(s): Switch
Yes, here’s more remasters/ports, but we’re bundling all of these together because they all share a common theme: they’re published by 2K Games. Releasing on the same day for the Nintendo Switch, the choices include the XCOM 2 Collection, which bundles the base game and all DLC, the Borderlands Legendary Collection, with the first, second and Pre-Sequel games all included, and Bioshock: The Collection, with Bioshock 1, 2 and Infinite.
That’s seven games, with all relevant DLC included. Sure, they’re probably going to cost you an arm and a leg if you’re planning on purchasing all of these games (thanks, Switch tax), but there’s enough here to keep you occupied for hundreds of hours, especially if you’ve got some friends to play Borderlands with.
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