7 Big Games That Prove the Summer Drought Is Now a Myth

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers

Summer is here and things are already starting to heat up! The rest of the season is looking to be solid for gamers, with some high-quality releases giving you a few more reasons to stay indoors and out of the sun’s harsh, unforgiving rays (like you needed one).

For the MMO fans out there, Final Fantasy’s latest major expansion, Shadowbringers, has just launched, and by itself could keep you busy for the rest of the season.

Shadowbringers brings with it a lengthy MSQ, new areas explore, and a whole bunch of new gear to work with.

There are also two new jobs, a DPS in the form of the Dancer, and Gunbreaker providing another choice for tanks.

This expansion has been getting a lot of positive buzz, exceeding even longtime fans’ expectations with its deep and engaging story. It’s also a great jumping on point for new players, so you really have no excuse at this point.

Check out our review in progress if you need some more convincing.

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is available now on PC and PS4.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

The Ultimate Alliance games have always done a fantastic job of bringing together disparate characters from all corners of the MCU, and unleashing them upon a common foe.

With The Black Order, the story will be stand-alone from the first two games but will take inspiration from the Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame.

Thanos and his elite generals known as the Black Order seek to collect the infinity stones to achieve total galactic domination.

Some of the more conventional enemies from the MCU are after the stones as well, like HYDRA, the Sinister Six, and the Brotherhood of Mutants, and it’s up to you and your band of superpowered allies to stop them.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order will assemble on Nintendo Switch, July 19.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

The latest entry in the long-running Fire Emblem series will give strategy fans something to keep them occupied, and with its multiple campaigns could keep us occupied until the end of the year.

More and more I am realizing I only want to play tactics games and JRPG’s on my Switch, and Three Houses look to be the best of both worlds.

The wait has been a long one, with the game announced in 2017 with a released date for the then-unnamed title projected for 2018. Here’s hoping all that development time has been put to good use.

We will find out soon enough.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses charges on to Nintendo Switch, July 26.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood

Some things never go out of style, like killing Nazis with high caliber weaponry. But these things are often better together, which is why the upcoming Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a game that I’m really looking forward to.

The tale of B.J. Blazkowicz’s twin daughters, Jess and Soph, is sure to be a bloody one, indeed.

Couch co-op has gone to the wayside in recent years, and it’s nice to see a developer trying to rectify that this summer.

With the added strain of simulating a second gamer’s experience simultaneously, it’s no wonder that games as impressive as the ones we have been getting recently have opted for online play with friends over IRL.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood blitz’s onto PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, July 26.

Astral Chain

Astral Chain is the latest title from Platinum Games, makers of incredible action games. It is being directed by Takahisa Taura, lead designer on Neir: Automata, under supervision by Bayonetta series creator, Hideki Kamiya.

The summer action game has a lot going for it in terms of pedigree and looks like a lot of fun for Switch owners.

Players take on the role of rookie officers in an elite police task force working to save mankind from inter-dimensional creatures. There will also case to solve, and plenty of characters to interact with outside of these climactic encounters.

Astral Chain will be unleashed on Nintendo Switch, Aug. 30.

Blair Witch

1999’s The Blair Witch Project is an iconic horror film that popularised the found-footage style of storytelling and scared the bejeesus out of audiences worldwide. There was a reboot in 2016, although it failed to make the same kind of impact.

It is interesting then, that a game based on the IP would be in the works for a 2019 summer release.

The game, simply titled Blair Witch, seeks to use the same found-footage conceit to convey its story, and like its namesake, looks quite frightening indeed.

It might be nostalgia or an inherent sense of masochism, but I can’t wait to get lost in this deeply unsettling world.

You can find Blair Witch on Xbox One and PC, Aug. 30.

Dark Pictures: Man of Medan

Supermassive Games’ Until Dawn was thrilling and fresh horror experience and the upcoming Dark Pictures: Man of Medan looks to continue that legacy.

The first in an anthology of horror titles, Man of Medan tells the story of a group of American travelers that find themselves stranded aboard a cursed and haunted ship.

This summer, the Dark Pictures anthology looks to give fans of Until Dawn what they have been craving for several years now: standalone horror experiences in new and terrifying settings.

They are reportedly being produced at a rapid clip, with new games in the anthology set to release every six months, which sounds just about perfect to me.

Dark Pictures: Man of Medan casts off on PS4, Xbox One and PC, Aug. 30.