Fall Video Games Preview 2015

Release Date: Oct. 6

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One

It’s been five years since Harmonix delivered an installment of the Rock Band franchise, and the latest entry in the series gives players some strong reasons to repopulate their living room with plastic instruments. First and foremost, all of that money you spent on downloadable songs will not go to waste—players can transfer over their extra tunes from their Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 library to bolster their Xbox One and PlayStation 4 Rock Band 4 setlists. And while much of it may seem like more of the same, that’s not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to Harmonix’s skill with rhythm games. The developer wants to do as much as it can to round out the experience: the new guitar freestyle mode, improved drum fills, better tuned singing, and plenty of other tweaks. Throw in U2, Bruno Mars, Elvis Presley, and tracks from more than 60 other artists, with the addition of more downloadable songs and features to come, and Harmonix is offering plenty of reasons to virtually rock out once again. —Jonathon Dornbush

Release Date: Oct. 6

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows PC

Platinum Games has a fascinating track record, releasing some great original games like Bayonetta and occasional clunkers like The Legend of Korra. While Transformers Devastation, might, on the surface, seem like a cash-in on a familiar franchise, there’s hope for the brawler. Harkening back to the original 80’s cartoon art style and including original voice actors like Peter Cullen and Frank Weller, the game looks to be a love letter to what made fans fall for the robots in disguise in the first place, though we'll have to wait and see if the game will make us roll out to pick it up. —Jonathon Dornbush

Release Date: Oct. 6

Platforms: PlayStation 4

Naughty Dog delivered some of the most exciting adventures of the last gaming generation with the Uncharted trilogy, turning what could have been a simple Indiana Jones knockoff into a blockbuster franchise with endearing characters and spectacular set-pieces. Whether you played all three before and need to brush up before next year's Uncharted 4 or never had a chance to pick the games up, Nathan Drake's adventures are well worth the price of admission. Add in improved visuals (do yourself a favor and don't go back to see how poorly Uncharted: Drake's Fortune has aged) and a few additional modes, and The Nathan Drake Collection makes for a perfect way to get over the delay of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End into 2016. —Jonathon Dornbush

Release Date: Oct. 13 (Episode 1)

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows PC, Mac (iOS and Android arrive on Oct. 15, with Wii U and PlayStation Vita versions to come)

Telltale Games brings its familiar and frequently successful episodic structure to one of the biggest gaming phenomena of the last few years—Minecraft. With an all-star cast including Patton Oswalt, Paul Reubens, and many more, Minecraft: Story Mode tells an original, Goonies-influenced story using the blocky style and world of Minecaft. The sheer open-ended nature of Minecraft should allow Telltale to put its stamp on a corner of the Minecraft universe without betraying what fans love. We’ll know soon enough if Telltale can build up as memorable a series as it has with franchises like The Walking Dead and Tales from the Borderlands.—Jonathon Dornbush

Release Date: Oct. 16

Platforms: Wii U

First Kirby, now Yoshi—the lovable Nintendo dinosaur is the first Yoshi console game since 1997 with an adorable yarn aesthetic. The 2D platformer has already released in Japan and Europe, and while it hasn't made a name for itself as a particularly challenging or most ingenious entry in Yoshi's library, the gorgeous art design looks like a treat to not only play through but simply watch. So why so much excitement then? OK, we can't lie—the Yarn Yoshi amiibo (in normal and extra-large sizes) is just about the cutest pack-in Nintendo has made. Seriously, even if you don't consider picking up the game, a Yarn Yoshi on its own still seems like a no-brainer purchase.—Jonathon Dornbush

Release Date: Oct. 20

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U (iOS version coming soon)

The battle of the virtual bands officially returns this fall as Guitar Hero returns too. Setting itself apart from its competitor, the franchise, now developed by the team behind the underrated DJ Hero games, has stripped away the emphasis on a full band experience and returned the series to its roots—the guitar. And they’re doing that with a brand new control scheme, using two rows of three buttons rather than the single row of five colored buttons most players have come to know. This puts all players at an even starting point, letting even the most hardcore music fans have a fresh beginning. The game also wants to act like a virtual jukebox or MTV back when MTV was actually about music television—in addition to the on-disc songs, players will be able to play along with 24/7 streaming channels of different artists, genres, and more. —Jonathon Dornbush

Release Date: Oct. 23

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One (Windows PC version arrives on Nov. 19)

Assassin’s Creed had a rough year in 2014. There’s no denying it, and even developer and publisher Ubisoft has acknowledged that. So Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is attempting to be somewhat of a mea culpa. Though signs certainly indicate the game isn’t a major deviation from the AC standard, the game looks to be expanding in interesting and potentially exciting ways. Vehicles now play a role in combat and traversal, a Batman-esque grappling hook makes navigation less tedious, and the twin protagonists (Jacob and Evie Fry) open up the storytelling possibilities in completely different ways. We still can’t say for sure if the mission design will improve, how the story will play out, or if the modern day setting will have any meaning this time around, but there are signs that Ubisoft is doing what they can to turn things around this year. —Jonathon Dornbush

