Late March and April have brought a number of new releases and events in the gaming industry. From a remake, two highly-anticipated sequels and a new season for Overwatch 2, this past month has been flooded with new content. 

Perhaps the most anticipated drop was the Resident Evil 4 remake. Capcom, the parent company behind the Resident Evil series, finally released their remake for the fourth game. Following the highly praised Resident Evil 3 remake, this remake has done exceptionally well. It has earned a 10/10 on Steam and good reviews are continuing to pour in. 

The remake still follows the story of Leon S. Kennedy, with some changes, but the true difference came in the form of the game engine. The new engine features a host of improved mechanics and graphics, with highlights being smooth player control and combat. Most noticeable, however, is the major improvement in graphics, making the game look even better than the Resident Evil 3 Remake, only three years apart. A month later and Resident Evil 4 Remake is still a fresh, inventive release.

The next game, released on April 28th, is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The anticipated sequel to 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, this new edition is even larger than the previous. Providing a much larger world, alongside new and improved gameplay mechanics, Survivor is already shaping up to be a worthy sequel. Not only does it make improvements to issues with the prequel, such as adding a fast travel system, but it has also expanded the admittedly small cast. 

Richelle Gattinger, senior, is particularly excited about these improvements. She said, “I’m really looking forward to playing this one. I think it’s a great opportunity to get more people to appreciate the effort it takes to make a video game, especially a big one.” 

Noteworthy to mention is the new nature of the game; it is still being fixed by developers. Although the official drop was followed by a number of bug complaints and issues, EA has worked to publish patches which should reduce the frequency of errors. Like any game, waiting a few months for these issues to be repaired is advisable, especially one of this size. 

The second sequel to drop this year is Dead Island 2, which has been stuck in production for about 10 years. Although the Dead Island franchise isn’t the largest on the list, it has become a staple of zombie video games. After consistent setbacks and changing developers, the game finally released late April.

Critically, it seems to be doing well for a game of its, admittedly poor quality, genre. It has averaged about a 75% on Metacritic, and around a 7/10 on many other sites. The location of Los Angeles has been particularly praised, especially as it differs from the tropical locales of the previous game. The game has also gotten compliments for the revitalized combat system and mechanics. 

Finally, the fourth season of Overwatch 2 dropped earlier in April. Unlike the other entries in this article, season four is not technically a new game; rather, it is an addition of the base game. Overwatch 2’s updates are managed in seasons, which bring a new competitive season and often another “hero,” or playable character. This season was particularly exciting for the Overwatch 2 community and it acts as a great starting point for those wishing to get into the first-person shooter genre. 

Gattinger also had things to say about this season of the game in particular. She said, “The new season seems really exciting to me. I haven’t played Overwatch 2 for long, but the changes they made this season made me want to play more.” 

Although typically a fan of games such as Apex Legends, Gattinger thinks the new additions coming this season to Overwatch 2 make it worth playing more. 

The new hero, Lifeweaver, has particularly shaken up the gaming community with his mechanics. His ability to shift cover and his controversial “pull” ability. This is why a recent patch by Blizzard, the parent company of Overwatch 2, has made some changes to his kit. Not only did the new hero come with these changes, but improvements to matchmaking and skill tiers will hopefully benefit the game’s community in the long run. 

All in all, April and May have come bearing many high-quality gifts for gamers. Not only were many happy with the introduction of another great remake from the beloved Resident Evil series, but fans of Star Wars and shooter games have also received things this spring. As time goes on, more changes will be made to make these new entries even better.