Between button-mashing and VR stick-waving, it’s all too easy to miss some magnificent game releases.
Not anymore, though. See, we’re always on the hunt for the next game to steal months of our lives – and the last thing we want is to miss it because we’re too busy playing the last one.
So, with that in mind, here’s a compendium of the five most scintillating new releases coming before December rolls around. You can thank us later.
CALL OF DUTY: WWII – 3 NOVEMBER
Future fatigue caught up pretty quickly with Call of Duty, and by the time last year’s respectable Infinite Warfare came out, we’d lost the thrill for the series’ recent sci-fi-tinged entries.
That’s precisely why Activision is taking the series back to its roots with Call of Duty: WWII (out today), which as the title suggests brings the classic World War II setting back to life. It’s been several years since the last attempt, the uneven World at War, but we’re hoping that this new entry reminds us of all the things we loved about the series’ glossy campaigns and entertaining boots-on-the-ground online action.
Platforms: PS4, XB1, PC
Price: From R860
HORIZON: ZERO DAWN – THE FROZEN WILDS – 7 NOVEMBER
Why spotlight an expansion pack in the heart of the busy holiday release season? Because Horizon: Zero Dawn is this year’s best PS4 game so far, hands down, and we’ll happily take any excuse to dig back into this gorgeous, compelling world.
The Frozen Wilds delivers a brand new, snow-covered area to explore, complete with fresh story content, and awesome new enemies to face down. According to IGN, it spans about 15 hours’ worth of fresh material to enjoy, which sounds like a steal for just R320.
Platform: PS4
Price: R320
NEED FOR SPEED: PAYBACK – 10 NOVEMBER
EA’s series set the standard for open-world racing, but 2015’s Need for Speed fell a bit flat despite its gorgeous nighttime focus. For this latest attempt, Need for Speed: Payback, it looks like we’re getting a bit of (unofficial) The Fast and the Furious influence looped into the campaign.
The story missions focus on big, brash stunts and police chases, with characters that seem like they’d fit right into that massive movie franchise. Forza Horizon has usurped Need for Speed as the must-play open-road racer of today, but maybe Payback‘s emphasis on intense thrills and narrative framing will help the series regain some of its lost momentum.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Price: From R800
STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II – 17 NOVEMBER
If there was one big knock against EA’s previous Star Wars Battlefront, it was the lack of compelling single-player content – but the multiplayer experience was pretty stellar. With Battlefront II, now we get it all: a proper campaign and way more online action to boot.
Star Wars Battlefront II‘s solo campaign sounds plenty intriguing, putting you in the boots of Empire commander Iden Versio as you attempt to take revenge for the Death Star’s detonation. It unfolds between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, but the multiplayer action goes for the full cinematic span: combat across all three of the big movie eras.
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Price: From R800
POKÉMON ULTRA SUN/ULTRA MOON – 17 NOVEMBER
We’ll have to wait a while longer to get a core Pokémon game on the Switch, a.k.a. the Nintendo console that people actually want to play right now – but if you have a Nintendo 3DS, you can bide your time this month with Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon.
These parallel entries build upon last year’s Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon by adding new monsters to catch, fresh characters, and lengthy new adventures to unfold. Yes, we’re a little bitter that these aren’t on Switch instead, but as ever, Pokémon remains the very best reason to dust off Nintendo’s last dedicated handheld.
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Price: R605 (each)
