One thing about October: all the PS3 games I'm interested in hit this fall. I'll start with those.
The real obvious one here is Little Big Planet. Everyone wants LBP and it's obvious why as soon as you see it. It's gorgeous with amazing textures everywhere, and of course there will be more and more as users add content. Then there's the side-scroller platform sensibility and gameplay style, not to mention the multiplayer aspect. The game seems to have endless amounts of replay value thanks to all those.
Motor Storm 2: Pacific Rift is appealing as well. The first Motor Storm game was a great PS3 demo, but it never felt like a complete game. A small number and little variety in the tracks kept it from the greatness it was reaching for. It looks like MS2PR might be enough to get there, though. Everything about it is bigger and better. Not only are there more vehicles and vehicle types, not only are the visuals even better, but destructible environments and a completely new setting change the game. Most importantly, however, is the inclusion of local multiplayer is what really does it. That almost seals it as a buy, right there.
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is sort of a weird case. I can barely stand the anime. The game is pretty fun, definitely playable as far as the demo went. What interests me about it is the blurring of the line between animation and video games. Starting with games like Jet Set Radio and Fear Effect (or even as far back as Flash Back and Another World), developers have been trying to blur that line, or at least to show that cel shading is not just a way to go cheap on the graphics. This game really has it down. If the show used the game's engine to do the fighting sequences they might be really interesting to watch!
On the Xbox360 side, there are two really important games: Fable 2 and Fallout 3.
Fable 2 is one that I'm very on-the-fence about. Fable 1 was a load of hype and and an even bigger load of disappointment. Anyone who was around for the marketing and chatter leading up to that will agree. However, Mr. Molyneux has done a better job this time around of presenting implemented features rather than hyping future possibilities. So now the question isn't "which features will it have" but rather "Is this actually the Fable we were hoping for years ago?"
If it is, we're in for a real treat. If it isn't, eh. I'll rent it.
Fallout, the stealer of lives, will probably steal my life. If it's anywhere near as compelling as Olivion, I'll have a very hard time putting it down. I don't even know what to say about it anymore. The freedom and options combined with interesting characters and environments really make a unique experience. Despite some people not being huge fans of Oblivion, I was able to get past the whole "two voice actors of each gender" problem and appreciate the story and world. I wish Shivering Isles had been the original game, though. That art was so awesome...
Then there's Guitar Hero World Tour. Oh man, damn. I totally wasn't going to buy this game. "I have enough plastic ukeleles in my living room!" I said. Then they had to go and announce insturment cross-compatibility. Despite a number of songs overlapping, it really has a good library of music. Then they had to go and announce Tool songs for it. Jerks!
Also on the cross-platform front is Dead Space. The more I hear about this one, the more excited I get. The video comics (no, not cartoons) with the art by Ben Templesmith have been nothing short of awesome. I like the background they add to the story and I love his art style. The game itself looks like it offers a pretty unique mechanic and it does what Event Horizon wanted to do, but it does it right. It also takes a lot of horror references I love - stuff like The Thing, Aliens, the truly good horror movies - as inspiration. Between Silent HIll (if it's good!) and Dead Space, I should be PLENTY terrified in october. I can't wait!
Of course, Bioshock hits on the PS3 at this point too. Why do I care, I have it for the 360! Well, I'm always curious to see how something like that translates. Will there be control issues? Also, the field of view has been fixed in this one from the outset so I'm interested in seeing that as well.
There are so many games coming out this fall that it's nearly impossible to list them all. Some matter, some might. Games like Fracture and Rise of the Argonauts both have shots at greatness, Far Cry 2 could be an awesome sequel, and games like Rock Revolution and Legendary are complete unknowns. Man, I hope I have time to PLAY all these.
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