November is a slow month of video game releases, but that doesn't stop me from making yet another list on my top anticipated releases. Welcome to the month of slim pickings, despite the upcoming holiday involving the act of stuffing our faces. Anyways, let's get into the rules I put in place in determining my choices for games.
The best part of any list are the rules, of course. So here they are. The game has to be released on at least one of the following systems: PC, PS4, Xbox One, or Switch. The game has to be new, so no remasters or anything like that. One thing I will count though is early access, in which I will consider the game if it enters or leaves early access, but I will not consider both acts for the same game. Finally, the game has to have released this month, obviously. If the game has release dates in multiple months (Destiny 2, for example), then I will only consider the earliest release date. With that out of the way, let's get into my choices for the top five games.
5. The Inpatient
My first pick for this month as well as my first VR pick for any of my lists is The Inpatient, a psychological horror title for PSVR. You play as an amnesiac patient in the Blackwood Sanatorium in the 50s trying to find out why you are there as well as uncover a conspiracy. Despite the concept being rather dull, the game has more to offer than just cheap thrills. For starters, this game is made by the same people who made Until Dawn and the game even takes place in the same universe, which that fact alone is already exciting. Until Dawn was an excellent horror title that strives on character choice and a good plot with good characters, and The Inpatient seems to be a similar experience. Just like Until Dawn, decisions matter, and the consequences will change your gameplay experience. And all of this with a horror backdrop. But what is unlike Until Dawn is that The Inpatient is in VR (I know about Rush of Blood, I'm just ignoring it because that is a different experience compared to the other two games.) Going beyond the new sense of immersion, Supermassive games will also allow you to see your whole body and voice recognition to allow you to say what you want to say. I love how this game takes immersion one step further with these features to make you feel like you are really there. Halloween may be over, but that doesn't mean you can't pick up just one more horror game. And if you have the right hardware, then I think that horror game should be this one on November 21st.
4. Star Wars: Battlefront 2
In 2015, the first new Battlefront game released, with disappointment following the title. But that doesn't stop EA from trying again with their new title, appropriately named Star Wars: Battlefront 2. The first game was missing a lot of features, and it seems that the second game is all about filling those holes. The biggest thing to take the spotlight with this new game is a single-player campaign, something missing from the first game. What's even more surprising is that you will be playing as the bad guys, trying to restore their power back into the galaxy. Before, I thought that the campaign was going to be some standard filler campaign that has a very basic plot with an obvious ending, but now knowing that you are the bad guys that don't betray the empire changes things for me, and now I can't wait to see what is to come with the campaign. But the campaign isn't the only place that is seeing change. Multiplayer is seeing change as well, with the addition of free DLC, multi-era characters and locations, character classes, new modes, and more. Battlefront 2 really is serving as a fan-service game, but we will have to see how fans take to this game on the 17th.
3. Super Lucky's Tale
Now let's get into the exact opposite of The Inpatient. Super Lucky's Tale is a bright and colorful 3d platforming game that originally started in VR and now has moved away from the goggles. This game has you playing as a fox named Lucky who goes on a quest along side his sister to rescue the Book of Ages. Just like The Inpatient, the concept is dull but their is more to it under the hood. What this game has is charm, and a whole lot of it. When I first watched the trailer for the game during the Microsoft E3 press conference, I felt this sense of happiness amid other games trying to be hyper-realistic and/or violent. The kind of happiness I was feeling wasn't some goofy happiness for cute things, but almost this relief happiness. Relief from seeing one shooter to the next. And I also felt this happiness of me thinking of when I was younger and playing the Super Mario Galaxy games. Even now, I still feel that happiness when watching the game. I don't really have much to say when it comes to features like I normally do. I only really have to say that I am looking forward to something that can allow me relax a little and enjoy something even though it is considered childish. I hope that this game brings back the little kid in me when November 6th rolls around.
2. Call of Duty: World War 2
I know it's not right for me to go against the hyper-realistic shooters with my talking of Super Lucky's Tale, but I would be lying if I said it was my number one pick. But right now we are on number two, and it is a game I would have never expected to be so high on my list of wants for any November. After being in the future for five years straight, three of those year being the 'exo suit' years, Call of Duty has finally gone back to World War 2 in the newest entry to the franchise, appropriately name Call of Duty: WW2. This title brings us specifically to the European Theater, so no island hopping in Asia (for now. Who knows?) Similar to Battlefront 2, this game feels more like a fan service, in which the request fans have been asking for is boots on the ground Call of Duty. This game delivers, going back to traditional gameplay. But their are new components to this game that makes COD:WW2 feel fresh. Headquarters seems like a strange yet neat thing to put in the game, the zombies mode is said to be darker and packed with more features than ever before, the campaign seems to be trying, the new war mode is a cool new game mode for those looking for more strategy and objectives in multiplayer, and more. Normally, I would be ashamed of myself when I buy a new Call of Duty title, but I can say that this time, I'm not. But we will see whether the game is a success or failure when November 3rd rolls around.
1. Need For Speed: Payback
I am not a big racing fan, but the one racing game I have loved for years was the 2012 version of Need for Speed: Most Wanted. But after that, I haven't really felt excited for a racing game. NFS: Payback changed that for me, and now I am excited to get back behind the wheel of virtual cars. This game has you play as a crew of people who were betrayed by a cartel known as 'The House' in a city very similar to Las Vegas called Fortune Valley. Then they get their revenge. Simple stuff really, but I think that simple stuff leads to something bigger that I love about the game. For starters, some of the missions are not about racing, but instead doing other things like stealing cars. I think not having the game be purely about going around a track three times diversifies the gameplay and that will make a better experience for me. On top of that, the car customization system seems really cool, the Las Vegas map is interesting, the bad guys sound cool to me, and even watching slow motion car crashes tell me that this is a cool game. I can't wait to get my hands behind the wheels on November 7th with this title.
Special: Three Switch re-releases
Some good games are coming out on Switch this month, but none of them made the list because they are not new games. Despite that, I still wanted to talk about them because these are also games I am looking at. These games include Doom, L.A. Noire, and Rocket League.
Well, there it is. The fourth one of these down, many to go. What are your top five? Put them in the comments and see how they compare. Anyways, thanks for looking at my list and I will see you on the next one, next month.
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