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The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Gamer's Corner column [The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa :: ](Hawk Eye, The (Burlington, IA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 31--Now that September is here, I only have one thing on my mind. All the pretty new games. They're not here quite yet, but once fall arrives, I'll be drowning in next-generation titles designed to put the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to the test. Both systems will be celebrating their first birthday this November, just in time for the first wave of polished software. It couldn't happen soon enough. Aside from a few stellar indie games, this past summer has been barren of quality titles. I've been fortunate enough to have "The Elder Scrolls Online" as company, but the continual clicking may be fostering a case of premature carpel tunnel syndrome. With the highly anticipated "Destiny" just a week away, I'm putting "The Elder Scrolls Online" aside for a while. I was blown away by the "Destiny" beta last month, and it should keep me plenty busy through the holiday crush. Until then, I might as well pine for the future. Most of these games also will be available for last-generation systems, so you won't need an upgrade to play them. "Dragon Age: Inquisition" set for release Nov. 18 on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Originally titled "Dragon Age 3," this sequel to a sequel has a lot of gamers sitting on pins and needles. The first "Dragon Age" may be the greatest role-playing game of the modern era, while the second one left a lot of folks disappointed. I think the critics and fanboys were a bit too hard on "Dragon Age 2," though it was certainly less polished than BioWare's last "Mass Effect" game. I've tried to keep myself in the dark about the plot of "Dragon Age: Inquisition" (who enjoys spoilers?), but I do know it's a direct sequel to the first game instead of the second one. And really, that's all I wanted to hear. BioWare is promising bigger environments and deeper character customization, but promises are meaningless until you sit down with the game. I have unending faith in the developers, though, so you can expect to see me in line for the midnight release. "Alien: Isolation" available Oct. 7 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. I haven't been keeping a particularly close eye on this first-person survival-horror game, which is why I'm grateful to Hawk Eye photo intern Michael Noble Jr. He schooled me on the finer points of "Alien: Isolation," going into great detail about why it will scare the crap out of him. I have no doubt it will scare the crap out of both us. Michael and I are big fans of the "Alien" movie franchise, and "Alien Isolation" takes place directly between Ridley Scott's "Alien" and James Cameron's "Aliens" -- otherwise known as the two good "Alien" movies. Much like the first film, you won't have any weaponry to protect you, which will force the player to rely on strategy and stealth. Unlike other video game adaptations of the popular films, there is only one alien in the entire game -- and there's no way to kill it. This is the kind of stuff I had nightmares about as a kid. I usually have zero faith in film adaptations, but "Alien Isolation" looks to be one of those rare exceptions. In space, no one can hear your scream. But I'm sure somebody will hear Michael and I whimpering like schoolchildren. "Sunset Overdrive" available Oct. 28 exclusively for the Xbox One. This is what the next-generation console war needs more of. A high-end exclusive that extends the middle finger to the competition. In this case, that middle finger is pointed straight at Sony. While I do feel bad for PlayStation 4 owners who won't get to play this cartoony shoot-em-up, the exclusivity of "Sunset Overdrive" makes me feel justified in blowing nearly $1,000 for both next-gen systems. It will just be nice to have an excuse to turn my Xbox One on again. I don't know much about "Sunset Overdrive" beyond what I saw at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, other than it looks like a chaotic open-world shooter with amazing graphics and a good sense of humor. My hopes for this game really come from the excellent track record of Insomniac Games, which is most famous for the "Ratchet and Clank" and "Resistance" series. They know how to create inventive weaponry that encourage creative game play, and I'm sure "Sunset Overdrive" will be no different. It also should be noted this game will not be released for the Xbox 360, which gives me even more hope that Insomniac will push the graphics as far as possible. This is the first nail in the coffin of last-generation systems, and that's a good thing. "Assassin's Creed: Unity" available Nov. 11 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. If you turn away from this entry with a yawn, I won't be offended. There's been a new "Assassin's Creed" title every year since 2007, and a lot of gamers are just tired of it. I'm not one of them. I counted "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" as one of the best games of 2013, though that was largely due to the amazing ship battles and the swashbuckling setting. I've always wanted to raid innocent merchant ships on the high seas. "Assassin's Creed: Unity" doesn't have any fancy ship battles, but it does have a revamped graphics engine and brand new setting -- the French Revolution. To be honest, I don't know that much about the French Revolution, and it's not nearly as relevant to me as the American Revolution setting for "Assassin's Creed III." But that's the beauty of this series -- it forces history dunces like me to learn a little something about the world. Insanely enough, this game ties in directly with "Assassin's Creed: Rogue," which is scheduled for release on the last-gen systems (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) the same exact day. "Rogue" will feature the naval battles I've grown so fond of, but since it's for the older systems, it won't look nearly as pretty as "Unity." Dual releases are a cool concept, but a pricey one. When 2014 ends, even I may be suffering from "Assassins Creed" fatigue. "Far Cry 4" available Nov. 18 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. The beauty of the "Far Cry" series comes from its game play and the graphics. No one has ever commended a "Far Cry" game for its plot. The best stories are the ones you create while trying to survive. "Far Cry 4" will bring the open world first-person shooter franchise to the Himalayas, which is quite a shift from the tropical and desert settings of the previous two games. I'm sure there will be plenty of hunting involved, and hopefully a hang glider or two. That's about all anyone knows at the point. The best part, at least for me, will be the consistent frame rate on the next-generation systems. As much as I enjoyed "Far Cry 3," the lurching frame rate gave me a queasy stomach nearly every time I played it. It was just a case of the graphics engine pushing beyond the processor speed -- at least for the PlayStation 3 version. "Far Cry 4" should run as smooth as the disc it ships on, so no need to worry about puking on your controller. Though I doubt most of the world's population is as sensitive to motion sickness as I am. ___ (c)2014 The Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa) Visit The Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa) at www.thehawkeye.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |