Picture from Courtesy of blogs.denverpost.com
MO SADEK
Special to The Leader
For most people, summer is a wonderful season. School has ended, there are beaches and swimming, great movies and lots of relaxation. For gamers, however, summer is daunting. New video games are traditionally released in the fall and winter seasons, so you are left to quench your thirst for games with obscure indie titles, replaying games you’ve already beat, or buying some old, heavily discounted games that will most likely end up on the list of games you tell yourself you’ll get to at some point. Eventually, you will become more interested in watching reruns of “Wheel of Fortune,” with the rest of the summer best described as a combination of vowels and consonants spelling “boredom.”
Come the fall season, the hundreds of hours you spent at your full-time summer job finally pay off. As you walk into the game shop of your choice and see the wall of new titles, it is tempting to throw your money at the first new release you see. Remember, you are a gamer. You’ve worked too hard and waited too long for some mainstream digital disappointment. You waited for a game that will inspire you, restore your lost spirits, and give you that feeling of fulfillment that you once had. Just to get you started, here are the top five games you can expect this September and October.
Destiny (PS3/4, XB1/360)
Release Date: September 9
Destiny has been one of those games that threw a curveball at the industry. Produced by Bungie, the masterminds behind Halo, Destiny has proven to be a game to be reckoned with. The public beta of the game was well received. Some of its best features include a massive universe filled with loot, fully customizable characters and a single player experience that seamlessly connects with the multiplayer gameplay. That means you can have your friends jump in on a mission while looking awesome and most likely shooting a big gun. This is a must-have for anyone into first person shooters, role playing games and multiplayer cooperative and competitive play. There is a little something in Destiny for everyone.
Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)
Release Date: September 26
Link returns for a new adventure, and by “new,” it’s not some minor changes or a new hat. We are talking BIG changes. Nintendo teamed up with Koei Tecmo, the people behind Dynasty Warriors, and have given Hyrule the “hack and slash” treatment. Players will face off against hordes of enemies with characters from all over the Zelda universe, from Impa to Princess Zelda herself. The Zelda series is known for its unique mechanics in games like Skyward Sword and A Link Between Worlds, but Hyrule Warriors is a big change for our dungeon-crawling hero. I wouldn’t be too worried if I were you — the series hasn’t disappointed yet.
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (XB1/360, PS3/4, PC)
Release Date: September 30
Over the past few years, Middle-earth has lost a lot of ground in the world of gaming. There has been a lot of success with the Lord of the Rings Online, but for consoles, the Tolkien experience hasn’t translated as well. That being said, Shadow of Mordor could be a big change for the series. The player takes the role of a ranger named Talion, who is killed and revived with supernatural powers that he will use to extract his revenge on the armies of Sauron who laid waste to his family. The game itself takes place between the original Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, but the real draw of the game is the unique gameplay system called “Nemesis.” On Talion’s quest, the player will fight enemies that dynamically change in both personalities and battle tactics based on previous experiences with the player. This makes for an extremely intimate affair and will pull the player deeper into the realms of Middle-Earth. The combat mimics that of Warner Brother’s Batman series, so you can expect an in-depth combat system and a strong replay value. However, this is a game that might need some time out in the wild before you go throwing money at it. So far it looks promising, but not everything in Middle-earth is all that it appears to be.
Super Smash Brothers (3DS)
Release Date: October 3
Here comes a new challenger! The latest installment in the long-running Smash Bros. series has finally arrived. The cast of characters Nintendo has acquired this time around is remarkable. Players can expect to dish out some damage with Pac-Man, Mega Man, the Wii Fit Trainer and many more! Players can still expect the same old smash vibe with some of the classic characters as well, like Mario and Samus. The first rendition of the game will be released on the 3DS, followed by the console release on the Wii U just in time for a holiday rivalry with the family.
Sunset Overdrive (XB1)
Release Date: October 28th
If everyone liked the same games, there would only need to be one type of console. But since playing video games is not just a hobby for some people, there is a ton of competition for a gamer’s admiration. In order to showcase their qualities, consoles will strike deals with publishers to make games exclusive to that console. This will usually push gamers into buying one console over another. In the new cycle of consoles, Microsoft’s XBox One has fallen short in creating exclusives. However after the success of the first person shooter Titanfall, Microsoft has partnered with some awesome publishers to create more exclusives. Sunset Overdrive is the result of this.
Sunset Overdrive is a third-person shooting game that takes place in a world that is a little far off from ours, but honestly, the story is whacked up and crazy in every sense. What makes the game special are the components of which it is composed. Characters will be 100% customizable from head to toe. In most games, you usually choose armor or clothing based on the advantages it gives your characters. Sunset Overdrive, however, allows players to wear whatever they want. The system of combat is incredibly tight and fast paced. It uses fluid movement, like parkour, mixed with a large arsenal of weapons that work seamlessly with the movements. This creates a mechanism that is easy to pick up but has enough depth to give seasoned players a run for their money. The artistic style of the game is a great compliment to gameplay itself. The use of vibrant colors gives the game an exciting and lively vibe and really brings out the personality. Even though the story is meant to be goofy, it has a lot of depth to it. Out of all the games coming out in the next two months, this is definitely one to watch out for. There’s a lot of features that can only be described as revolutionary and can’t be summed up in such few words. Take some time and check it out on YouTube before you go out and buy it — then you’ll understand what I’m talking about.