The end of summer is often a slow time in video game releases. We spend that time catching up on the games we missed over the course of the year or replaying some of our favorites in anticipation of upcoming sequels. This fall brings us every reason to keep the tradition alive. The line-up of games arriving for our fun and enjoyment from September through November is nothing short of jaw dropping. I will preview all of the top games I am looking forward to and invite you to mention any additional titles on your must play list for the upcoming months.
Resistance 3 (9/6/2011) Playstation 3 - Resistance 3, a sci-fi action first person shooter, is the Fourth installment in the Resistance series, and the third to appear on the PS3. It will be bringing back the weapon wheel and health bar which were absent in Resistance 2. It will support the Playstation Move and continue Sony’s pledge to support 3D tv’s. Specially marked copies of SOCOM will allow you beta access after August 4th. I have little experience with this franchise, but I have read a number of positive thoughts regarding this installment.
Star Fox 64 3D (9/9/2011) 3DS - Star Fox 64 3D is the original Star Fox 64 arcade space shooter brought to the Nintendo 3DS with improved graphics and the addition of 3D to enhance the game play experience. The game will also feature alternative controls via the gyros in the 3DS and a multiplayer mode for up to four 3DS systems to play via wireless. I was a huge Star Fox fan in my SNES years and missed all the N64 games. This is a must buy for me just as Ocarina of Time was since I had never gotten to experience the games when they originally launched.
The Gunstringer (9/13/2011) Xbox 360 - The Gunstringer is the first full game from Twisted Pixel and it looks like it won’t disappoint. The game plays like an on-rails shooter taking full advantage of the Kinect. The game will be retailing for $40 and will also include a free code for Fruit Ninja Kinect as a bonus. Kinect is still struggling to find that game that truly makes it a must have, despite it’s staggering sales. Games in the rails shooting genre like the Gunstringer could be the catalyst.
Gears of War 3 (9/20/2011) Xbox 360 - The third installment in the popular first person shooter Gears series is currently sitting as one of the most anticipated games of 2011. this time around you will be playing as Marcus Fenix but will occasionally control other characters as the story progresses. This sequel will allow up to four player co-op action as you battle new and stronger enemies. While I have not been a huge Gears fan (ducking the flaming arrows and rotten fruit) friends who were in the Beta came out really excited. this entry looks to be the best in the series and should continue the high quality gameplay and story the past titles have delivered.
Dark Souls (9/22/2011) Playstation 3, XBox 360 - Dark Souls is the ‘spiritual successor’ to the surprisingly successful and brutally challenging Demon’s souls from 2009. The game is a mix of methodical action RPG and puzzle solving as well as PvP for all online players. The game has already been slated to be more challenging than it’s predecessor. To emphasize it’s challenge level, the games home on the web is www.preparetodie.com. I won’t lie, this is the game I am most looking forward to throwing a controller for this fall.
Ico and Shadow of The Colossus (9/27/2011) Playstation 3 - This is a package of 2 of the most interesting and beautiful games made for the Playstation 2, remade with HD graphics. Ico tells the story of a young boy who must rescue a princess from a castle by working with her by solving puzzles. since he does not speak the princesses language, he must guide and direct her. It is amazingly clever and offers an amazing story. Shadow of the Colossus takes place in the same world but separate from Ico. A young hero, Wander, is sent into the wilds to slay the mighty colossi that inhabit the land to help restore the life of a girl named Mono. Each colossus is a living puzzle that must be solved to bring it down. Another absolutely brilliant entry and it will only serve to whet your appetite for the upcoming Last Guardian which is currently in development. I have both of these games for the PS2 and will absolutely buy the HD package.
Twisted Metal (10/4/2011) Playstation 3 - The premier crazy car combat game, the Twisted Metal series returns after nearly a decade. Twisted Metal lets you play as one of a number of over the top vehicles from undead powered motorcycles to transforming ice cream trucks to tricked out sports cars. Each car has unique weapons and there are a number of different maps with destructible environments including New York City and a statue of liberty who can lose her head. Literally. If this title lives up to previous billings it will offers numerous hours of intense vehicle on vehicle combat that can’t be matched.
RAGE (10/4/2011) PC, Playstation 3, XBox 360 - RAGE is the latest first person shooter from id Software, the legendary makers of Doom and Quake. RAGE takes place on a post apocalyptic earth where you are one of few survivors of an Ark designed to help preserver mankind after such a catastrophe. Something obviously went wrong and now you have stuff to kill. the weapons and varied game play that have been shown make this look like a must buy for any first person shooter fans. The graphics look phenomenal and there are enough trailers out there to truly get a feel for how this game will play. From what I have seen in the variation in ammo as weapon upgrades this looks gritty and fun.
Forza 4 (10/11/2011) XBox 360 - Driving Sim fans who may have been disappointed or found the 6 year wait didn’t meet expectations with Gran Turismo earlier this year can fill that void with Forza 4. The driving sim looks to up the ante this time around with a few new features that have been long awaited by driving sim fans. number one on that list is adaptive and intelligent AI. No longer will the AI cars blindly follow a line pushing you into walls and other cars. the AI will adapt to your driving and actually try to drive a proper line while also avoiding other cars. Forza 4 will also be taking advantage of Kinect to allow drivers an easy way to look left and right for turns and tracking opponents. I will probably be surrendering a good 200 hours to this game.
