Gamer's Outpost LLC

by Chris Reed

If you like massive games you can play for dozens of hours, your needs will be well served in next week’s video game releases. Two franchises that have been big names for decades are set to launch games, including the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V, which has been available on other platforms for nearly a year-and-a-half.

Even though only four major games are launching next week, you’ll probably find something worth playing. That’s because we’ve got a fighting game, a strategy game, an open world game, and a unique indie title heading our way. Read on for details about what’s coming to all systems during the week of April 13, 2015.

1. Grand Theft Auto V

Finally coming to PC on April 14

Console owners have been painting the neighborhood red for 17 months now, with GTA V available on two generations of Xbox and PlayStation hardware. Finally, after seemingly endless delays, developer Rockstar is bringing one of the best games in recent years to the PC, where it will serve up simulated criminal activity to a sizable group of dedicated gamers. And since top-end PCs are powerhouse machines, the game will look better than ever — assuming you have a super-powered rig.

The story, for those who haven’t played it yet, follows three criminals with very different backgrounds who come together to work on a number of big scores. The storytelling is cinematic and the action set pieces are some of the most memorable ones in the series’ history.

There are two minor consolations for PC gamers who have waited patiently these 17 months to play the game:

1. They get the first-person mode from the get-go, and

2. They won’t have to wait to play the GTA Online heist missions that seemed like they’d never come out.

And now that GTA V is available on all the major current platforms (sorry, Wii U!) maybe Rockstar can get started on GTA VI.

2. Mortal Kombat X

Coming April 14 to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC

The year’s biggest fighting game is launching after months of slow reveals, character trailers, and roster updates. All signs indicate that this game is going to be well worth playing if you have even an inkling of an interest in fighting games. It has a huge cast of characters, heavy-hitting fighting mechanics, and some of the grossest, goriest fatalities ever to grace the series. Is that really a major selling point? You betcha.

3. Titan Souls

Coming April 14 to PlayStation 4 and PS Vita

Although it’s a very different game in practice, Titan Souls is built on the same principle as the PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus: Every battle is a boss battle. You play as a small hero with a single arrow you can shoot and then retrieve.

Twenty bosses wait in 20 lairs for you to enter and take them on. The bosses are usually huge, and they each require a different approach to defeat them. But here’s the bad news: Your character dies in a single hit. That makes for some tense battles as you observe how the bosses behave and try to figure out what you need to do to kill them. Titan Souls is a puzzle-solving action game that looks like a whole lot of fun.

4. Age of Wonders III

Coming April 14 to Mac and Linux

This strategy game puts you in charge of a kingdom set in a fantasy world and has you oversee how it’s run. You’ll choose a race (human, high elf, dwarf, etc.) and direct your subjects to gather resources while you expand your kingdom by making alliances with neighbors or marching to war against them. The game has already been released on Windows to positive reviews, so if you’re a fan of strategy games with RPG elements, be sure to check it out.