New in March

Good news the winter drought is over! Not only does March see the fullest release list of the year so far, but also some of the biggest games of the year as well.  Plus, it's good news for owners of new shiny next gen consoles and those still rocking the last gen.


It all starts this week with the South Park: The Stick of Truth finally being released. Stick of Truth is a role playing game set in the South Park universe,  with the games script written by Trey Parker & Matt Stone.  With the creators working close with the developers,  expect the usual level of high brow humour that South Park is famous for. The European release has actually been censored in 7 scenes, due to what Ubisoft are calling "Market decision".



The game obviously takes a huge swipe at video games and RPG games, but in a way that will have laughing out loud at your TV. The story revolves around the new kid in town (your avatar) and his attempt to make friends with the local kids in South Park. Those kids are at war I some kind of fantasy game they are playing, with them split into two factions of humans and elves. With this being South Park though, who knows where this quest will end?

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Release date: March 7 (Europe), March 4 (North America)
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Next week sees a huge event happening, not just my 40th Birthday! Titan Fall is released on PC and Xbox One (Xbox 360 launches later in the month) on the 14th March. Microsoft are pinning a lot of hopes on this title to raise the sales of the Xbox One after losing out to Sony in the initial launch figures. To prove how important this is to the future of the Xbox One, MS have dropped the price of the Xbox One, but also bundled in Titanfall for free.



In case you have been living under a rock for the past 12 months, Titanfall is the first game from Respawn Entertainment. Respawn is the new development team set up by Jason West and Vince Zampella, the original guys behind Call of Duty. Titanfall is a multiplayer only first person shooter, set in a science fiction backdrop. Players jump into the boots of a soldier in this conflict and are thrown into the battle. Whilst on foot, speed and agility are the key, with Jet boots that allow for a double jump. Expect alot of wall running and free-running whilst gunning. After a certain period in the match, you can activate Titanfall. This deploys a huge robotic suit for you to jump into and start to dish out the chaos.

It has recently been revealed that matches will be 6 vs 6, with a bots taken the role of grunts. This is a great idea as it basically gives everyone, No matter how good they are to get some kills every match. I recently rage quit and deleted Battlefield 3 after an hour of solid dying with not a single kill to my name. Titanfall wants to change the way Online shooters work and who better than the guys behind what we all currently play now.

Titanfall

Release date: March 14 (Europe), March 11 (North America)

Platforms: Xbox One, PC (Xbox 360 on March 28)

Also on the 14th March, Hardcore RPG fans rejoice! Dark Souls II is here and it's more brutal than ever. The story revolves around a cursed undead character trying to find a cure for their curse. So far, so familiar. Whilst Dark Souls II is not directly linked to its predecessor story-wise, both games are set in the same world.



Both Demons Souls and Dark Souls are well known for being unforgivingly hard. The selling point of the game is that you will die... alot. Dark Souls II will not be any different but the developers have made to opening game a little bit more accessible to new players. Which is good news for people like me who found Dark Souls a bit of a daunting game to try and get into.

Dark Souls 2

Release date: March 14 (Europe), March 11 (North America)

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3 (PC later date)

21st March may be the most expensive week of gaming in 2014. There are 3 huge titles released and all of them are worth buying day one. Starting with a next gen exclusive for the Playstation 4.

inFAMOUS: Second Son is the third game in Sucker Punch's super hero open world action series and looks set to be the most beautiful looking next gen game to be released so far. Moving away from the fictional towns of Empire City and New Martin and in to the real world of Seattle with a new protaginist. Second Son looks to reinvent itself for the next generation. Delsin Rowe discovers that he is a conduit (person with powers) after an accident. Not only can he turn to living smoke, but he can also absorb the powers of other conduits and use them as his own. This make shim a target for the authorities,who are hunting down the conduits and deem them as a threat to mankind. Delsin does the only natural thing a man with immeasurable super powers can... fight back.



inFAMOUS : Second Son apparently does not try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to its gameplay. Seeing as I am a huge fan of the first two games this is a good thing. What Sucker Punch have done is focus on making the game one of the first truly stunning to behold next gen games to play. This is what you paid your hard earned cash for... This is next gen!

Infamous: Second Son

Release date: March 21 (Europe), March 18 (North America)

Platforms: PS4

Next up is the return of not one, but two gaming legends. The Final Fantasy series has being going through the motions this previous generation. The FF-XIII trilogy of games whilst still good games, failed to reignite the glory days of the series past. So maybe a trip down memory lane is in order?

Final Fantasy X / X-II HD remaster combines both games from the PS2 era and gives them a modern day lick of paint and a bunch of new features. The best thing about this release for me is that it is being released on PlayStation 3 and PS Vita. Personally, these are the types of games I want to play on the Vita and the new remaster will look exceptionally good on the OLD screen of the original Vita.



I was never a fan of the Final Fantasy games during the PS One and PS2 era's. It is only in recent years I have found my appreciation of RPG games and being given the chance to revisit some of classic games of the genre and be able to play them where ever I maybe is really exciting. That does of course mean that my Vita will have Final Fantasy VII through X loaded on it. That's a lot of JRPG.

Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD

Release date: March 21 (Europe), March 18 (North America)

Platforms: PS3, Vita

Still on the 21st, the final game to be released is the return of everybody's favorite stealth soldier, Snake is back! Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a prequel to Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, which is due out at the end of this year. Because this is a prequel, much has already been made of the games length. Reports say that it an be completed in two hours. Konami, have reacted to this by lowering the price for both last gen and next gen versions accordingly.



Ground Zeroes takes place in 1975, Naked Snake (Big Boss) is working for Militaires Sans Frontieres and is sent on a mission to infiltrate Camp Omega,a maximum security prison facility on the southern tip of Cuba. His mission is to rescue agents from captivity. However during the mission, MSF's base is attacked by XOF, the military group that is running the camp Snake is infiltrating. The events that unfold in Ground Zeroes will lead into Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Release date: March 21 (Europe), March 18 (North America)

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360

So that's a pretty busy month for retail releases. It does not stop there because the Indie rush on Playstation Network carries on its relentless release schedule and this month you can expect...

Luftrausers - 19th March (PS3, Vita)

Fez - March 26 (PS4, Vita, PS3)
Steamworld Dig - 19th March (PS4, Vita)