Forgot password?  |  Register  |    
User Name:     Password:    
Special   

This Gen, This Month, Another Year: April 2019

Money tight? Why not play an amazing game from yesteryear for cheap?

Welcome back for another episode. March is over and came with some big hits (and some big misses...) but now we are setting sights on April. April seems like it’ll be interesting this year. We have Dangerous Driving, from Three Fields Entertainment, aiming to make the spiritual successor to Burnout. The Earth Defense Force series is looking to take a more realistic approach with Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain. Mortal Kombat 11 is set to impress, or disgust, with their over-the-top Fatalities. Sony is also releasing their next exclusive, Days Gone, this month.

Before this months pick, take a look below at some honorable mentions from years past.

2015: NetherRealm Studios brought another excellent entry to their signature series with Mortal Kombat X. They added another great story campaign to a fighter and should continue that with Mortal Kombat 11 due out later this month.

2016: FromSoftware released the third entry in their brutal series with Dark Souls 3. While some found it to be a step back from Bloodborne, many Dark Souls fans found it to be a huge step up from Dark Souls 2.

2017: Atlus finally launched the follow-up to what’s considered one of the greatest JRPGs with Persona 5. This game did not disappoint with great gameplay, great story, and a style that is like a gorgeous living manga.

2018: Sega’s Yakuza 6 finally came out in America after Japan held it hostage for over a year. While the series is said to continue, this game finished the story of its protagonist.

Now for my pick for the best game released in April this gen.

April's Game to Get
God of War (2018)

God of War had many things going against it. After 4 big entries, many people were over the rage fueled, cruel Kratos. Those who weren’t saw the new gameplay and weren’t happy that it strayed away from the old God of War games. Whoever looked past that saw a child. To top it off he'd be tied to your hip and every gamer knows that escort missions are potentially the worst thing in gaming.

Despite these odds God of War overcame them all to achieve what many thought impossible. The next gen Kratos had become empathetic, more stoic and much wiser. The combat offered plenty of variety along with a solid, satisfying challenge. Kratos son, Atreus, was never a hindrance in the game. If fact, he becomes an amazing asset in combat.

The story is rarely ever rushed so you are able to take your time. Characters around the world are interesting and very well developed. The world is full of wonder and surprises. The game has plenty of content and a satisfying ending while still leaving plenty of threads for future entries.

Sony Santa Monica was able to reinvent a stagnant series with success that very few ever achieve. They have been acknowledged for all their hard work with many accolades, including Game of the Year. This is why God of War is the game of April and will go down as one of the greatest games of any generation. Now all us fans are impatiently waiting for the conclusion to what was teased once you return home from your grand journey. 

Lowest Price: $20 (on a good sale)
Amount of Content: A minimum of 20 hours, but closer to 30
April Runner-up: Persona 5

Disagree or want to share what games are you looking forward to this April? Let me know in the comments.

Editor's Note (Nick): Mace had this ready at the beginning of the month and I totally dropped the ball in getting it edited and posted for him. Sorry for it being so late, everyone!


 

Comments

Super Step Contributing Writer

04/25/2019 at 10:39 PM

God of War 2018 is the first I played of the series and ... yeah, sorry, didn't really get the hype. At least, where I'm at in the game, having fought the first huge boss and now on an elevator where I'm needing to stop time every now and then, it just hasn't ever grabbed me outside of the admittedly stunning visuals and presentation. The gameplay just doesn't do it for me. 

Yakuza 6 is definitely on the lower end of Yakuza games for me and Kiwami 2 did a lot to improve on the Dragon engine base of 6, but it's an excellent game nonetheless and by default my second favorite game of last year (Kiwami 2 being #1). 

MKX is really fun and I sunk way more hours into it than I thought I did.

Exrian Contributing Writer

04/28/2019 at 10:37 AM

I definitely feel like playing the first ones makes a difference since you see how different this Kratos is. Gameplay felt awkward for me at first but I feel that was because I was so used to the previous GoW games. Once I got used to it, I really enjoyed it. Later on you get a second weapon and that makes combat much better imo. Switching between the 2 (and melee) is effortless and can be really in depth if you choose to go that route. 

I think playing more may change your mind but I know how hard it is to go back to a game after you've put it down because it wasnt grabbing you. Too many games these days to waste time on ones you dont love right out the gate. 

Nick DiMola Director

04/26/2019 at 08:49 AM

Dark Souls III is definitely my favorite of the modern FromSoftware games, so my vote absolutely goes in that direction, with Persona 5 as a close second. Speaking of Persona 5, it's too bad that the "Switch" port thing didn't pan out. Would've loved to play that one on the go.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

04/27/2019 at 05:43 AM

Man, Persona 5 on Switch would have been awesome!

Exrian Contributing Writer

04/28/2019 at 10:42 AM

DS3 was my least favorite of the series. I don't know why but I love DS2 a lot. So many hate it but I feel it was a great addition. Souls 1 is amazing and was the game that really brought in the new From era. I know Demons came first but it seems like Souls 1 hit the mainstream in a way Demons didnt. After replaying Demons years later, I have to say that I do actually prefer it to DS1. I didnt feel that way before but replaying it made me really love it.

Nick DiMola Director

04/28/2019 at 11:06 PM

I love Dark Souls 2 as well. Don't get me wrong, it's bottom tier for me in the ranking of Souls games, but even then I still like it more than most every other game.

To me, DS3 felt like the perfect mix of the improvements Bloodborne made with the Dark Souls formula/builds/etc. I really loved the PvP there and have clocked close to 400 hours doing that alone. I'm actually curious to go back to it after putting a solid 60 hours into Sekiro. I feel like it's going to be tough to reacclimate to both it and Bloodborne.

SanAndreas

04/29/2019 at 03:32 AM

Yeah, I was really hoping for P5R on the Switch after Joker showed up in Smash. The Switch is already becoming an RPG beast with Dragon Quest XI S coming this year on top of the Final Fantasy games and other titles it does have, having P5R and Ni no Kuni 2 would have made it that much more complete.

SanAndreas

04/29/2019 at 03:33 AM

My vote goes to P5, followed by MKX and Yakuza 6. Never really liked God of War or Kratos. Bayonetta is my go-to for that style of gameplay.

Log in to your PixlBit account in the bar above or join the site to leave a comment.