What's Goin' Down: My Most Anticipated Games

Do you smell it? Things are changing. Soon, the leaves will fall and the cool air will blow. Not that I'll notice, because I'll be too busy playing those new video games!

Between God of War, the Yakuza series, and catching up on the Switch's cavernous library, this year has already bore some impressive gaming fruit for me. But that don't mean we're done by a long shot!

Conveniently for blogging purposes, my anticipated games can be broken up into monthly intervals. So, uh. let's write about them, I guess. (nailed it)

September -- Spider-Man

I got pretty tired of the old Arkham formula after a while. I can only beat down so many thugs, and my tolerance for collecting question marks is pretty much evaporated at this point. That might be why my excitement for the new Spider-Man game is somewhat muted.

Still, every time they show something new for the game, I get more interested. It's one of those games where the enjoyment is conveyed just from looking at it. Apply all the fancy adjectives you want, but the best word for swinging around is just "fun."

Not only is Insomniac a trustworthy studio, but they've shown a lot of appreciation for the little details of Spider-Man's world. One of my favorite things is how Spidey will take pictures with civilians or just throw out some quick finger guns. This is great after Arkham's stupid write-offs for why no innocent people are hanging around the streets of Gotham.

Anyway, the real reason I want this game is because the new trailer with J. Jonah Jameson's radio show was appropriately stupid and self-aware, and even listening to him describe typical open-world activities is great.

October - Red Dead Redemption 2

This is a weird one. Have you ever felt excited for a game out of obligation? That's sort of what I feel with Red Dead Redemption 2. By all means, there's a lot to love. The game is sure to greatly innovate on graphics, storytelling, and horse testicle technology. But I find myself looking forward to this game more because of how prolific the last game was and the staggering popularity of Rockstar's catalog.

But I, for one, think their writing is pretty lame. It's mostly one-note "satire" that wears thin real quick. And while taking the setting out of modern society might reduce some of that, it also takes away the potency of the wacky open-world hijinks GTA is so famous for. And is anyone really invested in Blue Shirt Guy's story when we know where it ends?

This is all speculation, of course. Rockstar's talked a big game about the advancements in all the systems and whatnot. At the very least, Red Dead could top God of War for Desktop Generator of the Year. We'll have to see how it pans out, but one thing's for sure: I'm staying far away from the online component because fuck that noise.

November - HITMAN 2

Oh yeah, now we're speaking my language! You may ask, isn't Hitman 2 just more Hitman? I say, I sure hope so! I think I've said just about everything I can about how great Hitman is, and the sequel is only looking to build on what's already there. Even the little sniper minigame they put out is surprisingly fun.

Only one location has been shown off, but I'm sure the team has learned a lot from the first season. With any luck there will be more maps like Hokkaido, and less like Colorado. Elusive targets and community contracts also add new wrinkles to the environments. Some of the later elusive targets, and especially the game of the year content, have really demonstrated IO's mastery of their formula.

Here's very conclusive evidence of my excitement for this game - for the first time, I preordered the Super Duper Edition that comes with everything plus more. Time will tell if this was a good move - after all, WB hardly has a good track record with this stuff - but I'll do whatever I can to ensure IO can make the best experience possible.

December - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

We're in Switch City, baby, and the buses have stopped running!

Even with a truncated hype cycle this time around, the wait for the new Smash is as agonizing as ever. Who doesn't want to take Simon Belmont for a test drive? He's only bringing 34 freaking music tracks with him!

I think my friends and I will be living and breathing Smash for a long time after this game hits. I can be somewhere,beat someone down in Smash, and wind down with a quick Picross puzzle? Sign me the dang up.

They've changed things around to the point where every character looks fun to play (except Cloud because he can choke on his own giant sword). The new modes are exciting - squad strike, where you switch out your set of characters, and smashdown, where each fighter can only be picked once.

Cramming a ludicrous amount of content into the Ultimate Smash Bros. - I can think of no better way to close out the year.

On their own, any of these four games would be exciting. But to have them come out in such quick succession is madness. Right now, I feel like I'm right on the top of the roller coaster, seconds away from a blistering ride. In just a few short weeks, the summer drought will be truly over - and this will be a fall to remember.