Great games this week: Red Dead Redemption II, Ragnarok Eternal Love, and more

This week, we ride into the Wild West, take a nostalgia trip to Rune Midgard, and head back to Sanctuary for an adventure that isn’t “Diablo Immortal.”

Red Dead Redemption 2

The hotly anticipated “Red Dead Redemption 2” brings players back to the Wild West for 60+ hours of adventure. Expect bounty hunters, horses, robberies, backstabbing, sunset showdowns, and ordinary civilians who’ll lynch you if you accidentally shoot the village dog.

“Red Dead Redemption 2” is a third-person action-adventure game set in a massive, open world. You play as Arthur Morgan, an outlaw who rides with Dutch van der Linde’s notorious criminal gang. Said gang finds itself fleeing federal agents and bounty hunters after a botched robbery.

To survive, you’ll have to steal and shoot your way through America’s rugged heartland while interacting with a multitude of interesting characters, some of whom will be familiar to those who played the first game.

“Red Dead Redemption 2” boasts over 50 unique weapons that can have their various attributes enhanced through the game’s deep weapon customization system. You can now dual wield weapons. Items degrade with use, however, so you’ll have to learn some maintenance skills. There are around 200 animal species to hunt and fish. Other features add realism to the game: eating too much will make you fat, and your hair grows out over time. People will also shun you if you don’t bathe.

“Red Dead Redemption 2” refines the previous game’s systems, including the combat, duels, and honor system. The open world is far larger this time around, and replete with fascinating locations, such as swamps, bustling cities, a mining town, snowy mountains, and more.

There are trains to hijack, banks to rob, bears to kill, slaves to free, rival gangs to slaughter, and more in what many are already calling the best game of 2018.

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Ragnarok M: Eternal Love

Nostalgia is a powerful thing, which is perhaps why “Ragnarok M: Eternal Love” is succeeding where “Ragnarok Online 2” failed.

“Ragnarok M: Eternal Love” brings back everything you loved about the MMORPG that was released almost two decades ago. The original classes – from the stalwart Knight to the wily Rogue – are back, and they look exactly as you remember them. Prontera is as crowded as ever, and the numerous plains and dungeons are teeming with the endless monsters we had so many battles with. The game even uses the same music and sound effects as the original game.

Despite how slavish “Ragnarok M: Eternal Love” is to “Ragnarok Online,” the game does offer an abundance of new features and surprises. There’s now a day and night cycle, a camera mode that lets you capture memories, loads of new characters and story-driven quests, fun activities such as riding a giant poring balloon, and more. With lots of bright colors and great animation, the 3D graphics look gorgeous on the tiny screens of mobile devices.

There’s even an option that lets your characters attack enemies automatically, therefore freeing you to do other things while the game runs in the background. As grinding is the activity that’s the most demanding of your time in any MMORPG, this feature will serve as a blessing to those who’ve grown up since 2002 and now lead busy, adult lives.

Platforms: iOS, Android, PC

Diablo III: Eternal Collection 

“Diablo III: Eternal Collection” has finally been released for the Nintendo Switch, bringing owners of the console the unholy triumvirate of “Diablo III,” “Reaper of Souls,” and “Rise of the Necromancer.”

“Diablo III” is an action RPG that’ll have you clicking on thousands of bad guys – ranging from crazy cultists to demons – until they explode into fountains of gore. Mindless? Absolutely. But man is it fun – and exceedingly addictive.

The game comes with 7 classes (Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Witch Doctor, Monk, Wizard, Crusader, and Necromancer), each boasting a multitude of unique abilities. The Barbarian, for example, is all about crushing enemies at close range, whereas the Demon Hunter hunts enemies from a distance, and the Necromancer raises a small army of undead to do his bidding.

Of course, one can’t talk about “Diablo III” without mentioning the mountains of loot to collect. Every kill showers you with gold, equipment, consumables, and a host of other items you can use to customize and enhance your character.

The more monsters you kill, the more loot you gather and the more powerful you become, creating an endless cycle so rewarding you’ll be glued to your seat for hours on end. And with the Switch version allowing you to go handheld, you can bring “Diablo III” anywhere you go, making it a must for fans of Blizzard’s legendary hack-and-slash dungeon crawler.

Platform: Switch (also PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

— LA, GMA News