November is finally here, and for video gamers that means the release of some of the most highly anticipated titles of the year.
This month marks the release of Activision’s long awaited follow-up “Call of Duty: Black Ops,” as well as Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.”
Xbox is also releasing its real-time motion capture device, Kinect, this month, allowing gamers to incorporate movement in a way that was only previously through a Nintendo Wii.
Fans of the game “Red Dead Redemption” will soon be fighting zombies in the new “Undead Nightmare” add-on.
Christmas is sure to be expensive with so many new games to keep players glued to the couch.
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS
The 7th installment of the immensely popular “Call of Duty” game series, “Black Ops” is a first-person shooter set during the Cold War era. Anyone who plays COD knows multiplayer is where the best action is, and “Black Ops” promises an even more dynamic multiplayer than “Modern Warfare 2.”
New features include a money system, where weapon upgrades are purchased with “COD points” rather than acquired through experience. Points are earned after each match, and extra points can be acquired by playing the new game types — wager matches, which allow players to gamble on what place they will finish, and challenges that can be purchased for large rewards.
Ultimately, if “Black Ops” wants to achieve the level of success and adoration that “Modern Warfare 2” did, the multiplayer must live up to its hype. Allowing players to customize their weapons load-outs is a great idea, but it shouldn’t put players uninterested in wage or contract matches at a disadvantage.
ASSASSIN’S CREED: BROTHERHOOD
The third installment in this revolutionary game series, “Brotherhood” picks up where “Assassin’s Creed 2” left off, following the story of Desmond Miles as he relives his assassin ancestors’ lives. “Brotherhood” is a continuation of the rich story in the single player, and will also include the series’ first attempt at a multiplayer.
In the multiplayer, players are assigned another player to assassinate and must hunt their target while they themselves are hunted.
Though known for its rich storyline, “Assassin’s Creed” has traditionally been criticized for its repetitive game play. The variety in the game has steadily improved, but a solid multiplayer would really help “Brotherhood” stand out among its peers.
KINECT
Kinect is a real-time motion capture device that will be available as an addition to the Xbox 360. Game play will be similar to the Nintendo Wii, but the biggest difference is that
Kinect will actually translate your movement to your on-screen avatar — or at least that’s what’s been promised.
Previews of Kinect thus far have been disappointing, and the arcade-style mini games being released with Kinect don’t contain the depth usually associated with Xbox 360.
With a slew of games like “Kinect Adventures,” “Kinectimal,” and “Dance Central” being released in conjunction with Kinect, Microsoft seems sure its new hardware will be a hit.
RED DEAD REDEMPTION: UNDEAD NIGHTMARE:
“Red Dead Redemption” established itself as one of the best open-world games out there, and “Undead Nightmare” promises to be a zombie masterpiece.
The game is massive with somewhere around 6 hours of main storyline, and for only $10 it’s definitely a steal.
The add-on has gotten rave reviews from previewers. G4tv gave the storyline glowing reviews and said the game provided “genuine terror but not at the expense of fun.”
If zombies were real, then zombie slaying would probably have become humanity’s pastime long ago. Unfortunately, the undead have yet to rise, but virtual onslaught within the fantastic world of “Red Dead Redemption” is a solid alternative to real life zombie killing.
Release dates:
Call of Duty: Nov 9
Brotherhood: Nov 16
Kinect: Nov 4
Red Dead: Nov 23
 
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Contact Andrew Price at [email protected]