1. Stargirl is the perfect jumping-on point for DC fans new and old alike
CW’s heaving roster of DC characters – from Green Arrow, to Flash, and Black Lightning – has made diving into these adventures an impossibility with its legions of crossover events and overlaps. Thank your lucky stars for Stargirl, a more stripped-back, streamlined adventure set on a parallel Earth that focuses on, you guessed it, Stargirl and her attempts to rebuild the Justice Society of America after the majority of its members were killed.
The criticisms aimed at CW’s superhero stable in the past have seemingly been addressed here too. The budget appears to have been given a considerable boost, with hokey special effects kept to a minimum, plus it removes all the baggage of the past near-decade of programming. This first season is an energetic origin story, told simply. If all goes well, it might even become the blueprint for superhero series on the DC side of things for years to come.
What: Stargirl
Where: CW
When: May 18
2. Golf With Your Friends on consoles! Because golf is always better... with your friends
If you're after a bonding session with your pals by putting a golf ball through the gaping maw of a giant T-Rex skull, then look no further. Yes, golf is better when played with your friends, and thankfully Golf With Your Friends gets it. Landing on consoles this month and playable with up to 12 people, you can try and land a bogey and tee off against your buddies across an array of differently themed courses. Every course has unique obstacles and challenges, and you can try out three different modes including mini golf, hoops, and hockey. Stepping away from the traditional trappings of the game, you can mix things up with powerups to give yourself the upperhand. Oh, and you can put different hats on your golf ball… need I say more?
What: Golf With Your Friends
Where: Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch
When: May 19
3. The Wonderful 101 is bringing Pikmin-like action to Switch
The Wonderful 101 is to the Wii U what God Hand was to the PS2: a criminally underrated action game from Platinum Games (previously Clover Studios) that was tied to outdated hardware for too long. But just as God Hand found new life as a digital download, The Wonderful 101 is finally getting the re-release it deserves on Nintendo Switch. Platinum's retooled the Pikmin-esque action game for Nintendo's latest and much-more-successful platform, and it sounds like a match made in heaven. The Switch touchscreen and Joy-Cons should be much more accurate than the Wii U's tablet, to say nothing of the console's graphical horsepower. We're excited to see this cult hit find a new audience on a well-featured platform.
What: The Wonderful 101
Where: Nintendo Switch
When: May 19
4. Saints Row: The Third Remastered gets you on your baddest behavior
Relive the moment the Saints Row franchise emerged from its GTA-clone cocoon and embraced its identity as an utterly ludicrous open-world crime caper game. Saints Row: The Third Remastered includes the base game and all of its increasingly silly DLC expansions, all with improved lighting and sharper textures for characters and environments alike. It's hard to believe the original Saints Row: The Third is already almost nine years old, so it could certainly stand some fresh visuals. We're still waiting to hear more about the future of the Saints Row franchise, which parent company Deep Silver has assured fans it will reveal more about this year. Until then, why not raise some more hell in Steelport like it's 2011 (with better lighting) again?
What: Saints Row: The Third Remastered
Where: PS4, Xbox One, and PC
When: May 22
5. In Maneater, you wreak havoc and get revenge - as a shark
Scaly Pete is the host of an animal reality show called Maneaters, and he's an absolute dickhead. In the opening scene of Maneater, Scaly Pete mutilates a female shark, cuts out her baby, and slashes the pup's dorsal fin. Shortly after the opening scene, you become that shark and your goal is to get as big and bad as possible so you can enact some sweet, sweet revenge on that scaly jerk. Yup, at first you're just a baby shark (doo doo) in a big ocean, trying to find food and shelter so you can get big and bad ASAP.
Developer Tripwire describes Maneater as "GTA if you were a shark," and trust us, it's as close to that as it can possibly get, with destruction and gore at every turn and a Wanted Level-mechanic that sends more Bounty Hunters after you the more damage you cause. It's wild, it's crazy, it's exactly what you need right now.
What: Maneater
Where: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
When: May 22
Release Radar picks the best games, movies, and shows of the next seven days every Monday at 11am GMT.
