With 2022 winding down, there’s a lot of good gaming news for 2023. The Starship Troopers Terran Command strategy game, Evil West, and Warhammer 40k Darktide are some of my favorites. From horror games, to tactical shooters and strategy games, there’s something to look forward to for everyone.
Dead Space, January 27th
This release is a remake of the first Dead Space. I didn’t play Dead Space when it first launched. I got Dead Space free on the EA app one year, and let it sit. As some of you know, I’m not a big fan of singleplayer games. I was convinced to play it for my Halloween streams one year, and that was all she wrote. I’ve played all 3 in the series now, and would recommend them all. For those who don’t know, Dead Space is a sci-fi horror RPG where you are sent to investigate an overdue ship, only to find you must save humanity by trying to exterminate terrifying alien-zombie-mutant creatures that have taken over.
Operation Harsh Doorstop, February 15
This is going to be the ultimate FPS gaming platform, similar to ARMA. Operation Harsh Doorstop is going to be a free tactical shooter platform that modders or developers can use to bring their own settings to live. There’s a demo you can check out now on Steam with WW2, modern, and Vietnam settings available. At launch, Operation Harsh Doorstop should also be co op, so your friends will be able to join you on the battlefield. Any setting you can imagine, you can bring to life with Operation Harsh Doorstop.
Company of Heroes 3, February 23
My favorite RTS of all time is Company of Heroes 2, so I’m pretty excited for a sequel. While it has taken on a bit of a Total War feel for the campaign map, the RTS portion remains largely squad based. I got to play a little bit of Company of Heroes 3 during one of the alpha tests, and enjoyed the RTS part. Company of Heroes 3 is a WW2 real time strategy game where you can choose any of the major countries involved, and battle across the world in famous, or even custom made battles.
Dead Island 2, April 28
I picked up the original Dead Island during the Black Friday sale, so I’m looking to dive in and see what it’s all about. As you can tell from this list, I’ve been in a bit of a grim and dark game mood lately. Dead Island is an open world, zombie co-op RPG. I know the least about this game, but it seems to have an emphasis on dark humor, so it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Starship Troopers: Extermination, Unknown
Just announced is a Starship Troopers FPS coming from the makers of Squad. Up to 12 Troopers can squad up in a co-op shooter to face off against the arachnids! I love the Starship Troopers movie, and cannot wait. My biggest hope is that Offworld Industries creates something between a milsim and a tactical shooter, as those are two genres I love. There are a few screenshots available on Steam, but there isn’t much information available.
No More Room in Hell 2, Unknown
With still more zombies shambling into the list, No More Room in Hell 2 offers a wide variety of gameplay. It’s a co-op survival experience where you must explore different maps, scavenge for supplies, and keep your group of 8 players alive. You can try the original No More Room in Hell for free on Steam right now if you want to see where Lever Games is building the sequel from.
Aliens Dark Descent, Unknown
This one is going to be an interesting mix. A horror strategy game set in the Aliens universe. I very much enjoy the movies, the tabletop game, and the recently released Aliens Fireteam. I’m very hopeful this real time tactics game will be another successful venture for the Aliens franchise. In Aliens Dark Descent you play as commander of a squad of 5 Colonial Marines sent to stop a xenomorph outbreak. And what would an Aliens game be without the appearance of a Queen?
Dark and Darker, Quarter 4
This is another game I’ve gotten to try out in a beta, and I’m very excited for a full release. Dark and Darker sends players dungeon crawling for supplies and gear, and make it to the end to extract successfully. You get to choose from different fantasy classes (Cleric, Warrior, etc) and fight the undead as well as other players in this hardcore dark fantasy battle royale. It’s extremely similar to Escape from Tarkov, but more medieval, and free to play. While it is slated for a Q4 release, I have a feeling we’ll see a much earlier Early Access soft launch.