With the first half of 2023 offering up the likes of Resident Evil IV, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor and, of course, the long-awaited Dead Space remake, we wait in an almost giddy anticipation for what else the year has to offer. The following is a hand-picked selection of our most anticipated titles for the second half of 2023.
Amnesia: The Bunker (May, 2023)
SOMA and Penumbra Overture developers, Frictional Games have announced a May release for it’s upcoming title, Amnesia: The Bunker. The upcoming horror title will be the fourth game in the long-loved Amnesia franchise but will be following the collection’s latest game, Amnesia: Rebirth.
Set in an abandoned World War One bunker, the desolate and foreboding location will perfectly set a sinister scene while paving the way for Amnesia‘s token jump scares. Expect many of the core elements that have seen the franchise heralded as one of the greatest horror sagas of all time.
Aliens: Dark Descent (June, 2023)
A good Aliens game comes once every generation, welling beneath a limelight amidst a cloud of disappointing entries like Colonial Marines and Fireteam. This time around sees the iconic horror franchise given a new lease of life with a fresh angle, never before seen in an Aliens game.
Aliens: Dark Descent will this time will follow the likes of X-COM with a real-time, turned-based strategy angle that will test our metal and rely on tactical prowess and cunning, as opposed to the usual reliance on quick wits and reactions.
To encourage thought over shock and awe, players will be able to pause the game as they issue orders to the four marines in the squad, giving them all the time they need to make the right decisions at the right time.
Aliens: Dark Descent will be released on June 20 on all current-generation consoles and PC.
Skull & Bones (2023)
Skull & Bones has become a meme at this point. it’s long-awaited development time has elapsed for so long that it’s beginning to look as though it may never release; much like another game – I’ll say no names (most definitely not Star Citizen. Nope. No.). if and when it does release it appears to have some solid gameplay features and some graphics that might really push the new-gen consoles to their limits. if, that is, you can get past the original claim that it would release on older consoles and be free-to-play.
Set in the 1700’s, Skull & Bones takes place during the golden years of piracy (no, we’re not talking about Limewire). Early screenshots promise a vast and dangerous land to explore and ship battles that will put even Sea of Thieves to shame. Don’t expect the lightheartedness of Sea of Thieves, however, Skull & Bones will be for the serious pirates amongst us and will be full of grit, blood and swashbuckling war — Ahaaaa, me ‘earties.
Street Fighter VI (June, 2023)
Capcom set the bar for fighting games in 1991 with Street Fighter 2. Since, it has occasionally reappeared to remind us all about how it achieved its resounding success. Street Fighter VI comes bundled with a brand new fighting mechanic and a single player campaign that will allow you to explore the sprawling city of Metropolis with your very own custom avatar.
With new fighters and the return of some old favorites, there will be plenty of choices on fighting styles and special move sets. Street Fighter VI will come in swinging on June 2 and will be available on all current consoles as well as PC.
Summary
The year 2023 has already proven to be a great year for gamers and there’s so much more to come. With so many games in the pipeline, it was difficult to choose our top picks, but the above all stand out to us for their own reasons.
Here’s to the second half of the year and all the hit titles to come.