February 2024 has been unusually busy for big game releases. From long-awaited sequels like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to breakout multiplayer successes like Helldivers 2 and Palworld, and even down to surprise indie darlings like Balatro, there’s something for every kind of gamer to enjoy. We here at CNN Underscored have spent the last month playing a handful of excellent games. Whether you’re looking for something new for your PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch or PC, here are the titles you should be checking out.
Helldivers 2 will put you through the ringer over and over and over again. Built on a strong foundation with great shooting mechanics and detailed environments at its core, Helldivers incorporates Starship Troopers-inspired slapstick and parody about disposable intergalactic soldiers, creating a perfect combination that’s led to countless laughs with my friends over Discord. It’s impossible not to laugh as we shoot one another, step on land mines and get caught in one another’s airstrikes.
Palworld took the world by storm, thanks to the “Pokémon with guns” nickname it earned from fans online. While it does feature what appear to be legally distinct creatures based on Pokémon designs that have been fed through a generative AI, it’s so much more than that moniker. It also houses a kooky survival game that’s great for anyone looking for a new game that blends monster-catching mechanics with Minecraft-style survival skills to play with their friends. And if you’re not sure it’s for you, Palworld’s also included with Xbox Game Pass, which means that you can check it out via Microsoft’s subscription service instead of shelling out the $30 to buy it outright.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth picks up right where 2020’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake left off. Continuing the remade story of one of the most beloved games of all time, Rebirth carries Remake’s mantle with pride as it masterfully reworks the plot, characters, music and even the combat of the 1997 classic into something entirely new. It’s a gorgeous game with a score, heartfelt story, and gripping combat that sit nicely in its visually stunning new open-world format.
Nearly every bit of fandom and praise that the Persona series has garnered over the years can be traced back to Persona 3. In modernizing and recontextualizing what made Persona 3 the revelation that it was, Persona 3 Reload has become yet another great way to revisit an all-time classic. Live out your days as a Japanese high school student while investigating a sinister temporal anomaly by night in this compelling coming-of-age story.
I adore Splatoon 3. Its single-player campaign is easily one of the best of the Switch era, and its online multiplayer modes all remain gripping, thanks to continual updates from Nintendo. Throwing arcade-y, roguelike gameplay into the mix adds yet another layer to this content-rich banger. Splatting baddies and restoring color to Splatoon’s world has kept me locked in on climbing Side Order’s tower for hours. To sweeten the pot, Nintendo also timed a big content update for the multiplayer mode to jump into once you’ve wrapped up Side Order.
Balatro has quickly solidified itself as 2024’s first breakout indie darling in a meteoric rise to prominence. It’s the second-best reviewed game of the year, and it’s not hard to see why. Its approachable, poker-inspired gameplay will sink its claws into you as it introduces layer after layer of well-realized and balanced modifiers to its ever-changing, roguelike loop. Failing a run plants an itch that’s nearly impossible to scratch until you’ve finished it. Both challenging and completely frictionless, Balatro is one of the best card-based roguelikes of all time. Buyer beware: It will make you late for plans with friends and miss work deadlines.
Penny’s Big Breakaway is one for the old heads out there. Taking the movement from classic Sonic The Hedgehog games and cramming it into an engrossing 3D platformer that takes its cues from newer games in the genre, it’s the best kind of nostalgia trip. By recontextualizing what worked about older games and modernizing them, Penny’s Big Breakaway is a colorful vacation from the intensity of some of the other games on this list. It can feel a bit too old at times, but it’s worth checking out just to jet through nonetheless.
Dripping in sludgy psychedelic style, Ultros is the most interesting-looking game on this list. But that style is no mere trippy pastiche; Ultros’ gameplay and themes supplement its vibe by touching on themes of rebirth and motherhood. It can be easy to get lost in its stunning sci-fi environments and forget what your goal is, but it’s worth playing, even for its art direction and sound design alone.
February has been a spectacular month for cool game releases. Players looking for a gripping, replayable roguelike have Splatoon 3: Side Order and Balatro, players looking for something to play with their friends got Helldivers 2 and Palworld, and those looking for meaty single-player games should dive headfirst into Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Persona 3. But we didn’t get to play everything that hit this month. A few other big remakes like Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered are sure to offer nostalgic reprisals; we just haven’t had time to check them out yet.
