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Actually it's a big EVERYTHING month. This is the biggest Games of the Month I've ever done.
If I missed a game you really want coverage on then simply send your write up to me (via PM). If it's good enough and follows proper formatting I'll add it here with credit to you! <b>Check the "Other Releases" section at the bottom to see what games I would want write ups for but am not all too qualified to do myself.</b> You can also do write-ups for games not bolded or games I didn't even list. Sometimes things slip my eye.
Some rules and stuff.
- This is mainly North American releases, sorry. I'll, on occasion, do a European or Japanese release if it's big enough and not already out in America.
- If a game is already released in English and is being released again for another region, I won't bother adding it. Like say if Half Life 2: Episode 3 was out in America in April (it won't) and it came out in May in Europe, I won't list it for May. I'll also do the same if a game was released in English (aka Europe or America) and is being released in Japan.
- I get my dates from GameFaqs, Wikipedia, and IGN, so if a date is wrong don't blame me. You can, of course, point it out and ask me to fix it if you have the right date.
Platform: 3DS
Developed by: Nintendo
Published by: Nintendo
Release date: November 3rd (Japan), November 13th (North America), November 18th (Europe), November 24th (Australia)
Genre: Platformer
My Hype Level: CBA
GBAtemp Hype Level: About to shit a brick for this one.
I think GBAtemp and I have had different definitions of "killer apps". Like Mario games are fun and all, probably some of the best platformers around, but they don't do a lot for me. I beat 'em in a weekend and they gather dust. I spent a little more time replaying Super Mario Galaxy as Luigi but even then I realized I'm still playing basically the same levels. I like games with meat on their bones. I always liken games to food. I'd say a game with a lot to do is like a steak dinner (if steak dinners are filling, I don't know). It's big and meaty, with lots to eat do. Super Mario 3D Land is like a candy bar. It's short and sweet but once it finishes too quickly. I'd say the game will be worth buying (if I ever bother with the 3DS) when it's like $20 for me (I'm a cheap bastard) but for $40? Not for me.
Platform: 3DS
Developed by: Griptonite Games
Published by: Nintendo
Release date: November 10th (Australia), November 11th (Europe), November 15th (North America), November 17th (Japan)
Genre: Action Platformer
My Hype Level: Griptonite, aka I've played this before.
GBAtemp Hype Level: Not as much hype as other things.
Really, it's a Griptonite game. Not that I don't like Griptonite. I've found that their games, albeit reskins with something new added to them, are actually quite fun and enjoyable, and when they're pawned a cheap movie game, it often times comes out pretty fun. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Assassin's Creed II: Discovery (DS) and Bloodlines (PSP), and they did a few super hero games for the DS like Iron Man 2 and Spiderman: SD, which were fun. Still, they're mostly the same game, just with something added. AC: Discovery had some stealth and Prince of Persia stuff in it, Iron Man 2 had some shmup elements, Spiderman: SD had some wall crawling, etc etc. It's not bad, it's just very samey. Bloodlines used a completely different engine and stuff but it didn't exactly come out flawless. Considering their only 3DS credit so far is that Green Lantern game, I'm wondering if Shinobi can give them a new reputation on a new console.
Platform: 3DS
Developed by: Nicalis
Published by: NIS
Release date: November 8th (North America), November 11th (Europe), November 24th (Australia)
Genre: Platformer
My Hype Level: GOD I HATE THIS GAME SO MUCH
GBAtemp Hype Level: Divided love/hate.
First off, you can't really screw up Cave Story gameplay, so I have a feeling it'll be fine here. My complaints aren't about that. My complaints are about everything else. The game itself is on DSiWare for like what, $10? Or free on the PC and free ported everywhere else? It was a game that was kinda championed as the king of freeware. Now guess what? You can pay $40 for that with a new coat of paint. A terrible coat of paint which defeats the whole art style of Cave Story. It's like if I took Okami and put it into hyper realistic CoD-style graphics. Cave Story was supposed to look old and pay homage to older games. Instead they rip all that out, from graphics to music, give it a new ugly coat of graphics, slap on a $40 price tag, and expect you to buy it. Also, NIS has its name on it, and I really hate NIS. Do yourselves a favor and pick up the DSiWare one if you want it on your 3DS, or get the PSP port if you want it portable (for free), or get it on the PC or WiiWare if you want it at home.
