Your Fall 2012 Release Guide

As hard as it is to believe the Fall gaming season is just around the corner.  If you are anything like me then you've been trying to calculate just how you are going to afford all the sweet, delicious pixels that will be arriving over the course of the next four months.  Well, perhaps I can help with that...

...or potentially make the problem worse.  With August serving as the traditional start to the season of empty wallets I felt it necessary to highlight some of the great titles arriving through December.  The following is a list of games of confirmed and almost certain titles arriving through the end of the year.  To be safe I decided to organize them in order of release date so you can keep track of when and what weeks you should buy a game should it interest you.  There are plenty more titles that could have gone into this list but the following are confirmed dates, not sketchy "Q3 2012" estimation nonsense.

August 14th

Sleeping Dogs

Developed by: United Front Games
Published by: SquareEnix
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

What better game to start off this year's four months of gaming insanity than a title that seems to be one of this season's underdogs: Sleeping Dogs.  Rescued by SquareEnix and renamed after it was initially cancelled by Activision as a True Crime reboot, Sleeping Dogs brings a gritty crime drama feel to the streets of Hong Kong where you infiltrate and try to take down the various triads that control the city.  After a successful showing at E3 this year and with Grand Theft Auto V nowhere in sight until at least the end of the fiscal year (April 2013) this bloody title looks like a great fix for those addicted to open world shooters.

Darksiders II

Developed by: Vigil Games
Published by: THQ
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

Two years ago the original Darksiders was lauded for its imaginative take on a post-biblical apocalypse scenario and just how similar it was in gameplay to that of Nintendo's legendary Zelda franchise.  The sequel to the journey of the horseman War shifts in the sequel to that of Death who seeks to prove his fellow rider's innocence in causing the end of the world.  With enhanced gameplay mechanics, a story that runs parallel to War's and the addition of some traditional RPG elements like hub worlds and character upgrading there's not a lot for people to say 'no' about for those who love a good action RPG romp.  Newcomers to the franchise: check out the original.  You can get it for relatively cheap and you might be surprised by what you find.

The Last Story

Developed by: Mistwalker
Published by: XSEED Games
Platforms: Wii

The game has been out in Japan since the beginning of last year, Europe and Australia have had it since this past February but finally, finally, after an arduously long wait, it's finally coming to North America.  The next great RPG project from Mistwalker, the creators of the wonderful 2007 title Lost Odyssey, The Last Story comes out as probably the final major release for the Wii before its genetically-enhanced brother arrives this Winter.  We've played it on the feed before but if you've been wanting to see just what's so great about the game for yourself then now's the time.

August 21st

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

Developed by: High Moon Studios
Published by: Activision
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

This year's Transformers title marks High Moon's third in three years and possibly the best yet.  Taking place right after the end of War for Cybertron, the game will chronicle the final days of the civil war that engulfed the machine world and the events that eventually led to the Autobot and Decepticon's war to Earth.  Though the previous game's online co-op campaign will not be returning, Fall of Cybertron does promise an upgraded multiplayer suite with some strong character customization.  It is one of several mech titles releasing this year but, unlike its competitors, Transformers has nearly thirty years of lore to build on and a team that knows the franchise inside and out.  Don't take my word for it though: you can download the demo for the game on the Xbox Live and Playstation Network marketplaces right now.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Developed by: Hidden Path Entertainment
Published by: Valve Corporation
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

The series may not be the competitive shooter on the market today but, looking back, it still stands as one of the most played online titles of all time.  Why?  Well, aside from the fact that it's simple and incredibly easy to pick up, it's just downright fun.  This new iteration, which originally started as a port of Counter-Strike: Source to consoles, brings a massive visual overhaul to the game and changes many of the rules while keeping most of the core gameplay intact.  In my time with it at E3 I was pleasantly surprised by what was on tap (the new taser was deliciously evil) and, for the price of just $14.99 and a strong series reputation, it may be a bit hard to say no to the eternal struggle between terrorists and their counter-terror brethren.

August 28th

Guild Wars 2

Developed by: ArenaNet
Published by: NCsoft
Platforms: PC

It seems like every few months the next "WoW killer" comes out only to either goes free to play, change so fundamentally that its gameplay is almost unrecognizable or, worse, die off entirely.  Guild Wars was one of the very few MMOs to come along that was decent competition for Blizzard's life-sucker and after several years of waiting fans can descend back into the world of Tyria once more.  Still looking for that enticing non-WoW MMO?  This might just be it for you.

September 11th

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Developed by: Namco Bandai Games
Published by: Namco Bandai Games
Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii U (at a later date)

The past twelve months have been pretty big for fighting games and this Fall has a few more to add to that list.  Fans who bought Street Fighter X Tekken will get a second dose of the classic Namco franchise this September when the port of the 2011 arcade title arrives on consoles.  I won't lie to you: I lost track of the franchise after Tekken 3 was released way back in the day and I doubt anything Tekken released since then can beat that wonderful title  For those who have been itching to body-slam someone with a wrestler who wears a jaguar mask though this should do the trick.

