(Source: http://www.gamehavenclassic.com/)

March was a behemoth of a month in video games. In many ways it replicated an October or November in its pre-Christmas-esque big budget releases. If you were having trouble keeping up with everything, take heart in the fact that April is much slower. It is, however, not without its big releases, so here they are:

April 2

Defiance (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) – Defiance is a big experiment of a game. At one time it is both a television series and a video game with events in the television show having impact in the game world. In a futuristic earth that exists after an alien invasion, Defiance (the game) has you playing as Ark Hunters in search of a long lost leader and a particularly rare piece of Ark-Core technology. Meanwhile in TV-land, the show will flesh out the Defiance universe and introduce new plot points, characters, and elements which may impact the game world.

April 8

Halo 4: Castle Map Pack (Xbox 360) – Slow months mean a greater emphasis on DLC because those who do power through their game’s stories need fresh content to keep them playing. Well one of the biggest pieces of DLC this month is Halo 4’s third map pack, named Castle. The pack includes three new maps: Daybreak, Outcast, and Perdition

April 16

Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) – Like Halo above, 2012 critical hit Dishonored is having some DLC as well. This is a story-based dlc where players will be inhabiting the body of Daud, one of the primary antagonists of Dishonored’s campaign.

Injustice: Gods Among Us (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U) – Fighting game overlords NetherRealm Studios, makers of the Mortal Kombat franchise, are partnering up with DC once again (after the much maligned Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe) to take another stab at a DC fighting game. This time there are no Mortal Kombat characters, just Superman, Batman, and their allies and rivals. If you are able to look past the fact that this is a universe where Batman can beat up Superman, what you have is a really solid looking competitive fighting game.

April 23

Dead Island: Riptide (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) – The original Dead Island was far from a gem. Many people had high hopes after a hauntingly beautiful trailer, only to have them dashed by what was a pretty average first person zombie game. Perhaps knowing what you are going into this time will allow you to enjoy the sequel a little more. The open world and tower defense like mechanics looks to be quite evolved. Here’s hoping there is just a little more story connecting all of the zombie mutilation.

Star Trek: The Videogame (PS3, Xbox 360) – In what is probably the game I am most excited for this month, Digital Extremes (developers of the under-appreciated The Darkness 2) have made a co-op shooter that aspires to boldly go where no licensed game has gone before. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto reprise their roles of Kirk and Spock right before the release of the next film. This game is not a tie-in to the soon-to-be-released sequel, but a stand-alone story where the Enterprise has to face-off against fan-favourite enemies, The Gorn.

OLD POSTS OF EXTREME RELEVANCE:

Games of March

Game Releases in February 2013

Meta-review: Bioshock Infinite

Meta-review: Gears of War: Judgement