5 must-play video games for 2019

Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

Kicking off the year with some family fun, the Wii U launch title New Super Mario Bros. U made its way onto the Nintendo Switch in Deluxe fashion. Combining both New Super Mario Bros U and its New Super Luigi U DLC, this port packs side-scrolling adventures aplenty and a few neat new treats.

The biggest change from the original Wii U version is the inclusion of Peachette, which is what you get when you combine Toadette with a Super Crown. The creation of this character is what led the fandom to suggest a female version of Bowser (naturally named Bowsette), which became a hugely popular meme.

Resident Evil 2

Providing another horror gaming fix is Resident Evil 2, a glossy remake of 1998’s beloved game of the same name (which remains the best-selling Resident Evil game on a single platform, with its 4.96 million copies sold for PS1).

With modern graphics and gore-levels, this highly anticipated retelling puts you back in the shoes of cop Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield as they attempt to escape a zombie-infested Raccoon City. It’s out now on Xbox One, PS4 and Windows.

Kingdom Hearts III

As the twelfth instalment of the Kingdom Hearts series, the final segment of the Dark Seeker saga and the sequel to Kingdom Hearts II that took 14 years to arrive, Kingdom Hearts III arrived on PS4 and Xbox One with a lot of hype behind it. To keep things fresh, Square Enix added Pixar universes such as Toy Story and Monsters Inc into the mix.

Attempting to avert a second Keyblade War, returning protagonist Sora teams up with Donald Duck, Goofy, King Mickey and Riku. Expect plentiful universe-hopping and loads of familiar faces in this action-packed RPG.

Crackdown 3

The third instalment of the Crackdown series came to Xbox One and Windows early this year. Set ten years after the events of the previous game, Crackdown 3 features Terry Crews as the voice of Commander Jaxon, who leads you into battle against the mysterious Terra Nova organisation.

This action-adventure game thrusts you in amongst new gangs and their Kingpins in the city of New Providence, as well as offering a wide array of weaponry to help you take them on. There are also fully destructible environments to be found in a competitive multiplayer mode called Wrecking Zone.

Far Cry: New Dawn

Ubisoft Montreal presents this fresh-faced spinoff from the Far Cry series. As you’d expect, it’s a first-person shooter set in an open world environment where vehicles and action abound. Interestingly, it’s based on the same map as Far Cry 5, albeit with some new and reshaped areas (with thanks to the nuclear war from the previous game).

You play as a new character, whose gender and race are your choice. The main plot takes place 17 years after ‘the Collapse’ that devastated the world, at a time when brave survivors are clashing with dastardly Highwaymen. You’ll also get to find out what happened to Far Cry 5’s main characters.