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Arcade-style racing games are making a comeback, and Horizon Chase Turbo has everything a gamer would want from a car racing game. Lots of scope? There are more than 50 cities to explore. Split player mode? You can play with up to three others. Great cars to drive? There are lots to choose from.

Racing games have become more of a niche market in recent times. It’s easy to see why – they have slowed down somewhat and there aren’t as many innovative new things being done with the genre. However, this game could be just what it takes to get more people back into racing games.

Horizon Chase Turbo was inspired by retro games like OutRun and Lotus Turbo Challenge. It looks and feels retro as well, though the handling of the cars is a little different. For people who don’t want simulation games, it works well. It is available on PlayStation 4 and PC.

Kirby Star Allies is one of the newest games for the Nintendo Switch console, and it is a game with a difference. It is what’s known as a co-op game, that is, a game that involves collaborative play between people who are all actually in the same room.

This hasn’t necessarily been popular over the past years. It’s not hard to see it from the point of view of the big games companies – single player games or games that encourage online play sell more copies because most people will have to buy them.

However, this no co-op game makes for a refreshing change and is a good way of socialising. People have to work together to win the game and achieve goals, such as collecting hearts and destroying the computer enemies. You can then combine powers and objects you have collected to get better results. It’s old-fashioned, and it’s fun.

Dead Rising 4 was initially released in 2016, for Xbox One and Windows. It didn’t quite receive the same reception as other Dead Rising games, but that’s not to say it wasn’t good. Now that it’s available on PlayStation 4 as well, it might get some more appreciation.

Dead Rising 4 is highly satirical, laughing at itself and the consumer society we live in. Players take on the character of Frank West, who needs to kill zombies and the undead.

The game has some interesting features. One allows players to create custom weapons using everyday objects, like lawnmower blades and baseball bats. These can be used with nails to create a studded bat. You can also create more intricate weapons, like something resembling a lightsaber.

The version for PS4 now includes all previous content, as well as a new feature called Capcom Heroes. This gives players new bonus outfits and adds a new comical level to the story.

Paris Games Week was held by Sony this week. The event is a platform for the gaming corporation to make new announcements and introduce now games to fans all over the world. There were lots of new announcements, certainly – but they were all rather vague. Did we learn a lot about what is actually going to be happening? No, not really… but here is what we did find out:

• Microsoft is going to be pushing virtual reality technology going forward. Megalith, an otherwise fairly standard shooting game, is going to be released for PSVR sometime in 2018.
• The Hong Kong Massacre will be released for PS4 in 2018. We don’t have many details of this game, but it looks to be similar to Hotline Miami.
• Concrete Genie is coming out next year as well. It has a slightly different angle and is essentially an adventure game, featuring a teenager living in a world of monsters.