Games you can play this week

This week in games, a returning vampire slayer makes his belated arrival on PC, everyone’s favourite limbless hero is back for another adventure, and thermal energy becomes as important as ever with the third instalment in the Lost Planet franchise.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (PC) – 27 August (Steam)

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Ultimate Edition arrives for PC this week, and features the full game, trophy integration through Steam, and two add-on chapters – Reverie and Resurrection.

Lords of Shadow rebooted the series by throwing you into the role of Gabriel Belmont who battles mythical creatures and giant beasts using the Combat Cross, which acts as a whip. Gabriel, the enemies, and the environments are all gorgeously detailed and some impressive camera angles and cut-scenes added that wow-factor that’s been absent from the series for a while.

Lords of Shadow managed to boost the franchise into a modern and relevant 3D action game, and with Lords of Shadow 2 on the horizon, things are looking bright for the vampire-hunting escapades of the Belmonts, and PC gamers should be excited to finally have the chance to take on the Lords of Shadow.

Rayman Legends – 30 August

Rayman Legends was one of the most beautiful games on show at Gamescom 2013, and it’s releasing this week.

The hand-painted animations and gorgeous environments make the side-scrolling adventure sequel a pure joy to watch.

The co-op action and beautiful visuals are only the tip of the iceberg, as the difficulty curve and crazy collectibles will inject a sense of nostalgia into the upcoming game wave.

Lost Planet 3 (30 August 2013)

Lost Planet 3 launches this week, and while it’s a small departure from the previous games, it’s set to inject some horror and fear into the series.

Lost Planet 3 introduces Jim Peyton, a Utility Rig pilot who leaves Earth to take on a hazardous but lucrative contract on planet E.D.N. III. Working for Neo-Venus Construction (NEVEC), Jim is one of a select few pioneers at the Coronis base surveying the uncharted terrain and obtaining samples of the planet’s natural energy source – Thermal Energy, which NEVEC believes will save Earth’s energy crisis.

E.D.N. III is an expectedly harsh environment, and developer Spark Unlimited promises an ever-changing weather system that will alter gameplay.

Lost Planet 3 mixes first-person and third-person action. While inside his protective utility rig vehicle, Jim can make use of its array of tools which double up as effective first-person weaponry against the franchise’s main foe, the Akrid.