Beyond various virtual sports that some of you might rather play IRL, the renowned Far Cry franchise arrives with its sixth installment. Giancarlo Esposito has been stealing the show portraying the island’s dictator of Yara, Anton Castillo.
After years of absence, two franchises make their (hopefully?) triumphant returns. One of the most famous 2D sidescrollers, Metroid brings Samus Aran back in Metroid Dread. As for real-time strategy game enthusiasts, we have Age of Empires IV to test your military strategy and your speed in building barricades and archer towers to protect your base.
FIFA 22
Release Date: October 1 (PS4/5, Xbox One/Series, Nintendo Switch, PC) As much as funny lads say FIFA changes almost nothing from one edition to the next, its astronomical sales success is undeniable - so expect EA Sports to keep betting its chips on the popular football game that didn’t go free. FIFA 22 features French star Kylian Mbappé on the cover and promises some changes to modes already known to the public, including a new division for FUT players, Pro Clubs, and a reworked Career Mode. Women’s football is also better represented in-game. The game also promises 4,000 new animations and a machine learning system, allowing computer-controlled opponents to understand and adapt to the strategies established by the user.
Alan Wake Remastered
Release Date: October 5 (PS4|5, Xbox One|Series, PC) As first leaked on the Epic Games Store, Alan Wake will get a remaster more than 11 years after its release. Developed by Remedy Entertainment, Alan Wake Remastered promises a reworked version of the original 2010 adventure, with improved graphics and lighting effects, along with a complete content package that brings the original game and the DLCs The Writer and The Signal. In the game, the protagonist is the titular Alan Wake, a writer who visits the town of Bright Falls to try to solve his creative block (I feel you, Alan). Soon, however - and to create the game’s plot - he finds himself forced to fight against dark forces that inhabit the town to save his wife, Alice. Alan Wake was exclusive to Xbox consoles and PC, now taking its first trip to PlayStation.
Hell Let Loose
Release Date: October 5 (PS5, Xbox Series) Hell Let Loose is another Kickstarter success story, with the shooter out in early access for Microsoft Windows since 2019 and then fully released in July 2021. Now it’s coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. For PlayStation Plus subscribers, the game will feature on the October lineup. Set during World War II, Hell Let Loose prizes its realism. In the game, a single shot can often kill you. The game requires coordination, listening to your commander, and bolstering tactics and strategies to achieve victory rather than worrying about your kill/death ratio. Hell Let Loose features 14 unique roles such as Officer, Medic, Machinegunner, Commander, Sniper and more, as well as a broad selection of vehicles from WW2. With a built-in VOIP, the game emphasizes that communication between soldiers is a necessity.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Release Date: October 5 (PS4|5, Xbox One|Series, Nintendo Switch, PC) Sorry, can’t avoid it - you know everyone is gonna call it Nickelodeon’s Smash Bros. because that’s what Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl has been since the release of its previous games on browser and mobile. Amassing a colorful cast ranging from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Korra and Aang, Rugrats, and our dearly-beloved SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends, the game offers a cartoon-violence showdown between some of our favorite childhood characters - with more on the way. The game promises battles between this diverse and insane cast across 20 different stages representing Nickelodeon’s animations. Regarding online game modes, we will have lobbies and Quick Match. The developer comments that all the expected modes are present, including the so-called Sports Ball, originally from Slap City.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania
Release Date: October 5 (PS4|5, Xbox One|Series, Nintendo Switch, PC) Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania spins off towards the new generation. This is a rework of Sega’s iconic series, based mainly on the games initially released for GameCube, PS2, and Xbox. In Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, you will roll through more than 300 stages from Super Monkey Ball 1, 2, and Deluxe, in the role of the little monkey AiAi who, along with his friends, must stop the evil Dr. Bad-Boon from blowing up Jungle Island. In addition to the story mode, the game features 12 special minigames, including Monkey Racing, Monkey Soccer, and special guests from other Sega games, including Sonic and Tails, Hello Kitty, Kazuma Kiryu from Yakuza, and much more.
Far Cry 6
Release Date: October 7 (PS4|5, Xbox One|Series, PC) One of the biggest releases both this month and this year, Far Cry 6 is the newest game in Ubisoft’s popular shooter franchise, taking place on an island in the Caribbean heart. As Dani Rojas, the player will enter a revolutionary armed war against the brutal dictator of the island of Yara, Anton Castillo - played by Giancarlo Esposito, famously knew for portraying other villains in Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian. To face the oppressive forces of the dictatorship, Rojas will have many curious and unusual allies, as well as a diverse arsenal of weapons to battle in Yara’s rural and urban environments. Far Cry 6 will also feature a special Season Pass, including special missions starring previous villains from the franchise - Vaas from FC3, Pagan Min from FC4, Joseph Seed from FC 5, and Danny Trejo as a guest appearance.
Metroid Dread
Release Date: October 8 (Nintendo Switch) The story takes place shortly after the last game in the series, Metroid Fusion, and continues the threat of the X-parasites introduced in the previous game. Samus Aran is now on a mission to explore the territories of the mysterious planet ZDR and its underground bases. As in typical games in the series, by searching new areas and defeating unique and different enemies, Samus gains special weapons and abilities. Initially, E.M.M.I. research robots are sent to investigate the planet, but Samus encounters the robots turned into deadly machines when they do not return. Other adversaries include a remnant of the Chozo race.
