This Week in Gaming: “Super Time Force” & More

Get the scoop on all the best video game releases for the week of May 12.

The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 3: In Harm’s Way

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac, iOS

TellTale Games’ super-popular, story-centric, not-quite-a-game version of The Walking Dead continues to captivate fans with its choose-your-own-adventure gameplay and comic strip style. Dropping this week, In Harm’s Way is the third of five episodes announced for this season. It furthers Clementine’s storyline about finding safety in a zombie-infested world, where fellow humans are all suspect and danger abounds at every turn. These games have become almost as addictive as the show and are able to pull on the old heartstrings like we rarely ever see. As much as we dislike playing them in the dark, it’s better to be scared than to explain to your girlfriend why you’re sobbing over a video game.

Super Time Force

Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One

Do you long for the days of video games so pixelated that your character is little more than a blue box with a head (which is really just another box)? Do you love the pandemonium of a non-stop shoot-‘em-up but wish they’d ramp up the epilepsy triggers so that even perfectly healthy gamers wind up seizing in their seats? Do you require an unfair advantage like slo-mo to help you conquer tough levels? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then it’s time to scream for Kinect to log you in so you can get your hands on Super Time Force. Downloadable via the Xbox Live store, Super Time Force takes a cue from the many digitally delivered hits in Live Arcade’s arsenal, giving gamers a hint of golden-era gaming but twisted on its head. So you’ll get the kill count of games like Contra but with the spin of controlling time. The end result is a game that reminds you that your glorious childhood memories of gaming are no more sacred than the recycled bottles of Jolt Cola we drank during marathon sessions in 1996.

Minecraft (Retail Edition)

Platforms: PS3          

Minecraft is more of a blank slate than an actual video game. Originally for the PC, it has taken its formula of infinite possibilities to the living room, performing well on consoles. For those who have been waiting to own a physical copy of the game for PS3 (digital download came out a while ago), your ship finally comes in this week. We don’t have hundreds of hours to devote to a single game, especially one that’s less about being competitive than it is about marveling at your own creations, but we can still totally understand how people get drawn into a world where anything is possible if you have patience and time. Unfortunately, that’s the same strategy we have tucked away in case we ever have to tunnel out of prison, and not exactly how we’d like to spend our time outside of the office.