June 2015
Batman: Arkham Knight (Rocksteady): 23 June
Batman in summer? That seems a bit unusual for the darkest of dark knights, but the title was pushed back for “extra development time” so Bruce will just have to put up with the risk of heat stroke now. Batman: Arkham Knight introduces the Batmobile as “a thing,” and pits Batman against old foes like Scarecrow and new ones like the titular Arkham Knight.
Read more about Batman: Arkham Knight
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix): 23 June
We know it’s coming, but we don’t know when. Judging by the release dates of the past two, we’d guess it’ll be within the next three months or so, but obviously – no guarantees. Lightning struck three times, but the real question is whether the third time will be the charm for this Square Enix port. Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2 both had hugely problematic releases, and trust in Square Enix’s port jobs has already fallen pretty low, so if this one doesn’t look nice and run smoothly then Square will be fighting a losing battle for the cash of PC gamers.
Ronin (Tomasz Waclawek): 30 June
Gunpoint-styled stealth assassination game with ‘turn based action.’ Looks a little like Mark of the Ninja too. Sorry to get all lazy and say “it’s like X meets Y” there; if you want to try an early, free version for yourself there’s one here.
SUPERHOT (SUPERHOT Team): June 2015
SUPER. HOT. SUPER. HOT. SUPER. H … oh fine, I’ll write a proper blurb. Originally developed as part of a seven day FPS game jam thingie, SUPERHOT is a game about time manipulation. Basically, the world only moves when you do, which provides a distinct advantage when trying to dodge bullets and defeat multiple foes. The prototype is great, so let’s hope it has enough legs to stretch to a full game. June is the current release date target.
 July
Dirty Bomb (Splash Damage):Â Beta released and playable
Splash Damage are back with another shooter, this time designed specifically for PC. Originally a crowd funded project, publisher Nexon stepped in and it will now be free to play. With titles such as Quake Wars: Enemy Territory under their belts, this should excite FPS fans. But with titles like Brink also under their belts, perhaps it shouldn’t. Players will select classes and fight against another team in objective based missions. The game is not a huge departure from their previous titles but from what we have seen and played of the game so far it’s pretty solid.
Way of the Samurai 4 (Ghostlight):Â 23 July
The fourth in the long-running Way of the Samurai series originally planned to saunter onto the PC sometime in January. It’s now due in Q2 2015. Create a samurai, dress up like a lunatic, run a dojo, craft your own fighting style, and help or hinder the many vying factions of the game’s town in this short but replayable, branching adventure.
Read more about Way of the Samurai 4
August
Satellite Reign (5Lives):Â 28 August
Syndicate fans can look forward to this spiritual successor, in development at 5Lives. It already looks quite lovely, so if it also manages to replicate the gameplay of the Bullfrog original it should do very well. The Early Access version was released at the start of December 2014 as a very early alpha, but it won’t be out “properly” until 2015. Â You can buy in now but we suggest you wait until the game is a little more complete.
Read more about Satellite Reign
Volume (Bithell): 18 August 2015
Mike Bithell’s (Thomas Was Alone) next game is a re-telling of the Robin Hood legend from a future-tech crime perspective. Locksley now spends his time infiltrating military corporation ‘Gisborne Industries’ (ahhh, do you see?) and stealing … data, presumably. Volume looks like a stylish and smart take on the stealth genre. With bonus voice acting from Andy Serkis and Danny Wallace.
Summer / Q2 2015
Grim Dawn (Crate Entertainment): Summer 2015
Crate’s ARPG has been coming on leaps and bounds in 2014, and the third act has recently been added to Steam Early Access. Grim Dawn could be one of the most promising ARPGs of 2015, so it’s definitely one to keep an eye on as development continues.
Blitzkrieg 3 (Nival): Now in Early Access
Nival bring back their WWII strategy series after a lengthy break and it comes with single player and multiplayer game modes. The previous games were decent so let’s hope there’s more of the same but with a few improvements.
Published: May 25, 2015 04:51 pm