So after a barren summer where I intended to catch up on a whole host of games from my backlog I managed to clear… none. Not one single game that I need to catch up on from this year – let alone previous years. Why? Well spending time elsewhere really; whether it was working on the redesign and relaunch of this site or one of the many mammoth tasks that life has thrown at me this summer, there just simply hasn’t been time.
The likelihood of getting to any of them anytime soon is slim as this week signals the start of gaming season. Over the past few weeks releases have started to become more frequent than the drip-drop we had over the few months prior, with the likes of Sleeping Dogs, Darksiders II, Madden NFL 13 and Guild Wars 2 all hitting shelves, but from this week on it’s wall-to-wall release.
Come this Friday we’ll see Tekken Tag Tournament 2, three years on from Tekken 6, put fans back in the arena in what I’m hoping is a return to form for a series that I’ve fallen somewhat out of love with since the PlayStation 2 era. There’s also the release of NHL 13 for those ice hockey fans out there, and if it’s anything like last year’s then you’re in for a treat.
Looking ahead at the rest of September we have Borderlands 2, F1 2012, PES 2013, Joe Danger 2: The Movie, Tokyo Jungle, LittleBigPlanet Vita, Dead or Alive 5, Rocksmith and the juggernaut that is FIFA 13. That’s not even including the ‘Essentials’ range for the PlayStation 3 that will launch. With a delicious range of titles ahead of us this coming month it would be hard to beat that usually – but this is gaming season and it’s only going to get better.
October will leave your wallets quivering with fear as each and every week is packed with blockbusters and hotly anticipated titles. We kick off with Resident Evil 6 and Just Dance 4 in the opening few days before XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Dishonored, Pokemon Black and White 2, Kinect: Fable – The Journey and PlayStation Move: DanceStar Party Hits make for one hell of a week. Then there’s Doom 3: BFG Edition and James Bond: 007 Legends before Forza: Horizon hits. Then gear yourselves up for a huge fortnight including: Lego Lord of the Rings, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse, FIFA Manager 13, Professor Layton and the Mark of Miracle, Assassin’s Creed III and Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation for the Vita.
If you thought October was going to be an expensive month then November didn’t get the memo as it is chock-a-block with huge releases including two of the biggest of the year. Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops II will certainly take most of the spotlight but with Need for Speed: Most Wanted, WWE ’13, LittleBigPlanet Karting, Ratchet & Clank: Q-Force, Sports Champions 2, F1 Race Stars, Wonderbook: Book of Spells, Far Cry 3, Zone of Enders: HD Collection, Hitman: Absolution, PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale, Disney Epic Mickey: The Power of Two and much, much more, it’s easy to see just how much there is on offer.
Thankfully, December is quiet as you spend your last few pennies of a present here and there before gearing up for January – or as we’re calling it, Half Time.
But let’s not forget, there’s plenty else to come and a vast array of downloadable titles that will get released – plus Black Ops: Declassified for the PlayStation Vita. Then there’s the Wii U which will come into play at some point and just add to the overwhelming selection of titles on offer.
Unless you’re made of time and money some gaming sacrifices will need to be made. What will absorb your playing time for the remainder of this year?
12:32 PM
When Atlus finally get round to announcing the EU release for Persona 4: Golden and Persona 4: Arena, I’ll consider my list sorted.