Gaming

The biggest new video games releasing the week of 10/2/23

Check out what’s new in the world of video games this week.

October 2, 2023

The Summer of Gaming has come to an end, but no matter! Fall is always a wonderful time for new video games, and this season sees potential Game of the Year contenders come out week after week. Sandwiched between them are plenty of indie games to ensure it’ll be impossible for you to not find an exciting new release to play and fall in love with.

Let’s check out what video games are hitting storefronts this week.

Detective Pikachu Returns (10/6)

Platform: Nintendo Switch

While a sequel to Detective Pikachu the film is slowly getting off the ground, the sequel to the 2016 3DS game is here. Detective Pikachu Returns once again sees Tim Goodman and a talking Pikachu team up to solve mysteries in Ryme City including tracking down a jewel thief and figuring out why Tim’s father, Harry, went missing. Other Pokémon’s skills can help Pikachu and Tim in their investigations, like recruiting a Growlithe to sniff out clues. Pokémon GO is holding an event celebrating the release of Detective Pikachu Returns, meaning players will be able to catch hat-wearing Pikachus and Slowpokes.

NHL 24 (10/6)

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S

Featuring Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar on its cover, NHL 24 is the 33rd entry in EA’s hockey sim series. It revitalizes many aspects the series’ gameplay with a new skill system allowing for more complex deke moves, a new passing system, and the Exhaust Engine where high-pressure gameplay can both physically and mentally exhaust players. NHL 24 features full crossplay for its online modes, meaning you and your buddies across platforms can duke it out on the ice together as you wait for the NHL season to start this month.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage (10/5)

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S

The Assassin’s Creed franchise returns to its roots this week with the release of Assassin’s Creed Mirage. It’ll have more of a focus on linear storytelling and stealth gameplay while dropping some of the RPG elements the more recent games, like Odyssey and Origins, were known for. Originally starting development as an expansion to Valhalla, Mirage is a smaller standalone release (with a neat $50 price tag) that follows Basim Ibn Ishaq in Baghdad as he becomes the assassin you eventually meet in Vahalla. Gameplay will consist of the series’ signature parkour, finding ways to assassinate targets, and using the new Assassin’s Focus ability, which allows Basim to essentially teleport and take out enemies in quick succession.