By Percy Mohn
Elm Staff Writer
As fall draws closer, many new video games are going to be released by major companies like Nintendo and Ubisoft, and some indie developers.
If you are interested in gaming, you may want to keep your eye out for these upcoming releases.
“Cyberpunk 2077”
From CD Projekt Red, developers behind the popular game “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” will release a new science fiction roleplaying game called “Cyberpunk 2077,” based on the “Cyberpunk Red” tabletop game.
In “Cyberpunk 2077,” players will take control of the main character, V, and explore the seedy underbelly of Night City, which is home to many hackers, criminals, and corrupt corporations.
V’s character is completely customizable, and the choices players make about V will affect how the other characters treat them. In addition, V can be outfitted with a variety of cybernetic enhancements which can grant V superhuman abilities not unlike Marvel’s Iron-Man.
When the game releases on Nov. 19, multiplayer will not be available, but it will be added in through the game’s updates and there will be downloadable content released to expand on V’s story.
“That means there will be a good amount of free updates that add onto the game in the weeks and months following its arrival, and after that there will be bigger — likely paid — expansions that expand the world while moving V’s story in new directions,” Connor Sheridan from Games Radar said.
“Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla”
Another title that will be released in November is “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla” which will be the 12th game in the “Assassin’s Creed” series.
As the name implies, “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla” follows Eivor as they try to establish their clan in England. The player will be able to choose the gender of the Eivor they play as, which will minorly affect the story and customization options. Players can expect to find both ground and naval combat in addition to managing their clan settlement.
“Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla” will be released on Nov. 17.
“Super Mario 3D All-Stars”
After what many fans called a disappointing year in terms of game announcements, Nintendo has announced two new games that will be releasing in the fall season.
The first of these games is “Super Mario 3D All-Stars,” which was released for the Nintendo Switch on Sept. 18. This game is actually three games in one, featuring three classic Mario titles: “Super Mario Sunshine,” “Super Mario Galaxy,” and “Super Mario 64.”
However, this game’s release has stirred up some controversy amongst Nintendo fans. “Super Mario 3D All-Stars” will be a limited release for both physical and digital copies of the game, running only until March 2021.
Due to the limited number of games, physical copies are currently sold out. Digital copies will still be available, and more physical copies are set to produce.
Another issue that fans have with this new release is that “Super Mario 3D All-Stars” lacks the polish of other remastered games and the older graphics and gameplay have not aged well.
This is not the first time that Nintendo has remastered a game in HD for the Switch, but fans say these previous games are much more visually appealing.
“While I don’t deny that upgrading 3D visuals is more work than overhauling a sprite-based game, seeing this collection release so close to the stunning remakes of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games really sets up a disadvantageous — and admittedly unfair — contrast,” Brain Shea of Game Informer said.
“Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity”
The other game that Nintendo will be releasing for the Switch is “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.” This new edition in the Zelda series acts as a prequel to the popular 2017 release, “Breath of the Wild,” and is set 100 years prior to the events of that story.
This game will not only let you play as Link, but also Zelda and the rest of the champions from “Breath of the Wild.”
Some critics believe that this prequel’s story will suffer as the players will already know what happens in the main story. They fear that any plot development in “Age of Calamity” will ultimately suffer from being overshadowed by “Breath of the Wild.”
According to Jason Rochlin from Game rant, there is still hope for this new Zelda game.
“Age of Calamity is the perfect opportunity for Nintendo to give audiences more reason to care about the characters it established in ‘Breath of the Wild.’ It would behoove them to really do so before moving into the official sequel, whenever that may come out,” he said.
So, if you are looking for some new games to play this fall, these are likely going to be the most popular releases.
Whether you are into hardcore sci-fi adventures or classic games like Mario, there will be game you will enjoy.
Featured Photo caption: This fall, new video game releases from Nintendo, Ubisoft, and more aim to bring fans a little bit of everything the gaming world has to offer. Photo Courtesy of Alexey Savchenko.