8 things to watch out for this week

God of War is out so you can find out why it’s the highest scoring PS4 game of all time

After all the hype and the perfect reviews God of War is finally out. If you’re somehow still not convinced by our 5/5 review, or the 95 Metacritic making it the best game on PS4 OF ALL TIME, then you finally have a chance to play it yourself and see what the fuss is about. This really is setting a new bar for action adventure games, with an incredible world to explore as Kratos takes on the Norse realm of Midgard to… well, no spoilers. Safe to say this is incredible achievement, both in terms of gameplay with amazing combat, unbelievable set pieces and enough spectacle to shame Hollywood. But it’s also full of incredible storytelling and performance, with Kratos and Atreus leading a fantastic cast through a nuanced and layered story. Do. Not. Miss. It. Leon Hurley

What: God of War
Where: PS4
When: Now

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is free this weekend on Xbox if you want to try a battle royale with vehicles

While everyone’s waiting for comets to do… something to Fortnite’s map why not give the original battle royale game a go with a free weekend on Xbox One. It’s running now and will end Sunday, April 22 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Until it’s over you’ll get access to the full PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds experience. It’s a slightly more serious take on the last one standing genre but if you’re a Fortnite fan and wonder what a 1v99 would be like with vehicles, this free weekend is a perfect chance to add some wheels to your shoot outs. And, if you decide you like it enough to buy, then any in-game money (Battle Points) you earn will be carried into the full game. Just head to the Gold Member area on the Xbox dashboard, or search for the game on the Store to get started. Leon Hurley

What: PlayerUnknown’s Battleground
Where: Xbox One
When: Now until April 22

Oh my God! South Park: The Fractured But Whole arrives on Switch

Hey New Kid, are you ready for another adventure? Then head on down to South Park and join Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman as they try to get their superhero franchise off the ground. Disagreements soon lead to a split in the factions, and it's up to you to reunite Coon and Friends with the Freedom Pals to fight against a common enemy. Tweaks to the turn-based combat system make battles more dynamic and variable than they were in previous outing The Stick Of Truth, and there's also the small matter of your farts now being so powerful that they're able to manipulate space and time. Thanks to the close involvement of Matt Stone and Trey Parker during the scriptwriting and development process, South Park: The Fractured But Whole retains the show's trademark style and humour, though its laugh-out-loud storylines mean you may need to carefully consider where you play this portable version in public. Iain Wilson

What: South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Where: Switch
When: April 24

Late Shift brings back the FMV adventure for a new audience

Full motion video games have somewhat fallen out of favour since their heyday in the '80s and '90s, but publisher Wales Interactive is currently leading a return of the format. After bringing their live-action psychological horror adventure The Bunker to Switch last week, they're following up with a portable version of FMV crime thriller Late Shift. You play as Matt, a night car park attendant who is coerced by a gang into robbing a high class London auction house, and must make the right choices to survive the aftermath and prove his innocence. With a seamless branching storyline based on your split-second decisions, hours of HD footage, and seven possible endings, there's plenty of replayability on offer - do you have what it takes to escape the mob and clear your name? Iain Wilson

What: Late Shift
Where: Switch
When: April 26

Still waiting for your acceptance letter from Hogwarts? Well, don’t worry, because the Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery game for Android and iOS is your ticket there

Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery is coming to mobile in what promises to give players the experience of life as a Hogwarts student. You’ll be able to create your own character, choose your house, learn different spells and potions, and form friendships to craft your own magical story. Several professors and familiar faces from J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world will be popping up along the way voiced by the original cast, including the likes of Maggie Smith as Professor Mcgonagall, Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, and Warwick Davis as Professor Flitwick. But if you’re hoping to reunite with Harry, Hermione, and Ron, you’ll likely be disappointed because the original story takes place before the famous trio started at Hogwarts. With lots of customisation, narrative choices, and nods to Rowling’s famous world, this is one for Potterheads everywhere. It’s sure to be a pretty magical time that’ll give players a taste of what it’s like to attend the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry, and go some way to helping us get over never receiving that all important letter in the mail. Heather Wald

What: Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery
Where: Android and iOS
When: April 25

Get ready to know nothing about anything that’s going on (again) because Westworld season 2 is here!

Cast your minds back to 2016 and the first time you watch Westworld season 1? Did you have any idea what was going on? Of course you didn’t! That show is so complex and confusing, most of the actors in it didn’t even know what was happening. It all came together in the end though and made a rich and satisfying show, the like of which we hadn’t seen in years. It’s been a long wait for Westworld season 2, but it’s finally back this Sunday and I feel safe in saying that you better reacquaint yourself with that feeling of helplessness because it sounds like it’s going to be just as mind-boggling as the first season! The robot revolution may have come to Westworld, but the Hosts are far from free and no doubt there’ll be many obstacles they’ll need to deal with before the season is over. If, like me, you couldn’t get enough of the excitement, intrigue, and the never ending questions of the first season, you definitely don’t want to miss the season 2 premiere. Welcome (back) to Westworld! Lauren O’Callaghan

What: Westworld season 2
When: Starting April 22, Sundays at 9pm in the US and Mondays at 9pm in the UK
Where: On HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOWTV in the UK

After 10 years of build-up, Avengers: Infinity War finally realises Marvel’s long-term goal with the MCU, and defines a decade of cinema

It’s here it’s here it’s here it’s here it’s here it’s here it’s here it’s here it’s here it’s here it’s here it’s here it’s… look, we both know I could just keep holding down Ctrl+V for another hundred or so words. At this point, just a week away from the full release of Avengers: Infinity War (aka. The biggest film in the biggest film franchise in the world, that rounds off 10 whole years of galaxy-spanning heroism and interpersonal drama and probably kills a bunch of people we really, really like), you already know whether you’re onboard or not. And the chances are,you’re answering in the affirmative. But I need to write something that isn’t just a load of excited screaming, so let’s just take this time to look back at the last decade and take stock, shall we? Just think about the fun, cool but unassuming release of Iron Man, and track how far we’ve come with the MCU since then. It’s rattled along so quickly it hasn’t really been noticeable, but we’re looking at a bit of a real, era-defining thing here now, aren’t we? Yeah, I think we are. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t suck, and that at least a couple of people survive. David Houghton

What: Avengers: Infinity War
When: April 27
Where: Cinemas

Who knew the future of learning to code was in the Nintendo Switch and a load of cardboard?

The Nintendo Labo release date is finally upon us and although you might be excited about building a piano, fishing rod, motorbike or remote-controlled car out of cardboard, the most interesting thing you can do with Labo is in its garage. No, that’s not a little cardboard creation like something from Blue Peter, it’s actually coding software built into the Labo ‘game’ itself. It allows you to create your own inventions, games or other ideas using the cardboard kits you’ve already created - or even new ones. The possibilities are endless and only stopped by your imagination - or more importantly, your childrens’. Even dabbling around for an hour or so, I managed to make a cops and robbers game using the stick men and the motorbike game’s scanner tech, making the little chap/robber fall down when the IR blaster caught sight of the reflective strip on its stomach. Obviously it was seriously basic, but I can’t wait to see what Labo fans create when they’ve got more time and better ideas. Sam Loveridge

What: Nintendo Labo
When: April 20 (US) / April 27 (UK)
Where: An online/high street retailer near you

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