Just to note – I decided to look at titles that have not been extensively covered in articles on numerous other sites. So, if your favourite title is just a footnote, you now know why, and it is not because I think less of it, but rather because I only have so many words, and those games deserve our love too. So here we go!
All release dates were gathered from local retail sites, and may be subject to change.
Dead Rising 2 PC, Xbox, PS3
1st October
Blue Castle, Capcom
For fans of all things zombie, the original Dead Rising on Xbox 360 was a marvelous treat! Dead Rising is back again and is looking to up the ante.
Set five years after the events in the original, you now play as Chuck Greene; a guy who finds himself in the middle of the zombie overrun fictional Fortune City (think Las Vegas).
Chuck’s motivation is to save his daughter who has recently become infected. He needs to earn money by participating in a reality show where you have to decimate zombies, in order to keep his daughter on a drug which suppresses the zombie inducing parasite. Needless to say, where zombies are concerned things rapidly escalate out of control.
The player will only have 72 hours to explore and complete the game’s storyline successfully, before Chuck is apprehended by the military for supposedly causing the outbreak in Fortune City. To add to the immersion, the amount of zombies onscreen at any time has been raised from 800 in the original to 7000. New to the game will be a weapon creation system (all the better to mince the zombie masses with), so players will be able to get creative.
Making an introduction are multiplayer modes, where up to four players can compete for the most zombie kills. A Co-op mode is also being introduced where you can hot-join another’s game to play along through their main story.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Xbox, PS3
8th October
MercurySteam, Kojima Productions
Castlevania has had a very rocky ride so far in the realm of 3D. This time around they are looking to get it right via a franchise reboot, and to help smooth it all along, Hideo Kojima is giving a helping hand.
The game takes place during the “end of days” when Heaven is threatened by a malefic force known as the “Lords of Shadow”. You will take on the role of Gabriel Belmont who is part of an elite group of holy knights known as the “Brotherhood of Light”. Gabriel’s wife, who has recently been killed, is now trapped in limbo, where she will guide Gabriel as he seeks to redeem the destroyed world, and save her in the process.
Gameplay is reminiscent of games such as God of War and its ilk, and it will feature upgradeable weapons and skills of which some are used for navigating the puzzle-like environments. Destroying your enemies will garner experience points which are then used to augment your skills and attacks.
As with any Castlevania game, Vampires and Werewolves will be a staple. There will also be epic-scale boss fights which can be likened to the PS2 classic, Shadow of the Colossus
This game is not likely to revolutionize the formula seen in games like God of War, but it plans to take the best of them and unlock their potential. Let’s hope they can get it right this time.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Xbox, PS3
8th October
Ninja Theory
It is 150 years in the future and the Earth is in ruin from a global war. Nearly all of humanity has been annihilated and hostile Robots, remnants of the war, walk the decimated land. Enter the physical powerhouse of a man named Monkey who is captured by the machines. Once captured, he meets the tech savvy Trip. During their escape, Trip places a slaver’s headband on Monkey, thereby forcing him, under duress, to take her back to her village.
The player will control Monkey, a master of martial arts and weapons. He has to then protect Trip for his life is now bound to hers via the slaver’s headband which will kill Monkey if her heart stops. Although Trip cannot fight, she has many advanced tools at her disposal. When in a tight spot she will use an EMP Grenade on the robots temporarily stunning them giving her time to escape. Also in her arsenal is a dragonfly camera which can be used to explore and find weaknesses in enemies.
Enslaved is sounding interesting. Let’s hope the AI controlled partner will not be an agitating experience as is the case in many other games utilizing this feature.
Arcania: Gothic IV PC, Xbox, PS3
15th October
Spellbound Entertainment
Gothic 1, 2, and 3 are enthralling RPG’s in their own right. They had their share of problems, but they managed to offer a great experience many RPG’s fail at. Arcania, or Gothic 4, will hopefully live up to this legacy, despite having an entirely new team developing the game. The original developer (Piranha Bytes) left the series and now Spellbound Entertainment has the job.
You play as a new nameless protagonist. He returns to his quiet home town to find it pillaged. In the distance, ships make a retreat. Billowing on their sails is an emblem of an Eagle, a clue as to who they are. Deciding to take revenge, the hero pursues them. Later he realises there was more to the attack than some random pillaging. An evil power (yeah another one of those) is waiting to make its move on the world, and it is his fate to confront it. He is not alone however. A beautiful woman and a mysterious artifact are also linked to his fate…
The gameplay will be very similar to that seen in Gothic 3, but many refinements have been made, specifically to the fighting system making it faster and more fluid. You get to explore vast vivid tracks of land, very similar to the Elderscrolls series, all the while crafting weapons, armor and potions as you go.
Arcania: Gothic IV is shaping up to be a AAA title unlike its past iterations which suffered from many bugs. More time and money has been invested in Arcania. Being a huge fan of the series I am exceedingly keen on this title as should any RPG fan!
Others to look out for
Medal of Honor PC, Xbox, PS3
15th October
Danger Close, EA Digital Illusions CE
Fallout: New Vegas PC, Xbox, PS3
22nd October
Obsidian Entertainment
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 PC, Xbox, PS3, Wii, DS
26th October
LucasArts, Aspyr Media, Red Fly Studio
Fable III PC, Xbox
Release Date – Xbox 29th October, PC TBA
Lionhead Studios
Two Worlds II PC, Xbox, PS3
29th October
Reality Pump
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