Awesome Games

In the late ’70s, Warren Robinett came up with probably the first video game Easter egg when he hid his name in his game, the Atari 2600 classic Adventure. He didn’t do it just for fun, but also to stick it to Atari’s abusive higher ups.

In the new Hitman and in other stealth games, players can complete missions on their first try. But hints, optional goals and more motivate us to replay these “finished” portions, unlike other games where we’re forced to replay a mission or level in order to progress.

Tom Clancy’s Phantom Pain. Ghost Recon Wildlands lets you play as US elite forces trying to take down a drug cartel in an open world version of modern day Bolivia. You can faff about solo or with three other buddies.

It took quite a bit of planning and engineering prowess, but the end result of Daniel Perdomo’s recreation of Atari’s arcade classic PONG as a game played with mechanical paddles and ball cube is quite impressive. (Thanks Philip!)

Absolver is an upcoming online melee action game. Customize your fighter’s combat style, weapon, and attacks then change stances while battling other players 1-on-1 or 3-on-3. It will also have single-player content. Drops 2017 for PC and consoles.

The latest trailer for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a short film that explains the game’s setting. Powerful human augmentations have become popular. But the rest of the world becomes afraid of the augmented after a hack temporarily caused the latter to become violent.

Square Enix borrowed heavily from its hallowed SNES hit Chrono Trigger to make a 90’s JRPG for the modern era. I Am Setsuna is about an enchantress who is sent by her villagers to be sacrificed to a monster. Drops 7/19/16 for Windows and PS4.

“There was never just one.” Sister Location is a spin-off of the hit horror video game series Five Nights at Freddy’s. The title is most likely based on a recorded phone call from FNaF 3 about the animal suits being deemed unfit for use after “an unfortunate incident at the sister location.”

Trust us when we say you’ve never seen Minecraft quite like this. This trippy video called Minecraft Acid Interstate uses custom shaders to take us on a rollercoaster we only wish we could ride while wearing an Oculus Rift. The track is Half Awake Pt. 2 by Topaz.

West of Loathing is an upcoming Wild West tactical adventure RPG from Asymmetric, the team behind Internet hall of famer The Kingdom of Loathing. WoL promises slightly better drawings, rudimentary animation and more humorous writing.

Jack Morrison was a super soldier and the first commander of Overwatch, but he fell from grace shortly before the group was disbanded. Now he seeks vengeance against those who orchestrated the peacekeeping force’s collapse as the vigilante Soldier: 76.

The last expansion to The Witcher 3 is more of a mini-sequel. It takes place in Toussaint, a land about the size of the Skellige Isles known for its wines and picturesque countryside. But it’s also home to thugs, thieves and the strongest monster that Geralt will encounter.

Batman: Return to Arkham is a PS4 and Xbox One bundle that includes remastered versions of the genre-defining Batman: Arkham Asylum and its open-world sequel Batman: Arkham City, as well as all of their DLC. Drops 7/26/16.

Preset Chess combines magnets with an elegant storage box to eliminate set up time. Just flip the box over and the pieces will stick to the board in their right spots. When you’re done playing, just place the pieces back in their labeled compartments.

(PG-13: Language) YouTuber CloakedStarship shows off his inhuman aiming skills in Battlefield 4. He loves to use the TOW and the SRAW, both of which allow you to control their missiles after they’re fired. Keep a close eye on the chat for added salt.

The best video game marketing campaign of all time continues with the story of Overwatch heroes Hanzo the bowman and Genji the cyborg ninja. The sons of a crime lord, Hanzo and Genji had a falling out that tore their lives apart, but each now seeks redemption in his own way.

A sidescrolling shooter from one of the creators of Realm of the Mad God. StarBreak is a lot like Contra, except with dozens of other players and procedurally-generated dungeons. If you die, you have to start from scratch, but you keep any cash and loot that you stashed.

Pokémon Sun/Moon takes place in Alola, a tropical island inspired by Hawaii. The 3DS exclusive’s debut trailer also reveals the starter creatures Rowlet, Litten and Popplio. Its Japanese commercial, on the other hand, has epic music.

Kingspray is an upcoming virtual reality graffiti simulator for Windows and OS X that uses the HTC Vive. Choose from thousands of paint colors and go wild on realistic textures and locations such as walls, trains and trailers with no fear of jail time.

The latest trailer for the PS3 and PS4 exclusive RPG Persona 5 shows off its stylish user interface, eclectic boss battles and the heroes’ double lives. The game comes out on 9/15/16 in Japan; hopefully the international release follows shortly. Fan translation here.

The latest installment of EA’s hit FPS series goes all the way back to World War I. Fight in wartorn French cities, Italian alps and Arabian sand dunes using new weapons and vehicles such as tanks and bomber planes. Drops 10/21/16.

A gorgeous hand-drawn 2D platform adventure created by indie studio Bloomylight, inspired by the work of Hayao Miyazaki, in which an apprentice priestess and her accomplice must work to bring balance to a world inhabited by humans, gods and spirits.

YouTuber Cosmic Contrarian likes his Fallout 4 battles big. Recently, he created a battle in which 30,000 automatron robots took on The Commonwealth. As amazing as this is, be sure to check out some of his other awe-inspiring battle videos.