Final Fantasy XV
Video game fans are living in interesting times.
Thanks
to the augmented reality app 
,
you can use your smart phone to catch animated creatures in the physical world.
On October 13, Sony is releasing the PlayStation VR, a highly immersive virtual
reality device (for the PlayStation 4) you can now try at select Best Buy and
GameStop locations.
The 
is on its last legs, but Nintendo fans eagerly anticipate the
Nintendo NX (working title), set for release in March of 2017. The NX is
rumored to be a console/handheld hybrid of sorts, but Nintendo has been
secretive about system specs, controller design and other details. New versions
of the PlayStation and Xbox are in the works as well.
Meanwhile,
there are tons of noteworthy new and forthcoming titles, including a bevy of
A-list sequels for the 
, 
and 
.
Three
of the games listed below are playable now, five are coming soon and one has
been delayed until 2017.
AVAILABLE
NOW
Madden NFL 17
PlayStation
3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Publisher:
EA Sports
ESRB
Rating: Everyone
$59.99
It’s
not football season without the advent of a new “Madden” title, and Madden NFL 17, the 28th game in the long-running
series, does not disappoint.
In
addition to tweaking the defense (“Defenders seem to be smarter and more
effective playing their zones,” writes 
’s Allen Kim), the developers have improved the running game and
Franchise mode for a more authentic experience. There’s also a new Play the
Moments mode that lets the computer control most of the action while the player
steps in during key situations. This is ideal for busy gamers with less time on
their hands.
Nintendo
3DS
Publisher:
Nintendo
ESRB
Rating: Teen
$39.99
A
game that is easier and more enjoyable when played with friends (online or
local), Metroid Prime: Federation Force
tasks you, as a generic soldier (not Samus), with an assortment of missions on
three distinct planets. After hopping in a battle mech suit and selecting from
a number of limited resources (health packs, weapons, missiles, etc.), you’ll perform
such tasks as pushing cargo crates, confronting bosses and defending an uplink
terminal, all the while battling such enemies as Space Pirates and Goliath
Beetles.
When
Federation Force, which is a
cooperative first-person shooter (as opposed to a more exploratory type of game
like the other titles in the series), was first announced at E3 2015, many fans
scoffed. Now that it has arrived, you can play it to decide for yourself if
it is worthy of the “Metroid” name.
Nintendo
3DS
Publisher:
Nintendo
ESRB
Rating: Everyone
$29.99
Do
you have kids who enjoy playing dress-up? If so, you may want to grab a copy of
Style Savvy: Fashion Forward, which
lets players do much more than just change their characters’ outfit. Budding
fashionistas can design clothes, work as a hair stylist, model clothing, decorate
rooms, create a photo album, run a boutique and become a makeup artist.
More
elaborate than the previous game in the series, 
, Fashion
Forward features more than 1,900 items to choose from (up from 1,200+), and
there’s a more involving storyline. One setback is that you can’t give male
characters makeovers.
COMING
SOON
PlayStation
3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Publisher:
2K Sports
ESRB
Rating: Everyone 10+
Available
Sept. 20
$59.99
The
18th game in the increasingly elaborate “NBA 2K” franchise, NBA 2K17 releases Sept. 20 (pre-orders hit
Sept. 16), but gamers can get a jump on the action Sept. 9 with a downloadable
demo that lets you play through the college portion of MyCareer mode. Said
mode, which works in conjunction with the mobile face-scanning app, lets you
select from 10 college teams. The standard game includes all the NBA teams, of
course, plus Olympic squads and 21 EuroLeague teams.
Other
features include recognizable NBA players, customizable teams and the ability
to create your own player using such attributes as height, wingspan and play
style, such as glass-cleaner, shot-creator or sharpshooter.
Wii
U
Publisher:
Nintendo
ESRB
Rating: Everyone
Available
Oct. 7
$59.99
The
follow-up to
Battles
are turn-based, and Mario uses a battle card system (as opposed to the stickers
in Sticker Star) to summon allies and
items, and to attack enemies with his hammer or by jumping on them. The Wii U’s
gamepad touchscreen is used to cut out pieces of the environment for overcoming
certain obstacles.
