The other day, I walked outside, and it hit me that fall was upon us. I mean, I’m assuming it’s fall because I come from Texas where there’s only two seasons: heat and less heat. But, never mind the weather because what I’m really getting at is that the fall season of video games is rearing its majestic head.
For games, there typically isn’t that summer blockbuster akin to “The Avengers.” But, that all changes once fall comes around, where it seems like every week leading up to the holiday season has a must-buy, which is why I wanted to highlight five games coming out in the next three months that might go under the radar.
**September**
_“Borderlands 2” (Coming out Sept. 18)_
Of all the alarms signaling the coming of fall, “Borderlands 2” is equivalent to a residence hall’s PA system: it’s loud. If it is anything like its predecessor, “Borderlands 2” is going to up the crazy in terms of its game play. This first-person shooter is unlike most in its genre in that the overall emphasis is playing with your friends and collecting a mind-numbing amount of guns. To put it into perspective, the first “Borderlands” broke the world record for amount of guns in a game with a total of more than 17 million guns. “Borderlands 2” plans to up that number by the millions when it comes to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC.
_“LittleBigPlanet PS Vita” (Coming out Sept. 25)_
Every now and again, I find myself not wanting outrageous amounts of violence in the games I play. Well, if there’s one series that helps me out in that department, it’s Sony’s “LittleBigPlanet” series, which is finally making its way to the entertainment powerhouse’s handheld. The game stitches platforming with a delightful craft aesthetic and puts it literally into the hands of gamers. What’s even better is that players can create and publish levels providing the “PlayStation Vita” with a never-ending supply of unique games.
**October**
_“Dishonored” (Coming out Oct. 9)_
What happens when you blend Victorian England with technology, a stealth game with a first-person shooter, and mind powers with crossbows? “Dishonored” is that seemingly perfect smoothie of themes that are of direct interest to me. A visually stunning game, “Dishonored” allows players direct control over how they want to play the game, either guns blazing or sneaking through the shadows. I’ve mentioned how much I like games that give players the reigns to their experience, and “Dishonored” looks like it’s going to do that with some style.
_“Lego The Lord of the Rings” (Coming out Oct. 30)_
There are few games directed toward children that I truly enjoy, but the Lego games are my exceptions. Something about the hilarious interpretations of pop culture icons just warms my heartstrings. In their target this time is “The Lord of the Rings.” I simply can’t wait to play through all the crazy set pieces from the books and movies in their Lego form before “The Hobbit” arrives this December. Plus, I always played war with my Legos as a kid, and this will just satisfy my inner seven year-old when it comes to pretty much every platform available including the Xbox and PlayStation.
**November**
_“Halo 4” (Coming out Nov. 11)_
OK, it’s a bit of a stretch including “Halo 4” on my list of games that need attention considering this is the Xbox 360’s most well-known series, but I just recently got an Xbox and want to experience this series properly. I grew up watching my older brother play all the games, and always experienced a sense of awe. However, I didn’t have the coordination to play the game without multiple deaths and yelling at the screen. That being said, I still think “Halo 4” should be a great way to start the holiday season off right by vanquishing foes with a sniper rifle.
So my wallet is going to have its work cut out for it in the coming months, but at least that means I can spend less time worrying about what to write about for this column and more time playing.
