This week at the Gamescom convention in Germany, video game developers and publishers unleashed a flurry of new media for games coming out this fall, holiday season and beyond.
I thought it would be easier on you and I if I collected the new Gamescom trailers into sets of five so you didn’t have to click through ten or more articles to view them all. It’s a simple solution to an overload of new goodies to take in.
Be sure to let me know in the comments section below if this format that separates console and handheld games in small groups of five works for you.
Dark Souls (Namco Bandai / Xbox 360, PS3 / October 4, 2011)
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. In the case of Dark Souls, enemies are naturally super-sized to make you work harder to defeat them. They’re also pretty nasty looking which goes right along with the game’s name.
What’s intriguing about Dark Souls is the gameplay, hero character and environments are reminiscent of The Elder Scrolls games. That’s not to say it’s a wannabe clone; in fact, I suspect Dark Souls will stand just fine on its own two feet. It’s hard not to draw comparisons based on the visual style.
Click here to pre-order Dark Souls on Xbox 360 or PS3 at Amazon.com.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations (Ubisoft / Xbox 360, PS3, PC / November 15, 2011)
Ubisoft continues to crank out an annual edition to the Assassin’s Creed family of games with the latest, Assassin’s Creed Revelations. This one boasts new skills and moves as you would expect, but also promises to expand upon the multiplayer modes which should naturally increase the replay value. By now you know what to expect from an Assassin’s Creed game so if you crave more adventures with Ezio, Ubisoft is ready to deliver.
Click here to pre-order Assassin’s Creed Revelations on Xbox 360, PS3 or the PC at Amazon.com.
Rayman Origins (Ubisoft / Xbox 360, PS3, Wii / November 15, 2011)
Ubisoft is counter-programming their own Assassin’s Creed Revelations with something much lighter that families can enjoy. There’s always space in the gaming community for a solid platformer and all indications suggest Rayman Origins will deliver this holiday season.
I must warn you the Rayman Origins Gamescom trailer doesn’t include a hint of gameplay. It’s a big comical cartoon that somewhat resembles the quirky animation seen in the actual gameplay, but that gameplay that looks so promising is frustratingly absent.
Click here to pre-order Rayman Origins on Xbox 360, PS3 or the Wii at Amazon.com.
Anarchy Reigns (SEGA / Xbox 360, PS3 / January 19, 2012)
Hack, slash and draw blood is the name of the game in SEGA’s upcoming third-person action game Anarchy Reigns. It’s a free-for-all slasher that mixes in some nuances such as grabbing an enemy from behind or using insanely massive weapons in a small confined space. If you don’t appreciate frenetic hack-n-slash gameplay then this gory game probably won’t tickle your senses.
Click here to pre-order Anarchy Reigns on Xbox 360 or PS3 at Amazon.com.
Sonic Generations (SEGA / Xbox 360, PS3, DS / November 1, 2011)
Sonic’s back yet again, but this time SEGA is employing a neat little twist that breathes new life into the franchise as it celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. As the name Sonic Generations implies, you’ll get to control era-specific versions of the blue hedgehog in modern three dimensional and remastered classic side-scrolling worlds. It’s also a 3D compatible game which seems to fit the gameplay style perfectly.
SEGA has oddly opted to make Sonic Generations available for DS, but not Wii. Could there be a Wii U and 3DS version in development that kept those two platforms out of the plans for now? We’ll find out either way next year.
Click here to pre-order Sonic Generations on Xbox 360, PS3 or the DS at Amazon.com.
Keep checking back for part 2 of our Gamescom game trailers coverage.
