There are quite a lot of games coming out this month, so I'll only be providing a summary for a few of the most recognizable ones. Even so, this is going to be a long one.
The biggest game this month is probably going to be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. I say probably, because these are always among the most successful games every year but I don't really ever hear people talking about them anymore, especially this year. I didn't know they were even making this and had to seek it out. This one is about conflict with North Korea and stars Mads Mikkelsen. New modes include a mode that basically plays like Counterstrike; no respawns and players earn currency they can use to expand their kit mid-match. New gameplay changes include the removal of weapon bloom (bullet spread), which seems like a bad thing to me but apparently it was requested by the community.
Our first big release of the month is Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. Ace Combat is a series of arcade style flight combat games with their own elaborate world building and stories. This one is about a pilot inheriting a legendary callsign in order to maintain morale during a losing war. It stands out with its very impressive visuals and weather systems, while refining its gameplay. I get the impression this could be a breakout hit for the series and earn it recognition among wider audiences, rather than just niche genre fans.
Speaking of niche genres and fans, Final Fantasy Resonance is a new rpg release. It is not a new mainline Final Fantasy, but it is notable for being a return to 2D for the series, specifically using the HD-2D art style Square Enix has used in other games like Octopath Traveler. Technically this is not an original game, but a remake of Brave Exvius, a mobile game. This version has had its mobile mechanics and monetization stripped out, reimagined as a single player game that you only have to buy once.
Nearly everything these days is multiplatform, but we do have a few exclusives this month.
The most prominent is Gears of War: E Day. Xbox is under new management has rescinded their multiplatform push, with this being one of their first new exclusives. This is a prequel for the series, taking place during the first locust invasion, and will focus on the developing bond between Marcus and Dom. Gameplay options appear to be a revision of series staple mechanics rather than a reinvention, including a new horde mode that has three teams of four with separate objectives that come together for boss fights.
Then we have Phantom Blade Zero, an upcoming action game for PC and Playstation. The gameplay and story premise of the game is that the player character has 66 days to live, and each of your in-game deaths counts against this time limit. The world aesthetic is based on historical China mixed with punk and dark fantasy elements. I have personally not been convinced by the trailers of this game, but I've been wrong before and there is enough tentative excitement that I believe it has the potential to be a sleeper hit.
Finally, Nintendo is releasing Nintendo Switch Sports Resort on the Switch 2. Much like the previous game on the Wii, this game is a series of motion controlled sports minigames. It features an open world island environment to explore and new minigames designed with the Switch 2 hardware in mind.
Odds and Ends
Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen is an upcoming expansion that adds a new snowy environment, new dungeon challenges, and a new narrative that runs parallel to the main quest. As part of the roadmap to its release, the base game also saw substantial changes to help smooth out the experience.
Crimson Desert: Charting the Unknown is an upcoming expansion that adds ocean content (diving, ships), housing options, and npc relationship systems. Unlike Dragon's Dogma, it's content takes place after the events of the main game and is a continuation of its story.
Planet Zoo 2 is an upcoming management simulator about building and maintaining a zoo. The new game is adding aquatic and flying species and various graphical and gameplay improvements that I'm not familiar enough with the game to describe.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is a new 2D game in the Castlevania series being developed by the team that made Dead Cells after they proved their worth to Konami after their successful Castlevania collaboration. It stars the daughter of Trevor Belmont a few decades after the events of Caslevania 3 and takes place in medieval France. New gameplay systems include the ability to use the whip for traversal, an arcana tarot system in which you turn bosses into abilities, and expanded weapon options.
This summary barely scratches the surface of the games coming out this month. Check the tag below for more.
Spoiler for October releases:
PC
Gears of War: E-Day (October) - third person shooter
Frosthaven (October) - tactical rpg
Enshrouded (October) - survival/action rpg
Multiplatform
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (October) - first person shooter
Is anyone looking forward to any of this month's games?
Last month I had been hyping myself up to finally play Dragon's Dogma 2, but surprise announcements for September and November have monopolized my time, so I'm not sure I actually will. I'm also keenly interested in Ace Combat and curious about Final Fantasy. I'm most likely to get the new Castlevania just because of the low price of entry, but it will depend on how busy I am at the end of the month.
PS+
F1 25 | PS5
Hunt: Showdown 1896 | PS5
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 | PS5, PS4
Trailers:
These two are age restricted so I'm inserting them as links instead of embedded.
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