On February 15, four AAA titles launched simultaneously, making the day very unique and rare situation. It’s not uncommon for games of high magnitude to release at the same time, but when Metro Exodus was moved up to the same launch date as Far Cry: New Dawn, Crackdown 3, and Jump Force, fans began to take notice of the importance of this event. Even though it’s only been two days, we’ll take a brief look at how each game is doing, and with the recent reviews and impressions so far, it doesn’t look too good for some of them.
Lets start with Crackdown 3, which has finally launched after years of development hell. While it looked like the title would be the first big launch for the newly branded Xbox Game Studios, many reviewers felt that the game was using an outdated open world system. Worse yet, the highly touted multiplayer mode, Wrecking Zone was lambasted by critics and fans alike for not using the destruction mechanics that are present in the story mode. The game might be redeemable over time, but for now, it’s looked at as failure.
The second game to launch on February 15 was Far Cry: New Dawn. Of the four AAA titles, this game had the shortest time from its announcement-to-release date time frame. A follow up to 2018’s Far Cry 5, the game has you back in Montana after the previous game’s ending. The game stays true to the Far Cry formula, and that seems to be the issue with some people. Despite being in a post-nuclear apocalypse, Hope County has had very little changed to it, making it feel and look more like it should have been a DLC add-on for Far Cry 5. Long time fans that love the series more than likely won’t have any issues with this, as for the rest, better wait until the next installment.
Next up is Jump Force, and unfortunately, this game took quite a beating from critics and fans. Released as an intended celebration of Jumps Magazine’s 50th Anniversary, the game features a who’s who of Shonen Jump stalwarts fighting it out for Anime supremacy, or something like that. Regardless of the star power this game was holding, it suffers from a bland story line, as well as some other complaints like the jarring music and the interface not being completely engaging. Still, the game seems to have an audience, as most of the reviews mentioned that the actual fighting is very fun, even if it’s a little awkward with the camera movements. Similar to Crackdown 3, the game looks bad right now, but it might find its footing later on.
Last but not least is Metro Exodus. Despite being moved up into the crowded launch date, the game seems to be doing better than the rest. The atmosphere changes from being underground to the open world, daylight and all. Some fans were afraid that this would take away from the scary aspect of the series, but by all accounts, Metro Exodus is an excellent addition to the franchise. There might be a hiccup or a small issue here and there, but overall the game has been well received. Guess we should’ve taken Huw Beynon’s boast more seriously.
It’ll take more time to see just how these games do in the long run. Some might see themselves in the discount rack sooner than later, and some may enjoy a long and fruitful life that enables the developers to accommodate fans who hunger for more content. Either way, they currently have their time in the spotlight, but the real question is just how long will it last?