With the dull and pretty lackluster summer of gaming fading, a much more exciting fall has finally arrived, and this might be the most jam-packed fall we’ve seen for gaming in recent years. With big franchises making a return and new originals trying to make their mark, there’s plenty of new games to play and some are even coming out within days of each other. With so many games coming out in such a short period of time, it’s easy to get lost as to where to start or what’s even coming out. That’s why, before you get stressed and miss out on a can’t miss game, it’s a great time to preview some of the biggest games coming this fall starting with the newest game from Bethesda – Deathloop.
Deathloop: Releases on September 14th (PS5, Microsoft Windows)
Arkane Studios, the developer behind the Dishonored series and Prey, takes players on a guns-blazing time loop mystery full of stylistic gun play. In Deathloop, players assume the role of Cole, a hotshot assassin whose luck takes a turn for the worst when he awakes on the beaches of Blackreef and is wanted dead by damn near everyone on the island. Even worse, Cole can’t die and finds himself stuck in a death loop unless he can kill eight targets before midnight without dying in the process. So, to break the cycle, players are going to have to adapt to survive and kill or be killed as they pick off each target.
Right from its first trailer, it was obvious that Deathloop’s style evokes 70s blaxploitation films. It’s a style that gives the game a distinct energy and its main protagonist a big personality. Cole can definitely dish out some great one-liners, but he can also back it up with the skills he brings, which players can take full control of through fast-paced gameplay. Gameplay is an Arkane speciality and every gameplay glimpse they’ve shown looks like pure poetry in motion. There are elements of traversal, environment interacting, and precision seen throughout and the run and gun intensity both reflect Cole’s ambition in his assassin craft and the options players have in taking out these eight targets. There are even some shades of Dishonored seen in the supernatural powers that make Cole a one-man army.
Knowledge is the real power in Deathloop, as players will have to learn from their mistakes and pick up on information between runs to find the best ways to pick off targets. Perceptive players might even find ways to kill two birds with one bullet, but there’s one target in particular that’ll give players a little more trouble. Jullianna Blake, a rival assassin that’s also one of the targets, will constantly be hunting players down and be quite a challenge as she can be either controlled through A.I. or another player.
In addition to Cole, players will be able to play as Julianna and jump into other player’s games to mess up their runs and maybe even gain some rewards that could help them in their runs with Cole. There hasn’t been a lot shown as to what playing as Julianna looks like, but maybe it’ll be a big surprise for players when Deathloop drops on September 17th.
Far Cry 6: Releases on October 7th (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Stadia, Amazon Luna, Microsoft Windows)
Far Cry is a series known for its likeable yet horrifying dictator villains and now brings in a ringer with Far Cry 6’s villain Anton Castillo. On the surface, Far Cry 6 could easily be seen as just another Far Cry game since all the usual ingredients are there. A massive open world that’s supposedly the “largest Far Cry playground yet” as the game takes place on the fictional Caribbean island of Yara. A wide variety of guns and vehicles for players to play around with. A protagonist that’s meant to lead a rebellion against Castillo’s rule, which comes in the form of Dani Rojas, a former soldier looking to free the people of Yara from Castillo’s influence.
The thing that really sets Far Cry 6 apart is Castillo as he’s played by Breaking Bad and Creepshow alum Giancarlo Esposito. When the game was initially announced, Esposito’s involvement as the game’s villain was the BIG talking point and has remained that ever since. The more we hear about his vision for Yara and see Esposito play him, the more Castillo fits as a complex and compelling Far Cry villain.
Even the idea of him trying to influence his son Diego and take up his mantle to keep his vision alive is very intriguing and already has fans theorizing whether Diego’s story could end up being a surprise origin for fan-favorite Far Cry 3 villain Vaas Montenegro. There’s still plenty of secrets left within Yara to discover and if you’re a big into villains, then Far Cry 6 and Esposito look like they’re going to deliver more than just the usual goods.
Metroid Dread: Releases on October 8th (Switch)
Nintendo delivered one of the biggest mind-blowing announcements at this year’s E3 by not only announcing Metroid Dread, the first new 2-D platforming Metroid in nearly 20 years, but also saying that it was coming this year. While the highly anticipated Metroid Prime 4 works out its development kinks, Nintendo is keeping Metroid fans satisfied with a game that no one thought would ever see the light of day. Seriously, the fact that Metroid Dread exists and is being released is nothing short of a miracle considering that Dread was originally meant to come out on Nintendo DS in the mid-2000s. It looks like Nintendo can pull off miracles though as Samus is really back in action in a game that gives off a lot of strong horror vibes.
With a name like Dread, it’s tough to even imagine some of the horrors players will encounter as they play as Samus investigating the source of a video transmission from an unknown source and searching for missing EMMI robots. Something has changed these robots though, as they are now hunting you down throughout the base. The game looks to feature seemingly unkillable enemies that create these heart-pounding chase sequences and grotesque alien bosses that Samus must defeat along the way.
As they escape the horrors of this base, players will pick up new tech and weapons that’ll make them able to explore more of the base and keep them alive. Metroid Dread looks like the perfect kind of blast from the best to bring Metroid back to its 2-D platforming roots while adding in some dashes of fast-paced sci-fi horror, so it’s a can’t miss game for Metroid fans and maybe the time for newbies to jump in.
Back 4 Blood: Releases on October 12th (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Microsoft Windows)
While Left 4 Dead 3 doesn’t seem to be rising any time soon, the franchise’s original developer, Turtle Rock Studios, are delivering a spiritual successor in the form of Back 4 Blood. The game is largely similar to Left 4 Dead in that it sees players squad up to take down hordes of vicious zombies, known as The Ridden, which also contain some that have horrifying mutations that make them an extra challenge. PvP modes also make a return for eight player matches that even let you play as The Ridden.