Batman: Arkham City (10/18/2011) PC, Playstation 3, XBox 360 - Following up on the success of Arkham Asylum, Arkham City looks to give players more freedom to do what Batman does best. Glide, hide and dive on thugs with his wonderful toys. This action/stealth brawler puts you in the boots of the caped crusader to face a host of villains including: the Penguin, the Joker, Mr Freeze, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Two Face and more. You will have an expanded city to explore and will have access to Catwoman and Robin in challenge stages. I admit I played Arkham Asylum way way too late but I LOVED it, even on the hardest difficulty. For me this is an absolute must buy for the way it really feels like a good modern day Batman game.
Battlefield 3 (10/25/2011) PC, Playstation 3, XBox 360 - A new challenger enters the ring to fight for supremacy in the online first person shooter space with Battlefield 3. This eagerly anticipated title features up to 64 person class based combat online including vehicles such as tanks and jet planes. The battle between Modern Warefare 3, Gears 3 and Battlefield 3 for your online game time will be in full swing by Christmas and finding time for all three if you love this genre could be tough. While not normally a fan of this genre, this game really has caught my eye.
King of Fighters XIII (10/25/2011) Playstation 3, XBox 360 - The resurgence of fighting games continues with King of Fighters XIII. SNK is taking a somewhat different route than the recent Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat releases by sticking to 2D, hand drawn and animated characters for this game. I am not really into the series or it’s fighting style but the art looks stunning, the characters are large and detailed and the fighting system looks sure to please long time fans of the series and hopefully capture some new ones.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (11/1/2011) Playstation 3 - Nathan Drake returns to the Playstation 3 to travel the world, gather gold and riches and take on the world with Uncharted 3. This third person action-platformer builds on the second iteration’s multiplayer with new game modes, character customization and a single stash of gold that carries over from single to multiplayer. Naughty Dog, the game’s developers, have stated that Uncharted 3 will deliver a feeling of a true open world while keeping the excitement and adventure up as you go. This is a series I need to give a second go. Just due to timing I haven’t looked at it but there was a massive amount of positive feedback from the recent multiplayer beta. The cinematics in this series are always top notch and shouldn’t be missed, even by me.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (11/8/2011) PC, Playstation 3, XBox 360 - The third piece of the war based, online multiplayer, first person shooter trifecta is complete with Modern Warfare 3. The third entry in the Modern Warfare series continues the story where the second game left off, with the Russian Federation invading the US. you will also be doing battle in well known cities around the globe in England, Germany, France and more. A new multiplayer survival mode has been added to expand on the multiplayer offerings. While this genre isn’t my cup of tea, plenty of folks love it and it’s yearly offerings. With the addition of the new Call of Duty Elite subscription service the community for this series will access to even more data and stats to help improve their play and gaming experience.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (11/11/2011) PC, Playstation 3, XBox 360 - The epic RPG follow-up to the time-swallowing black hole of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, hits shelves on 11/11/11. This new adventure takes all of the lessons learned from Oblivion and the Fallout series to refine and improve an already great game system. Skyrim is running on a new game engine providing breathtaking vistas and a truly interactive world filled with all manner of creatures and NPC’s; including dragons. The dragons will be roaming the world unchecked and are said to be entirely unscripted, giving the game a truly unique feeling. An improved combat system and much improved third person camera put this in the must buy for any RPG enthusiast/junkie/me.
Minecraft Official Launch (11/11/2011) PC, Xbox 360??? - Not to be outdone by an RPG where you can’t completely rebuild the world, notch and Mojang deliver the full retail release of Minecraft. This simple indie sandbox game turned megahit has spawned a genre of games around it’s design philosophy. You use tools crafted from the materials of the world to explore dungeons, build houses and castles and fend off zombies, spiders skeletons and more. The much anticipated Adventure Update should also be released by the time Minecraft goes retail offering a deeper game experience with dungeons replacing some of the games natural cave systems. I have easily logged over 100 hours in this great game. If you haven’t done so already, check it out. If you get in before the official release you will also save a few dollars. This release may also be the official Xbox 360 launch for Kinect.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations (11/15/2011) PC, Playstation 3, XBox 360 - The technically groundbreaking and beautiful stealth action series delivers its newest entry with Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. Continuing with the events at the end of Brotherhood, Revelations follows the series three protagonists through their respective time periods to continue unravelling the story of Desmond, the Animus and his lineage. New items will be introduce which will enable faster travel as well as enhanced combat and bombs. The story in this series is amazing and absolutely worth checking out. If you stopped at the first game due to it feeling repetitious or boring, give others a try. THQ learned from the first game and made the subsequent titles infinitely more enjoyable.
Saint’s Row The Third (11/15/2011) Playstation 3, XBox 360 - While Grand Theft Auto and Rock Star move farther towards a more gritty and realistic gaming experience, the Saint’s Row series heads farther towards the over the top absurd. You are playing as one of the Third Street Saints trying to get back your turf from the rival syndicate. You will be working for three rival gangs and your actions for one may influence how you are viewed by the other two. As before this is an open world sandbox game where you can wreak all manner of mayhem and customize your character to be as crazy as you see fit. The series deals with a lot of childish adult humor but it can offer great coop multiplayer fun. I played a great deal of Saint’s Row 2 and loved it, despite it’s overabundance of foolishness.
The list above offers something for everyone, and in many cases lots of things for most of us. I have no idea how I will afford it but I will be attempting to buy and play many of these games. The toughest choices may not be which games to buy but where to buy from them from and whether or not to buy the collectors editions. There is a plethora of various pre-order bonuses depending on where you order the games from (see the recent article detailing the buying guide for Batman: Arkham City). Some of the collectors editions provide unique in game items and bonuses in addition to art books and making of DVD’s, as well as really cool nick-knacks to decorate your desk or game room. Choose wisely.
