Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Sept. 14
The sequel to 2015’s “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” this game takes Lara Croft to Latin America as she races against the evil organization Trinity to find a Mayan relic.
Earlier this year I reviewed the film “Tomb Raider,” which, while it did borrow heavily from this game series, was still a disappointment on so many levels. I promise that even if this game turns out to be a flop, it’ll still be better than the film.
Supposedly Lara triggers some kind of Mayan apocalypse, and it’s up to her to save the world.
While there have been concerns regarding the game’s new developers and graphics that do not look up to par with the first two games, the gameplay seems to be similar, if not slightly improved.
The combination of over-the-top set pieces, puzzles and combat is what made the first two games so phenomenal. Even if the graphics look slightly worse, that combination will drive home another victory for “Shadow of the Tomb Raider.”
Spyro: Reignited Trilogy – Sept. 21
It’s Spyro. It’s a flying dragon that spits fire. It’s everyone’s childhood. Please pick up this game on
release.
Forza Horizon 4, Mega Man 11 – Oct. 2
With two drastically different games releasing this week, it’s best to keep things short. For those unfamiliar with “Forza Horizon,” it very well might be the greatest racing series of all time. This time, the grand open world at the player’s hands is Britain.
The driving physics seem to largely be the same, but an important distinction is that the in-game world changes depending on which of the four seasons it is. Have fun sliding around in ice.
I have never been a huge fan of the “Mega Man” series, but I understand the rich history and importance of the character. After the incredible letdown of “Mighty No. 9,” “Mega Man 11” looks to go back to the basics and treat fans to what they expect from the series.
The touted new feature of this game is the Double Gear system, which gives Mega Man two new abilities. Hopefully fans won’t hate this change as much as I think they will.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – Oct. 5
I’m very skeptical of this release, although it has the potential to be great. If images of “Odyssey” were held side-by-side with last year’s “Origins,” no one would be able to tell the difference.
The game is being built with the exact same engine, and seems to have the exact same gameplay as well. I’m worried the developers are coasting off of the success of last year’s entry, but only time will tell.
The game takes place during the Peloponnesian War in ancient Greece, and the player is a descendant of Spartan king Leonidas I. Yes, that Leonidas.
This is the first “Assassin’s Creed” that lets players choose their own character, and introduces a few new role-playing elements to gameplay. Hopefully it will be enough to keep the series fresh.
Battlefield V – Oct. 19
I omitted the new “Call of Duty” from the list for several reasons, most of which are not important enough to mention. Primarily, however, this is because I believe the new Battlefield will blow it out of the water.
“Battlefield V” takes place during World War II, which is a little bit of an odd choice considering last year’s “Battlefield 1” took place during World War I.
Naming inconsistencies aside, this game seems to have improved on many of the features from years past. Most notably are the new game mode “Grand Operations,” and of course the addition of a battle royale mode that imitates many games of late.
Just Dance 2019 – Oct. 23
I’m not quite sure how this game landed on my list, or what exactly piqued my interest. While there’s not much to distinguish this from past “Just Dance” games, there’s one important caveat.
This can be played on a Nintendo Switch with the tiny joy-cons, and I still have absolutely no idea how this works. It doesn’t seem like dancing, so the name should probably be changed to “Just Swing.”
Red Dead Redemption 2 – Oct. 26
This is my highly anticipated game of the year, and for good reason. “Red Dead Redemption 2” builds off of the incredibly strong fundamentals of 2010’s original, and looks to improve on what is still considered one of the greatest games of all time.
It’s hard to believe it’s been over eight years since the last game came out, but Rockstar really figured out a winning formula with this one.
It’s a tad confusing that while this game is technically a sequel and even has the number two in the title, the plot is actually a prequel. Companies really need to work on a better system for naming.
This time around, the protagonist is Arthur Morgan, part of the Van der Linde gang in the Wild West. Fans will be happy to see that John Marston, the protagonist of the first game, will be a returning side character whose past will likely be explored more. Just don’t become too attached, because we all know what happens to him.
There isn’t enough room to dive into every single way they improved on the last game, but there’s one thing that just can’t be overlooked. One piece of groundbreaking tech that will pave the way for future western games. Horses can now move side to side.
Max Rothenberg can be reached at [email protected]