The Ones to Watch - October 2012

October is already here, and it's always a big month for gamers.  This is the month that many publishers elect to release their big name titles for the Christmas shopping season.  Traditionally we get one to two titles in September, three to four in October, and then one to two in November, and sometimes we see a December straggler.  Let's take a look at the Ones to Watch for October.

XCOM : Enemy Unknown - Multi Platform -Now Available

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the sequel to XCOM: UFO Defense, which I'm betting many of the current generation of players have never even heard of, but gamers 30+ should be familiar with.  This one follows the same game play, which is 3/4 overhead RTS / Turn Base style, and is probably not going to do well with today's audience.  XCOM enthusiasts are excited about it though, so it's worth keeping an eye on.


Dishonored - Multi Platform - Now Available

Choose your own assassination.  Do you go in stealthy, or guns blazing?  Or do you possess a rat to attack your enemies with?  Dishonored reminds me of Hitman with super natural powers in a first person perspective.  It's Bethesda, so you know there's going to be some interesting ways to play (and likely lots of bugs..), but we shall see if it matches the hype it gained at E3 this year.


Resident Evil 6 - Multi Platform - Now Available

The reviews are in for RE6, and the general consensus is "Don't bother".  Choppy controls, and game play that tries to be too ambitious, making it lose something special in the process is what awaits the poor souls who have picked this one up.  If you're an RE fan, there's little I can do to try to persuade you, but try to look at that "6" and not see a giraffe in a rather compromising position.  Yeah.  You can't unsee that.


 NBA2k13 - Multi Platform - Now Available

One of the few sports games that VG30 nods it's head to, NBA2k13 is supposedly an excellent addition to the franchise, but they've polished the game so much in previous years, it can't jump it's own hurdles anymore.  Don't forget, it's "Better With Kinect".


Doom 3 BFG Edition - Multi Platform - 10/16/12

Hey guys, remember us?  We're id software and we made awesome games like Doom!  What's Rage?  Never heard of it!  Remember Doom, though?  Yeah!  It was awesome!  So we finally put out an edition where the future has lights attached to their guns!  Amaz... wait, where are you going?  Please come back!  I'll throw in a "Lost Mission"!  Wait! PLEASE!  WE'RE STILL RELEVAAAAAANT


Assassins Creed 3 - Multi Platform - 10/30/12

My personal pick for the month, Assassin's Creed 3, stars a new assassin, and is sure to answer some questions and ask whole new ones about the Brotherhood and the Templars.  We're working our way to a modern day game, slowly but surely.  What will this game have in store for us?  We shall see, but I'm betting I'm going to play the crap out of it.


Need for Speed: Most Wanted - Multi Platform - 10/30/12

Need for Speed has been around since 1994, and doesn't show any signs of slowing down.  This revisit to the Most Wanted license allows players to run through cities in licensed vehicles and is sure to appeal to street racing fans. 


Next Month

Next month the Wii U hits store shelves, so we get to see if Nintendo's gambit pays off.  It won't be settled by the end of the month, of course, but keep an eye open on store shelves to see if you can find one.  If you can, then it's doing worse than the Wii.

Halo 4 hits with it's new development team.  Can a studio that's not Bungie make a Halo game?  I'm holding off to see what it becomes.

What I've Been Playing - 10/1 - 10/9

Skyrim

I'm currently 20 hours into Skyrim and still really enjoying it.  It's starting to feel familiar to me, like Fallout did.  I see the appeal of this game, and am sorry I had so many other things going on that I didn't get to spend more time with it.  It's recommended for sure.

Quarriors

Quarriors is one of the games I like to break out when we only have four people for game night, so it's not something that comes out often.  It's like a deck building game, but with dice, and the games are always different, because each die has different cards that you can associate with them, giving them new powers and abilities.  It's a lot of fun, and currently 50% off at Think Geek.  Go check it out.

Lords of Waterdeep

I had picked this one up because of the praise that the board game community has given it, and was not disappointed.  If you're looking for an entry level euro style game with some American flavor, then it's definitely worth checking out.

Escape from the Temple Curse

I received my Kickstarter copy of Escape from the Temple Curse in, which is a cooperative real time dice rolling game where you run around a randomly generated temple activating crystals to get out before rocks fall and everyone dies, which happens after 10 minutes.  It's a quick fun game that I look forward to breaking out with more players.