Games you can play this week – football femmes and fears

The abundance of video game releases continues this week as we steamroll closer to the always-busy fourth quarter of the year.

It seems like big games are launching every week nowadays, with titles like Metal Gear Solid V and Forza Motorsport 6 filling people’s time (and helping lighten their wallets).

However, this week we see the return of a football veteran and a new horror experience emerges from the ocean’s depths:

FIFA 16

Release date: 24 September (PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, PS Vita)

No one expects major overhauls to the core gameplay of an annual sports franchise like FIFA; you generally get a couple of new features, plus updated rosters and schedules, which usually pleases fans for another year.

FIFA 16 features all those little gameplay tweaks, but the biggest addition is the inclusion of 12 Women’s National Teams. It’s been an all-male series to date, so that ought to shake things up a bit.

It also has 78 stadiums (50 of which are real), loads of players, and new weather conditions for the latest generation of consoles.

SOMA

Release date: 22 September 2015 (PS4, PC, Mac)

Developer Frictional Games knows a thing or two about crafting a heart-thumping horror experience. It’s the team responsible for the Amnesia series on PC, after all.

The company’s latest work of creep-tactic unease is Soma, a game that brings the horror to an underwater research facility, where you’re stuck among evil beings who want to kill you.

The thing that stands out about Frictional’s games is that you never play as a soldier or anyone who’s capable of taking on the horrific creatures that are hunting you down. In fact, there’s usually not even an attack button.

These games are about being careful and trying to avoid the Lovecraftian monsters that want to detach your head from your body. Soma might not be for everyone, but if you like a good fright, it ought to deliver.