Platform: 3DS
Developed by: Team Symphonia
Published by: Namco Bandai
Release date: November 25th (Europe)
Genre: ARPG
My Hype Level: Eh, it's Tales, I'll pass
GBAtemp Hype Level: Moderate hype
I've tried a few Tales of games in my time and found nothing particularly compelling after them. The combat is interesting but it seems to be highly unchanging. It's still mostly the same from game to game. Story, it's a JRPG, so let's forget about that. I'm sure someone here will go into deep detail on how each Tales of game has incredibly deep storylines and the combat is significantly different from game to game but I'm not seeing it. They're alright but I get bored of them very quickly.
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, 3DS
Developed by: Sonic Team
Published by: Namco Bandai
Release date: November 1st (North America), November 3rd (Australia), November 4th (Europe), 3DS dates differ.
Genre: Platformer
My Hype Level: I'll pass, better games for the month.
GBAtemp Hype Level: OMG SONIC IS ALIVE.
Eh. That's the sound that went through my head when I played the demo. It's a Sonic platformer. Maybe it's because a big amount of Sonic games have sucked over the past few years, but I don't see the hype behind it. It just seems light and fluffy. Maybe worth a $15 XBLA download, but not a $50 game ($40 on PC apparently). I'll spend my money on Saint's Row The Third, thank you very much.
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Developed by: Eurocom
Published by: Activision
Release date: November 1st (North America), November 4th (Europe)
Genre: FPS
My Hype Level: OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU ACTIVISION
GBAtemp Hype Level: Eh.
If there's one thing GBAtemp doesn't know about me, it's that I'm a huge Bond movie buff. It was my childhood and I still love them today. I bought the Encyclopedia, the calendars (I still do), the books, and of course, the movies, which I own all 22 of. Goldeneye on the Wii was a great FPS game in general. Not just a "good for the Wii" FPS, but a great FPS. It, in my heart, combined modern shooter mechanics with a good sense of fun. Of course, it suffered the issue of being on the Wii, so online modes were gimped and controller options weren't spectacular if you had only Gamecube controllers. Fortunately, the greedy masterminds at Activision decided to port this to the HD consoles, giving us upped graphics, a better control scheme, and of course, the online. While I'm not sure I'll buy it off the back, it's definitely up there for me. Provided I can get other people to play it with me...
Platform: Playstation 3
Developed by: Naughty Dog Software
Published by: SCE
Release date: November 1st (North America), November 2nd (Japan, Europe), November 3rd (Australia)
Genre: Action Adventure
My Hype Level: I don't have a PS3 so...
GBAtemp Hype Level: If we have a PS3 we're probably play JRPGs or something.
I've heard Uncharted called boring, Dude Raider, or just bad. And I've also heard it called fantastic, an awesome exclusive, fun as hell, etc. Dude Raider is why caught my eye. What's so bad about that? I like Tomb Raider a bit. Sure, you can't stare at Laura Croft's breast and butt tumors, but hey, it's on the PS3 so it'll be a bit more shiny. I don't think Uncharted would be the first thing I'd get with my PS3, but if it ever comes across my eye in a bargain bin and I had a PS3, I'd definitely get it.
Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Developed by: Bethesda Game Studios
Published by: Bethesda Softworks
Release date: November 11th (North America, Europe, Australia)
Genre: ARPG
My Hype Level: Never heard of it
GBAtemp Hype Level: Seriously, what is this game?
Eh, I did some research and apparently Elder Scrolls is a mildly popular WRPG with some open world stuff in it. Not terribly popular though, it's actually borderline indie. But in all seriousness, why are people hyped to shit about it? I played Oblivion and I got bored. Fallout 3 was more fun. I've seen videos for Skyrim and it just looks to have a terrible inventory and everything is just overly cinematic. Wanna distribute skill points or whatever? Well let's show you zooming out into the sky and see a bunch of constellations! Wanna see the world map? IT'S IN 3D! Plus the graphics just look to be like Oblivion with some odd coating over them, like everything got a second coat of paint or something. Animations are better but almost everything is a step up from Oblivion in that aspect. And before you go all PC master race on me and say "BUT IT HAS MODS", well congratulations. If you need mods for your game to be worth playing, then doesn't that just say something about the game itself? You guys enjoy rimming the sky, I'll be playing Tron in Saint's Row The Third.
Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Vita (later)
Developed by: Kojima Productions
Published by: Konami
Release date: November 8th (North America), November 10th/23rd (Japan, 10th is Peace Walker HD, 23rd is the rest), November 29th (Europe)
Genre: Hideo Kojima mindfucking
My Hype Level: Third place runner up to Game of the Year
GBAtemp Hype Level: I would hope you're hyped
Do you like MGS2 and MGS3? You should. Did you like their special editions more? Definitely. Did you like Peace Walker? Probably, that game was awesome. Would you like all these games in HD? Yeah! You want the special editions included? Fuck yeah! You want Peace Walker to have online play? KONAMI YOU ARE READING MY MIND. Seriously, people give a lot of shit to HD re-releases, but c'mon, this is too good to be true. You're getting MGS2, MGS3, Peace Walker, Metal Gear, and Metal Gear 2. For like $50. All of them in HD. With online play for Peace Walker. This shit can't go wrong. My third runner up for game of the year.
Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Developed by: Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer Games
Published by: Activision
Release date: November 8th (North America, Europe, Australia), November 17th (Japan)
Genre: FPS
My Hype Level: Not by Treyarch, pass
GBAtemp Hype Level: GOD I HATE COD URGGHHHH
So we've got another Call of Duty by Infinity Ward. Snore. I'm no big fan of CoD but I certainly don't hate it. I just find Infinity Ward ones to be so dull. How people put them over Treyarch ones blows my mind. First off, Treyarch gives a crap. When Modern Warfare was popular for being modern and not a generic WWII FPS, Treyarch took it back to WWII. And it made it interesting. They introduced Zombies, which has become quite famous since then. The dual campaigns was an interesting idea, and although the Japan campaign sucked, the European one was a lot of fun. Black Ops gave us a decent, actually borderline good story. It brought Zombies back and made them even better. Plus it changed up the setting to an interesting era (the Cold War). Modern Warfare 3 looks like it's in pretty hot water as well. It's against Battlefield 3, which has been super hyped and is getting out two weeks early. Infinity Ward is in shambles. I've heard a lot of people complaining about CoD Elite, although not mandatory. Let's just say that Modern Warfare 3 is a make-or-break moment for the franchise. Either it'll succeed and keep the series alive forever, or it'll be dead on arrival and that's about the end of the current CoD line.
Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Developed by: Volition
Published by: THQ
Release date: November 15th (North America, Australia), November 17th (Japan), November 18th (Europe)
Genre: WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS
My Hype Level: Second place runner up for game of the year
GBAtemp Hype Level: Not as hyped as me.
Saint's Row 2 was an effective parody of Grand Theft Auto that I would say is more enjoyable than GTA. The clever folks at Volition realized that it was wild and fun, so they cranked that up 10,000% for Saints Row The Thrid. Wanna melt people with a microwave beam on a hover jet? Got that. Wanna slap people to death with a giant dildo bat? Got that. Wanna explode people with an oversized Apoca-Fist? Got that. Wanna go into Tron and fight gangsters? Got that. Every ounce of this game is full of crazy, and I fucking love it.
Also, the winner for game of the year is Portal 2. Just throwing that out there.
Platform: Wii
Developed by: Nintendo
Published by: Nintendo
Release date: November 18th (Europe), November 20th (North America), November 23rd (Japan), November 24th (Australia)
Genre: Action Adventure
My Hype Level: Probably the best Zelda yet
GBAtemp Hype Level: OH MY GOD NINTENDO
Pretty much every 3D Zelda is better than its predecessor (exception being the DS games), and Skyward Sword is no different. It looks good, minus trying to put a story in it and the art style is a bit bleh, but they're definitely making it deeper than before and adding some new ideas for once. I can safely say that I'm sorta looking forward to it. I'm not quite hyped on a lot of Wii games anymore, but I'll keep an eye out for this.
I'll be dead honest, there are way too many games this month. All these games deserve write-ups but this page is already too long. So I'll say please refrain from doing write-ups for me this month.
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations: 11/15 (North America, Europe, Australia)
- Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3: 11/15 (North America), 11/17 (Japan, Australia), 11/18 (Europe)
- Rayman Origins: 11/15 (North America), 11/24 (Australia), 11/25 (Europe),
- Need for Speed: The Run: 11/15 (North America), 11/17 (Australia), 11/18 (Europe)
- Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary: 11/15 (North America, Europe, Australia), 11/17 (Japan)
- King of Fighters XIII: 11/22 (North America), 11/25 (Europe)