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Written by: Mark Turcotte
Every fall we gamers get the gift of new AAA games delivered to us just before the holidays. These titles usually start arriving in late September, and continue right through to the year’s end. It seems I always find myself thinking that that year has the best fall release schedule ever, as each year comes and seems to top the last. This upcoming autumn is no exception, and has a November release schedule that I think is second to none. The number of AAA titles arriving over a span of mere weeks is staggering. It has left me stumped as to why these games would be released in such close proximity, and has me putting money aside as I prepare to buy them all.
First up on November 1 is the follow up to one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time, Uncharted 3. If you have never played a game in the Uncharted series, then you are missing out on a franchise that has the perfect blend of great story-telling and high intensity action. The main character, Nathan Drake, has become a household name after only 2 outings, and it is often said that he has out “Lara’d” Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series. The cinematic flare that these games bring not only keeps you pushing through to the story’s end, but has you on the edge of your seat as you experience an over-the-top adventure through Drake’s eyes. From what Sony has shown so far (Did you see their E3 Press Conference Demo?), Uncharted 3 will be a must have and will once again push story telling forward in the action genre.
Next up on the list is Activision’s Modern Warfare 3 on November 8. Okay, yes, I heard the groan across the Internet as you read the title but let’s be honest. These games are fun to play. Say what you will about the set piece moments and what seems to be endless waves of enemies coming at you as you fight through areas that appear open but actually aren’t, but the bottom line for any Call of Duty game is that the campaign be exhilarating, over-the-top, and when it’s all said and done you have to catch your breath. On top of that, throw in the addicting multiplayer that the series is known for, and this is another must have title. The wildcard for this game is that Battlefield 3 actually releases days before Uncharted 3 on October 25. Despite its early release, Battlefield 3 needs to mentioned because it is a AAA title that many people plan on purchasing. Some say they’re picking up Battlefield 3 and not Modern Warfare 3 but, I gotta admit I’m getting them both.
On November 11, Bethesda is releasing the fifth installment of the Elder Scrolls series with Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I try not to let the fanboy in me come out that often, but I can not help but get excited for this game. Skyrim looks beautiful, will have an engaging story, and will once again allow players to fine tune their character to their style of play. Like the previous games in the series, it will contain hours upon hours of gameplay and a massive landscape to explore and interact with. The demo that I saw at E3 showed off improvements to the interface, and displayed the new battle system that allows for numerous combinations of weapons and spells while appearing both intuitive and streamlined. When I think of this game, I find myself wondering just how many hours I will invest into it. It’s awe inspiring just how much content will be included, hence my undying need to see it all.
Finally on the list is Assassin’s Creed: Revelations which Ubisoft is releasing on November 15. The game will see the end of the Ezio and Altair story arcs. If you have not jumped into this franchise, yet, then you are missing out on one of the coolest and most engrossing series of this generation of consoles. The Assassin’s Creed series has one of the most in-depth stories, and some of the most engaging action gameplay available. With Revelations wrapping up the Ezio arc, however, I can’t help but feel some sadness. Ezio is a character that I have grown to know and have a connection to, and seeing him in this final act will be hard. The E3 demo looked a little bit more of the same, but with the promise of the continued story I’m sold. Add on top of that the inventive and original multiplayer that Brotherhood introduced, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations will be a game that can’t be missed.
So what’s a gamer to do? Here are four top-notch, AAA, must have titles all releasing in a matter of weeks in the same month. Not to mention Battlefield 3 which misses the month by just days, and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary which shares Ezio’s November 15. This month is going to be one for the history books. I wonder how the sales of each of these titles will affect the other. Additionally, many gamers often say that too many sequels are being made, and all of those titles mentioned above is a sequel. Is this really a bad thing? From the track record of the previous installments in each of these series, these new games will not only build on what the previous title did but will also add some new and inventive mechanics that make it better. What’s your plan for this November?
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“So what’s a gamer to do?” – They should do exactly what I am doing, dropping $500 on upgrading their computer for some good titles in the near future!
Or, saving up their money and sorting out their pre-orders for console purchases. I’ll have to clear out some of my “to-do” list for games I still want to play, before all these new games drown out the older titles.
Don’t forget Deus Ex: Human Revolution next month!!!
He said November, not August!
LOL!
On top of all of this, there’s also the next Zelda title – The Skyward Sword which does not have a release date but if Nintendo holds true-to-form, will likely hit right before the Thanksgiving holiday.
And then when we crest the New Year, we have Mass Effect 3 and Bioshock Infinite dropping a few months later.
It’s official – no more Hannah Montana games for me, editors!!! I’ve got to man up and get my gun on once the turkey starts to gobble.
That’s true Ed. Nintendo usually puts it out right around Black Friday. I’ve actuall had a chance to play Skyward Sword at the E3 the past two years and it’s going to be great. The combat alone makes for an interesting affair. The use of Wii Motion Plus plays in to every single enemy encounter. I fought a turtle-like enemy that forced me to use the Wiimote like a spatula to flip the character on its hind legs before jabbing forward. Another enemy forced me to rotate it in the air to dizzy it until it was vulnerable.
