• Owlboy (PC) – November 1
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Xbox One, PS4, PC) – November 4
• Football Manager 2017 (PC) – November 4
• Mario Party Star Rush (3DS) – November 4
• Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization (PS4, Vita) – November 4
• Eagle Flight (PSVR) – November 8
• Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Collection (PS4, Xbox One) – November 11
• Silence (PC) – November 11
• Dishonored 2 (Xbox One, PS4, PC) – November 11
• Watch Dogs 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – November 15
• Planet Coaster (PC) – November 17
• Killing Floor 2 (PS4, PC) – November 18
• Pokémon Sun and Moon (3DS) – November 18
• The Crew Calling All Units (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – November 29
• Final Fantasy XV (PS4, Xbox One) – November 29
• Star Trek: Bridge Crew (Rift, Vive, PSVR) – November 29
With the end of fall nearing and Christmas in sight, the holiday season has arrived.
Like many other markets, the holiday season deeply affects the sales of Video Games. To capitalize on this, game companies have taken to releasing highly anticipated games at the end of the year near Thanksgiving.
This year is no different, some of the most anticipated games of the year are set to release in November, and here are some of the notable highlights.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Xbox One, PS4, PC) – Nov 4
Anyone who is even remotely interested in videogames knows about the “Call of Duty” series.
This prolific series seems to have a new game coming out every year, and while this has left some fans disenchanted, some are eagerly awaiting the next release.
The newest game in this series, Infinite Warfare, has met with some hot and cold reaction after its announcement.
The game takes place in outer space this time around, featuring equipment like a zero-gravity suit, a grappling hook, and thruster packs offering massive mobility.
While I’m not personally a fan of first person shooters, even I cannot ignore the massive popularity the series has generated with loyal fans who buy every new edition while being hungry for more.
If a futuristic first person shooter is what you’re looking for, this game will hopefully fill the niche.
Dishonored 2 (Xbox One, PS4, PC) – November 11
Dishonored 2 is the sequel to Dishonored, a stealth action-adventure game.
In this series, you play as a character with special powers, who will use these powers to either sneak past enemies or take them down.
The first game had you as a man with powers such as the ability to teleport a short distance, slow down time, or dissolve corpses to prevent enemies from seeing them.
While the last game you had only one character, the sequel introduces a new character to use alongside the main character of the last game.
The new character is a woman who has powers like using a long tentacle type object to grapple on to objects and pull herself to them, or tying the fate of enemies together so killing one kills the others.
Unlike the first game where the power you had could only be used one way, the sequel has introduced a skill tree system that lets the player choose from different versions of a power.
This means all the powers have some sort of nonlethal option for players who want to play stealthily.
If you’re looking for a stealth game, or liked the original, then Dishonored 2 may be a game to pay attention to.
Watchdogs 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – November 15
The original “Watchdogs” released about the same time the new systems came out, and the game received mixed feedback.
Though the game is reviewed favorably by the big gaming websites, the user review section reveals a more critical look.
Some people liked it just fine, while others used it as proof that the new console generation was lackluster.
In “Watchdogs” you play as a hacker who uses their abilities to do things like manipulating security cameras, traffic lights, and hack into people’s personal information to learn about them.
This was a unique idea, but it was ruined in some people’s opinions by including a heavy focus on gunplay alongside it. Marring the identity of the original idea, and made the game feel bland.
While a player can hack and sneak your way around, it far more likely that the player will just grab a gun and do the time honored fashion of hide behind waist-high cover and shoot.
Then the mess of technical issues that accompanied the PC release only cemented a lackluster feeling, which left people wanting more than it delivered.
The sequel to this game must work hard to undo the negative light the first game shone upon it, and hopefully it will. I could always use a game with a unique and fun premise.
If you’re willing to give this series a second chance, or liked the first game, give it a look.
Pokemon Sun and Moon (3DS) – November 18
Pokemon is one of those series that seems to be either love it or hate it. Though, even those that love it might be growing tired of the formula Nintendo uses with each release.
Every generation has added more and more features, but rarely do the games shake things up too drastically.
“Pokemon Sun and Moon” are promising to change this formula from the tried and true “beat eight gyms, fight the enemy team, beat the elite four, you win.”
The formal gym leaders that players have come to know are gone. Instead they have something known as trial captains, who appear serve a similar, yet different, purpose.
“Pokemon Sun and Moon” are also introducing strange creatures separate from pokemon known as Ultra-Beasts. These beasts are powerful creatures whose purpose is not quite clear at this moment, but I’m confident players will have to fight them at some point.
Alongside these new beasts, old favorite pokemon are also getting a facelift with the Alolan form. Old pokemon with designs, stats, moves, and typing different from their classic form.
So if you’re a fan of pokemon, but tired the same formula for generation after generation, give “Pokémon Sun and Moon” some consideration. It seems to be trying to do something different this time around.
Final Fantasy XV (PS4, Xbox One) – November 29
Of all the games coming out this month, this is probably the one I’m looking forward to the most. If only from a purely spectator standpoint.
“Final Fantasy XV” is the newest game in the Final Fantasy series, a long running RPG series that has been around since the Nintendo game system around 28 years ago.
However, “Final Fantasy XV” was not always a main entry in this series, and back when it was originally announced it was a side game for Final Fantasy XIII called “Final Fantasy Versus XIII.”
“Final Fantasy Versus XIII” was announced 10 years ago.
This game has been in development in some capacity for a decade or more now, and has left people scratching their heads. Why has this game taken so long to come out?
Throughout the years the game has gone through many changes, with the battle systems, graphics, platforms it’s on, and gameplay changing all the way through development.
While the main character has stayed the same the entire time, the story undoubtedly changed throughout development as well.
The game follows the main character and his friends traveling across the land, and it has a real ‘road trip with your buddies’ type of feeling.
The Final Fantasy series is known for grand stories that fill the world these games take place in, and I’m willing to bet this game will be no different.
While I am a fan of the series, I’m also interested in how the reception of this game will be.
Being in development for so long can only raise expectations, perhaps to unrealistically high levels. Sometimes reality can never measure up to the fantasies people have.
This game has been in development for almost half my life, so I’m eager to see how it finally turns out.
If you love RPGs then give this one a look, it’s sure to go down in history if only because of the odd circumstances surrounding its creation.
