The start of the Christmas gaming season is finally here and I’m so excited I may just pass out – but not before I type down exactly what I’m excited about for this month.
Gears of War 4 – Due October 11th for Xbox One and PC
(How is this not called Gears of 4? I mean seriously!) Taking place 25 years after the events of the third game, Gears of War 4 puts you in the boots of Marcus’ son JD Fenix who just so happens to be a crack shot with a gun and has no fear of giant horrific monsters. I played the multiplayer Beta back in April and it was a hell of a lot of fun, and with the single-player mode allowing a couch co-op partner to help you blast through the hordes, this is a game I’m excited to play with strangers online and friends in the same room.
Battlefield 1 – Due October 21st for PS4, Xbox One and PC
Don’t fret, this isn’t a remake of Battlefield 1942, but instead is a game set around the conflict of WWI. Again, Battlefield 1 is another game that had a well-received Beta and looks to take the first-person crown by being a new take on the war genre and allowing you to ride about on a horse while 6-man tanks roam around the map.
Mafia III – Due October 7th for PS4, Xbox One and PC
I’ve never played a Mafia game and I probably never would have, if it weren’t for the exhilarating trailer I saw which took me to a seedy 1960’s New Orleans-a-like in New Bordeaux. Instantly I was reminded of GTA and the PS2 classic Scarface, taking back the streets that used to belong to me whilst stealing, fighting and just generally being a nuisance in an open-world gangster story. It looks like I’m going to be engulfed by Mafia III’s story of betrayal and retribution (which also involves murdering anyone who looks at me in the wrong way).
Titanfall 2 – Due October 28th for PS4, Xbox One and PC
It’s baffling that it took so long for one of the biggest first-person shooters to make a game that features big, old, dirty Mechbots, as any game that allows you to fight in the confines of your own walking war-machine is a game that needs to be played. I never actually played the first Titanfall, but Titanfall 2 has me excited as it actually has a single-player experience – something the first game didn’t have – and has expanded the differences between the Titans themselves, having six unique classes of Titans for you to experience. Expect robot-explosions and jetpack-jumping for days on end.
World of Final Fantasy – Due October 28th for PS4 and PS Vita
Final Fantasy is a long, long, long series of games that has created memories for both the stories and the characters that you play as and against. World of Final Fantasy takes all of this nostalgia and blends it into one game utilising the ATB (active time battle) system made popular with early Final Fantasy games whilst taking the idea of capturing legendary creatures such as Tonberry and Cactuar and utilising them to fight for you. This game looks to be aimed at the Final Fantasy fan demographic so if you’ve played an FF game and loved it then you’ll probably love this too.
Honourable Mention:
Playstation VR – Due October 13th for PS4
Virtual Reality is here for consoles. It costs a lot and it could be the greatest thing to happen to gaming ever, or it could be the worst. In my opinion, VR finally being available on a console could be the thing that shakes up today’s AAA development scene into making games that expand the mind and challenge preconceptions’ of what game design can be.
So that’s what I’m excited for in the month of October. There’s a few other games but those are for my private list that I share with no-one!
Author: Hal, Plymouth store