I have my work cut out for me this month though, as November will see the release of some of the most anticipated games of the year. As the owner of a Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and a decent gaming PC, I can play them all... I just can't afford them all.
Gaming industry... I like you guys. But clearly you hate us... Damn you for making it so hard for the hardcore gamer! I've compiled a list of all my must play games that have either already come out this month, or will be coming out in the next two weeks. As I can only afford to buy maybe two of these games right now, this post will help me make my decision. It's also a chance for me to tell you about all the great games that are stupidly coming out within days of one another this November! Hooray consumerism!!!
Super Mario Galaxy - Wii
Release Date: November 12th
The Wii is finally getting a true sequel to one of the greatest games of all time; Mario 64. After the good, but slightly disappointing Super Mario Sunshine for the Gamecube, fans of Mario have been wringing their hands in anticipation since Super Mario Galaxy was first announced in 2006. The game is finally here and the reviews are crazily good(basically nothing under 9.5 out of 10!), and we should expect no less. First party Nintendo titles, especially Mario 3D platformers always have a crazy amount of polish and great game design. Mario 64 basically created the 3D platforming genre, and Super Mario Galaxy apparently raises the bar on that genre to the next level.
Assassin's Creed - PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: November 14th
You get to play as an assassin during the Third Crusade in the Holy Land. Given that premise, I'm already sold... But apparently Ubisoft Montreal went and made a pretty great game, which is win-win for me. The developers have recreated in beautiful detail the cities of Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus as they may have appeared in the year 1191. Add to this an ability to scale and climb almost any structure in the game, and of course the whole assassin thing and you have yourself a winning combo. Oh and the producer of the game, Jade Raymond is hot... and Ubisoft has had no qualms with using her charms to sell the game.
Who am I to argue with their wisdom?
Kane and Lynch: Dead Men - PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: November 14th
In what is sure to be a controversial game, two men, Kane and Lynch - one a flawed mercenary and the other a medicated psychopath - are sentenced to death for crimes they more than likely committed. Just prior to their scheduled executions, they escape from prison and go into business with a mysterious criminal syndicate, committing a series of high stakes robberies and heists. You play as Kane; the normal one... and get to deal with the psychopathic Lynch as your AI or Co-op controlled partner during the course of the game. The game is from the creators of the morally grey Hitman series, and I expect Kane and Lynch offers the player up even more moral dilemmas to be solved... with a hail of gun fire and explosions of course.
Crysis - PC
Release Date: November 13th
The game that rewrites the rules of the first person shooter genre is here, and if you don't have literally a super-computer you won't be able to enjoy it. I can run the game, just not well. The story doesn't seem to be reinventing the wheel, super-soldier, battling mercenaries and aliens in exotic locales... But I'm sure the gameplay and beautiful graphics will make up for what sounds like a pretty standard FPS story. FarCry developer CryTek has pushed the technological envelope with Crysis, to the point where my modest gaming rig no longer stands a chance. I can wait for an upgrade before I play this game.
Mass Effect - Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: November 20th
Bioware has always been a favourite developer of mine. They're Canadian, and they developed the Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic games which I enjoyed immensely. Hopefully, the fact that they were just bought by Electronic Arts will not effect the quality of the titles they produce, because if Mass Effect is as great as it looks; expect even greater things from Bioware in the future. The super-customizable, squad-based, open-ended role-playing game promises to be an engaging and cinematic experience. Now if I could just get a TV to do those HD graphics some justice I'd be all set.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - PS3
Release Date: November 20th
The Playstion 3 is finally getting some decent exclusive titles. I didn't know much about Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, other than a lot of buzz; then I tried the demo and was thoroughly impressed. The game was absolutely beautiful looking on my standard definition TV, I can only imagine how great it looks in high definition. The controls were intuitive, the enemy AI challenging, and the gameplay was surprisingly fun. Uncharted plays like the Tomb Raider games should have, and doesn't rely on Lara Croft's boobs to sell the game. Count me intrigued, I may just have to check out Uncharted.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Release Date: November 5th
The realistic and frantic combat of the Call of Duty series finally comes to the modern era. Call of Duty 1 and 2 were some of my favourite PC games, I see no reason why COD4 shouldn't be added to that list. The story is straight out of Tom Clancy book, Russian ultra-nationalists fund a coup in a middle-east country to distract the US and Britain from their real plan... steal a bunch of nuclear weapons and overthrow the current Russian government. You play as various special forces soldiers in the British and American forces, and are tasked with stopping these crazy Russians from starting World War 3. I'm in.
So there you have it. The games I want to play, but can't afford to play right now. I've got my hands full with Guitar Hero 3 and Team Fortress 2 at the moment, so maybe I'm better off waiting. Now the real question is, should I buy Rock Band next month or not?
- Will
FipiLele