The summer is almost upon us and that means more free time for College students! No tests, quizzes, papers or anything until late August provided that you aren’t taking summer classes of course. If you are, well then you’re not only responsible and dedicated. A little down time never hurt anyone!
One of the best ways to relax when the school work ends is by playing a video game. With three months until the fall semester begins, here are just a few upcoming games that will occupy your new found free time.
Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)
Watch Dogs is the next big action-adventure game from the creators of “Assassin’s Creed” and Tom Clancy’s “Splinter Cell.” Players are put into the shoes of Aiden Pearce, an Irish-American vigilante who is set on doling out justice to a futuristic, cyber-punk Chicago. The main game mechanic of Watch Dogs, a brand new IP that Ubisoft has spent over $60 million developing, is hacking. Aiden can hack pretty much everything in the game, changing the environment around him. To do this, Aiden uses his ever powerful smartphone to issue out commands that can alter Chicago by messing with traffic lights, destroying bridges, set up road blockers and more. There are over 100 ways to alter Chicago on the fly, giving players an immense amount of freedom to cause destruction as they see fit.
Watch Dogs will release on PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PS4 on May 27.
Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo)
If you don’t have fond memories of playing Nintendo’s iconic kart racing series as a child, you may not have had a real childhood. Okay, so that’s an over-statement but Nintendo’s famous racing game is coming back strong right after the semester ends. Mario Kart 8 adds a ton of new features to the series like anti-gravity tracks, the ability to record your most impressive races, 12-player online play with 2 player local multiplayer and a plethora of new characters and items. Not only that but Mario Kart 8 is also one of the best looking games in recent memory, showing just how beautiful Nintendo’s first party games can be in HD. Mario Kart is one of the best gaming experiences with friends and the 8th installment in the series is shaping up to the best and most time consuming. Mario Kart 8 releases on the Wii U on May 30.
The Last of Us Remastered (Sony Computer Entertainment of America)
Last summer, Naughty Dog unleashed the gripping, heart-wrenching adventure game, “The Last of Us”, on PS3 owners across the world. This summer they’re re-releasing the game on Sony’s brand new home console, the PS4. This new version, called “The Last of Us Remastered,” sports full 1080p resolution, new high-res textures, new controls and all the downloadable content released for the game over the past year. “The Last of Us” was already the popular choice for Game of the Year in 2013 because of its incredible single-player story that stars Joel and Ellie, arguably the two best video game characters in recent memory. “The Last of Us Remastered” will release on the PS4 later this summer.
Super Smash Bros 3DS (Nintendo)
Nintendo makes another appearance on this list with yet another fantastic multiplayer experience. “Super Smash Bros,” the company’s popular fighting game that pits Nintendo characters like Link, Mario and Samus against non-Nintendo characters like Sonic and Mega Man, will release on the Nintendo 3DS this summer. The game will support four players locally or online and will run in full 3D at 60 frames per second. As always, Super Smash Bros 3DS will be packed with content for people who like to play on their own as well as those who like to play with friends.
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Bethesda)
Want a shooting game to hold you over until the next “Call of Duty”? You should give” Wolfenstein: The New Order” a try when it releases on May 20. The game is a reboot of the legendary first person shooter franchise that the developers of Doom started back in 1992. This game is all about story and takes place in an alternate reality during the 1960’s where the Nazi’s won World War II. Players will have to find a way to launch an “impossible” counter-offensive against Nazi forces. Players will travel all over Europe in the hopes of destroying as many Nazi forces as possible while also trying to figure out how the Nazi’s came to power during the war. Wolfenstein: The New Order releases on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4 on May 20th.
Those are just a few of the top games coming out this summer. If none of these sound like something you want to spend your precious summer time on, check out one of the countless indie games on whatever video game system you own as the Playstation Store, Xbox Marketplace, Nintendo eShop and Steam are packed with superb games from lesser known developers at cheap prices. Or give an older game a chance. Whatever you play, enjoy your down-time and kick back with a video game. At least during the summer your gaming habits can’t interfere with your studies. Pick up a controller and have some fun while you’ve got the time.