Release Date: Oct. 23

Platforms: Nintendo 3DS

While fans dutifully wait for the next major The Legend of Zelda, the latest handheld entry, Tri Force Heroes, is putting a fun spin on one of the franchise's offshoots. Like Four Swords Adventures before it, Heroes will be at its best when played cooperatively with others, though as the name indicates, the experience will allow up to three players to join forces (though players can venture out on their own). Players will have to work together to solve puzzles and defeat foes, while a suite of unique and, frankly, adorable costumes will grant players different abilities that will come in handy in progressing through the game's trials.—Jonathon Dornbush

Release date: Oct. 27

Platforms: Xbox One

Microsoft’s flagship series returns with an ambitious story that sees series hero Master Chief and his Blue Team of Spartans being hunted by new playable character Spartan Locke and his Fireteam Osiris. Players will alternate between Chief and Locke throughout the campaign to get different angles on the story. But the most anticipated addition to the already robust multiplayer suite is the brand-new Warzone mode, which features a 24-player option with AI-controlled enemies on maps that are up to four times the size of previous ones. “Warzone is the most ambitious mode we have ever made,” says Chris Lee, executive producer at 343 Industries. “It has all of the best parts of Halo in one massive mode.” Castle and Firefly star Nathan Fillion reprises his role from Halo 3: ODST, and They Live’s Keith David returns as the Arbiter. —Aaron Morales

Release Date: Nov. 6

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows PC

This year’s entry in the megafranchise goes back to the future, where robotics have changed the front lines of war along with select groups of supersoldiers. “Black Ops 3 is delivering the richest and deepest experience yet to the Call of Duty franchise on every front,” Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia says. (Though word of warning to PS3/Xbox 360 players—those versions of the game will not feature the campaign.) The new time period has introduced a host of changes to battle, while multiplayer now includes a Specialists class system to let you choose from soldiers with various abilities along with a new weapon-customization system. Katee Sackhoff and Christopher Meloni lend their voices to the campaign, while Zombies mode features Heather Graham, Ron Perlman, Jeff Goldblum, and more.—Jonathon Dornbush

Release Date: Nov. 6

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Despite having already grown to popular heights in Japan for years, Yo-kai Watch is only seeing its first official North American release this fall. Many comparisons have been made to Pokémon, both in terms of the game's cultural resonance in Japan and its gameplay, which tasks players with finding, befriending, and then having Yo-kai join your team to battle other Yo-kai (no imprisonment in tiny yo-kaiballs, it seems). Yo-kai are, for lack of a better term, spirits inhabiting the world that cause trouble in daily life but are normally unseen. With over 200 Yo-kai to find hidden around the game's world, there is plenty of mischief for players to manage, and if the gameplay proves as satisfying as Pokémon's did years ago, we may see many more Yo-kai games find their way across the ocean in the years to come.—Jonathon Dornbush

Release date: Nov. 10

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC

It’s time to venture out into the wasteland once again with Fallout 4. And Bethesda Game Studios is combining what players loved in Fallout 3 with a suite of enhancements in a massive postapocalyptic New England. “It’s enormous,” game director Todd Howard says, and that simple phrase is true of both the game’s environment and its gameplay. There’s an entirely new crafting system that adds a little Minecraft to the Fallout world. “It has so much to discover, and that’s what excites us—for everyone to pick it up and experience that wonder of being in a new place,” Howard says. Ron Perlman, normally the series’ narrator, will now play a TV news anchor heard at the game’s start reporting the dropping of the game’s apocalypse-inducing bombs. —Jonathon Dornbush

Release Date: Nov. 10

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360

The team behind Rise of the Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics, is sticking to the tried-and-true formula of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” focusing on enhancing the solid foundation they established with 2013’s series reboot. Attempting to finish her father’s mission for the secret to immortality, Lara goes on an adventure that tests her on an emotional level as much as it challenges players on a gameplay one. And with the promise of more tombs, larger, more varied environments, and many more bears, it looks to be an adventure well worth taking. “We can’t wait for fans to experience Lara’s journey to become the Tomb Raider,” says game director Brian Horton. Grey’s Anatomy’s Camilla Luddington again brings Lara to life via voice and motion-capture performance. —Jonathon Dornbush

Release Date: Nov. 17

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC

Not only will the Force finally awaken in theaters on Dec. 18, but gamers will have the chance to enter some of the series’ most famous locales in Star Wars Battlefront. The 40-player online shooter lets you control either a Rebel Alliance soldier or an Imperial Stormtrooper and features such iconic locations as Endor, Hoth, and Tatooine. Look for special appearances by characters like R2-D2 and C-3PO, as well as some Jedi masters you may have heard of. “There is just something special about playing as Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader in the middle of an intense multiplayer battle,” says Niklas Fegraeus, design director at DICE. Fans can get an early taste on Oct. 8 when the multiplayer beta goes live for five days. C-3P0 himself, Anthony Daniels, is programmed into the game for etiquette and protocol (but not destruction).—Aaron Morales

Release Date: Dec. 1

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC

Rico Rodriguez is back in Just Cause 3 for an adventure that looks to let players cause as much mayhem and as many explosions as they could desire. The series, which has become known for its destructible environments and traversal elements that allow that destruction to be as easy as possible returns, has a brand new wingsuit allowing Rico to easily navigate the more vertical map. Sure, there's a story about Rico returning to his home island in the Mediterranean where a horrific dictator has assumed control, but all you really need to know is that the story and the world want to facilitate your appetite for destruction. And all signs point to Just Cause 3 likely being a more than satisfying meal in that regard.—Jonathon Dornbush