As fall approaches, video game players are preparing their skills and wallets for the massive rush of game releases.
The fall season has typically been for video games what summer is for movies, and this fall seems to be one of the busiest in recent history.
To help navigate this madness, Keith Burregi, manager of Play N Trade Games on Bluebonnet Boulevard, and Steve Martin, manager of Gameware in the Mall of Louisiana, helped provide this breakdown of the top five games to look out for.
 
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
One of the most popular game series of all time is back for its final round. “Modern Warfare 3” is set in the near future in which the United States and its allies are in World War III against Russia.
The game will also follow up on the cliffhanger storyline involving Special Air Service Captain John “Soap” MacTavish and Captain John Price.
Players can expect the over-the-top single-player campaign for which the franchise has become famous. Developer Infinity Ward has made changes to the popular multiplayer mode as well, which is expected to fuel new player interest.
Both Martin and Burregi placed this game on their top five lists for the fall.
“The average consumer is going to see their friends playing ‘Modern Warfare,'” Martin said. “Even if they told themselves they weren’t going to buy it, as soon as they see 30 or so of their friends playing it, they’re going to buy 3.”
Each “Call of Duty” release has broken the sales record set by the previous installment, so “Modern Warfare 3” is expected to be everywhere this fall.
 
Battlefield 3
Like “Modern Warfare 3,” “Battlefield 3” is a military game set in the near future. The story centers on a squad of Marines investigating chemical weapons in Iran, though the game will have players fighting in Paris, New York and Tehran.
The biggest conversation among gamers in the past few weeks has been pitting “Modern Warfare 3” against “Battlefield ‘Battlefield.'”
But Burregi isn’t so sure.
“DICE [developer of the ‘Battlefield’ games] did an amazing job with the last ‘Battlefield,'” he said. “Reading the early reviews, it seems like they’ve only vastly improved multiplayer.”
Epic Games has claimed 1 million preorders for “Gears of War 3” have already been placed, securing its spot on the list of top games of the year.
 
Batman: Arkham City
The eagerly anticipated sequel to 2009’s “Batman: Arkham Asylum” will feature everything players loved about the first game and more. “Batman: Arkham City” packs in more allies and villains than its predecessor, including Two-Face, Penguin, Catwoman and Mr. Freeze.
Gamers and Batman enthusiasts alike will get another chance to play as The Dark Knight.
Martin expects the game to improve upon its roots.