Every few months we take a look at what's coming in the year's next season, and with the Autumnal Equinox on September 23, it's time to look at all the games we'll be playing in the darkening harbinger of winter. There's going to be a lot to play, especially in November, so it might be a good thing that XCOM 2 was delayed. How the hell were we supposed to play it while also playing Fallout 4?
September
SOMA
Release date: September 22
Link: Steam store page
SOMA either describes a neighborhood in San Francisco, or the new survival horror game from Frictional. We could tell you about a good sandwich shop in the former, but there probably aren’t any sandwiches of any kind in the latter, which takes place in a research facility gone all scary. Andy Kelly previewed SOMA back in July, where he was stalked by “an emu, but made of metal and wires” in the underwater facility. Knowing what we know about Frictional’s Amnesia: The Dark Descent, we’re a bit anxious about all this.
FIFA 16
Release date: September 22
Link: Origin store page
We asked one of our UK team members to write up this one, but they were busy, so it’s on the American team. Let’s see, FIFA, FIFA, FIFA. There’s definitely a ball.
Just kidding. We know what association football is. See? We called it association football like real know-it-alls. This year’s FIFA notably adds women’s teams, and a whole bunch of feature changes, which Ben Griffin wrote about in June. We’ll have a review soon.
Blood Bowl 2
Release date: September 22
Link: Steam store page
The second PC iteration of the American football and turn-based strategy hybrid looks mighty pretty, sporting a new graphics engine to showcase its cartoonish fantasy aesthetic. New online features allow you to customize championships and buy or sell players on the Transfer Market. And you’ll want to, since eight races with unique traits are available to throw at one another.
The Flame in the Flood
Release date: September 24 (Early Access)
Link: Steam store page
This Kickstarted river survival game goes into Early Access on the 24th, and we had a generally good time when we checked out the backer beta, despite being eaten by wolves a lot. It’s hard. But offsetting the pain of all the drowning and being eaten is The Flame in the Flood’s attractive backwater American style and folk music. The animations are really impressive, especially when flung from your makeshift raft in the rapids, and there’s a dog. As we all know, inclusion of a dog instantly improves critical reception.
NBA 2K16
Release date: September 29
Link: Steam store page
Most notable of the annual basketball game’s new features is the MyCAREER experience. It’s positioned as a dramatic singleplayer campaign that follows your player from being a top high school player through his NBA draft and beyond. Oh, and it’s “directed and produced” by Spike Lee. While the trailer makes the mode look a bit too self-serious, we're all for expanding the role-playing aspects of sport simulations. Maybe in 2K17, we’ll be able to retire, star in deodorant commercials, open used car dealerships, and golf on the weekends our wives leave town.
Sword Coast Legends
Release date: September 29
Link: Steam store page
It’s been a long time since Neverwinter Nights gave D&D fans the power to craft their own worlds and truly inhabit the DM role. In fact, it’s been over a decade since we got a true D&D experience on PC, period. Sword Coast Legends looks to be a promising successor to the isometric cRPG heritage, with a focus on co-op play and DMs being able to create their own levels in advance or shape dungeons and encounters on-the-fly while playing with a party. Sword Coast Legends may not have the depth of Neverwinter or a single-player story to rival Baldur’s Gate (although we can dream!), but it looks like a powerful enough toolset to keep isometric cRPG fans happy for a long time to come.
On the next page: October and November...
