It’s been a great year, for gamers, so far. The Uncharted series went out in a blaze of glory and at the moment, everyone’s trying to decide whether they like No Man’s Sky or if they should admit defeat and jump on over to Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. It’s good to see publishers willing to go for a summer release schedule, rather than cramming everything into the last quarter of the year. But as we approach the busy season, here are my five best games for autumn 2016.
The Last Guardian
This has to be top of the heap of games for autumn 2016. We’ve been waiting for so long for the spiritual successor to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus and it’s finally about to arrive. Team Ico normally delivers pretty, emotional and enchanting games, but the protracted development means many will be holding their breath.
Out on PlayStation 4, 25 October 2016.
Dishonored 2
This is a surprise addition to the autumn 2016 list because it was only just announced at E3, earlier this year. For anyone who enjoyed the action-adventure stealth-em-up and its steampunk setting, will be looking forward to this sequel.
This time, you get to choose between a female (Emily) or male (Corvo) protagonist, which grants you different abilities. Expect lots of clockwork, including a clockwork mansion and clockwork soldiers, plus new abilities. Dishonored 2 also swaps the gloomy streets of Dunwall for Karnaca, the southernmost city of the Empire, but this time Emily and Corvo are outlaws, so let the sneaking commence. But because this is Dishonored, you decide exactly how you take on a mission and which strategy works for you.
Out on PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One on 11 November 2016.
Cuphead
This Xbox exclusive takes inspiration from 1930s cartoons and runs with the zany. The main character has a cup for a head, in this run-and-gun action shooter, so expect your mind to be boggled. The focus is on crazy boss battles, such as giant boxing frogs and towering, hypnotic carrots – I kid you not. Cuphead looks like the most fun you’ll have all year.
Out on Xbox One, TBC 2016.
ReCore
ReCore is another Xbox exclusive, but it comes from the creative minds behind Megaman and Metroid with Keiji Inafune at the helm. So, to say hopes are high, would be an understatement. The game features, female lead, Joule, who wakes up on a devastated planet, which has been overrun by robots.
Joule teams up with her robot dog sidekick and a small group of other robot creatures, which help her fight against the bad robots and save humanity. The premise sounds cute enough and the gameplay looks like a bit of platforming and lots of epic boss battles, but Mega Man and Metroid Prime are tough acts to follow.
Out on Xbox One 16 September 2016.
Watch Dogs 2
If you follow my column, you’ll know that I was bitterly disappointed by Watch Dogs and groaned when the sequel was announced. However, when I saw that the new protagonist is a black man, I was impressed that Ubisoft had responded to the ‘not another stubbly white guy’ criticism levelled at the first game.
In addition to a more interesting lead character, it seems that the gameplay may have more depth to it. I’m just hoping they can make the hacking actually feel like hacking and harness good writing to explore the themes of data collection and power in a post-Snowden world. Or am I asking too much? I just hope they make Marcus a decent character, rather than the black, urban youth cliche.
Out on PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One on 15 November 2016.
What are your games for autumn 2016? Let us know in the comments.