Nearing the end of October and we are looking at double digit temperatures. Sure, we've had some snow here and there but it looks like we will have a fall here in Central Alberta.
October also means Thanksgiving and, of course, Halloween. Before you know it we're into November and Remembrance Day and then December and Christmas and New Year's and family.
No, this commentary isn't just a list of holidays and months. I'm getting somewhere. I'm talking about video games and how most of the best games come out just before Christmas. I mean, it makes sense. That would be when most people buy games, for gifts and whatnot.
In the past I have lamented the lack of games throughout the rest of the year. However, this year there has been some gems in the so-called off-season. I've been playing Horizon Zero Dawn and Spider-Man recently. Both games are very enjoyable single player outings. In Horizon you play as a young female hunter who is cast off from her clan. She eventually learns her history as she hunts robot monsters that get progressively tougher. The action is fast and fierce and you are rewarded for being smart and using different traps and ranged weapons. Going in melee-style doesn't generally work.
As for Spider-Man, it's a tough learning curve but once you get used to the mechanics for dodging and parrying, it gets easier. Still, it's quite challenging but enjoyable as you take on many of the villains that have fought Spidey over the years such as Dr. Octopus, Vulture and Electro.
Coming out recently was the next iteration in the Call of Duty series, Black Ops 4. Although I haven't played it yet, it looks good and has gotten some very good reviews.
New this year is the lack of any kind of single player campaign as well as the addition of a battle royale mode. Of course, battle royales (if you don't know, it's usually 100 players dropped on an island and the last one, or two or four standing are the winners) are very popular with Player Unknown-Battleground (PUBG) and, especially, Fortnite, being huge hits.
The video game industry is not above following trends -- please see zombies, which is also included in Black Ops 4 -- until everyone is sick to death of them.
That said, I am looking forward to seeing what the Call of Duty (COD) makers can do with the battle royale mode. I don't think many people will really miss the single player campaign. People pick up COD for the fast-paced multiplayer action, not to slog through a campaign.
There are plenty of other great games coming up in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Possibly the biggest one is Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2, the sequel to the best selling open-world western style game. Rockstar is, of course, known for the expansive and realistic open world settings from the Grand Theft Auto games and the original Red Dead Redemption. The sequel promises more outlaw justice in the old frontier.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey is the next game in that yearly series. Assassin's Creed has become a huge open world game about exploring and completing missions in old world settings like ancient Greece.
Another series is taking a little different angle, as Fallout 76 moves away from post-apocalyptic single player action to post-apocalyptic online multi-player action. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out. Playing with other people online can be a lot of fun but also people can be jerks. So that always makes things unpredictable and interesting.
My list doesn't include any sports games. The big ones release every year around early fall generally without many big changes. Nor do I mention any Nintendo Switch games, since I don't have that system. But whatever games you like, or someone you're buying for likes, you'll have plenty of options to choose from this holiday season.
Craig Lindsay is the reporter for the Mountain View Gazette
