Kick off fun for autumn
WELL that was summer, and September heralded its arrival with torrential rain and grey skies. But there’s a glimmer of light to be had, the school holidays are over and for survivors there’s a flurry of new games to look forward to.
Starting the month there’s the highly anticipated Gears 5, No Man’s Sky: Beyond lands for new players and, of course, there’s the annual PES/FIFA derby.
FOOTBALL PES 2020 XBOX ONE, PS4, PC Rating: PEGI 3. Release: September 10 THE annual PES/FIFA derby usually sees PES splattered across the pitch by its EA backed rival.
But this year could be very different.
There’s already been a lot of hype surrounding PES after Konami took the exclusive rights to Juventus away from FIFA.
And that’s not all, sweeping changes have been made to career mode to make it ‘the most immersive experience yet’.
New touchline animations have been added, and there’s special focus on negotiating realistic transfers.
Could this be the year PES supplants FIFA as THE football game to play?
FIFA 20 XBOX ONE, PS4, PC
Rating: PEGI 3. Release: September 27 JUST in time for payday, FIFA 20 hits consoles.
And while it may be missing one of the world’s biggest clubs ( Juventus appear, but called Piemonte Calcio with a unique badge and kit), there’s a host of new features to keep the fans happy.
For a start there’s VOLTA Football, a new mode focused on small-sided street and futsal games – a hang over perhaps from EA’s 2005 FIFA Street series.
There are two new game modes, King of the Hill and Mystery Ball, and fully interactive press conferences and player conversations.
If Reddit steers me right, then gamers will get their first taste of FIFA 20 when the demo lands on September 12.
Playable clubs include Liverpool,Real Madrid and Manchester City – and the new street mode is expected to be included also. BATMAN: ARKHAM COLLECTION XBOX ONE, PS4
Rating: PEGI 18. Release: September 6 IT’S been 10 years since Arkham Asylum arrived and changed the face of Batman games forever.
Heralded as ‘ best comic book superhero games ever made’, the game’s setting was taut and mesmerising, the action thrilling, and Mark Hamill’s turn as The Joker was incredible.
This collection brings the definitive versions of Rocksteady’s Arkham Trilogy games.
Asylum, and City have been fully remastered, the visuals updated for the new generation of consoles, and the collection includes all postlaunch content.
GEARS 5 XBOX ONE, PC
Rating: PEGI 18. Release: September 10 THE first game in the series to drop the superfluous ‘of war’ from the title, this sequel to 2016’s Gears 4 is said to be far more ambitious than its predecessors.
For a start you play as Kait Diaz, an almost supporting character from the last game, who is journeying back to discover not only the origins of The Locust, but of her family too.
Developers, The Coalition, have gambled on a more intimate storyline, mixed with the frenetic and brutal action Gears fans have come to love.
Add to the mix two quasi-open world levels, and you have a game shaping up to be a very different beast.
And there’s a bonus for Terminator fans. With the upcoming Terminator: Dark Fate, players control either Sarah Connor with Linda Hamilton voicing, or a T-800 Terminator model as either a pre-order bonus or with Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
NO MAN’S SKY: BEYOND
XBOX ONE, PS4, PC
Rating: PEGI 12. Release: September 11 THIS open world science fiction adventure has had its ups and downs, since its release in 2016.
Three years and several updates later, and No Man’s Sky is one of the best procedurally generated games out there.
Beyond arrived last month, expanding the game’s multiplayer features and, more excitingly, making it VR compatible.
Reports say that exploring the universe in VR is every bit as jaw dropping and immersive as you could have hoped for.
If you love sci fi, and aren’t already playing this game, then this month’s release gives you the most complete version you can get.