The Hype Train has pulled into the station for this holiday season.
Now, when I say "Hype Train", I don't mean it in a bad way, just that these titles are receiving a lot press and a lot of, well, "Hype", from fans.
The list I'm doing doesn't include all titles that are coming out this holiday season, just the ones I'm interested in, or ones that I feel others should be/are interested in.
First on my list of titles to look out for, is a game that has really already come out, but I feel should be talked about, and that is:
Destiny Sept. 9th (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4)
One of the more anticipated game titles of 2014, it was developed by Bungie, and published by Activision Blizzard. This game has been on the Hype Train for a few years now, when details were first leaked back in 2012. The momentum just built up, and now that the game has released, and fans are actually playing the game, a lot of people seem happy with it, and some of that hype seems justified, though, with Bungie games, usually the hype is well deserved, at least in my honest opinion. Yes, I am a big Bungie fan, so my opinion may be slightly biased, but in all honesty most everyone is biased, in good or bad ways, about things they have interest in.
Next up on the list is a game most fans hope will live up to the hype surrounding it:
Alien: Isolation Oct. 7th (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4)
Xenomorph fans are really hoping that this game does justice to the Alien universe(I'm one of those fans). Almost every Alien game that has come out has not even come close to delivering on the promise of being a good Alien game, or really a good game at all. There have been one or two good/ok ones, but the rest are total garbage. I'm looking at you Colonial Marines.
A survival horror stealth game, set 15 years after the events of the first Alien film, you will be playing the daughter of Ellen Ripley, Amanda, whom, in the process of investigating what happened to her mother, has traveled to the space station that has recovered the Nostromo's flight recorder. When Amanda and her crew arrive, she will have to face the same terror that her mother faced 15 years earlier.
From the various hands on previews on gaming review sites, and word of mouth of the people playing the demo at cons, this game is looking like it has a lot of promise. There have been some who are saying that the game is too unforgiving or there is too much back tracking, but honestly I think being unforgiving in an Alien horror game is a good thing. Your playing a regular human scientist on their own, and weapons and supplies are very scarce. In Alien canon, Xenos are some tough SOBs to kill.
I am really looking forward to this game, and will hopefully be playing it after launch(in the middle of the day) with all the light .
The next two entries on my list aren't games I will probably play myself, well at least one of them is. I felt I should mention them anyway, because fans seem excited for them:
Borderlands: The Pre Sequel Oct. 14th (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)
The Evil Within Oct. 14th (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4)
I've not played either of the Borderlands games, so I can't say I'm looking forward to the next one in the franchise. I have nothing to base any excitement on, but fans of the series seem to be looking forward to the game.
The Evil Within is not something I'm ever likely to play, because this kind of horror game has never really held appeal with me. Fans of Shinji Mikami, creator of the Resident Evil games, are very excited about his newest project, which looks like a great entry into the horror genre.
This next entry on the list, is the newest in the Civilization series:
Civilization: Beyond Earth Oct. 24th (PC)
Most fans of video games have at least heard of the Civilization series, and strategy game fans know it as well. Fans may remember Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri; Beyond Earth is a spiritual successor to that late 90's title. Do to legal reasons, 2K and Firaxis could not use the Alpha Centauri name, so they decided to go with Beyond Earth as the title of their new game. Fans of the Civilization series of games are really looking forward to playing it. Features include; a non-linear research tech web instead of a linear tech tree, like in most strategy games with R&D; choosing cultural identity by deciding which factions sponsor your expedition, and exploring a completely alien world after starting your colony. This game holds a lot of promise as the next entry into the Civ universe.
This title was set to release on the same day as another AAA title(Assassin's Creed Unity), but when that title was pushed back, it got the day all to itself:
Sunset Overdrive Oct 28th (Xbox One exclusive)
Made by the studio that developed Ratchet & Clank, this game is their new over the top shooter. With lots of bright colors, zombies made by drinking too much orange energy drink, and lots of ziplining parkour action, this game looks like it has the promise to bring many hours of fun to Xbox One owners everywhere.
I will mention this next one, even if I'm not remotely looking forward to it:
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Nov. 4th (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4)
Yeah, there is another Call of Duty coming out. Personally, I'm burned out by the Call of Duty series. I haven't bought one since Modern Warfare, and I've only played the more recent ones with friends. I think the franchise has its place in the market, and I am not one those people that think it's a game that's "ruining" the industry; I'm just not a fan of it anymore, nor am I excited for its next release. Fans of the series though, will most likely be excited for this next entry into the Call of Duty franchise.
Ubisoft sparked off some heated discussions and controversy when talking about some design decisions for this next title:
Assassin's Creed Unity Nov. 11th (PC, Xbox One, PS4)
Assassin's Creed fans can't wait to get their hands on the next entry into the series. Set on the eve of, and during, the French Revolution, the player will control Arno, a new Assassin looking to avenge both his birth and adoptive fathers. With new and reworked mechanics like; parkour up and parkour down options, a rebuilt combat system, large npc crowds(with up to a 1000 individual AI characters), and new co-op multiplayer missions during regular campaign play, there is a lot for fans to look forward too. Because of comments made by some of the devs of Unity, about the lack of inclusion of playable female characters in the new co-op missions, controversy was sparked about Ubisoft being a sexist game studio. While this has nothing to do directly with the game, it will influence whether some fans purchase it . I will also say this, sexism in the game industry, and in life in-general, is wrong.
Despite the controversy and debates sparked up, many fans are looking forward to this title.
The next entry on the list is a series I am a super big fan of(very much fan boy status for me on this one):
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Nov. 11th (Xbox One)
As the title says, this collection includes all of John 117's video game story thus far. Containing the remastered Halo 1&2 Anniversary editions, with Halo 2 Anniversary having newly rendered cinematics by Blur, as well as Halo 3 and Halo 4. this release has Halo fans super excited. Though Halo fans have already played all of these titles, it's a great way to catch up on the story thus far to prepare for Halo 5, but it also allows fans to play all the games without busting out their old consoles, or not even being able to play the old games anymore because they no longer have said consoles. With Halo 2's matchmaking servers being shut down years ago, and Halo: Combat Evolved never having matchmaking, having multiplayer available in all 4 games is another thing that fans of the series are looking forward to. If your a Halo fan, this is most likely on your must buy list, and for people that have never played the series, its a great way to get into it.
These last three have fans of the individual franchises living as "Hype Train Station" hobos:
Little Big Planet 3 Nov. 18th (PS3, PS4)
Dragon Age Inquisition Nov. 18th (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4)
Far Cry 4 Nov. 18th (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4)
I've never played any of the Little Big Planet or Dragon age games, and I've not played a Far Cry game since the first one. Most reviews of each franchise are very positive though, and I hope for the fans sake that for the next entries in these series the studios deliver.
All release dates are for North America, release dates in other countries may be different.
Leave comments down below, if you want to weigh in on some of the titles I mentioned, or if you think there are ones I missed. Anyway, thanks for reading, and have fun out there.
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