Xbox
One
Publisher:
Microsoft Studios.
ESRB
Rating: Mature
Available
Oct. 11
$59.99
First-person
shooters are the bread-and-butter of the gaming industry, but the “Gears of War” series remains devoted to the less
ubiquitous but still viable third-person shooter genre. The fourth main
installment in the franchise keeps the basic gameplay intact, but adds various
new features, including a shoulder charge maneuver, combat knife executions, a dropshot
weapon that fire explosive drills and a buzzkill weapon that fires ricocheting
sawblades.
Gears of War 4 is set 25 years
after 
, with players,
as J.D. Fenix, rescuing loved ones and battling and discovering the source of a
terrifying new enemy (there’s more of a horror vibe this time around). A second
player can join in (locally or online) as Kait or Del.
PlayStation
4, Xbox One
Publisher:
Activision
ESRB
Rating: Mature
Available
Nov. 4
$59.99
The
uber-popular “Call of Duty” first-person shooter juggernaut soldiers on (so to
speak) with Infinite Warfare, which
developer Infinity Ward says “returns to the roots of the franchise where
cinematic, immersive storytelling takes center stage as told through an
unfolding large-scale war and epic battles.”
This
time around the action takes place in a “grounded future” on an assortment of
asteroids, moons and planets. As Commander Reyes, gamers lead what remains of
Earth’s army against the evil Settlement Defense Force. Modes include Campaign,
Multiplayer and Zombies, the latter of which transports players back in time to
a 1980s amusement park.
PlayStation
4, Xbox One
Publisher:
Square Enix
ESRB
Rating: Teen
Available
Nov. 29
$59.99
Delayed
for years, Final Fantasy XV is
finally hitting stores Nov. 29. The long, tortuous (not to mention torturous) path
may ultimately pay off as director Hajime Tabata has promised a classic, 
-influenced experience
with a new approach: “Rather than having a linear progression where you have
each scene with the drama and storytelling tightly packed,” he said in a recent
interview, “you’ve now got this open world you’re free to travel around, and
you have to put the storytelling within the environment.”
The
game will be more action-oriented than previous instalments in the series, with
players, as Noctis, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Lucis, mastering
weaponry and magic for use in fighting real-time battles against enemies and
creatures. It’s a one-player experience, but in-game associates assist Noctis.
DELAYED
UNTIL 2017
PlayStation
4
Publisher:
Sony
ESRB
Rating: Everyone
Available
2017
$59.99
In
1998 (1997 in Japan), the “
” franchise debuted on the original
PlayStation, bringing gamers the most realistic racing simulation ever produced
for a video game console. The latest iteration is Gran Turismo Sport, which series creator Kazunori Yamauchi, a
real-life racecar driver, has called the first in a new generation of “Gran
Turismo” games.
The
seventh primary “GT” game, Gran Turismo
Sport, which was supposed to release Nov. 15, features more than 140 “Super
Premium” cars you can race on 27 different tracks, including the Nürburgring,
the Tokyo Expressway and the Northern Isle Speedway. You can play offline,
building your personalized garage and competing in Campaign Mode and various
Arcade challenges, and you can race other drivers from around the world in an
assortment of events, challenges and leagues.
Nine More Games to Look Forward to in
the Coming Months:
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney—Spirit of
Justice:
Nintendo 3DS; Sept. 8.
Mafia III: PlayStation 4,
Xbox One; Oct. 7.
WWE 2K17: PlayStation 3,
PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One; Oct. 11.
Skylanders: Imaginators: PlayStation 3,
PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U; Oct. 16.
Battlefield 1: PlayStation 4,
Xbox One; Oct. 21.
The Last Guardian: PlayStation 4;
Oct. 25.
Titanfall 2: PlayStation 4,
Xbox One; Oct. 28.
Dishonored 2: PlayStation 4,
Xbox One; Nov. 11.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew: HTC Vive,
Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR; Nov. 29.
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