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By Laith Salama / Staff Writer
Balancing act (Games Press )
By Laith Salama / Staff Writer
With the 2011-12 academic year under way, students have a lot of responsibilities on their plates, including a somewhat daunting budget crisis to deal with.
To take their minds off all the hectic activity, this fall looks pretty promising in the wonderful world of gaming.
Throughout the semester, there are all sorts of games coming out that will make students wish they were at home playing, instead of being stuck in class.
First person shooter fans can look forward to blasting locusts in half on Sept. 20 with X-Box’s much anticipated “Gears of War 3.”
The game offers a wide variety of new weapons and game modes that should keep the war between man and alien-like mole men storming strong for hours on end.
Speaking of man’s survival, Playstation 3 owners can look forward to yet another sequel, “Resistance 3.”
Though the second installment of the series disappointed many fans of the first game, this one is supposed to put the argument of whether this series has a future to rest. Gamers can decide for themselves on Sept. 6.
If it seems there are one too many “part threes” coming out, consider giving the new zombie apocalypse game “Dead Island” a shot. After all who doesn’t like a good zombie game?
A pretty straightforward storyline, “Dead Island,” released Sept. 6, is a first person shooter about a vacation gone wrong.
Players who thought they were done killing zombies, worrying about infections, being eaten alive, alerting the horde, turning a wrong corner, waiting two minutes to open a door, disturbing an ancient curse, strapping chainsaws to canoe paddles, or waking up witches, think again. Apparently it’s never done.
Another game of interest, which comes out Oct. 18, is “Batman: Arkham City.”
The first game of this franchise, “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” caught everyone off guard with how good it turned out to be, so excitement is building for the next installment.
“Arkham City” will include Robin and Catwoman as playable characters, with several different versions of Robin available.
The game features Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil reprising their roles as Batman and the Joker, plus story by famed Batman writer Paul Dini.
Things get even better Nov. 1 when adventure-seekers can look forward to joining Nathan Drake on his next treasure hunt through the desert in “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.”
Focusing more on the friendship between Drake and Sullivan, and with its characteristic cinematic experiences, witty dialogue and constant peril, “Uncharted 3” is likely not to disappoint.
The year’s most anticipated game, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,” out Nov. 8, is sure to have fans lined up at the door.
Activision cleaned it up, threw in some new weapons and polished up the game play so fans of the series can look forward to some kick-butt action, including destructible surroundings.
Longtime fans can travel back to Hyrule on Nov. 20 with “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.”
Nintendo has reinvented its long-running franchise, using the Wii motion plus controller so that players’ actions match what’s on the screen.
Nintendo has yet to release a “Zelda” game that was less than fantastic, so why would they start here?
The “Elder Scrolls” games are kind of hit and miss. Some love them, some hate them. For those that love them, “Elder Scrolls: Skyrim” hits stores Nov. 11.
To wrap up this fall’s selection of awesome video games, “Assassin’s Creed: Revelations” is also scheduled for a Nov. 15 release.
With such a wide array of games coming out, this fall has something for everyone. Though some are still a long way off, gamers may want to start saving up some money to get a head start.