The Best Games of March 2018
Honorable Mention: Far Cry 5
Read the Review!
Starting with a couple of honorable mentions, check out the Twinfinite’s Staff picks for our best games for March 2018 which includes of course, our Game of the Month!
Guides Editor Chris Jecks: When it comes to blowing stuff up, getting creative with weapons, and embarking on weird and wonderful quests, few series manage to measure up to Far Cry. Having whisked players away to tropical locales in previous entries (and even to the early times of human history), Ubisoft Montreal brought the explosive world-saving a little closer to home for Far Cry 5. Hope County, Montana is home to Eden’s Gate, an extremist cult led by Joseph Seed and his lieutenants that keep a firm grip on the county’s different regions as they attempt to convince everyone the world is coming to an end.
With the resistance needing a helping hand in pushing back Eden’s Gate, it’s down to you as ‘rookie’ to help lead the resistance and put a stop to Joseph Seed’s plans. And, as you’d expect, you do this by blowing a ton of stuff up and shooting a bunch of cultists. Far Cry 5’s biggest strength comes in the freedom you have to take these enemies on in any way you want. Want to take the silent and stealthy route with a bow and silent takedowns? Go ahead. Or would you rather run in with a giant bear companion called Cheeseburger and an RPG and just start popping shots off? Either route and anything in between is more than encouraged in Far Cry 5, with a plethora of weapons, attachments, vehicles, and ‘For Hire’ companions to cater to your own playstyle preference. And if you don’t want an AI ‘For Hire’ companion by your side, just invite a friend in and have them join you through the whole game instead. Co-op play feels balanced, challenging, and right at home in Far Cry 5.
And for those moments when you don’t want to be unloading rounds into crazy cultists, Hope County has a bunch of other ways to pass the time, from fishing records to beat, to Clutch Nixon stunt events to try your hand at, wild animals to hunt, and even some base jumping spots, too.
Far Cry 5’s world and characters are charming and immersive, and only help to heighten the enjoyment you’ll get out of the typical sandbox gameplay of the series. Far Cry 5 is up there for me with Far Cry 3. Though Joseph Seed may not be on the same level as Vaas, there’s so much to see and do in Far Cry that just screams fun, it’s hard not to have a good time in Hope County.
The Best Games of March 2018
Honorable Mention: MLB The Show 18
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Editor in Chief Ed McGlone: MLB The Show 18 continues the series’ long standing tradition of deep, well put-together, baseball sims. This year, San Diego Studios was brave enough to shake things up, especially in Road to the Show, and it was a gamble that paid off.
RTTS is now more in line with the vision that the developers started to put into place last year. It now incorporates an Elder Scrolls-like progression system that sees your player improve in areas where he is playing well in actual in-game activities, replacing the cumbersome training points of previous iterations. Combined with the RPG elements added-in last year, RTTS is now as fresh, and fast-paced as it’s ever been.
Diamond Dynasty is more streamlined now as well, and got a much needed face-lift. Now every card you get, no matter how rare or common, is serving an important purpose within the game’s now much easier to navigate and utilize, programs. You can play whatever game mode you want and still feel like you’re making significant progress in improving your fantasy squad.
MLB The Show 18 is rich with gameplay options both offline and online, and continues to make the PS4 a requirement for big baseball video game fans.
The Best Games of March 2018
Honorable Mention: A Way Out
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Reviews Editor Zhiqing Wan: Narrative-driven games aren’t for everyone. It’s a weird genre that straddles the line between game and movie, and when it doesn’t offer much in the way of player choice or a narrative that adapts itself to the way you play, it’s easy to fault it for being too much of a film rather than a video game you’re actually playing. In many ways, A Way Out falls into that same trap. But at the same time, it also does enough to break new ground in this curious little genre to push it forward.
You probably already know this, but A Way Out features mandatory two-player co-op, and the whole game is presented in a dynamic split-screen format. And wouldn’t you know it, that’s the X-factor that makes all the difference here. A Way Out’s cliched crime drama plays out in a very linear fashion, and the few choices you get to make in the game don’t have much of an impact on the narrative. However, it’s the bond between protagonists Vincent and Leo (and, consequently, the bond between you and your co-op partner) that really makes this story come alive. The dialogue is witty, both characters are well-written and likeable, and the ties you forge with them are strengthened by the way you discuss the story and events with your partner as things progress.
Just when you feel like you’ve seen all the story has to offer, the game twists the co-op formula in a way you’ll never see coming, and ends things off with a climactic sequence that’s made impactful because of how you’ve bonded with your partner along the way. A Way Out is an extremely linear game, but that doesn’t matter because despite the lack of player choice and influence, it’s still able to make you feel like a genuine part of the story. At the end of the day, that’s all you can really ask for from a narrative-driven title like this one.
