By: Andrew Lideman
The fall game season is upon us and it is hitting like a hammer with what will be the three best selling games of the year with new iterations in two mega franchises and the first new game from Rockstar since Grand Theft Auto 5. Also this month, we have a long-dormant classic character coming back, an Xbox exclusive racing game, and a Nintendo party game. This is not an exhaustive list of releases, but the important ones are here.
Forza Horizon 4 – Tuesday the 2nd – Developed by Playground Games – Produced by Microsoft Studios — The biannual return of the open world racing franchise brings with it over 450 different cars and a change of scenery, traveling from Australia to the United Kingdom. Two features have been added that seem simple but will add plenty of depth: Route creation will let you use the map to plan out and create your own courses to race., and a seasons system is also being added that will change the world seasons weekly, switching up the map and how it feels to drive. Not only is there a demo so you can try before you buy, it will also be on Game Pass the same day for people who subscribe to that on Xbox. Coming to PC and Xbox One.
Mega Man 11 – Tuesday the 2nd – Developed and Produced by Capcom —- The Blue Bomber has been without a new game in the platformer series since 2010, and this seems to be the game with modern sensibilities the franchise needed. The overall setup of the game is the same as the last ten: there are 8 Robot Masters to defeat after shooting and platforming through their levels. New features include a 2.5D art style and the Double Gear system, which, for short periods of time, lets you either supercharge your weapon or slow down time. A demo is out now which lets you play one of the eight levels. Coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – Friday the 5th – Developed and Produced by Ubisoft —-
Set in 431 BC during the Peloponnesian War, you play as Alexios or Kassandra, mercenaries for either Athens or Sparta, in this open world action adventure. Delving even more into the RPG additions of AC: Origins, this adventure through Greece will add branching story paths, dialogue choices, and character relationships. As far as combat goes, there are ability trees from which you choose skills to customize your fighting style. Naval battles also make a triumphant return to the series and are a major part of the game, like it was in AC:Black Flag. Coming to PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Super Mario Party – Friday the 5th – Developed and Produced by Nintendo —-
A collection of mini games that play out over the course of a board game, this light-hearted party game is perfect at bringing out the best and most competitive side of your friends. Individual movement and ways to mess up other people’s plans are back in this hopeful return to form (for a franchise that has been fumbling the formula of what makes these so fun since the Wii). Along with the regular four-player mode, Party mode, there is also a two-versus-two mode called Partners mode, and a mini game only challenge mode named Online Mario-thon. A set of games are also featured in a mode called Toad’s Rec Room, which makes you connect multiple Nintendo Switches to play screen-crossing multiplayer.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – Friday the 12th – Developed by Treyarch – Published by Activision —- The best selling franchise every year since CoD 4: Modern Warfare came out in 2007, this blockbuster first person shooter series is making the biggest change it has since then by replacing the story mode. This entry will have Zombies, the co-op fight against the undead, Blackout, the new battle royale mode with 80 players, and Multiplayer, the usual suite of modes for team vs team shooting. Zombies will have two different storylines with two maps for the new characters and one map with the original squad. Blackout is their version of games like Fortnite or PubG. Multiplayer will keep the specialist system from the last game but is getting rid of regenerative health, which has been a series feature since CoD 2, a launch title for the Xbox 360 in 2005. Coming to PC (exclusively to Battle.net), PS4, and Xbox One.
Red Dead Redemption 2 – Friday the 26th – Developed and Produced by Rockstar Games —- Following the success of the third-best selling videogame of all time, Grand Theft Auto 5*, the team at Rockstar is coming back with a Wild West open world filled to the brim of a ten gallon hat with ridiculous amounts of detail. From the way people handle themselves (depending on where and how well the bullet you shoot them with hit them) to the different animals’ reactions to you being near them (depending on the time of year in-game), this game will be as close to a living world as a game can be. For those of you who might have missed the first one, this is a prequel story to the first game, so it is the perfect time to throw on your spurs and join the fun. Red Dead Online, following in the steps of GTA Online, will be added before the end of the year as well for multiplayer mayhem and train robberies with friends. Coming to PS4 and Xbox One
My email is af-lindeman@wiu.edu. Hit me up if you have any video game related questions or if you are just looking for someone to game with. Playing a lot of Fortnite on PS4 and menagerie of single-player games on all my consoles.
*For those wondering, the best selling game of all time is Tetris, followed by Minecraft.