October Game Highlights

This month’s biggest titles

Kaitlyn Toy, Staff Reporter|October 10, 2017

Every month, the video game industry is hard at work, with multiple developers (independent or not) releasing new games left and right. I want to bring you this month’s biggest highlights, as well as some games that haven’t had as much of a spotlight.

The Evil Within 2

Starting off, we have The Evil Within 2, released on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC consoles on October 13th. The first game followed Detective Sebastian Castellanos, who received a distress call from a nearby mental asylum.Upon his arrival, Castellanos finds nurses and doctors slaughtered left and right, setting the stage for the player to unravel the mystery of what happened in this asylum. From the very beginning, it maintained a very creepy and somewhat mysterious atmosphere, leaving a huge legacy for the second game to live up to. Fortunately, the first game’s director, Shinji Mekami, is returning to bring his unique sense of horror. Mekami also developed Resident Evil 4, and is widely renowned for doing so. If it’s anything like its predecessor, The Evil Within 2 will certainly be worth a try.

Fire Emblem Warriors

Second, we’ll be looking at Fire Emblem Warriors, exclusively for Nintendo Switch and the New Nintendo 3DS. The Fire Emblem franchise is a series of strategy RPGs, but this game is a spin off consisting of characters from multiple Fire Emblem games. This is also crossing over with the Dynasty Warriors series, a series of beat ’em up titles popular in Japan. Many are concerned with how you could mix strategy with a beat ’em up, as it is not a common mixture in the video game industry. However, concerned fans of the franchise can rest assured. The game is being developed not only by Koei Tecmo, Omega Force, and Team Ninja, but the renowned Intelligent Systems is once again returning to work on this game. With such an excellent team, and such a unique combination of genres, we can expect Fire Emblem Warriors to be another great title.

Just Dance 2018

While this next title may seem silly to include, Just Dance 2018 released on October 24th for Playstation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Wii U, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC consoles. While I do find the available platforms interesting (as some are starting to become irrelevant,) Just Dance 2018 includes a total of 40 tracks, with a bonus Mario dance for those wishing to purchase the game on the Nintendo Switch. There isn’t much to say on this game, as there aren’t many new things compared to the previous titles. However, those who buy it can expect the same fun that they’ve always had playing these games.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

Our next title is Assassin’s Creed Origins, released on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 27th. Assassin’s Creed is a long running series, as it already has ten entries in the franchise. However, this title is meant to be different than all the rest, as it is meant to take place before every other game in the series. Taking place in Ancient Egypt, this game is meant to show how the Brotherhood of Assassins was originally formed. You take on the role of Bayek, the last Medjay. A Medjay could be compared to a police officer, meant to take care of the community. With that said, this game should be a fresh take on the franchise, as the previous games had you start as an assassin, while this game focuses on your journey to becoming the first assassin, beginning a huge organization of them. It should certainly be a nice change of pace for fans of the series.

Wolfenstein: The New Colossus

Also released on October 27th is Wolfenstein: The New Colossus for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The Wolfenstein series is known for focusing on the Nazi influence in history while putting its own creative twist on the topic. This game is a direct sequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order, in which history took a different turn and the Axis Powers won World War 2. What’s interesting is that, like its predecessor, The New Colossus will have multiple timelines to choose from. You play as William “B.J.” Blazkowicz, who is working to create a second American revolution and overthrow the Nazi influence. The game, with multiple timelines and what sounds like a great story, should be amazing to play.

Super Mario Odyssey

Our final spotlight rests on Super Mario Odyssey, also released on October 27th, exclusively on Nintendo Switch. All Nintendo consoles have at least one main Mario title, and this console is no exception. However, Nintendo has truly outdone itself with this title. As usual, Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser, and it’s up to Mario to once again save the day. The story strongly resembles that of Super Mario Galaxy’s, as you use the “Odyssey” (Mario’s hat-shaped ship) to travel to different Kingdoms. However, the actual gameplay and level design can be better compared to Super Mario 64, with a more open-world concept. The graphics, while maintaining a general cartoon style, are also absolutely amazing. This game will definitely not disappoint long time fans.

This October is a great month for gamers, with multiple great titles releasing on multiple platforms. Games have never been more diverse, and there is truly a game for everyone in this list. What games would you like to play? Were there any that struck your fancy? One thing’s for sure, this month’s been big, and we can certainly look forward to more great games in the future.

What game(s) interested you?