Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

This week in gaming: Played Diablo already? Take a swing with The Golf Club instead

By

week gaming played diablo already take swing golf club instead the header
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Our four highlights this week split evenly between two re-releases and two completely new offerings. Diablo III makes its long-awaited debut on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with the PC game’s Reaper of Souls expansion pack in tow. Meanwhile, the previously Xbox-only Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare sheds its console exclusivity with a launch on both PlayStation consoles (and Vita too, if PS4 Remote Play is your thing).

The good news is, the summer drought is almost over! August is nearly finished, which means the latest Madden is almost here to kick off both the virtual football season and the start of the holiday release gauntlet. What will you be playing this week?

Recommended Videos

Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition

PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One (August 19)
The release of Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition officially brings the console versions of the game up to date with where it’s at on PC. The heart of this release is the Reaper of Souls expansion pack (reviewed here), which includes a new story act, the new Crusader character class, and a whole new set of rules and systems wrapped up in Adventure Mode, which offers new ways to collect loot and earn rewards for those that have beaten the game. Ultimate Evil Edition also brings Diablo III in line with the latest updates on the PC side.

Diablo 3 Ultimate Evil 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ultimate Evil Edition marks the first time that Diablo III is available for PS4 and Xbox One. Players with characters created on the earlier console versions of the game are able to import their saves, via Battle.net, regardless of which platform the saves live on. So if you ground your way to level 60 as a Witch Doctor on PS3 but you got an Xbox One version of Ultimate Evil, you need only pair your Battle.net account and export your earlier save to make the switch.

Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare

PS3/PS4 (August 19)
Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is best described as “Battlefield for the under-17 audience.” It’s a game of grand-scale warfare, massive explosions, and high body counts … only it’s couched in the cutesy Plants Vs. Zombies universe. Make no mistake, though: the Battlefield DNA is here. There are five soldier classes per faction, the maps are built for objective-based games, and there’s a whole level-based progression system.

Plants-Vs-Zombies-Garden-Warfare-PlayStation-001
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The PlayStation release of Garden Warfare doesn’t do anything different compared to earlier releases. It’s the core game along with all downloadable content released thus far. That DLC has all been free anyway, but at least this new release is up-to-date with its predecessors. It’s an enjoyable game, offering good, clean action-driven play without the mature themes, blood, or profanity that most modern FPS games employ. Check out our review right here.

CounterSpy

PS3/PS4/PS Vita (August 19)
Dynamighty’s CounterSpy finally sneaks onto PlayStation devices this week. The stylish 2.5D side-scrolling stealth game puts players in the role of a secret agent during an alternate-history Cold War in which the Imperialists and Socialists vie for supremacy in a race to be the first to nuke the moon. You sneak your way through a series of hidden bases in search of each faction’s launch plans, and hopefully manage to curtail nuclear war in the process.

CounterSpy 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

CounterSpy is a visually striking game, with cartoon-styled graphics complementing the slick 2.5D environments. The PlayStation version is out this week, but there’s also an Android/iOS version inbound. There’s no release date yet for the mobile edition, but once it’s out, players will be able to save their progress across all platforms — Sony and mobile alike — as well as unlock content by connecting the different versions of the game.

The Golf Club

PC/Xbox One (August 19)
While EA Sports is on a break from its PGA Tour golf simulation series, upstarts like HB Studios get to step up with games like The Golf Club. More sim than arcade game, The Golf Club is built on the Unity engine and features randomly generated courses for virtual golfers to take swings on. It also has a built-in course creator that allows players to use the same tools that the game uses to randomize courses.

The Golf Club 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

HB Studios has a PS4 version of The Golf Club incoming, but it’s not quite ready for release yet. The expectation is that we’ll be seeing it arrive sometime before the end of August 2014. You can find more information on The Golf Club at the game’s official website.

What else is coming:

  • Tales of Xillia 2 (PS3 / August 19) — Set one year after the events of Tales of Xillia, this sequel follows Ludger Will Resnick as he pays off a hospital debt by destroying fractured dimensions for the Spirius Corporation. No, really. The game also features battles built on the “Cross Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System.” This one’s for the fans, y’all.
  • Hotline Miami (PS4 / August 19) — This retro-styled, neon-soaked action/puzzle game from Dennaton Games sends players off to murder armed guards using a variety of lethal implements. There’s a story, but it’s best if we leave that for you to discover.
  • The Last Tinker (PS4 / August 19) — Mimimi Productions’ The Last Tinker comes to PS4 this week, compliments of a port from Loot Entertainment. It’s a platforming-focused adventure game inspired by the likes of Banjo Kazooie and other Rare classics.
  • Detective Grimoire (PC / August 18) — The formerly mobile-only detective game comes to Steam. Head to the cartoon-y marshes to investigate a murder at a known tourist trap, taking on puzzles and interrogations as you delve deeper into the swamp and find new leads to tug on.
  • Chess 2: The Sequel (PC / August 19) — The age-old game of chess gets a new look in Chess 2: The Sequel, which adds unusual new modes like “Two Kings” and “Empowered” to the existing “Classic” style of play. When regular chess just isn’t enough!
  • Shadowgate (PC / August 21) — The classic point-and-click adventure from 1987 is reborn! This successfully Kickstarted reimagining finished its crowdfunding in November 2012, and now it’s here and ready to send players running through Castle Shadowgate all over again.
Adam Rosenberg
Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
There’s a horrific beauty in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s bugs
A mutant with a split jaw screams in Stalker 2.

I was still getting my bearings in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl as I searched an abandoned building in the dead of night. Using my pitifully dim flashlight to scan the faded walls and floors, I hit a dead end and turned to retrace my steps back outside and onto the critical path. That's when I saw something curious: A box was falling from nowhere in particular to the ground. I noted that the room was littered with boxes and other refuse upon entering, but they were all scattered on the floor. Seeing one falling for apparently no reason startled me, but I calmed myself thinking it was a simple physics bug that crops up fairly often in giant open-world games such as this. Stalker 2 already had a reputation for being buggy, after all.

Not five minutes later my expectations flipped on their head when I watched a can lift itself off a table, hover for just a moment as if to mock my previous assumption, and then hurl itself at me and knock out a chunk of my health. That was not a bug despite it appearing exactly like one I had encountered in many games prior. This was an invisible enemy known as a Poltergeist whose invisible nature and method of attack mimicked what a typical bug looked like. Suddenly, I had to question my instincts whenever I came across something unexplainable. I couldn't take anything for granted and that distrust in myself added a new layer of horror.

Read more
Wordle Today: Wordle answer and hints for November 22
Someone playing Wordle on a smartphone.

We have the solution to Wordle on July 16, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself, right here. We've placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday's answer.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "SPINE." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.
Hints for today's Wordle
Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

Today’s Wordle includes the letter P.
Today’s Wordle uses two vowels.
Today's Wordle is something you might find in an oyster.

Read more
NYT Connections: hints and answers for Friday, November 22
New York Times' Connection puzzle open in the NYT Games app on iOS.

Connections is one of the best puzzle games from the New York Times. The game tasks you with categorizing a pool of 16 words into four secret (for now) groups by figuring out how the words relate to each other. The puzzle resets every night at midnight and each new puzzle has a varying degree of difficulty. Just like Wordle, you can keep track of your winning streak and compare your scores with friends.

Some days are trickier than others — just like other NYT Games favorites The Mini and Strands. If you're having a little trouble solving today's puzzle, check out our Connections tips and tricks guide for some good strategies or check out the hints for today's Connections puzzle below. And if you still can't get it, we'll tell you today's answers at the very end.
How to play Connections

Read more