Welcome to the inaugural column written by Kyle “The Closer” Drapeau, a nickname coined by under..scoop..FIRE! creator @HowardTheDeck that I intend to stick with because it’s better than anything I’d try to make up. My columns are going to cover video games because I’ve been playing them since conscious thought set in when I was a wee Drapeau. I can still remember 2-year-old me sitting between two teenagers that lived in the apartment next door playing Super Mario Brothers. Ask yourselves, did these kids have some serious mental issues because they hung out with a toddler? Or did they know something then that I openly acknowledge now: video games are king.
These days I’m partial to the Xbox 360, but fear not PS3 lovers, I will give your system its due when it calls for it. Oh, and I guess Wii can come too. I’m going to use this column to rant & rave about video games as I see fit, and I expect to be called on my bull if I put it forth (not that I’ll retract any of said bull, because I’m a bit of an ass). So without further adieu, I give you my most anticipated games of fall 2011. Please note that while these games have numbers next to them, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the order I’d put them in. I want all of these games, but I numbered them for shiggles. Here you go…
-
Gears of War 3
To be honest, I’m not a big Gears guy. I only own the first two games because they were 5 flippin’ dollars with Bulletstorm. But while I may not be into the franchise, I openly acknowledge that pretty much everyone else with a pulse is. The buzz that the multiplayer beta did a couple of months ago serves as proof that this game will sell out like WrestleMania XXVIII (Rock VS Cena anyone?). Besides, even if there were no beta, and even if I’m not that into the series, there’s just something so darkly satisfying about a chainsaw on the end of a machine gun.
-
Batman: Arkham City
Well thank God we don’t have to wait a year for this and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises to come out. Face it, if you played Arkham Asylum, you know that you’re ready for October to roll around so you can take this baby safely under your cape and bat hook home from your nearest Best Buy. If you haven’t played the first game, you deserve a Bat Slap. I’m just sayin’.
-
Dead Island
Look, you were hooked the moment you saw the trailer for this game on YouTube. I can personally say it’s the only backwards-playing trailer I’ve ever seen, but it did the job. I’m a total zombie geek. I’ll even admit to watching the really bad zombie flicks on the Instant Queue for Netflix. But this game just looks so well put together that I don’t see how it can’t be on this list. There’s a little footage of the gameplay floating around the Internet that makes this game look amazing. When the character (who I’m not sure yet is controllable throughout the game) runs over a zombie with a truck, the windshield cracks. Rather than pull over and take care of it, she keeps driving and punches out the glass. The biggest selling point for me with this game is that it’s melee-based. Guns? We don’t need guns. Just a bat with some nails in it.
-
Modern Warfare 3 / Battlefield 3
Before you all flip out on me for lumping these two into the same category, understand why. They’re going to be released within weeks of each other and they’re both going to be awesome. The graphics engine they’re using for Battlefield 3 makes me want to give it the slight edge in this battle of war game juggernauts, but Modern Warfare 3 is a return to form for a franchise that frustrated me a little with its Black Ops submission. Don’t get me wrong, Black Ops was and continues to be a fun game, but it has a few problems. Whichever side of the fence you’re on in the debate regarding which of these two games to purchase (or if you’re just going to get both) you know you’re jonesing for one of these games.
-
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
This is a franchise that’s nearing the end of its run in my eyes, but after playing the first three games, I want this one in a bad way. Especially with the ending Brotherhood gave us (fear not, I post no spoilers). Each game has outdone its predecessor by strides and this one promises to be a wonderful addition to the series. Plus, even if this is the last game, which in this culture of reboots and remakes isn’t likely, I hear rumblings of an AC movie down the line.
Honorable Mentions: Rage, FIFA 12, Madden 12, WWE 12, NHL 12, NBA 2K12. I avoided sports games here because while I do anticipate them each year, that’s just it. They come out every year. As for Rage, it just didn’t have a chance against the other games. So there you have it, my most anticipated games for fall 2011. What games are you eagerly anticipating?
Follow Kyle “The Closer” Drapeau on Twitter @Drapeau170
