Video games to keep the fall doldrums away

When the rains come this fall and you’re trapped indoors, what’s your plan for keeping yourself from descending into despair? I’ll be playing video games to stay active, exercise my brain, and blow shit up. Virtually, of course. Topping my list are these games, released in the last weeks of summer and the first months of fall.

August
Nintendo’s Wii Sports Resort (rated everyone) actually came out at the end of July, but you’ll be playing it all through the fall. You start by parachuting into an island paradise. There, you can exhaust your Mii by wakeboarding, throwing Frisbees, shooting arrows, canoeing, cycling, and more. Shipping with the game is the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which helps the Wii to more precisely detect the movements of your Wii Remote controller.

The next game in the Wolfenstein franchise landed mid-month. Set during the Second World War, the shooter Wolfenstein (Activision; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature) pits American soldier B. J. Blazkowicz against the Nazis, who are trying to gain control over supernatural forces.

Shadow Complex (Microsoft; Xbox 360; rated teen), a side-scrolling shooter set in a massive underground complex, is a great game that’s available only as a download to your console. Navigating the map and remembering the details will be tricky enough, let alone having to deal with all the soldiers who are after you.

The game many waited all summer for was Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated teen), which was released on August 25 and takes its art style from the DC comics. The Joker has schemed to lock the Dark Knight in Arkham with the inmates. Batman skulks his way around the asylum in an effort to escape.

September
Just after the Labour Day long weekend, September 8, Darkest of Days (Phantom EFX; PC, Xbox 360; rated mature) arrives in stores. This time-travelling first-person shooter allows you to use modern weapons in historical battles. But certain people you’ll come up against are important for preserving the time line, so you’ll have to incapacitate, rather than kill, them. Make a mistake and you’ll suffer the consequences of an attack by forces from some unknown future.

The musically inclined will appreciate The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV; PS3, Xbox 360, Wii; rated teen), which comes out on September 9. In addition to finally bringing songs from the Fab Four’s catalogue to the Rock Band library, this game allows three vocalists to sing simultaneously. A new “vocal training” mode will help you work on those harmonies.

On September 15, we finally get to play Rubi Malone (voiced by Eliza Dushku), a gun-toting, sword-wielding beauty who rivals any character in a John Woo film. The objective in Wet (Bethesda; PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature), developed in Montreal by Artificial Mind and Movement, is to take out enemies in the most acrobatic and stylish way possible.

Also due out that day is the next iteration of EA Sports’ hockey franchise, NHL 10 (Electronic Arts; PS3, Xbox 360; rated everyone 10+), which improves the simulation by letting you control a player’s skates when they’re against the boards. There’s also the revamped fighting—grabbing a jersey and throwing some rights is very satisfying.

For those with a PlayStation 3, Trine (Nobilis; rated everyone 10+) is also expected in September. This physics-based puzzle platformer puts you in control of three characters: a knight, a thief, and a wizard. But you can only control one of the characters at a time, so you’ll have to switch back and forth in order to solve the puzzles and progress through the game.

October
This month arrives with a bang as Sony releases its new handheld device, the PSP Go, on October 1. The smaller size means it fits nicely in the palm of your hand. The cover slides open to reveal the controls. It comes with 16 gigabytes of internal memory and uses Memory Stick Micro cards.

On October 13, wisecracking adventurer Nathan Drake returns in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Sony; PS3; rated teen). Here, he’s on the trail of Marco Polo, trying to figure out what happened to Polo’s fleet on his journey home from the court of Kublai Khan.

Taking place on a planet that’s been colonized by humans, Borderlands (2K; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature), to be released on October 20, lets you play one of four characters trying to survive in an alien world while searching for treasure and technology. This is a role-playing shooter, so you’ll be able to improve your character’s skills as you see fit.

If you’re looking for a chance to take on the role of a covert agent, Alpha Protocol (Sega; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature) is your best bet. It’s due out on October 27. Using safe houses around the world, burned operative Michael Thorton is trying to uncover a conspiracy within the U.S. government. The game requires you to deal with dialogue selections as carefully as weapons and gadgets.

November
As October ends and November arrives, Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts; PC, PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature) will storm onto shelves. This game from BioWare, which comes out on November 3, is an old-school role-playing game. The Edmonton developers call this “an epic tale of violence, lust, and betrayal”. Sign me up.