So far, 2019 has been filled with some pretty great games each week, whether they beremasters,remakes,series continuations, orJapanese localizations.While February typically isn’t a very notable month, 2019 is much different. This Friday alone with see the release of five notable titles spread across various different genres.
Manga and anime fans can settle scores inJump Force,a 3D fighting game that features various characters from different Shonen Jump franchises. Next,Metro Exodusis the more expansive and varied conclusion to theMetrotrilogy of titles started by 4A Games almost a decade ago. The long awaited Crackdown 3 will be also finally be hitting store shelves after over four and a half years of waiting.Far Cry New Dawnis also set to be smaller post-apocalyptic sequel to one of last year’s best selling games.
Finally,Dragons: Dawn of New Ridersis a brand newHow to Train Your Dragonlicensed game releasing just a week before the corresponding film trilogy concludes. If you are interested in any of these games, be sure to check out and possibly pre-order these games with the Amazon affiliate links below. Doing so also helps us keep DualShockers as a independent platform for opinions and news coverage that aren’t mainstream.
Jump Force
Bandai Namco Entertainment and Spike Chunsoft’sJump Forcemade quite the splash when it wasannounced at E3 2018.It crosses over various Shonen Jump franchises likeDragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, My Hero, JoJo’s Bizare Adventure, Dragon Quest: The Adventures of Dai, Rurouni Kenshin, Bleach, and more. While bringing these various series together may sound difficult, the game is attempting to manage them by uniting everything under a more realistic art style and setting.
When it comes to gameplay,Jump Forceis 3v3 tag team fighting game reminiscent of past Spike Chunsoft 3D fighters. While it does seem to emphasizestyle over substance,it’s flashy nature and hefty 42 character roster at launch definitely makeJump Forcean entertaining game to watch.
If you are interested in seeing Goku, Luffy, and Naruto beat up Jotaro Kujo, Kenshiro, and Yugi, you can really only do that inJump Force. You can pre-orderJump Forcefor PC, PS4, or Xbox One with the links below:
Metro Exodus
While theMetroseries started as a niche adaptation of a somewhat obscure book series by an unknown Eastern European game developer, it hit the mainstream with theMetro 2033 ReduxandMetro: Last Light Redux remastersthis console generation. This has lead many to eagerly anticipateMetro Exodus,which is also set to expand the scope of the game, finally bringing players out of snowy cities and gross subterranean areas.
The satisfying first person shooter is still at the core of the experience, though renewed emphasis has been placed on a dynamic weather system, more open-ended level design, and a crafting system. Some of the game also takes place on an eastbound train called the Aurora that brings players to a variety of different locations that vary in color palette and atmosphere depending on the season.
Even though the game ran into a bit of controversy when it was recently revealed to be anEpic Games Store exclusive, you can still pre-orderMetro Exoduson any of the platforms it’s available on with the following links:
Crackdown 3
WhileJump Forcemay be the most popular release of the week, I’d callCrackdown 3the most notable title that’s coming out because of how long we’ve been waiting for it. The game was first announced at E3 2014 with lofty promises of destructive environments piquing the interest of many. Unfortunately, the game seemed to have suffered a variety of development issues before falling in the hands of Sumo Digital.
While it was initially supposed to launch alongside the Xbox One X in Fall 2017, we are just finally getting our hands on the game almost a year and a half later. Even still, we haven’t seen a lot of the of the game, with Microsoft opting to showcase Terry Crews filled trailers instead; as DualShockers' Reviews Editor Logan Moore has previously said,“the silence surroundingCrackdown 3 is deafening.”
Hopefully checking out the few gameplay videos that are available will give you a better idea of what to expect from the seemingly by the numberCrackdowngame with an emphasis on destruction in multiplayer. If you want to finally try the game after years of waiting, you can pre-orderCrackdown 3or pick up and Xbox One X system with the links below:
Far Cry New Dawn
A surprise announcementfrom The Game Awards,Far Cry New Dawnis a smaller post-apocalyptic follow up to 2018’sFar Cry 5.Things didn’t end well for Hope County in that game, and when players reemerge after seventeen years, they are greeted with a colorful yet destroyed world. The story directly follows upFar Cry 5as well, withFar Cry New Dawnpoised to feature characters like the Deputy and Joseph Seed.
Far Cry New Dawnlooks seems to be a fairly typicalFar Crygame at its core, though everything has a post-apocalyptic and survival game twinge. Players will have to raid enemy camps for resources, and will even have a home base, deemed ‘Prosperity’, which can be built up over the course of the game with new resources.
If you are interested in this post-apocalyptic take on a series typically set in modern times, you can pre-orderFar Cry New Dawnwith the links below:
Dragons: Dawn of New Riders
After years of waiting,How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden Worldis finally hitting theaters on February 22. This Friday, a week prior to the animated films' launch,Dragons: Dawn of New Riderswill be releasing on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. It is developed by Outright Games, a publisher who has come onto the scene lately with games likeBen 10, Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion,andCrayola Scoot.
The game follows Scribbler and Patch, a new rider/dragon duo as they fight a new enemy called Eir who is trying to enslave dragons.Dragons: Dawn of New Ridersis played from a top down perspective, mainly focusing on light combat and puzzle elements as players venture through areas from the film. That being said,Dragons: Dawn of New Ridersisn’t a direct adaptation of the third film, which is an interesting direction to go for a licensed game and may entice die hardHow to Train Your Dragonfans.
If you are one of those people who wants to pick up the game despite theseries track recordin gaming, you can pre-orderDragons: Dawn of New Riderswith the links below:
Outside of those five notable games, this week will also see the release of some smaller titles likeThe Liar Princess and the Blind Prince, A Fold Apart,andDegrees of Separation.All in all, this week is packed with tons of interesting titles across a wide variety of genres, resulting in the first truly packed week for games in 2019. Once again, thanks for taking the time to read this. We here at DualShockers all hope you have a great week!
