5 October 2012 Games You Have To Play (Part 2: October 17th – 31st)

Hopefully you haven’t spent all of your money already on games like Borderlands 2, Dishonored, or any of the EA Sports titles because these next two weeks of October are filled with high-quality titles. From a unique PSN title to a couple of stellar racing games, you can see what we think are the top 5 October 17th – 31st games you have to play below.

The Unfinished Swan (PS3 – PSN) – October 16th (PS+), October 23rd

Had we known that Giant Sparrow would be releasing The Unfinished Swan one week early to PlayStation Plus members at the time we made up part 1, it would have definitely been included. Well, since it is still officially releasing on the 23rd to the public, we can justify including it this time around.

Joining a very long list of PSN-exclusive titles like Journey and Papo & Yo which have offered gaming experiences that will be remembered for quite some time, The Unfinished Swan tells us the story of a young boy named Monroe. After his mother passes away and leaves him only a painting of an unfinished swan, he enters into a world of white. In order to beat the game, you must paint everything in sight to reveal the way out, via what the developer calls ‘first-person painting.’

If unique gaming experiences are your thing, The Unfinished Swan definitely fits the bill.

Forza Horizon (Xbox 360) – October 23rd

Forza Horizon takes the stellar gameplay, graphics, and physics of the Forza Motorsport series and puts them out on the open road for the first time. Players are thrust into the picturesque backwoods of rural Colorado for the “Horizon Festival,” a series of open road (and off-road) races that pits you against some of the best racers in the world. The game’s hub map is absolutely gigantic, well over 400 miles of absolutely beautiful landscape ranging from mountains to forests to the desert with persistent AI traffic, variable weather, and a continuous day/night cycle to make things all the more interesting.

The name of the game in Forza Horizon is freedom—you’re free to go just about anywhere at any time as you develop your character throughout the game. In addition to the event races, the world map has tons of side missions and discoverables which will help you along the road to gold. You can whiz through speed traps (don’t worry about slowing down, apparently there’s no cops in Colorado, and the game actually encourages you to gun it as you approach a speed camera), find abandoned “barn cars” and restore them to working order, and earn street cred by doing all sorts of reckless crap that would probably get you killed in real life—like sideswiping an 18 wheeler on a blind corner. Just like in Forza proper, you can also challenge your friends on Xbox Live or race against their ghosts in races they’ve already completed to see if you can post a better time.

The Forza Horizon demo is available now on Xbox Live and I would definitely recommend you check it out, even if you’ve already pre-ordered it, as players who complete the demo unlock the Forza Horizon “Gone Gold” Edition 2013 Dodge SRT Viper GTS  in the retail version of Forza Horizon on launch day.

Assassin’s Creed III (PS3, Xbox 360) – October 30th

Despite the ‘three’ in its title, Assassin’s Creed 3 is actually the fifth such game in Ubisoft’s memory-jumping mega-franchise (not counting spin-offs like Assassin’s Creed: Liberation for the PlayStation Vita). This is the game Asssassin’s Creed fans have been waiting nearly six years for, as AC3 promises to wrap up the long-simmering storyline of Desmond Miles and alleged end of the world in the series’ 2012 setting.

But before all that, we’ve got to get back in the damn Animus and kill some British people. Set during years of the American Revolution (including the run up to and aftermath thereof) Assassin’s Creed 3 follows the life of Connor Kenway, a half-English, half-Mohawk young man who’s inducted into the Assassin Order after his village is destroyed by British forces before the start of the Revolution. Just like Assassin’s Creed 2 followed Ezio Auditore’s coming of age as an assassin set against the backdrop of Rodrigo Borgia’s ascent to the Papacy, Assassin’s Creed 3 does much the same with Connor’s life set against the emergence of the United States government.

Assassin’s Creed 3 shows nothing but promise and is going to be one of the top must-play games of not just October, but the entire year. The series is known for its terrific gameplay, and Assassin’s Creed 3 looks to do nothing but improve upon its previous outings. The new setting and main character both look and feel fantastic, and the promise of closure for Desmond’s storyline is most welcome too. 

Need For Speed: Most Wanted (PS3, PC, PSV, Xbox 360, iOS, Android) – October 30th

The second of two racing games on our list, Need For Speed: Most Wanted looks to bring the title back to great heights after the disappointing Need For Speed: The Run launched last year. Developed by Criterion, the guys behind the Burnout franchise, Need For Speed: Most Wanted will offer a racing game that is all about speed.

Rather than the somewhat realistic nature of Forza Horizon, Need For Speed: Most Wanted will offer an experience close to that of a Burnout game. Your goal is to travel through Fairhaven, taking down the 10 most wanted racers by reaching insane speeds, power-sliding, and boosting.

Now, this behaviour does have consequences as the police will be on your tail, forcing you to outrun and outmaneuver them through this very awesome racer.

Okami HD (PS3 – PSN) – October 30th

Where the first four titles on this list were no-brainers, the fifth and final spot was not easy. Other titles like Skylanders Giants, Killzone Trilogy, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, WWE 13, Assassin’s Creed: Liberation, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, Lego Lord of the Rings, Zone of the Enders HD Collection, and more all fought for this spot. In the end though, we decided to go with Okami HD.

Okami HD is one of those games that received amazing reviews, but never got the sales it deserves. Even a Wii re-release of the title couldn’t help make this game some money, so Capcom is bringing it back on the PSN, complete with HD graphics, PlayStation Move support, and trophies.

For just $20, Okami HD is something that anyone looking for a big adventure game with stunning visuals should be downloading.

 

Like we pointed out above, the second half of October is absolutely filled to the brim with great games to play. Feel free to let us know in the comments section below which games you’ll be picking up in the next two weeks.

You May Also Like:

October 2012 New Releases

November 2012 New Releases

December 2012 New Releases

January 2013 New Releases