Here we are yet again. The first few big releases of the fall are on store shelves and you’re counting down the days until you can pick up the one you most desire. Be it Pokémon Sun/Moon or Battlefield 1, NHL 17 or The Last Guardian, I bet there is one game you want out of everything releasing this fall. Unless you’re like me, in which case you have 10 games, 20 Amiibos, and one miniature NES that you’re looking forward to buy. FYI, my wallet weeps daily.
Although people may be excited for all the games coming this fall, there are a ton of great titles that have already graced 2016 with their presence. I know it’s easy to get attracted by all the shiny new toys on the horizon, but these games deserve some love too.
Before you get all bent out of shape about your favourite game not being featured, just remember I am one man with a day job and a life (surprising isn’t it?). Sorry in advance that Uncharted 4, Doom, Dark Souls III, No Man’s Sky, or whatever game you love isn’t listed below. In all honesty, I didn’t mean to throw you off of your groove. Just promise me that you won’t throw me out a window.
Fire Emblem Fates
Let me make something very clear: I love Fire Emblem. Ahem, I FREAKING LOVE FIRE EMBLEM! It is my favourite Nintendo franchise and Fates is the best entry in the series. The three vastly different stories, the excellent characters, the perfectly balanced gameplay, the immense amount of content, I can keep listing more reasons to own any version of this glorious title. So why don’t you own it already? And “I don’t own a 3DS” is no excuse.
Overwatch
Getting bored of brown and grey colour palettes? Sick of fretting over kill/death ratios? Well, Overwatch is the shooter for you.
In all seriousness, I cannot recommend Overwatch enough. It hooks you in right from the start screen. The satisfying gameplay and rewards keep you from putting the controller down. Overwatch is the sole reason I have a PlayStation Plus subscription. If that doesn’t show you how good this game is, then nothing will.
Kirby: Planet Robobot
It might be easy to write off Nintendo’s pink puffball as easy or kiddie, but you’d be missing out on some good titles including his most recent outing. What makes Planet Robobot stand out amongst the litany of great platformers on 3DS is its willingness to take the Kirby formula in new directions. These new directions come from the addition of the Robobot armour and its many transformations. The shooter-lite plane mode levels are my personal favourite. Plus, the final boss is worth the price of admission alone.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
While I am still in the process of beating Deus Ex, I cannot deny how good it is so far. Human Revolution revived Deus Ex for a new generation of players, and Mankind Divided perfects everything introduced in its predecessor.
While the main story missions are the true meat of the game, I’ve lost count of all the time spent hacking every terminal, exploring every vent, picking up every item, or just fooling around in the open hub world of Prague. The sheer fun of losing yourself in this futuristic dystopia is what will keep you coming back to Mankind Divided for months or even years on end.
