Big-name games release in August 2013

Publishers are gearing up to release some big titles in August, such as Pikmin 3, Saints Row IV, and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, among others.

Ubisoft’s brand manager Louise Marchant is confident about the upcoming release of Splinter Cell: Blacklist, saying that it’s the largest game in the series.

“Splinter Cell: Blacklist is the biggest and most ambitious game in the series. It has been built with player choice at its core. So whether you’re looking for a true stealth game, or a more action-oriented experience, you can approach the game your way,” said Marchant

Here are some of the games releasing in August:

Saints Row IV (23 August 2013)

Series developer Volition is once again bringing the chaos and hilarity to the open-world of Saints Row, and will continue right from where Saints Row III left off.

The fourth entry sees the head of the notorious Saints gang be elected as president of the United States, but things get a little complicated when Steelport is attacked by an alien race.

Saints Row 4 will allow players to wield an arsenal of alien weaponry and technology, along with enhanced customisation and superpowers that allow you to leap over buildings, outrun sports cars, and play around with some telekinesis.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist (23 August 2013)

In Splinter Cell: Blacklist, fast-moving stealth, silenced weapons and stylish executions all return, as Sam’s ‘mark-and-execute’ moves from Conviction are back, along with some new tricks up his armour-clad sleeves.

The game is being called the “biggest Splinter Cell game ever” and features a globe-spanning campaign that sets Sam out to stop the Blacklist attacks.

Sam also has a new move, the Killing in Motion mechanic, which allows players to mark a number of targets and take them out in quick succession while on the run.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (23 August 2013)

2K Marin is delivering a fresh take on the XCOM universe with The Bureau: XCOM declassified. Despite having a different primary title, The Bureau is a true XCOM game in the franchise.

The 1960’s setting, themes and technologies may be different from the established XCOM norm but it lives up to the franchise name in style, substance and gameplay – with its tactical elements and permadeath, overlaid with some great third-person shooting.

You’ll have to mix up your strategies as you enter difficult situations, dictating to your team where they should move to and when they should execute their special moves, while getting your hands dirty and delivering some headshots and blowing up some aliens at the same time.

MyGaming got hands-on time with the franchise’s new third-person tactical shooter, and delivered 5 reasons to play The Bureau: XCOM Declassified.

Lost Planet 3 (30 August 2013)

Lost Planet 3 introduces Jim Peyton, a Utility Rig pilot who leaves Earth to take on a hazardous but lucrative contract on planet E.D.N. III. Working for Neo-Venus Construction (NEVEC), Jim is one of a select few pioneers at the Coronis base surveying the uncharted terrain and obtaining samples of the planet’s natural energy source – Thermal Energy, which NEVEC believes will save Earth’s energy crisis.

E.D.N. III is an expectedly harsh environment, and developer Spark Unlimited promises an ever-changing weather system that will alter gameplay.

Lost Planet 3 mixes first-person and third-person action. While inside his protective utility rig vehicle, Jim can make use of its array of tools which double up as effective first-person weaponry against the franchise’s main foe, the Akrid.

Outside the rig the action switches to third person, with a mix of gun-play and melee combat. Jim will have to battle the elements as well as hostile foes.

Payday 2 (13 August 2013)

The sequel to the hit bank-robbery-sim is releasing this month, and Payday 2 is sure to up the stakes and risks when it drops.

Payday 2 allows players to team up with three other friends to perform bank heists and other robberies. Careful planning and strategy could result in an easy job, but there’s always the guns-blazing approach that can also get the job done.

Overkill Software has also made some improvements to the gameplay over the original, such as tighter gun combat, an improved stealth mechanic, as well as a physical loot system, which adds weight to the player with the more loot picked up – making it a risk-reward scenario to take more on your way out.