On top of that there’s one more November game that I missed in my article and that’s Saints Row: The Third. It’s releasing November 15th. Sure this game seems juvenile and corny but that’s the whole point. I had no interest in this game until we saw the demo. I was laughing the whole time. I don’t think I’ll be buying it right out the gate, but I may put it on my holiday list for some crazy sandbox fun.
This was a great read Turks, even if I viewed it all through tear-blotched eyes. I weep for my wallet. I swear, I would buy AAA titles in the dead of Summer if the publishers would ladle out one or two to the game-starved masses. Besides, it would keep us out of the sun. Bad for your skin, you know. Although videogames are rough on the eyes too so damned if you do, damned if you don’t – I guess.
Anyway, one of these years, Activision should experiment and drop Call of Duty in mid-July. I GUARANTEE it does the exact same sales numbers at launch (as it does in the Fall) – and probably has a lengthy tail all the way into the holidays. And then, some of the other publishers may follow suit and spread the wealth. We’ve seen it done with big titles hitting post-holiday (the last few years have seen titles like Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age, Resident Evil 5, GTA 4, etc hit in Q1 of the year) – so now let’s have some summer lovin’.
Technically, GTA IV was Q2 (April) but it still launched away from the traditional end-of-the-year flurry and did HUGE numbers.
“What’s a gamer to do?”
Purchase those titles that he/she believes will deliver with solid content, and remain skeptical about all else. Also, don’t be swayed by pre-release hype. That’s what this gamer will be doing.
P.S. Pre-order bonuses? Usually end up available as micro-transaction items down the road.
“Pre-order bonuses? Usually end up available as micro-transaction items down the road.”
Or just outright gifted to all customers, depending on sales.
I just meant, if you’re going to be purchasing/pre-ordering at full-price, you might as well get the “bonus” that you want and avoid purchasing it or waiting for it later. I rarely buy at full-price or pre-order so it’s rarely a problem. Pre-ordering Fable III and getting to design a character after my wife was pretty cool. That was worth a pre-order.
I’ve pre-ordered one game and that was Bad Company 2 for the 360. Nice, but not really worth it in the end.
Most games — at least on console — I buy used, so to me, pre-ordering on console games isn’t worth it. With PC games, sometimes it is, but usually I find that much of the pre-order doodads are pretty worthless, as are collector’s edition bits and bobs. I can do without a pewter figurine of a wizard or “making of” DVD plus a “collectible tin case” or whathaveyou. Some preorder bonuses are nice, I just don’t go for them.
The other element of why I don’t preorder is because I prefer to wait to see how a game actually turns out. Usually, for me to do that effectively, it takes about 3 months post-release to get a sense of whether the game is worth buying. By that point the “Ooooh SHINY!” aspect of player reviews has worn off.
Plus – so many of these hyped-AAA titles end up dropping in price a few months down the line. Ubisoft is notorious for dropping the AC games to $40 around Christmas (as a promo) and then permanently in the Spring. Hell, I paid $60 for Portal 2 on Day 1 and two weeks later, it was $40 everywhere!!!
So – I have a small handful of ‘Got to Have It on Day 1′ titles and a large list of ‘Will Be Nice to Play” games that I can wait a little while for.
Pre-orders…not so much, as the few times I’ve done it (and I only do it to find out what happens next) ended in disappointment.
why on earth would people upgrade thier computers in 2011 ?? if your machine was playing 2010 releases then spending money on hardware for a bunch of Multiport games seems wastefull . I truly hope Nvidia and Ati see massive losses for this coming year and the next .. Perhaps then we will see an EPIC pc exclusive.
“why on earth would people upgrade thier computers in 2011″
because:
a) they have the money to
b) they need upgrades for other things besides gaming
c) they enjoying playing multiport games even though they recognize the inferior development.
Besides, I was mostly being sarcastic about why I’m upgrading my PC. If there is one game I’m hoping will be done right for PC, it’s Diablo 3 (whenever that gets released). But I’m not getting too excited for it yet.
Most of my hardware is a few years old and I use my computer for gaming and for work (lots of multi-tasking), so I need to upgrade my ram, mobo and OS. I’m tired of 32-bit.
Oh, and I currently can’t max Fallout 3 with some texture mods I’m using, so I’m hoping some of these upgrades will allow me to push my system harder in that area.
I thoroughly enjoyed Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on my PC, but again, I had to run it at lower settings. Hopefully Battlefield 3′s multiplayer is a similar experience. If it is, I’d personally consider that something worth playing on newer hardware.
There’s a whole lot more in the world of gaming than AAA titles.
Minecraft will finally be out of Beta on November 11. Some people will be playing that first, Skyrim second.
Minecraft being out of beta is completely meaningless and arbitrary. Even Notch himself had said so. Everyone who wanted it has been playing it for a year now. I don’t think there’s a single person left in the world who is waiting for the end of “beta” to buy it.
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