You Should Play | Star Wars Battlefront, Mario Tennis and Knight Squad

Welcome to You Should Play, a series where we highlight all of the video games that you should be playing this week, from big-budget releases through to little-known indie games.

This week Star Wars fans worldwide finally get their hands on Star Wars Battlefront, bringing to an end a stellar few weeks for gaming in which we’ve seen blockbuster video game after blockbuster video game hitting store shelves.

However, aside from Battlefront, it’s slim pickings this week for those who weren’t bowled over by the shooter in its beta stages, or who are otherwise uninterested in taking to Endor and shooting some Ewoks. This is probably a good thing, though, as it finally gives us a week in which we don’t have to pull a Sophie’s Choice and make a decision between two fantastic games, something which led to Rise of the Tomb Raider receiving rather unfavorable sales last week.

Check out what You Should Play this week:

Star Wars Battlefront

It’s been a long time coming, but the launch of a brand new Star Wars Battlefront game is finally upon us. While new developers DICE may have opted to abandon the route laid out by Free Radical Design, who envisioned seamless ground-to-space battles and a unique single-player campaign among other things, they have certainly stayed true to the source material of the original trilogy, providing Star Wars fans with an authentic experience that showcases an unparalleled level of dedication to mimicking the action of the film series.

Though not exactly packed with content from the outset, for fans of the sci-fi saga Battlefront is the closest they’ve come to feeling like they’re actively participating in one of the iconic battles featured in the movies. From the sprawling Battle of Hoth that was featured in the beta, through to the lush, leafy surroundings of Endor, superb visuals and audio design combine to deliver a game that, rather than being “Battlefield with a Star Wars skin” as it has frequently been called, actually stands on its two feet by virtue of its devotion to emulating the franchise its creators so clearly admire.

For Star Wars fans, of which there are apparently quite a few, Battlefront is most certainly the game you’re looking for.

Why You Should Play It:

1. STAR WARS!
2. Authentically recreates the action of the films.
3. Walker Assault mode is a blast.

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash

The Wii U has had a pretty dismal 2015 by all accounts. Splatoon kept us occupied for a few months with its incessant demands that we were a kid now, we were a squid now, and Super Mario Maker allowed us to create our own 2D Mario levels (that somehow all ended up being insanely difficult to complete) in a game which became a surprise hit on Twitch, but other than that there has been a considerable lack of new releases as the console is set to prematurely bow out of this current generation in order to make way for the NX.

However, the Wii U is looking to conclude the year with an intriguing one-two punch of Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash and Xenoblade Chronicles X. While the latter may be the more tantalizing prospect (some are already pegging it as being a last-minute game of the year contender), those familiar with the Mario Tennis series will recognize it as one of Nintendo’s less well-established spin-off sports titles, though one that also provides the kind of chaotic local multiplayer fun that its console exemplifies. 

While Mario Tennis has received little coverage ahead of its release, and it doesn’t appear to change up the formula adopted by Mario’s previous appearances on the court, for Wii U owners this is one of a very limited batch of exclusive games they can expect to get their hands on before Nintendo moves on from the console. Hopefully it will provide some enjoyment as the Wii U reaches its inevitable swansong. 

Why You Should Play It:

1. It’s one of very few upcoming Wii U exclusives.
2. Local multiplayer fun.
3. You can play online with your Amiibo figurine as your teammate.

Knight Squad

If you’re looking for a new, quirky multiplayer game to slot in among your more high-profile offerings such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Halo 5 and Star Wars Battlefront, then Knight Squad should fit the bill perfectly. Allowing matches for up to 8 players (even locally!) Knight Squad pitches itself as “SNES-era Bomberman meets Gauntlet,” though it throws a variety of objective-based game modes into the mixer, too.

With it being available for free to Xbox One owners who have an Xbox Live Gold subscription (it’s also downloadable on PC), this appears to be Microsoft’s oddball answer to the PSN’s Rocket League, in that it’s a frenetic, fast-paced multiplayer game that excels due to its simplicity, and will undoubtedly find itself a keen audience among those who fail to be bowled over by big-budget shooters, and who would much rather assume the role of a cartoon knight of the realm equipped with a wide selection of ludicrous power-ups.

With modes such as Capture the Flag and Medieval Soccer, Knight Squad is reminiscent of indie games such as Towerfall and the underrated Samurai Gunn, in that it’ll likely be one of the first games you play when you have friends visit and before you know it will be a staple of your collection. 

Why You Should Play It: 

1. Medieval Soccer sounds ridiculous and we love it.
2. SNES-era Bomberman mixed with Gauntlet is one of the best game descriptions ever.
3. Reminiscent of Towerfall in that it’s a local multiplayer game you’ll likely return to again and again.