Top 10 computer games to buy for the Holidays Part 2

Top five PC games you won’t regret buying

Welcome back to the continuation of my Top 10 Computer Games to Buy for the Holidays.  Let’s recap what we covered last week.

10. Shin Megami Tensei V. Release date: November 12, 2021. Platform: Nintendo Switch

 9. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/ Pokemon Shining Pearl. Release date: November 19, 2021. Platform: Nintendo Switch

8. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. Release Date: July 27,2021. Platforms: Playstation 4/ Playstation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC

7. Monster Hunter Rise. Release Date: March 26, 2021. Platforms: Nintendo Switch (Also reease  coming to PC on January 12, 2022)

6. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. Release Date: July 9, 2021. Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC

Now, for my top five games:

5. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. Release Date: February 12,2021. Platform: Nintendo Switch

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is an enhanced port of the Wii U’s Super Mario 3D World game. It largely consists of the same content from the Wii U version but with an additional separate game called “Bowser’s Fury”.

What makes Super Mario 3D World unique from the different Mario games is that it contains a multiplayer aspect and allows you to play other characters other than Mario himself. You can also play as Luigi, Toad, and Princess Peach. There is also a secret 5th character when you reach a certain point of the game. With the multiplayer aspect, the game can be chaotic fun with family and friends as you try to compete for the high score and also help each other gather all the collectibles in the game. 

As for the Bowser’s Fury portion, it is a brand new adventure for Mario and this time accompanied by Bowser’s son, Bowser Jr. to help solve the mystery as to what caused Bowser to be covered and possessed by black goo. 

Get this game if you want to have family friendly multiplayer fun while also having a great amount of content worth your money

 4. Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Release Date: September 21,2021. Platforms: Playstation 4/ Playstation 5, PC

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a game that looks like it came out of a Pixar film. The company behind the game, Ember Labs used to be an animation studio creating commercials for Coca-Cola, MLB and other companies as well. They used their knowledge on how to animate characters into a game and it turned into one of the most beautiful games out today. The whole time you think you are playing a Pixar film which is technologically impressive and the gameplay is pretty decent as well. Taking inspiration from games such as “The Legend of Zelda”, the game gives this vibe of adventure that you would like to partake in.

Get this game if you want to experience a Pixar-like adventure while playing games similar to the “The Legend of Zelda” series.

 3. Tales of Arise. Release Date: September 10,2021. Platforms: Playstation 4 / Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Tales of Arise is the latest game in the “Tales of” series by Bandai Namco and it appears to be their most ambitious game in the series yet. It has some of the best dialogue, character interactions and gameplay. There is heavy emphasis on skillful gameplay and combos to maximize the damage dealt on enemies and also make the combat look flashy and action-packed to keep players engaged. The immersive character interaction segments make you feel attached to the characters, get to know what they like, hate, worries, fears and goals.

I highly recommend this game if you want an immersive story backed up with an action packed combat system.

2. Returnal. Release Date: April 30,2021. Platform: Playstation 5

Returnal is one of Playstation’s biggest hitters for the Playstation 5. The game follows Selene, an Astra scout who crash landed on a planet called Atropos. It is up to her to figure out how to call for help while exploring the planet’s secrets.

Returnal is roguelike type of videogame genre where you explore an area and when you die during that exploration, you lose everything and have to restart from the beginning. This is called a “run” and each “run” through the area will be randomized so that you will not have the same type of experience every single time you start a new “run”. Returnal is exactly that. 

The most difficult part of Returnal is not the combat itself but the game slowly implanting a “One more run” type of mentality. It will always make you want to return to explore the game further, find all the collectibles and weapons. This would have been at the top of my list but this game is not for everyone due to its difficulty and the immense amount of patience needed to get better at the game and to accept what the game is trying to teach you as well.

Get this game if you want a challenge and to experience a game that will always make you return for one more run.

 1. Metroid Dread. Release Date: October 8,2021. Platform: Nintendo Switch

I have previously reviewed this game on Tutubi but I would say that Metroid Dread is the top game you should buy on Black Friday that is worth your money. To summarize my review for Metroid Dread, it is a return for the Metroid series as it took nearly 20 years to get a sequel in the franchise. The game improved a lot by addressing issues from previous games. The game incorporated great ideas such as the E.M.M.I., indestructible robots that will chase Samus down and can almost instantly kill Samus once they get a hold of her. This game, just like Returnal, will keep you coming back for more to try and beat the game as fast as possible each time. There is a crazy speedrunning community for this game right now trying to compete how fast you can beat the game. The current world record is 1 hour and 22 minutes. With its expert level design and mechanics, players can figure out what is the best optimal route to get the next power-up or to the next boss.

The game is extremely enjoyable and it might not be as difficult as Returnal, I would say it is much more accessible than Returnal and does a much better job easing in new players with its mechanics and world.

Definitely get this game if you want something similar to Returnal but with better skill progression and world building.