To call this an emotionally draining week would be a bit of an understatement, but luckily it’s Friday, which means I can put you on some good-ass games that won’t break the bank and will hopefully make the weekend a little better than the week. So let’s get to it, y’all!
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, $29.99 (PlayStation)
The new Mortal Kombat movie drops today, and if you’re anything like me, you’re going to watch that shit as soon as you get off work. From what I’ve heard so far, it’s everything a Mortal Kombat movie should be, which means you’re probably going to want to beat some ass by the time the credits roll. Luckily, PlayStation’s Spring sale has you covered. The Ultimate edition of the game comes with all the DLC characters, and is optimized for PS5 for you lucky folks who have one.
The story mode is an enjoyable time traveling romp that manages to really drive home how far the franchise has come from its days in the arcade. I’m a big fan of MK11 because it lets me fuck people up with Spawn, which is really all I ask from a fighting game. Not only that, but Black All-Star Keith David returned to voice the character. (He voiced Spawn in HBO’s Spawn: The Animated Series, which you should definitely check out on HBO Max. Shit still holds up, y’all)
Fez, $13.49 (Nintendo Switch)
Maybe you’re not in the mood to throw hands this weekend; perhaps you just want to hop around in a lovingly crafting world. No worries, I got you.
Fez was a game I really enjoyed playing on the Xbox 360 back when I was in college. It has a fascinating gameplay mechanic in that it’s a 2D platformer set in a 3D world. Imagine a classic 2D Mario game but you can rotate the stages. If you’ve ever played Super Paper Mario, it’s kind of like the 2D/3D mechanic in that game, except you never fully stay in the 3D perspective.
It’s been a long week and if you need something simple, bright, and pleasant to take the edge off, I think Fez will do the trick.
MLB: The Show 21 (Free on Xbox Game Pass)
In an ultimate power move, Xbox is offering MLB: The Show 21 on it’s Game Pass subscription service. Why is this a power move? Well this is the first year the typically PlaySation exclusive baseball game is on Xbox, and they straight up said “We’ll give it out for free-ish.”
Now, as the game just came out today, and I didn’t get a review copy, I can’t sit here and be like “this game is dope because blah blah blah.” Honestly, the only time I’m interested in baseball is if I’m actually at a Diamondbacks game, so I can’t even come at this on the baseball tip.
This is literally only here because it’s the latest installment of a long-running, incredibly popular sports game that you can download for free right now on Xbox. I think that’s pretty cool, interest in baseball be damned. I’ve always been curious about the MLB: The Show games, and being able to download the latest one at no extra cost was apparently the barrier I needed lifted to play these games.
Would I play a baseball game for $39.99? Ehhh. For free, though? Oh, I’ll play a baseball game for free, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you would too.
So that does it for me today folks. I hope the list was useful! In terms of new releases, Nier: Replicant dropped today, so if you’re in the mood to have an existential crisis this weekend there’s that? New Pokémon Snap drops next week, and you can bet my millennial ass that I’m copping that shit so we can talk about it.
As always stay safe, wear a mask, get vaccinated if you can, and play more video games.