September 18th

Borderlands 2

Developed by: Gearbox Software
Published by: 2K Games
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

The original Borderlands was a surprise hit back in October 2009 thanks to fun co-op gameplay, a random weapon generator that could produce upteen jillion guns and, most importantly, a wonderful sense of humor.  The sequel will continue this with many desired new features and updates, none the least of which is an environment upgrade.  There be green in them there hills, people!  While you won't be playing as the original four characters they will be making an appearance and, so far the transition to the new classes looks to be better than what we had to experience going from Left 4 Dead 1 to 2.  Expect more of the same (which is a good thing), just better.

September 25th

Dead or Alive 5

Developed by: Team Ninja
Published by: Tecmo Koei
Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3

The go-to name in jiggle physics is back with the first numerated Dead or Alive title in nearly seven years.  Despite the release of other fighters this year like Street Fighter X Tekken, Dead or Alive 5 seems to be sticking to its roots and changing very little in terms of gameplay.  Expect some impressively interactive stages to fight on as well as (possibly) some new characters.  I spent some time with it at E3 and it was unfortunately the toughest fighting game experience I've ever had.  I was slaughtered by an oppressive AI that seemed to have a bloodlust not unlike Skynet so hopefully this is calmed down significantly when it released in the back half of September.

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Expansion

Developed by: Blizzard Entertainment
Published by: Blizzard Entertainment
Platforms: PC

While the phenomenon that is World of Warcraft continues to roll on with decreasing subscription numbers amidst strong competitors like The Old Republic and The Secret World, the 2004 life-destroyer will be getting one final injection of life in the form of the Mists of Pandaria expansion.  While I personally think that this is one big hoax product (seriously, crusades to frozen demon kings to dragons and now... pandas?) the expansion's seeming transition back to more traditional quest gameplay has plenty to offer seasoned players.  Is anyone here excited tobe a, well, panda?

October 2nd

Resident Evil 6

Developed by: Capcom
Published by: Capcom
Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC (at a later date)

It's still hard to believe that the next Resident Evil title was only announced a few short months ago and will be arriving this October.  The action horrortitle we all love and love to complain about has been discussed extensively since its reveal but despite its predecessor lacking any elements resembling the word 'scary' this sixth entry looks to bring at least some of that back.  The game was three confirmed campaigns and a fourth was recently revealed to exist, allowing players to get their hands on series villain(?) Ada Wong.  The game will also feature a new 'Agent Hunt' mode allowing players to invade their friends games and, in a series first, play against them as a BOW.  It has a lot of potential but those taking the 'wait and see' approach take note: the demo for the game will be released to the public on September 5th.

October 9th

Dishonored

Developed by: Arkane Studios
Published by: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

Let's face it: you knew I had to talk about this game.  We've already shown you the E3 demo we got to see behind closed doors but if that's not enough to convince you that this title is coming along wonderfully I simply don't know what will.  Playing as a magic-infused parkour assassin Corvo is exceptionally satisfying, the stealth elements insure that players can do a no-kill run safely and the combat is exciting.  There's a ton of potential and it seems like the sky's the limit.

X-COM: Enemy Unknown

Developed by: Firaxis Games
Published by: 2K Games
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

X-COM is a storied strategy franchise that, until two years ago, seemed to be lost to time, never to return.  Lo and behold 2K announced a first person reboot of the franchise along the lines of Brothers in Arms.  Fans weren't happy about this but found themselves delightfully surprised when Firaxis, the current developers behind the Civilization franchise, announced a more faithful, strategy-focused re-imagining of what everyone enjoyed in the 90s.  It's certainly retains a campy approach to the art style but, with very little on the release schedule right now in the way of turn-based strategy titles and with the 2K Marin reboot at least another year off this might be a nice fix for both old and new fans alike.

Fable: The Journey

Developed by: Lionhead Studios
Published by: Microsoft Studios
Platforms: Xbox 360

It's on rails!  No it isn't!  No one knows!  We'll find out October 9th.

October 16th

DOOM 3: BFG Edition

Developed by: id Software
Published by: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

I loved me some Doom 3 back in the day.  When the big question of Half-Life 2 versus Doom 3 was still hanging in the air back in 2004 I was easily in the id Software crowd.  The upcoming BFG edition seems to be id's love letter to the franchise as it includes not only Dooms 1 through 3 and its expansion Resurrection of Evil but also a brand new expansion for Doom 3 called The Lost Mission.  I got some time with The Lost Mission at Quakecon this past weekend and while I do have some qualms about it I am certainly looking forward to diving back into one of my favorite games of 2004.  With a completely rewritten lighting system, upped graphics and today's usual assortment of console-required features, there's not a lot to argue against with this budget-minded release, especially while we wait for Doom 4's eventual arrival.

