Halloween spirit is in the air as fall is in full swing, promising indie darlings and Triple A hits week after week. This year has a lot to live up to compared to 2023’s best video games, but it’s been strong so far with releases like Princess Peach: Showtime! and Little Kitty, Big City winning over gamers and cat lovers alike.
Let’s check out what video games are hitting storefronts this week.
Batman: Arkham Shadow (10/22)
Platforms: Meta Quest 3
We don’t usually spotlight VR games in this column, but the Bat deserves mention regardless of platform or medium. The Arkham series ruled the past two generations, but this year’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League didn’t exactly light the world on fire. While a VR-only game, Batman: Arkham Shadow looks to return the series to its highs of yesteryear. A sequel to Arkham Origins, it’ll have you control Batman as he attempts to protect the streets of Gotham from a new villain, the Rat King. Gameplay will consist of the series’ classic rhythmic combat and stealth sections.
Sonic x Shadow Generations (10/25)
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
Sonic the Hedgehog continues to dominate the decade with another new release, Sonic x Shadow Generations. It bundles together a remaster of 2011’s Sonic Generations with a new title, Shadow Generations, which runs concurrently with the previous title. You’ll platform as Shadow through a mix of 2D and 3D levels. Shadow can stop time to freeze objects and access Doom Powers to gain new abilities.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (10/25)
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 continues the story from 2020’s Black Ops Cold War as its campaign picks up in 1991 at the outbreak of the Gulf War. Of course, the real draws are the multiplayer and zombies modes, which promise the quick-twitch action the series is known for. Black Ops 6 will launch with 16 multiplayer maps and two zombies maps, while the main new gameplay element is its omnidirectional movement, which allows players to sprint or slide in new ways. Co-developed by Treyarch and Raven Software since 2020, Black Ops 6 has had the longest development cycle of any COD game. Hopefully this pays off in a COD that achieves the highs the series used to be known for, compared to last year’s crunch-induced dud of Modern Warfare III.
