Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Lovin Games Weekly, and right near the end of another week of beautiful weather!
But while we’re still in this phase of the lockdown, we are all still looking for more indoors-y stuff to do, especially now that Normal People is over and need something else to focus on.
We’re only a few weeks out from potentially the biggest games release of the year (we’re looking at you, The Last Of Us Part II), but there is still loads more to play this year both before and after that. For now, here is everything you need to know about the world of video games this week:
GAME OF THE WEEK
Maneater (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
You get to be a shark. That should be the extent of the review, to be fair. You get to swim around busy beaches and jump out and chomp people who have been sunbathing on their yachts and then swim away before anyone has time to react. From that alone, you should know whether or not Maneater is the game for you!
Based around a reality TV show narrated by Chris Parnell (Anchorman, Rick & Morty), you start off the game with just one goal – to eat. The more you eat, the bigger and stronger you get, which then opens up more of the world to you, allowing you to get even bigger and stronger, until you are the most dominant force in the entire ocean.
The simplicity of the gameplay is both a blessing and a curse, because at times this the perfect game to just switch your brain off to and swim through the currents and knock annoying humans off their jet-skis, but if you’re looking for anything approaching depth (deep sea pun!), then you’ll be left disappointed. Check out the trailer for Maneater below…
BIG NEWS OF THE WEEK
Sega set to release the Game Gear Micro
Over the last few years, we have all witnessed the phenomenon of the retro console making a comeback, but in a much smaller way… literally. From the Super Nintendo to the Sega Mega Drive to the PlayStation One, scaled-down versions of decades-old consoles with pre- loaded classic games have been appearing under our most-recent Christmas trees.
To celebrate their 60th birthday, Sega have announced that they will be releasing a Sega Game Gear Micro, based on the original handheld which was released all the way back in 1990! The new version will be made available in four colours, with each colour coming pre-loaded with different games, and depending on which colour you buy you could be playing games
such as Sonic The Hedgehog, Columns, Out Run, or Shinobi.
The screen itself will be barely over an inch in size (REALLY MICRO!), accompanied by a single mono speaker and a headphone jack. The device can be charged via USB but can also run off two AAA batteries. At the moment, the Game Gear Micro is reported to be released in Japan on October 6th this year, at a price tag of 4,980 yen (about €40), with no set release date for anywhere else in the world just yet. You can get a little glimpse in the clip below…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJD0VZQzK1s
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Death Stranding (PS4)
Released in November 2019, there is no way that the creators of Death Stranding could have known that they would almost be predicting their immediate future. Telling the story of a man who has managed to survive a devastating attack on humanity by a mostly unseen presence, alongside the sudden increase in importance of front-line workers (in this case, delivery people), and the constant influence of a shadowy government on an otherwise empty world, the parallels between Death Stranding and the Covid-19 pandemic are definitely there to be seen.
Coming from the mind of the guy behind the Metal Gear Solid series, and filled with a seriously packed cast of big names (from Oscar-winning director Guillermo Del Toro to Casino Royale baddie Mads Mikklesen), you control a delivery-man who is also the last chance for America to begin to rebuild the country following a cataclysmic event. Fair warning – this is absolutely not a game for everyone, as the slower pace and massively ambitious storyline may prove less exciting for those expecting another Metal Gear.
However, if you put in the time then you will be rewarded with a game that has ended up with multiple Game Of The Year Awards, and you’ll see why so many other players think it stands out from the crowd thanks to its brazen originality. Death Stranding is available via Gamestop (online), reduced from €69.99 to €29.99. Check out the trailer below…
All prices, release dates and platforms are correct from date of publication.
