Has anyone else noticed the massive list of games set to release this fall and winter? With the release of Destiny, we've officially started a cycle of releases that seems to guarantee we'll have something to play well into the spring and summer months of next year. This remains true even if some of them are duds!
Here is a quick hit-list of games that you probably shouldn't miss. I will attempt to do this without unnecessarily fueling any hype trains and without adhering to any of my usual biases. In this day and age I believe it is important for gamers such as myself to try and look at a game release objectively. With that in mind, here is my list in chronological order! (Be sure to bookmark so that you can keep track as well! Also, comment with any games you think I need to add to my list. Lastly, this information is up-to-date as of the publishing of this article. I will post notes or comments if I update it any further)
First up is
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor set to release September 30. This "nemesis" system they keep showing off has me intrigued. I've seen enough gameplay videos to see that this game will most likely play and feel like a fusion of Rocksteady's Arkham games and the Assassin's Creed franchise. Whether or not this is a good thing is up for debate but the system of creating, dispatching, and dominating your enemies based on how you - the gamer - wish to do so is tantalizing. Here's to hoping that the open-world aspects have plenty to offer as well or this might end up just being a quick novelty instead of a sturdy addition to my library.
Alien: Isolation, releasing on October 7,
has me guessing at this point in regards to what the actual gameplay will be come launch, but as a massive fan of Ridley Scott's
Alien I can't help myself but be a little biased. That said, at this point this game doesn't have a high spot on my list of priorities. I simply don't know enough about the style of play right now to make an informed decision about purchasing this game. Information might be out there, however, so I'll do some digging this weekend and see if I can't learn anything new.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel releases on October 14 and might be one of the safest bets of the month. After watching the videos they've released and reading what is coming out of Gearbox, it seems evident that this is another Borderlands game. Some might say "just another Borderlands game" but I'd respond by saying, so what? Some of the most fun I've had on my Xbox 360 was spent on Pandora. This game looks like it adds a few new twists to a formula that has proven to be successful. I'm not saying it can't fail, but if you liked the other Borderlands games then you probably shouldn't miss this one either.
The next game on my list is
Civilization: Beyond Earth which releases for the PC on October 24. Some are calling this the "next Alpha Centauri" but I'm not willing to heap a pile of baseless hype onto that topic. It does appear to be 'Civilization on new planets out in space' but I haven't seen anything that shows the same level of tech and unit customization as I saw with Sid Meier's
Alpha Centauri. Another item that made that the original so good was the personality of each nation. It is difficult to say if Civilization: BE will showcase leaders as personal and different as the likes of Daedra Skye and Colonel Santiago. More importantly, it is no secret that some recent Civ titles have had their share of bugs or mistakes on release. Perhaps it would be best to see what happens a few days after launch before purchasing this title. (Still, it is Civ so I will eventually own this game. Even if I end up waiting for the expansion to fix any bugs.)
Some of you are going to roll your eyes about some of the games on this list. Heck, even as I write the title
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (November 4)
I can almost
hear those eyes rolling about. I invite you, Doubting Gamer, to at least give this one a chance before you dismiss it out of hand. Especially if you are judging it because you don't like Activision or you don't like previous entries in the series. Being honest, I haven't enjoyed a Call of Duty game since World at War. Objectively however there is enough here for me to be interested in at least giving it the good ol' college try. It remains to be seen if Sledgehammer will finally provide us with a proper campaign to play through, but the multiplayer reveals that they've done this year are enough to at least plant the notion in my skull that I shouldn't pass this game by like I did Black Ops II.
The next game shares a release date with another title in the same franchise. Bonkers, right?
Assassin's Creed Unity comes out November 11 and is at the top of my list. I share a lot of concern with other gamers that the AC franchise has grown a bit stale in regards to gameplay and difficulty. That concern has been obliterated by the mentality of this title's developers and the risks they've taken to give us a story and associated game-play that they truly believe in. I also like the idea of them going back to some of the fundamentals of the first game including a return to assassinations being the focus of the game. I believe in what Alex Pedneault and the rest of the dev team are doing with this game enough to do even pre-order the collector's edition. Some would say that the joke is on me if the game sucks and they might be right. However, forming opinions takes research and thought. I've done both and refuse to be swayed by those who don't want anything to do with this title because they disliked other entries in the franchise.
Assassin's Creed: Rogue also releases on the 11th but I am not as excited about this one yet. Mostly because I am not convinced it clearly separates itself from the boring, all-too-easy combat and horrid stalking missions of previous entries. The notion of playing as a Templar has my curiosity piqued enough to want to give this game a fair chance.
Halo: Master Chief Collection comes to the Xbox One on November 11 as well. What a busy week this one will be for my console! Anyway there isn't much time I need to spend on this one. I am a massive fan of Halo so it makes sense that I'd want to play all four core games with updated graphics and framerates (I'm still playing them on my 360). The multiplayer has me excited as does the access to the Halo 5 Multiplayer Beta (set to release on December 29) and the Ridley Scott produced
Halo: Nightfall series that comes with the collection. The only thing I want more than this collection is Halo 5 itself.
Dragon Age: Inquisition will come out seven days later on November 18 and will find its way to my game shelf soon thereafter simply because it is a fantasy RPG. Sounds pretty biased and I'll admit that I definitely am subjective when it comes to dealing with this genre.
I did not care for DA: II that much but the first one left me wanting more. Hopefully this one is a good RPG adventure more along the lines of what I'm used to getting from other franchises boasting the name BioWare. Its new engine and open theme leave me with hope that I'm not too far off the mark in adding this to my list.
The last one on my list for now is
FarCry 4, which also releases on the 18th. I had a great deal of fun playing
FarCry 3 and I hope I'm not let down by the next installment in th3 franchise. The new setting looks to be even better and the open-world design and gameplay I came to enjoy from the last FarCry game seems to be in full swing. I have seen some gameplay videos that left me feeling that there isn't as much innovation as some might be wanting from a next-gen title. However just as with Borderlands, more of the same is more than enough for me with certain franchises. I didn't tire of the last one in the series until I'd found every last nook and cranny there was to explore. I believe the next one will hold me in a similar grip.
And that about does it for my list. I do want to point out that for the time being, I am almost exclusively playing games on my Xbox One & 360. Aside from Civilization, there isn't much I intend to get and put on my laptop. You will also note the absence of any indie games. The honest reason here is that I have had enough bad experiences getting excited about an indie game only to realize it wasn't what I was expecting. I have become a bit more cautious about these over the last couple of years. I'll definitely write up a piece about the indies that look good in the coming days.
If you are excited about a game, please let me know below!
