July is a quiet month for games as everyone gets over all the excitement of E3 whilst simultaneously looking forward to what’s to come in the final part of the year. This July is no different but does have a few surprises to behold.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age – Due 11th for PS4
Originally released in 2006 for PS2 FF12 changed the fundamentals of Final Fantasy drastically by moving from turn based battles to a more free flowing gambit based battle system as well as introducing a more open world whilst still keeping the roots of the series on show. This re-make keeps all that made the original so outstanding but adds higher definition graphics and improved technical performance.
Splatoon 2 – Due 21st for Nintendo Switch
The original Splatoon was a return to form for Nintendo being a brand new IP that was great fun, great looking and just all around great to play. Taking the normally gritty third person shooter and covering it with paint was a fantastic idea that revitalised the genre and gave us a wholly unique game. Also you were a squid! Splatoon 2 is more of the same but with it now coming out on the Switch you can expect more people to play it without it losing everything that made it special to begin with.
2DS XL – Due 28th July
The 3DS is one of Nintendo’s greatest handheld consoles, but for most the ability to play games in 3D is somewhat wasted and a lot of the time the 3D ability would be set to off. The original 2DS alleviated this whilst at the same time having in my opinion one of the worst designs for any handheld. This new version returns to Nintendo’s classic clamshell design making it an affordable alternative to the 3DS if you don’t want the 3D.
Honourable Mentions
These are not full games but as Betas they could fill the void while you wait for the full releases to grace your consoles.
Destiny 2 Open Beta – Due 21st for PS4 and Xbox One
The Original Destiny had some lofty ideas and while it was a solid game it didn’t reach some of ambitions it set out with. Hopefully Destiny 2 rectifies this and gives us a science fiction opera the likes of which we’ve never seen. I’m looking forward to the beta to find out just how engrossing the gunplay and multiplayer are going to be.
Fortnite Paid Beta – Due 25th for PS4, Xbox One and PC
Fortnite looks quite a bit different to the teaser trailer we saw back in 2011 but fortunately it still has the same gameplay that got everyone excited in the first place. Mixing third person shooting with crafting, fort building, tower defence and survival is an interesting idea and I’m curious to see how it turns out.
So these are the games of July, it’s a little bit quiet but that just gives you more time to get excited for the coming month’s extravaganza of games.
Author: Hal, Plymouth store
