We are a quarter of the way into 2019, and when you look at the video games that have been released so far, plus those that are coming soon, it’s a great year for gaming.
The Next Fortnite
The gaming king right now is Apex Legends. Developed by Respawn Entertainment and released by Electronic Arts on February 4, the game had a slim-to-none marketing budget or even an announcement. It quickly became the fastest growing game battle royale game out there, even outranking Fortnite.
Within a month, 50 million people were playing Apex Legends on XBox, Playstation, and PC. The game pits 60 players in squads of three against each other and is free to play, but you can use real money to gain enhancements for your characters.
Unlike Fortnite, in which the upgrades, skins, and other items don’t really do anything for you, each character in Apex Legends has special abilities that can help in a pinch. I play the game weekly with my cousin and a friend from work. I usually pick a character named Gibraltar, who can create shields to protect the squad — he’s the slowest character but packs a punch.
Other characters can create decoy copies of themselves, create toxic gas traps, or just generally fight better, but I enjoy Gibraltar and like to support the team. Keep in mind, parents: Apex Legends is shooting game and is not appropriate for younger players. Ironically, my research into the violence in video games post from a few months ago led me to learning and playing more Fortnite and Apex Legends.
Fighting Games Still Going Strong
On May 9, 2019, Mortal Kombat will release the 11th iteration of the game with some fancy upgrades for the Nintendo Switch, XBox One, and PS4. The rating is still pending on this one, but with all new brutalities and fatalities, it will most likely be for older gamers. In the latest iteration of the game, players can completely customize their fighters, participate in a rich story mode, and compete in many more challenging modes.
Family-Friendly Games
If I can tear myself away from Apex Legends and Fortnite, I see that Nintendo has quite a few games coming for the whole family.
Super Mario Maker 2 will release exclusively on the Nintendo Switch system. Amazon.com says it will release on December 31, 2019, but the actual release date has not been announced by the maker. In this game, players are able to create their own Super Mario courses with new tools, course parts, and features. This game may be that spark that your creative child needs to decide to code their own video games.
Old Favorites Made New Again
Everyone’s favorite character from The Legend of Zelda, Link, is front and center in a reboot of one of the classic Legend of Zelda games. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was originally released on the Nintendo Gameboy 25 years ago. The placeholder date is listed as December 31, 2019. That may hold over fans until a new and original Legend of Zelda game is released.
Superhero Showdown
This summer, Nintendo Switch will release Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. The first new game in the series in ten years. Nintendo has not announced a release date at this time. However, this year is a perfect time for the release, with so many amazing Marvel movies releasing over the last decade. Fans are itching to play something with their favorite characters — I know that I am!
In this game, players are in a race against time — and Thanos — to collect all of the Infinity Stones. The game can be played online or offline, but players will need to have the Nintendo Switch Direct in order to play online. Plus, fans can also play together with four people on one screen using two pairs of joycons. With a new original story, tons of characters, and a new way to participate in the action, this game is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Race to the Finish Line
In May 21, 2019, Team Sonic Racing will be released across the three major consoles and on Steam. In this game, Sonic and his pals team up in a unique team-based racing game, meaning you win or lose as a team. There are three types of character classes: Speed, Technique, and Power; and 15 different playable characters from across the Sonic Universe. In addition to online multiplayer and local co-op options, there is an adventure mode that gets the gamer accustomed to the game’s features and characters.
Those are just some of the great games that are being released this year. What games are you looking forward to playing?
