The spring calendar slows down, but still brings heavy hits in Minecraft, Star Wars and sports
Past
Owen S. Good
on April 3, 2023 at 11.10
April’s calendar of major video game releases is bookended by two major Electronic Arts releases: the return of EA Sports PGA Tour after a decade, and Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivorthe second chapter that extends the story of the disbanded and scattered Jedi Knights, on the run and hunted “one by one”, as Obi-Wan Kenobi told us almost 50 years ago.
Players also finally get Advance war 1+2 Re-Boot Campwhich was originally supposed to launch last year at this time but was shelved due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing conflict there. Minecraft Legendsone “action-strategy” adaptation of Mojang’s franchise, also highlights this month’s launches. Here are April’s big releases for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation and Xbox.
April 4th
GrimGrimoire once more
(Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5)
Creed Rise to Glory: Championship Edition
(PlayStation VR 2)
April 6
Across the valley
(PlayStation VR 2)
Image: EA Tiburon/Electronic Arts
April 7
EA Sports PGA Tour
(PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X)
Yes, it’s golf, yes, this is a country club sport, yes, it reminds everyone of their grandfathers, plaid pants, and Rodney Dangerfield. But it still is A tradition unlike any other. The Masters, returns to video games for the first time since 2013.
April 11
Faith: Identity
(Nintendo Switch, Windows PC)
The video game-inspired realm of Disney’s Tron franchise is still delivering new adaptations for consoles and PC 40 years after the first film was released. Faith: Identityby Bithell Games (Mike Bithell, best known for Thomas was alone) is a visual novel with puzzle-solving mechanics, where the players are a computer program investigating a mystery in an entirely new grid.
April 14
Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection
(Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC)
April 18
Minecraft Legends
(Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)
Although it resembles a real-time strategy simulator, Mojang hopes that Minecraft’s format and reputation will make it accessible to players who might not otherwise try the genre. Our preview from Minecraft Live last October described the game’s ambitions: “You’ll gather resources, build structures and amass armies, but the way you do these things is like playing Minecraft on a grand scale, rather than a more traditional RTS.”
Image: Dambuster Studios/Deep Silver
April 21
Dead island 2
(PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X)
Dead Island 2 comes a dozen years after its predecessorand it’s not made by the same studio (Techland, which found a stronger audience with Extinguishing light and its sequels). The fact is that repeatedly delayed project has meandered through three studios, almost nine years after it was originally announced. These aren’t what many would consider predictions of success, but fans of zombie survival horror still have hope.
Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp
(Nintendo Switch)
April 28
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
(PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X)
Respawn’s series proves a couple of long-standing truths about both video games and Star Wars: Old-school, single-player action-adventure stories still find a large audienceand the stories right beforeor directly after, the original trilogy still tickles the itch for longtime fans. Cal Kestis, Padawan forced into – and out of – hiding by the Empire’s brutal Inquisition, returns for the second chapter of Return of the Jedi.
April TBA
Star Trek: Resurrection
Sorce: qoerih.com