I spent much of this week trying to figure what I'll be playing and writing about this fall. To my horror I realized that--assuming none of the games on my radar are delayed--I'll have an average of less than two days to play each new release I'm interested in between now and the beginning of December. Note to self: Learn how to not sleep.
The following list of 50 retail games by no means represents everything slated for release in the next few months (I haven't even begun to consider this fall's docket of downloadable games), but they are the titles that have piqued my interest most leading into the annual autumnal rush.
R.U.S.E. (PS3, X360, PC; September 7th) Quirky and complex real-time strategy from Eugen Systems and Ubisoft.
NHL Slapshot (Wii; September 7th) EA finally brings hockey to the Wii, complete with a hockey stick peripheral.
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X 2 (PS3, X360, PC; September 7th) More arcade-style aerial combat from Ubisoft Romania.
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (DS; September 12th) 100-plus new and perplexing puzzles amid a time-bending narrative.
Halo: Reach (X360; September 14th) Bungie's last hurrah in the franchise they founded.
Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (Wii, DS, PS3, PS2, PSP; September 14th) Tolkein's hero embarks on another virtual adventure. The PS3 edition supports PlayStation Move.
Racquet Sports (PS3; September 14th) Ubisoft gets into the swing things with a collection of racquet- and paddle-based games for PlayStation Move.
Sports Champions (PS3; September 19th) Sony's first-party sports game collection designed explicitly for PlayStation Move.
Brunswick Pro Bowling (PS3; September 19th) Seems someone noticed the bowling mini-game in Wii Sports was everyone's favourite.
Sid Meier's Civilization V (PC; September 21st) Turn-based world domination from the genre's master.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (Wii, PS3, X360; September 28th) A new look and ninety-three more guitar-driven tracks.
Dead Rising 2 (PS3, X360, PC; September 28th) Zombie slaughtering with homemade weapons from Capcom and Vancouver-based Blue Castle.
Front Mission: Evolved (PS3, X360, PC; September 28th) Mechs wage war in the year 2171.
Final Fantasy XIV (PS3, PC; September 30th) Square Enix's fantasy series goes online for the second time.
The Sly Collection (PS3; October 1st) Sucker Punch's classic PlayStation 2 platformer trilogy gets re-mastered in high-def.
Shaun White Skateboarding (Wii, PC, PS3, X360; October 1st) The ginger superstar is apparently a master of all sorts of sport boards.
Wii Party (Wii; October 3rd) The game 99 per cent of Wii-owning families will be playing Christmas day.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (PS3, X360; October 5th) A reboot of the storied franchise under the stewardship of Hideo Kojima.
Two Worlds 2 (PC, Mac, PS3, X360; October 5th) The sequel to SouthPeak's open-world fantasy role-playing game.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (PS3, X360; October 5th) A new, futuristic sci-fi action/adventure property from Ninja Theory and Namco Bandai.
Medal of Honor (PC, PS3, X360; October 12th) The military-themed shooter Peter MacKay believes "most Canadians are uncomfortable and angry about."
Super Scibblenauts (DS; October 12th) Use adjectives and nouns to conjure thousands of virtual objects and entities into existence.
Invizimals (PSP; October 12th) Pokemon for PSP, with a camera.
Fallout: New Vegas (PC, PS3, X360; October 19th) Post-apocalyptic mutant mayhem in Sin City.
Vanquish (PS3, X360; October 19th) Gears of War, if it were made by stylish Japanese game maker Platinum Games.
DJ Hero 2 (Wii, PS3, X360; October 19th) Follow-up to the freshest music game of 2009.
Power Gig: Rise of the Six String (PS3, X360; October 19th) Rhythm game promoted by a viral video showing hundreds of old plastic guitars air dropped into an Icelandic volcano.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (Wii, DS, PC, PS3, X360; October 26th) More Dark side shenanigans with Darth Vader's angsty apprentice, Starkiller.
Rock Band 3 (Wii, PS3, X360; October 26th) Harmonix rhythm series returns with a keyboard, improved drums and guitars, and a killer "pro" mode.
Fable III (X360; October 26th) Peter Molyneux's latest RPG makes players kings, then leaves them to their own devices.
Disney Epic Mickey (Wii; November 1st) Disney's big-eared mascot seen in a slightly darker light, courtesy of industry legend Warren Spector.
Goldeneye 007 (Wii; November 2nd) The Nintendo64 classic is reborn-and recast with current Bond Daniel Craig.
DC Universe Online (PC; November 2nd) MMORPG with a trailer so good that the game can't possibly live up to it.
God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP; November 2nd) On again/off again Greek god Kratos returns to the PSP in this interquel.
Gran Turismo 5 (PS3; November 2nd) Seriously. It's actually coming. For reals.
The Conduit 2 (Wii; November 2nd) High Voltage and Sega take another stab at first-person shooting on Nintendo's hardware.
Dance Central (X360; November 4th) Harmonix works its rhythm game magic in this Kinect-only toe tapper.
Kinectimals (X360; November 4th) Get ready for cuteness overload as you reach toward your TV and pretend to pet baby tigers.
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved (X360; November 4th) Ubisoft hopes to take fitness gaming to the next level with this Kinect-only title.
Kinect Joy Ride (X360; November 4th) Make like you're holding a steering wheel and drive.
Call of Duty: Black Ops (Wii, PC, PS3, X360; November 9th) The annual instalment in Activision's mega-hit military shooter franchise.
Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time (Wii; November 9th) Ubisoft's demented bunnies are back, and apparently unstuck in time.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Miniland Mayhem (DS; November 14th) Mini Marios march on everyone's favourite massive monkey in this platform/puzzler.
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (Wii, PS3, X360; November 16th) It's back to basics in EA's long-running arcade driving series.
LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3; November 16th) Media Molecule's build-your-own-platformer game now lets players build racing, puzzle, and role-playing games, too.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PC, PS3, X360; November 16th) The first game in Ubisoft's historical stealth action franchise to offer online competitive play.
EA Sports Active 2.0 (Wii, PS3, X360; November 16th) Multiplatform sequel offers support for Kinect and PlayStation Move.
Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii; November 21st) Donkey Kong is finally back in business in proper form with this two-and-a-half-D platformer.
Splatterhouse (PS3, X360; November 23rd) A bloody reboot of Namco's decades-old beat 'em ups.
Tron: Evolution (Wii, DS, PC, PS3, PSP, X360; December 7th) The video game tie-in for a sequel to a movie about a video game. Should have been called Tron: Full Circle.
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