Survivors, called Cleaners here, boast bigger personalities and story and also come with a bigger and better arsenal of guns and melee weapons. The game also features “cards” that players will use before each level to change different elements about their health, damage, and stamina while an A.I. director also dishes out cards that act as obstacles for players to overcome, so it’s far from a Left 4 Dead clone. Rather, Back 4 Blood is a pure fight for survival that you can bring friends along to survive against zombie hordes to evoke the nostalgic vibes of Left 4 Dead in a whole new experience.
Battlefield: 2042: Releases on October 22nd (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Microsoft Windows)
After Battlefield V ended up being a bit of a financial disappointment and came with some performance issues, EA and DICE were forced to go back to the drawing board and decided to head back to “future war” with Battlefield 2042. 2042 is going to pull a Call of Duty: Black Ops IV by not having a single player campaign and solely focusing on building out it’s online PvP multiplayer. With that focus comes a new vision for Battlefield that sees some interesting lore have some damaging implications for multiplayer matches.
Along with bigger map sizes and larger teams, each map comes with chaotic, extreme weather effects that fit with 2042’s world that’s been left in devastation due to climate change. So, players will now find themselves having to work around towering tornadoes that decimate anything in their path and sandstorms that heavily hinder visibility while also trying to dodge enemy fire.
Players can now choose a specialist that falls under the four core operator divisions (Assault, Engineer, Medic, Recon) and each specialist comes equipped with special tech that can help during these extreme weather events, like healing pistols for quick healing or a wingsuit for greater traversal. Vehicles can also be request dropped by players, so 2042 really gives players a lot of options in the palm of their hands. With it being multiplayer-focused, 2042 could be the grand return that Battlefield needs as it delivers its largest and most intense multiplayer mode to date.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Releases on October 26th (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Switch, Microsoft Windows)
Prolific Deus Ex developers Eidos Montreal are now taking their stab at the Marvel Universe with their own take on Guardians of the Galaxy. Unlike Marvel’s Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy will be solely a single-player adventure that has players become Peter Quill/Star-Lord as they lead the Guardians on missions across the galaxy to pay off their debts and maybe save the galaxy along the way.
As Star-Lord, players will not only be able to slide and shoot their way across different battles but also have the ability to command the other Guardians on the fly to deliver some sweet combo attacks. Although they haven’t shown much in-depth gameplay, it looks like players will also be able to build up Star-Lord’s move set and maybe even give the other Guardians some new moves. There’s even a special ability players can build up meter for that allows for some chaotic fun and is scored by a hopefully robust list of ’80s tracks.
Guardians of the Galaxy could succeed where Avengers failed in delivering a wider scope of the Guardians universe by touching on heroes and villains that the MCU hasn’t. We already know that the likes of Lady Hellbender and the Grand Unifier are a part of the game and it’s certainly a mystery as to what other parts of Marvel’s cosmic universe are going to make an appearance. There are also some choice-based elements that players will make as Star-Lord to command the team and could lead to some branching storylines and arcs for players to really make the story their own. When it was announced that Guardians of the Galaxy was releasing this year, it seemed a little ambitious release timing, but it looks like we’re really getting it and that Eidos Montreal has taken the time to deliver something really special for Marvel fans.
Call of Duty: Vanguard: Releases on November 5th (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Microsoft Windows)
As with every year, a new Call of Duty game is coming and this year’s installment is the latest from Sledgehammer Games, the developers behind the underrated Call of Duty: WWII, Call of Duty Vanguard. The game brings fans back into WWII to uncover more conflicts across different countries and present new strategic gameplay mechanics for the franchise, including blind fire from cover and destructible environments that could open up new paths.
Vanguard also brings in some elements from Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare reboot with players being able to execute takedown and mount weapons to flat surfaces for better firing positions. It looks like there also might be some night missions, which is always pretty rad. Multiplayer, as always, makes a return for players to test their skills against the world and, as expected, there will be continuous integration with Warzone.
The only big question mark that remains with Vanguard is what Zombies mode will include since there hasn’t been much talk about it. We know that it’s making a return and will be a collaboration between Sledgehammer and Treyarch as it will continue the story built within Black Ops: Cold War, but there hasn’t been much gameplay shown. With Vanguard having such a late announcement date for a Call of Duty game and its November 5th release date rapidly approaching, there’s likely to be more details unveiled soon.
Halo Infinite: Releases on December 8th (Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Microsoft Windows)
Microsoft’s biggest release this fall is, of course, Halo Infinite as 343 Industries attempts to offer the most expansive Halo experience to date. The latest entry sees Master Chief return as the main protagonist in his greatest adventure yet to save humanity. Infinite’s campaign features a new vision for the franchise with its open world structure and new gameplay mechanics that include the highly discussed grappling hook.
343 looks to add and expand the campaign over time with new events and missions for players to explore. Although its campaign did receive some backlash from fans over its look and performance, 343 was able to squash some of the beef with the immense praise given to its multiplayer beta.
Multiplayer features some big gameplay improvements that ramp up the pace and offer more options for players to take down the competition. Even better is that multiplayer will be free to play for the first time in franchise history so everyone can jump in on the fun. Hopefully, Infinite comes with a lot of campaign and multiplayer content as the news of two big community modes, Campaign Co-op and Forge mode, will be missing from launch leaving many fans disappointed. It’s no secret that Halo Infinite hasn’t had the best start in warming up to fans, but there’s still plenty of time and potential for Halo to mean something again and for Microsoft to reignite the spark in its biggest franchise.
