Five video games that should be on your radar

With the arrival of spring, the video games industry’s dry spell is about to come to an end, and the biggest publishers are about to start vying for players’ attentions – and the contents of their wallets.

Players can expect a veritable smorgasbord of releases and in the run up to Christmas it can be tempting to splurge on the first title that takes their fancy.

But hold on, as with every avalanche of releases, players should think first before spending their cash – what with games costing anywhere between R800 and R1 000 these days.

So to help you out, we’ve selected five games that you should really be aware of. They promise pure quality and are unlikely to leave you feeling cheated. For the purposes of this list we’re leaving off platform exclusives and sports games – especially FIFA, because everyone is going to buy it.

Red Dead Redemption 2

From the creators of the Grand Theft Auto series comes this epic saga. The sequel to one of the best – and most profitable – Western games ever, Red Dead Redemption 2 tells the story of Arthur Morgan, an outlaw in a gang as the days of the Wild West are coming to an end. Set in a massive open world, players are spoiled for choice with activities. Think of Unforgiven or The Wild Bunch as a game and you’re starting to get close.

Call of Duty Black Ops IIII

Activision’s annual shooter is getting an overhaul as it guns for the title of best shooter. Dumping the usual story campaign, Black Ops IIII instead focuses on multiplayer. The online fragfests are present and correct, the zombie co-op mode is deeper than it’s ever been and this year, Battle Royale mode Blackout, which the developers are hoping will win back some of the players the franchise has lost to Fortnite.

Fallout 76

Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic series goes online and for the first time in the series’ history, players will be able to team up with friends as they battle giant spiders, psychotic raiders and other grisly enemies in the wasteland. The game’s plot has been kept under wraps so far, but given the developer’s history of storytelling, Fallout 76 is unlikely to disappoint. It’s also likely to be lengthy so you may want to book a week off work to play this one.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

Another gargantuan entry in this list, Odyssey transplants the open-world action from ancient Egypt to ancient Greece and plants players in the sandals an assassin named Bayek, who battles against the shadowy Templars. Expect sword-fights, parkour and lots and lots of questing.

Hitman 2

The quietest entry in our list sees the return of the iconic contract killer Agent 47 in a brand new adventure. Like previous games players will be given targets, exotic environments and oodles of choice in how they go about the business of killing. Stealth-play lovers should pre-order this now.

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