Written by Blackamura

For the first time in about two years, it feels like summer again. I’m sure many of you have holidays planned, events in the diary and hopefully we get Carnival returning this year.

It won’t just be the weather that will be hot as there are many games set to bring some heat over the summer and here are just five titles that we can’t wait to get our hands on.

1. Mario Strikers: Battle League Football

Mario + FIFA sounds like a formula for fun and success, especially for any British Nintendo fans.

I’m sure some of you remember playing Mario Smash Football (Super Mario Strikers in some regions) or Mario Strikers Charged on the GameCube and Wii respectively. I never had the chance to play either of the previous games and I feel like I missed out massively. Nintendo finally answered our prayers on 9th February in their Nintendo Direct showcase and I could not contain my excitement!

This game will be 5-on-5 with a maximum of 8 players allowed to play at once (that’s 4 players on each team, quick maths). Similar to Mario Kart, your gear/set up will have an effect on your match stats including strength, speed and passing accuracy.

I’m just relieved we have a football game where we don’t have to worry about silly little things like fouls, hand balls and yellow cards.

You can expect a “here we go” tweet once we’re allowed to step on the pitch come 10th June on the Nintendo Switch.

2. The Quarry

We had the pleasure of being able to stream Until Dawn and this seems like a spiritual successor to the popular 2015 title. Supermassive Games have been on a roll, developing various horror games such as Man of Medan and House of Ashes in addition to the aforementioned. With 2K heading up publishing duties, this looks like a home run waiting to happen.

If you’ve watched any horror/slasher film such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, you already know what to expect. Nine teenagers must survive a night out camping and you know what that means; teenagers splitting up, exploring dark areas and bumping into killers. You will decide the fate of the teens with in-game decisions and if you choose to play ‘traditionally’, you will also have quick-time events (QTEs) to worry about.

One of the selling points of these games is the superstar roster they boast and in The Quarry you can expect to see stars such as Brenda Song, Justice Smith and the greatest WCW World Champion of all time, David Arquette.

I must admit I chuckled when the teens did not know what “kumbaya” was in the trailer but who will be laughing last on the 10th June when The Quarry comes out on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC?

3. Sonic Origins

In a really nice turn of events, the success of the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie caused Takashi Iizuka (the head of Sonic Team) to want to bring the original Sonic games to modern times. Basically, this is a double win for me as I will be able to experience these remastered games for the first time and we now have a very successful movie franchise (looking forward to Sonic 3).

The first four Sonic games ever (Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic CD and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles) will be brought to the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Nintendo Switch.

These games can be played in ‘classic’ mode which will feature the original presentation in 4:3 or they can be played in ‘anniversary’ mode which will feature a widescreen presentation and unlimited lives for the player.

You can play as Sonic, Knuckles or Tails (apart from Sonic CD where Knuckles is not an option) and check out new animated cutscenes in ‘story’ mode. And it wouldn’t be a classic Sonic game without additional modes such as ‘Boss Rush,’ ‘Mirror Mode’ and ‘Mission Mode’.

This game looks like a spiritual successor to the cult classic Sonic Mania and I don’t think anyone does 2D side-scrollers quite like SEGA.

I cannot wait to get my hands on this game and I hope there are more 2D Sonic games to come. Sonic Origins will be released on the blue hedgehog’s 31st birthday - 23rd June.

4. Two Point Campus

Good evening, first years!

Welcome to university! If you’ve played Two Point Hospital, you should already have an idea of what this game is about.

In the hospital simulation game, you were in charge of building and maintaining a hospital. This meant you would expand the hospital by building new rooms as well as providing items such as vending machines. You would look after patients until they either got healthy or died.

In this game however, you would be overseeing the growth of students over their three-year journey meaning you will have a lot more to think about.

A clean campus will attract more students resulting in more revenue, students who enjoy the nightlife too much will start missing lectures and rose gardens will have students starting romances.

Each in-game year will last around 20 minutes so expect many a graduation ceremony to occur in your playthrough and new students to continually roll in.

Will you prioritise income or the happiness of your students? We can’t wait to build and run our own university from 9th August on the PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

5. ElecHead

If you like 2D puzzle platformers, this is one for you!

Developed and published by NamaTakahashi, this game draws inspiration from Mega Man.

You will have to utilise timing and positioning in order to escape from the building you’re trapped in.

Carefully watch the platforms you land on as they may trigger booby traps and for that extra level of complexity, you can detach your own head and throw it in the hopes of progressing even further.

If you do throw your head, you will have 10 seconds to reattach it before you die so make sure you don’t lose it!

This game was part of the 11th May Indie World showcase and I can’t wait to boot up ElecHead this Summer on the Nintendo Switch!

So there you have it, five games that we can’t wait to play this summer. Let us know did we mention your most anticipated summer title? If not, which game are you most looking forward to?