Gears of War 3
Release Date: Sept. 20
With humanity on the brink of extinction, Marcus and Delta Squad have a lot riding on them. With only a few cryptic details leaked out about the most fist-bumping-est, bro-shooter of the season, all we know is that a secret collaboration between Papa Fenix and the Locust Queen may be the last chance at salvation.
With both sides fighting off their imminent deaths, the unlikely alliance must band together to quell the Lambent threat. Featuring some of the goriest multiplayer this side of the 360, Cliffy B. will be working overtime to make this one of the biggest trilogies of the season.
Rage
Release Date: Oct. 4
Rage, the upcoming first-person shooter from the developers at id, combines the gritty post-apocalyptic world of a quasi-Mad Max and the racing mechanics of beloved racer DiRT into a game that has high hopes to dethrone the cataclysmic king that is Fallout.
Mutants, thieves and bandits are all par for the course as the survivor of a time long past must fight for his life in a world unlike anything he had ever imagined. Between over-the-top racing action, heart-pounding shoot-outs and its gritty crippled-societal undertones, Rage looks to be a serious contender in the extremely overpopulated genre.
Batman: Arkham City
Release Date: Oct. 18
With the Joker back in the Asylum all should be well in the world of Bruce Wayne, but with Hugo Strange savagely enforcing the newly-created sector for the insane Gotham has become a ticking time bomb ready to explode.
Between its gratifying combat mechanics, intricate detective work and the plethora of personified comic characters, Arkham City will almost certainly swing its way to the top of gamers' must-play piles this fall. This time around Robin and Catwoman will join Bats in the fray, but going up against the likes of Two-Face, Penguin, Freeze and Hugo will be no easy task. Batarangs will fly when Batman and co. hit shelves in October.
Uncharted 3
Release Date: Nov. 1
Uncharted 2 was one of the best games to ever happen to the PlayStation 3, and with the Naughty Dog team becoming the spearhead of Sony's game development front, there's a lot of hype around Nathan Drake's latest exploits.
Sporting revised gameplay mechanics and much improved online play, Drake will have a busy few months. Uncharted 3 will have the globetrotting treasure hunter exploring vast expanses of Middle Eastern deserts. While Game of the Year awards are still months in the future, there's definitely a few gold doubloons on this game stealing the show.
Battlefield 3
Release Date: Oct. 25
In the intense rivalry between EA and Activision, everyone is a winner. For those looking to spice up their warfare with vehicular madness, look no further, as the Battlefield series has always delivered on the high-octane, frenetic action.
Because every match is a big team battle, players can look forward to teams of 12 on 12. For those rocking a keyboard and mouse, matches can reach the up to 64 digital soldiers. With both a new Call of Duty and a new Battlefield releasing a mere two weeks apart, UB Resnet should prepare itself for the approaching network onslaught.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Release Date: Nov. 11
Wizards and warriors unite as the role-playing game of the decade is a mere three months away. Bethesda, the masters of sandbox exploration have worked tirelessly on the 16-plus miles of area to traverse, filling it to the brim with creatures both magical and mundane.
Skyrim's game engine looks to be the most impressive yet, as players will be able to live out some of their most far-fetched fantasies in a world catered around their every whim. Fulfilling the legacy of the Dragon-Born is hard to do, but hey, somebody's got to do it.
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