It’s Halloween!
And sadly, depending on where you’re located in North America, you could be dealing with some seriously wet weather. Not to fear – if you’re not taking the kids trick or treating tonight, there are some solid video games that can enjoy instead. Here’s a rundown of a few titles – from kids titles to ones geared towards the older crowd.
Luigi’s Mansion 3
Nintendo Switch
Out today is the third instalment in the Luigi’s Mansion series and the first to arrive on the Nintendo Switch. The game finds Luigi, Mario, Peach and a few Toads as guests at a hotel that isn’t what it seems. Soon Luigi is tasked with rescuing his family and friends from the haunted mansion, catching ghosts and exploring the massive hotel across many floors.
Designed for kids and kids at heart, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is yet another outstanding exclusive title from Nintendo. The graphics are solid, the gameplay is quickly intuitive, and the storyline is entertaining and engaging. There’s searching and exploring and puzzle-solving that isn’t simple, but not unbearably challenging. It’s easy to get right into Luigi’s Mansion 3. So says my discerning co-gamer.
“I like it,” said the Princess when I asked for her take on the game. “It’s basically a Ghostbusters game, but it’s easier for kids than the Ghostbusters game you have.”
Fair point, I have to agree (but I love Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered on the Switch as well). If you’re looking to introduce the younger set to something spooky but far from terrifying, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a great place to begin.
The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series
PlayStation 4
If you’re looking to introduce your kids to zombies, well, I wouldn’t recommend The Walking Dead games from the late, great game developer Telltale. They are simply way too dark and violent for them. But for fans of the comic books or television series, there’s no disputing how excellent this video game series was. Now, all four seasons of the original series, along with standalone games 400 Days DLC and The Walking Dead: Michonne have been compiled into one big collection from Skybound Games, the video imprint from Robert Kirkman himself.
The Telltale games always looked good on PlayStation 4, but the new collection includes visual upgrades that make everything look better than ever. The gameplay is tense but relatively intuitive, and it’s great to have all these titles in one handy place. If you own the titles already, there’s no real need to double dip, but for anybody starting from scratch, The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series is the ideal one-stop-shop.
We Happy Few
PlayStation 4
We Happy Few was released last year but we recently received a review code to give it a try, tying in with the release of some new DLC. The game is a first-person survival horror game set in an alternate world where the Germans won World War II. It’s the 1960s and Britain is collapsing, and inhabitants are addicted to a drug called Joy that masks the country’s impending doom. In the core title, you play as three separate characters – Arthur, Sally, and Ollie – whose stories crossover with each other.
We Happy Few is a game that sneaks up on you. The world seems prim and proper until you start coming down off Joy and you see how grotesque life has become. It’s a jolt that compels you to explore further. Visually, We Happy Few is beautifully rendered. The environments gave off a certain Prisoner-vibe to me while playing, which I like to think developer Compulsion Games and publisher Gearbox Publishing will take as a compliment.
We Happy Few is currently available as a Deluxe Edition for $53 in the PlayStation Store, and for the significant amount of content it comes with (including the three new DLC stores), it’s definitely a deal worth checking out.
Be seeing you!
