Login / RegisterFall video game preview, part two: FIFA 13, Dead or Alive 5, James Bond: 007 Legends
There are so many video games being released this fall it’s difficult to keep track of them all. In addition to our look at some of the more prominent console releases, here are some other games coming this fall, including some smaller, social, and mobile games. Remember, when it comes to video games— and some other things, too— size doesn’t matter.
September
Announced via an online text adventure (part two was just released) Mark of the Ninja, from Vancouver’s Klei Entertainment, is another stylish side-scroller like the developers’ Shank games, but featuring a ninja who is sneaky, stealthy, and deadly.
Big Win Football is the latest of the collector card-sports sim games from local developer Hothead Games. Players create and manage a gridiron team and compete against other teams for daily trophies.
For the traditional footballers out there, the next versions of FIFA 13 (EA Sports) and Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 (Konami) promise to be even more realistic than ever before. FIFA 13, developed at EA Canada in Burnaby, expands the player impact engine that has made the series so lifelike. PES 2013 gives players more freedom to dribble and pass the ball.
The fighting genre is being rejuvenated with Dead or Alive 5 (Tecmo Koei) and Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Namco Bandai) . The former is amping up the photo realism and will have more destructible environments. The latter, meanwhile, includes an exclusive song from Snoop Dogg. A stage featuring the hip-hop artist will be one of the fighting arenas.
For some auto racing fans, the only pure racing is F1 2012 (Codemasters) , and the only way to simulate the F1 experience is with this game, which will give players a chance to race on the new Circuit of the Americas track opening in Austin, Texas, this fall.
Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse (Activision) stars Stewie and Brian, who travel through 10 of Quahog’s parallel worlds to prevent Stewie’s half-brother, Bertram, from taking over. As with the television show, despite being animated, this one is intended for adults only.
October
Featuring the voice work of Daniel Craig, James Bond: 007 Legends (Activision) works together the stories of six different films, including Moonraker, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Licence to Kill, Die Another Day, and culminating with Skyfall.
A sequel to the 2010 reboot of the franchise, Medal of Honor: Warfighter (Electronic Arts) takes place in real-world hotspots like the Philippines and Somalia, and features a story that is ripped from the headlines and missions that are based on actual events.
In Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Electronic Arts) , racers need to beat the other drivers while avoiding the police. How drivers get from the start to the finish is entirely up to them.
And just in time for Halloween, Quiz Monsters is an upcoming Facebook- and browser-based game from Vancouver-based developer Childhood Friends. You have to answer the trivia questions and brainteasers posed by monsters in order to rescue your grandmother.
November
The BFG in Doom 3 BFG (Bethesda) stands for “big fucking gun”. Need we say more?
In Hitman: Absolution (Square Enix) , assassin Agent 47 has gone rogue. With updated disguise and leveling features, the fifth game in the series aims to appeal to a broader audience.
The first-person shooter Far Cry 3 (Ubisoft) returns to the tropical island setting of the first game. Players become a tourist who becomes transformed by the island and its inhabitants in a story that particularly subverts some of the standard cliches about the exotic.
Undated
Guardians of Middle-earth (Warner Bros. Interactive) brings the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre from computer to console. Set in the Lord of the Rings universe, this game pits players against each other in attempts to take over the other team’s base. Unlike a real-time strategy game, there is no requirement to manage resources and build bases, though. All you have to do is send your troops into battle.
Ragnarok Odyssey (Xseed Games) is a role-playing battler for the PS Vita handheld set in the same world as Ragnarok Online, which is based on Norse mythology and features a war between humans and giants.
Also for the PS Vita is Orgarhythm (Xseed Games) , which blends elements of music and real-time strategy games. Tapping the screen in rhythm with the soundtrack gives you more soldiers fighting for you. It’s an intriguing combination of genres that could make Orgarhythm this year’s Puzzle Quest.
Being developed locally by Piranha Games, MechWarrior Online (Infinite Game Publishing) is a free-to-play game for Windows that gives players control of massive, walking battle tanks, and is set in the MechWarrior universe.
