We're settling in for a long winter's nap after Friday's release of the PlayStation's signature driving sim Gran Turismo 6. After that, well, there'll be news this weekend from the Video Game Awards, but it'll concern stuff well down the road. Not much cooking until February, so here is your week—or month—in games.
It is axiomatic that just about nothing in video games happens—in the West, anyway—the week the United States celebrates its most important holiday: Black Friday. However, I do tip my cap to Professional Farmer 2014 for its timely release on Thursday—Thanksgiving day itself.
It's the Xbox One's turn to shine this week, arriving on Friday along with 22 games, among them exclusives like Ryse, Forza 5 and Dead Rising 3. And, in either the most unfortunately timed or ballsiest release ever, New Super Mario and Zelda titles come out the same day. Here's the week in games.
The PlayStation 4 arrives this week, bringing with it a raft of games, some of which already have released on existing consoles. Knack and Killzone: Shadow Fall are notable PS4-only titles. For those sitting out the PS4's launch, XCOM's splendid Enemy Within expansion
Call of Duty: Ghosts is a longstanding first-Tuesday-in-November tradition, scaring off nearly every other big release that has a bunch of marketing behind it. But there are a few others of note, including a Castlevania collection and State of Decay on PC. Here's the week in video games.
Battlefield 4 draws first blood in EA's annual shooter stare-down with Call of Duty. It didn't pick a great time to go first as it must fight with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag for attention on Tuesday. Rasslin' fans, your WWE sim title arrives under new management. Here's the week in video games.
Batman: Arkham Origins launches globally on one day—Friday. There must be a ton of spoilers in it that Warner Bros. doesn't want to go on the Internet in the three days between then and Tuesday, the typical US drop day. If you can't wait to the end of the week for your superhero fix, LEGO: Marvel Superheroes is there.
Skylanders Swap Force, out today on basically everything, is the week's heavyweight release. We're getting close to hunting season, too, and that means time for another Cabela's game; this one sends you to Africa.
This week's big news is Beyond: Two Souls, the PS3 exclusive from Quantic Dream, on Tuesday, and Pokémon X and Pokémon Y on Saturday. Not interested in those? Some collections and GOTY editions—including Farming Simulator 2013 Titanium Edition!—round out the releases.
The week's big console launches are NBA 2K14, also arriving for PC, on Tuesday followed by the physical HD release of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker on Wii U on Friday.
EA Sports' FIFA series and Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer renew their rivalry with their latest releases arriving on Tuesday. Other highlights include Scribblenauts' DC Universe adaptation and Armored Core and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles returning to the 360 and PS3.
EA Sports' 20th revival of the NHL franchise hits shelves on Tuesday. The HD remake of Ducktales arrives on Xbox 360 on Wednesday. Peter Molyneux's Godus arrives Friday.
At long last, Rayman Legends arrives this week, on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and, ahem, Wii U. Diablo III likewise ventures onto consoles, along with Total War: Rome 2 for PC.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team on the 3DS kicks off the week of new releases, but it has company coming later in the week. Heist-shooter Payday 2 rolls out on three platforms and the Summer of Arcade continues on Xbox Live with Charlie Murder.
Today's release of Pikmin 3 on Wii U, plus Tuesday's Tales of Xillia on PlayStation 3 and Dragon's Crown on PS3 and PS Vita, wake the video game release calendar up from its usual midsummer slumber.
Interceptor Entertainment's revival of Rise of the Triad highlights this week as video games close out a slow July and look to a hotter August. Other releases include Cloudberry Kingdom and a collector's edition for Terraria.
Well alright then. The Smurfs 2 it is this week, a movie adaptation doing every single platform like it's still 2008 or something. Not much else to discuss.
What can we say, it's the middle of summer. This is the slow season for new releases. The week's big highlights include Dynasty Warriors 8 and Shin Megami Tensei IV arriving in North America on Tuesday,
Oregon's brand of video-game football returns to the virtual gridiron with NCAA Football 14, EA Sports' annual simulation of the college game. the second expansion pack for Sid Meier's Civilization V also arrives, on PC and Mac, with Guncraft coming on Thursday.
It's another lackluster week for new releases. The eShop title Crash City Mayhem comes to the 3Ds on Tuesday. Otherwise, it's a collection of PC and Mac titles to get you through Independence Day.
Summer begins with some noteworthy names releasing on consoles this week—Ride to Hell: Retribution, a title first spoken five years ago, finally arrives. Deadpool shows up to lay waste to the fourth wall, as he usually does, and Hotline Miami at last hits consoles with a PS3 and Vita release.
A modest week for new releases trails the end of E3. New Super Luigi U is the only console release, coming to the Wii U eShop on Thursday. Otherwise, there's the Jak and Daxter Collection for PS Vita on Tuesday.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf released for 3DS today and The Last of Us arrives on an unusual day in North America, on Friday, bracketing all of the hype you'll see this week from E3. Zeno Clash II is coming to Xbox Live on Wednesday.
Gazillion's Diablo-esque Marvel Heroes MMO highlights this week's typically quiet run-up to E3, accompanied by the all-new, dystopian Remember Me on consoles and PC, and a retail edition of Minecraft for the Xbox 360.
No longer making shooters exclusively for PlayStation 3, Insomniac is now making ... a shooter for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The former Overstrike arrives on Tuesday as the reconstituted Fuse
The console port of last year's Resident Evil: Revelations leads the list of this week's new titles, accompanied by the Wii U version of LEGO Batman 2, a downloadable sequel to Call of Juarez, and an adaptation of the latest Fast and Furious movie.
THQ's bankruptcy couldn't kill it. Now, Metro: Last Light finally arrives for the big three—PC, PS3 and 360. Manhunt resurfaces on PSN and Zen Studios' awesome pinball simulator debuts on Steam. The Week in Games is brought to you by Dealzon.
Few new games this week, probably because Mother's Day is a week from now. And don't you feel awful for looking for another video game to buy instead of thinking of a gift for her. Some PSN and eShop releases are accompanied the Steam release of Pinball FX 2 (and its Star Wars tables). That's it.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, whatever the hell that thing really is