October 23rd

Forza Horizon

Developed by: Playground Games, Turn 10 Studios
Published by: Microsoft Studios
Platforms: Xbox 360

Microsoft's answer to the realistic racing sim franchise Gran Turismo won't be sticking to its guns this year with the release of Forza Horizon.  More of a spinoff in comparison to the previous Motorsports, Horizon goes open-world in a Colorado environment where you can find and compete against random AI drivers and compete in various events.  This is the first title for Playground Games but given that they are composed almost entirely of former developers from Criterion, Black Rock and Bizarre Creations its fair to suggest that the team knows how to make a good racing game.

October 30th

Assassin's Creed III

Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal/Annecy/Singapore
Published by: Ubisoft
Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC (at a later date?)

It's been five years since the first Assassin's Creed shook up the action adventure genre and finally we're getting the conclusion to the intense conspiracy saga that has spanned nearly a thousand years.  With the (supposed) end of Desmond Mile's story and the eternal war between Assassin and Templar coming to (revolutionary) American shores this October we may yet see one of the best games of the year.  Everything put out about AC3 has been consistently impressive and I expect we all will be excited to see the thrilling conclusion when it finally arrives.

Need For Speed: Most Wanted

Developed by: Criterion Games
Published by: Electronic Arts
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

There's a lot of games coming out over the next few months that I look forward to playing but the one title from E3 2012 that I just knew I was going to have fun with from minute one was the announcement of Criterion Games' next Need For Speed title.  Though it isn't an actual Burnout title that I dream of, Most Wanted looks to essentially be Burnout Paradise 2 what with its open-world design and gameplay that's nearly identical to the wonderful Hot Pursuit which saw release two years ago.  Criterion doesn't know how to make a bad racing game and I'm certain Most Wanted won't be an exception to this.

November 6th

Halo 4

Developed by: 343 Industries
Published by: Microsoft Studios
Platforms: Xbox 360

Microsoft's signature franchise and arguably one of the best shooter series on the market is returning this November with a first entry into a new trilogy.  Let's be honest: if you like Halo then you're looking forward to this one.  If not, you're probably not going to convince any fans away from it so switch to water and check your hateorade at the door.  The multiplayer looksis fun, the co-op looks great, the Forge system is refined and a new enemy to fight against offers some interesting possibilities for where Master Chief and Cortana could go.

November 13th

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Developed by: Treyarch
Published by: Activision
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii U (at a later date)

Another year, another Call of Duty.  It's been the trend all this generation so not having one a year just seems... strange.  While you will probably lament this release I remain fairly optimistic about it.  After seeing some of the new things Treyarch is doing with the game and the potential for this to be the conclusion to the Reznov trilogy that began with World at War, I'm looking forward to what could be.  This will probably be my last Call of Duty purchase unless next year's iteration is really and truly different but, for now, this one might be pretty cool.

November 18th

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two

Developed by: Junction Point Studios
Published by: Disney Interactive Studios
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii

Legendary game designer Warren Spector surprised everyone when he announced that his first post-Ion Storm title was going to be Epic Mickey but man, what a game that turned out to be.  Epic Mickey 2 continues from where the first one left off and brings Mickey and Oswald together as allies as a new threat has arrived in the Wasteland.  Many of the issues present in the first game have been fixed in this new one and the addition of drop-in, drop-out cooperative gameplay looks to make EM2 and even more exciting purchase for families in an age in which violence is the norm far more than the exception.

November 20th

Hitman Absolution

Developed by: IO Interactive
Published by: SquareEnix
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

We've talked extensively about Agent 47's next adventure and if you've even listened to a 1/10th of the discussions going on you know that we are looking forward to it.  Seriously, the paragraph ends here.

December 4th

Far Cry 3

Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal/Massive/Reflections/Shanghai
Published by: Ubisoft
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

The latest entry into the Far Cry series was a delightful surprise at last year's E3 and it continued to excite this past June.  Shifting away from the jungles of Africa to the islands of the South Pacific, Far Cry 3 sees you struggling to survive on an island chain taken over by psychotic soldiers high on the local flora.  In addition to the game's singleplayer and multiplayer suites, Ubisoft revealed a story-based co-op campaign recently that takes place quite separately from the main campaign.  While the open world mechanics that made the previous titles hits has yet to be fully demonstrated this narcotic-fueled title is looking pretty damn good.

December 12th

Hawken

Developed by: Adhesive Games
Published by: Meteor Entertainment
Platforms: PC

Easily one of the best looking games (visually speaking) arriving this year is also one of the cheapest.  And by cheapest I mean FREE!  We go to play the game at E3 and man was it a blast to play.  This beautiful mech title has competition from MechWarrior Online but, unlike MWO, Hawken has two things going for it: an actual release date and the controller.  Oh god, that glorious controller.

 

So, there you have it: the highlights of the Autumn gaming season that will no doubt put many of us in the poor house.  Didn't see the game(s) that you felt deserved more attention above?  Leave them in the comments section below.  Check back soon for our picks for the games we're most excited about this Fall!