Tetris Effect: Connected
Release Date: October 8 (Nintendo Switch) Tetris Effect: Connected was released for Xbox, PC, and PlayStation in 2018, and now it has finally come down and fitted into the Switch. Expect to achieve many glory days in the bathroom with your handheld. Developed by the brilliant minds behind Rez Infinite and Lumines, Tetris Effect: Connected adds a twist to the classic puzzle mechanic, amping up and jampacking your sensory feelings with songs that will make even the Tetriminos shake their bottoms. Tetris Effect: Connected is an expanded version of Tetris Effect that includes both cooperative and competitive components to its various game modes. The game features a co-op mode where up to three players can connect their Tetris playfields together and play as one.
Back 4 Blood
Release Date: October 12 (PS4|5, Xbox One|Series, PC) Back 4 Blood is the spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead in which the player and three companions are at the center of a war against the Ridden. You must fight hordes of zombies and other monstrosities infected by a mysterious parasite. Back 4 Blood adds a rogue-lite feature in the format of a card system. Players can assemble different decks to change elements of the game, including enemy damage and companion health. Meanwhile, the iconic and infamous Game Director will have his own cards to affect the course of a match. The game will also feature a competitive multiplayer where you can play with players as a Cleaner or against them as a Ridden. On Xbox, the game will be available right at launch to Game Pass subscribers.
NHL 22
Release Date: October 15 (PS4|5, Xbox One|Series) Hockey at its finest - on consoles, at least. NHL 22 brings Auston Matthews, central superstar of the Toronto Maple Leafs, to the cover. The game will feature EA’s Frostbite engine for the first time, benefiting from several technological advances and graphics with visual details noticeable in the game, even on Xbox One and PS4. The field hockey experience promises to be groundbreaking with the addition of Superstar X-Factors, which will elevate the league’s biggest stars with a whole new layer of class-based play. Superstar X-Factors brings two elements to help promote field hockey’s elite and separate them from the rest: Zone Abilities and Superstar Abilities. The primary four game modes will be Ultimate Team, World of Chel, Be A Pro, and Franchise.
Collection of SaGa: Final Fantasy Legend
Release Date: October 21 (PC) The series that was born as a spinoff of Final Fantasy, but took on its own franchise named SaGa, has been re-released for mobile and Switch to celebrate its 30th anniversary and now comes to PC. The game retains its Game Boy base style and graphics but features improvements such as increased character speed, adjustable screen magnification, and new commemorative music and illustrations. The first two games bear the system of acquiring attributes familiar to the SaGa franchise. By enduring hits, you increase defense, and by hitting, your desire for violence as well as your attack attribute. The game appeals to nostalgia so we won’t judge if you have trouble adjusting to the outdated graphics. The collection is worthy for those who want to appreciate the early days of the SaGa series.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
Release Date: October 22 (PS4|5, Xbox One|Series, PC) The third chapter in The Dark Pictures Anthology, House of Ashes, is closing in. The new title is set in the year 2003, during the Iraq War, and tells a story that focuses on soldiers going up against a supernatural force in a buried Sumerian temple. Deadly hordes of monsters will pursue the player, who must escape the Sumerian temple if you wish to beat the game. If not, you can just let them catch you and die. House of Ashes features the acclaimed multiplayer of Dark Pictures Anthology, which promotes friendship or cements an eternal hatred against your partner. CIA agent Rachel King, one of the central characters, is played by Ashley Tisdale, and Salim Othman is played by Nick Tarabay.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Release Date: October 26 (PS4|5, Xbox One|Series, Nintendo Switch, PC) Following the success of Avengers - or not - Square Enix’s announced during its E3 2021 conference Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The game is being developed by Eidos Montreal, a subsidiary of Square Enix Europe. The Guardians, somehow, but not surprisingly, caused a minor accident that set off a chain of cataclysmic events. To avoid threatening the peace of the universe, the guardians must hold themselves accountable and eradicate the threat they are responsible for. We will see a little more of Peter Quill’s past during the narrative because we will be playing as him throughout the story. Star-Lord’s decisions in the course of the game shape the fate of the plot and the opinions of his team about you. Although some players vented their frustrations, you only get to play Starlord in the game. You can, however, call out the other Guardian’s abilities based on your strategy.
Age of Empires IV
Release Date: October 28 (PC) The long-awaited Age of Empires IV is finally coming. The title is the first new chapter in the series in 16 years of the RTS franchise. The new title has more than 35 missions and follows the story of Jeanne D’Arc, who fights to defeat the English. Spanning over 500 years of history, the player also has an online mode in which it is possible to negotiate and be diplomatic with neighboring domains, avoiding wars or promoting the exchange of supplies. The game goes back to its more medieval roots, unlike Age of Empires III, which had an industrial theme. Age of Empires IV will be available in the Xbox Game Pass catalog for PCs right at launch.
Riders Republic
Release Date: October 28 (PS4|5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC) Riders Republic is another big October release from Ubisoft. The game was expected to release in early 2021 but was delayed along with Rainbow Six: Extraction. The title is an open-world extreme sports MMO that allows players to participate in adrenaline-filled races. More than 50 participants are involved in fierce competitions on bikes, skis, and even in the air. The game will have a career mode and allow the player to customize his character to compete in various sports. Riders Republic will allow you to participate in events individually or with a team.
Mario Party Superstars
Release Date: October 29 (Nintendo Switch) The party game that doesn’t always entertain players returns - even more, if you are on the losing side. Mario Party Superstars was announced during Nintendo E3 2021 and will come to the Switch at the end of the month. It will feature over 100 classic minigames from the series with support for online mode. Mario Party Superstars brings back the characters we all know and want, but not always love, and modern mechanics to five classic boards from the Nintendo 64 era.
