By: Andrew Lindeman

With the bitter cold comes the final wave of major releases that will be keeping everyone busy until next year. Luckily, Thanksgiving break is soon, giving us a whole week to dive into some of these adventures. This month, two games try to bring the nostalgia with a classic Playstation 1 character remade in beautiful 4k and hopeful trainers returning to Kanto. Along with them, vault dwellers get free reign over West Virginia, a major shooter franchise returns to its World War 2 roots, and hired killers return for business.

Hitman 2– Tuesday the 13th – Developed by IO Interactive – Published by Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment — One of the few remaining major pure stealth games comes back with what is essentially season two of their episodic 2016 release Hitman. This time, however, all six murderous playgrounds come out at once, letting you travel to Miami, Mumbai, Columbia, New Zealand, Vermont, and a mysterious isle in the North Atlantic. As Agent 47, you will stalk, sneak, disguise tyourself, and kill targets in a variety of ways, from coming up and strangling them with a garrott to any number of level specific “accidents” that can be set up for the mark.  All of the content of the first game will be added to this version as well. Coming to PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy – Tuesday the 13th – Developed by Toys for Bob – Published by Activision — Like what was done for Crash Bandicoot last year, Activision gives Spyro the same from-the-ground-up-remake treatment to this classic trilogy of Playstation 1 games. Players will rush around this fantasy world as Spyro the dragon to shoot fire at enemies, gather all the gems, and fight bosses to save the day. The original series was developed by Insomniac Games, who recently released Spider-Man on the PS4. Coming to PS4 and Xbox One.

Fallout 76 – Wednesday the 14th – Developed by Bethesda Game Studios – Published by Bethesda Softworks —  War never changes. Bethesda GS and Fallout, however, are making a large change to the single player series by turning this entry into a online multiplayer rpg. Players will explore Appalachia, an altered West Virginia and surrounding areas, in a map that is four times the size of the already massive map of Fallout 4. Vault dwellers may build settlements of their own or and destroy other players settlements using nukes that create giant mushroom clouds, temporarily changing that section of the map into a overly radiated wasteland. Another big change is that there are no human npcs, so every human seen is actually another person playing the game. Coming to PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee – Friday the 16th – Developed by Game Freak – Published by The Pokemon Company and Nintendo — An adventure that sends trainers back to Kanto to capture the original 151 Pokemon in a game that comes off as a mixture of the original rpg series and the mobile smash hit Pokemon Go. When out walking through tall grass or caves, wild pokemon will be visible for the first time in the series. Catching a wild pokemon plays like Pokemon Go, where you flick pokeballs and treats at the creature until it is captured. It is only when coming across other trainers or in multiplayer that players battle pokemon in the series typical jrpg combat style. The game can also be played multiplayer, making the game easier. This makes for a good way to play with a younger sibling or relative during the holidays. Coming to Nintendo Switch.

Battlefield V – Tuesday the 20th – Developed by EA Dice – Published by Electronic Arts —  Like Battlefield 1, the story mode is split into shorter War Stories, telling stories of different soldiers or rebels leading their way against the Nazis. Three will be available at launch, with one more coming. The Multiplayer side of things is where the big additions and changes are coming with Firestorm and Grand Operations. Firestorm is their take on the Battle Royale genre, where 64 players in squads try to be the last one standing. Grand Operations is a mode that strings multiple multiplayer modes and maps together with slight modifications to make for grueling, days-long battles. Within the multiplayer modes, an emphasis on playing your role within the squad and a fortification system have been added to build barricades and makeshift walls in certain spots for cover. Coming PC, 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 a menagerie of single player games on all my consoles.