Games Watch: the 5 best new games coming out in March
From big hitters to indie titles, here are the console and PC games that have got us talking this month
Between button-mashing and VR stick-waving it’s all too easy to miss some magnificent game releases.
Not any more, though. See, we’re always on the hunt for the next game to steal months of our lives – and the last thing we want is to miss it because we’re too busy playing the last one.
So, with that in mind, here’s your monthly compendium of the five most scintillating new releases coming in the next 31 days. You can thank us later.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – March 3
If Breath of the Wild has passed you by, you must have been snoozing under a large, Switch-shaped rock for the last few months.
Not only is the latest iteration of Zelda an astounding title in its own right, it’s also the game that’s near-single-handedly carrying the launch of Nintendo’s newest games machine, the Switch.
Set in a stunningly rendered, expansive landscape, Breath of the Wild sees Zelda go all open world – and, boy, is it brilliant. From roaming the open plains to solving puzzles in Shrines, the latest Zelda can be played almost any which way – and it’s all the better for it.
Combining an engrossing story with gorgeous graphics, there’s no escaping that it’s a tough one to master – but that’s only more likely to pull you in, whether you’re a fan of the series or not. Breath of the Wild is alive with possibilities, and it’s almost guaranteed to make you smile.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch and Wii U
Price: £59.99
Lego Worlds – March 7
Why play with real Lego when you can build with it in a huge virtual sandbox? That’s basically the premise of Lego Worlds and we can’t wait to get crafting.
Imagine Minecraft, but with the blocks and quirky bods from the world of Lego, and you’ve got something close to Worlds. From helicopters to dinosaurs, this is open-world creation with very few limits. In fact, the worlds themselves are ‘procedurally generated’ – which means your console creates them as you explore, for near-infinite fun.
For true tweakers it’s possible to build brick-by-brick, while larger landscaping tools and pre-fabricated structures are available, too, for quick builders looking to craft cities of digital plastic.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One and PC
Price: £19.99
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands – March 7
It might not be revolutionary, but if you’re looking for a co-op shooter that’ll give you hours of fun, you could do worse than the latest title in the Tom Clancy series.
Yes, single player AI can be a bit bizarre, with some seriously stilted dialogue, and things are far too dark with HDR enabled, but it’s all just about rectified when you fire up Wildlands with some friends and head online.
From marking targets with a drone to picking off unsuspecting baddies with a long-range headshot, it’s much the sort of modern combat simulator you’ve come to know and love, albeit one where crazy occurrences are but a bad decision – or a wayward teammate – away.
Throw in a huge world to roam and you end up with a tactical shooter that’s bags of fun to play with your mates until the next Battlefield hits shelves.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One and PC
Price: £39.99
FlatOut 4: Total Insanity – March 17
First seen back in 2004 on PS2, Xbox and PC, FlatOut was a racer with carnage at its core, with a physics engine that saw drivers regularly flung through their windscreens. Hardly high-brow stuff, admittedly, but bags of fun all the same.
Now, 13 years later, FlatOut 4: Total Insanity is here – with 27 vehicles, 20 tracks, online multiplayer modes and, of course, the high-velocity collisions and fully destructible environments you’d expect from a game with a reputation built on destruction.
FlatOut 3 was widely panned, so we’ll wait until we’ve been properly hands-on before offering our opinion – but, with the right balance of fun, weaponry and physics, there’s every chance that FlatOut 4 could be your next multiplayer favourite.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One and PC
Price: £44.99
Mass Effect: Andromeda – March 21
Ask almost any fan of the original Mass Effect trilogy and they’ll tell you it was easily the best action-RPG you could play. See, Mass Effect had it all: thrilling combat, deep narratives, open space to explore and – of course – engrossing character relationships.
It makes sense, then, why anticipation for Mass Effect: Andromeda – an entirely new title in the series – is so high. Taking everything that was brilliant about the original games, adding new mechanics (you can jump with a jet pack, now) and launching you into the vast expanse of a new galaxy, Andromeda is sure to make space explorers of a whole new generation.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is the biggest game developer Bioware has ever made – and, having been hands-on at EA’s HQ in Guildford, it’s also one of the most immersive. Managing at once to blend an open-world feel with a storyline that kept us rapt, this is one that’ll absorb your soul.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One and PC
Price: £54.99
Pre-order Mass Effect: Andromeda here
Chris Rowlands
Freelance contributor 
