With the holiday season rolling around, promising sequels and new content burst in the realm of video games as the year comes to a close.
This season is no different, with sequels to critically-acclaimed titles and series coming into play and grabbing for their chance to shine. November alone has a plethora of new games for both console and PC, and at least one of them is bound to strike the interest of someone out there, whether they avidly track upcoming games or if they play casually.
Coming up first on November 11th, a highly-anticipated sequel to 2012’s Dishonored. The original story revolves around the bodyguard for an empress framed by assassins as the culprit of her murder. With the help of loyalists wishing to avenge their empress and to rescue her daughter from her captors, he escapes prison and goes on a quest to find the heir to the throne and to restore peace to his city. On this journey, the player chooses how they deal with the world around them as they receive new and unique powers from a god to do what they wish with, resulting in different endings based on chosen actions.
In the sequel, the heir has grown and a new threat rises up against the city, much more dangerous than a few treason-happy nobles. Playing as either the heir, Emily, or the redeemed bodyguard, Corvo, the player must tear down these enemies. With the help of a power far beyond the average human reach only given to a select few, creativity flourishes. These few aren’t necessarily always good, however, and some of the villains they face may also hold that power.
A week after, the new Pokemon game releases on the 18th of November. Introducing a whole new set of Pokemon, mechanics never before seen in previous games, and boasting newer and sleeker graphics and sprites, the game could set new records in the industry. With the number of creatures growing so much over recent years, the implementation of a way that keep track of what wins against other types introduces itself as well. Once you beat a Pokemon once, it will show what types of moves are effective or ineffective to that particular type on your DS. This makes it so that newer fans can find the game easy to hop into, which could help those discouraged by the hundreds of moved and abilities navigate the world of Pokemon.
Not every player in the November game-of-games is a new one, however. On Friday the 4th, the creators of Overwatch revealed a character they had teased for several months before. This character, Sombra, joins the ranks of currently 22 other heroes in the coming weeks. Sombra was the center of an ARG (alternate reality game, used by media creators to give their fans clues so that the fans can piece things together and discover information about the character before release) where she ‘hacked’ certain websites and changed the game in subtle ways without truly being in it. Her motif as a stealth hero brings new opportunities for strategy and unique interactions with the gameplay of other heroes.
This new hero, so far, has received an overwhelmingly positive reception. Her arrival no doubt brings more attention to Overwatch more than any general holiday event could. She’ll bring something new to the competitive players, and seems a very viable contender in tournaments and money matches.
These three are only a fraction of the content. This month also includes a new Final Fantasy installment, Watch Dogs 2, a new Walking Dead Game series… all sequels, each bringing something completely new to the table in the gaming industry.