Fall game preview

Fall is a great time to be a gamer. The slow summer release schedule is over and publishers start pushing their holiday titles out the door. The marquee titles of the year are finally ready to be released alongside a slew of others. There are enough games out there to make any gamer overwhelmed. Here are a few of the games to look out for this fall and holiday season.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops,” Nov. 9 (PS3, 360, PC, Wii)
Here’s another November complete with another “Call of Duty.”
The series steps away from the familiar settings of modern war and World War II and instead moves into the Cold War. Developed by Treyarch (“Call of Duty: World at War”), the game’s single-player mode promises to bring all of the action and explosions of a Hollywood blockbuster. Treyarch is also upgrading to the game’s popular multiplayer mode to include a currency system that can be used to purchase weapons and clothing during matches. Perhaps most exciting is the return of the cooperative zombie mode last seen in “World at War” that pits up to four players against wave after wave of a zombie horde. As the biggest title of the season, this is sure to satisfy fans of multiplayer shooters.

“NBA Jam,” Now Available (Wii, 360, PS3)
“NBA Jam” brings all the catch-phrases and arcade action into the modern NBA. “Remix Tour” mode will give the game a single-player mode complete with boss battles. In addition, several NBA legends are unlockable, including Karl Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon. Of course, “NBA Jam” wouldn’t be complete without the president, and he delivers. Players can play as Republican and Democrat teams and answer the most important question from the 2008 election: Would President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden defeat Senator John McCain and Sarah Palin in a game of basketball?

“Medal of Honor,” Now Available (PS3, 360, PC)
EA reboots its classic shooter franchise and brings it into the modern age. The game didn’t shy away from controversy, using a modern Afghanistan setting and until recently, a playable Taliban in multiplayer.
Controversy aside, gamers should take note; the multiplayer portion of the game was developed by DICE, the same studio behind the stellar “Battlefield: Bad Company 2.” For shooter fans looking for an alternative to “Call of Duty” this fall, “Medal of Honor” hopes to deliver.

“Rock Band 3,” Oct. 26 (PS3, 360, Wii)
Backwards compatibility with the music and DLC from all previous “Rock Band” games (except “The Beatles: Rock Band”), a song library of close to 2,000 songs and classic tracks such as “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Cold as Ice” would be enough to get anyone excited about “Rock Band 3.” Developer Harmonix goes above and beyond with both a keyboard and the game’s new Pro Mode. The keyboard is MIDI compatible and features 25 full-sized keys as well as the ability to wear it as a keytar for rocking out to those ’80s hits. Pro Mode finally attempts to turn “Rock Band” skill into musical skill. Gone are the colored rectangles representing notes. Instead, the game will slowly teach players how to play each song, and Expert Pro Mode has the player playing a completely transcribed version of the song. To use Pro Mode, players need a new cymbal set for drums, a new 102 button guitar controller or the six-stringed Stratocaster controller that doubles as a real electric guitar.

“Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood,” Nov. 16 (PS3, 360) Feb. 22, 2011 (PC)
“Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” serves as a direct sequel to “Assassin’s Creed II” and continues the story of Ezio as he tries to reorganize the Brotherhood in Rome. Central to this is the new ability to recruit and command novice assassins. Sending assassins on missions to gain experience ahead of time will help players when Ezio calls on them later for assistance in combat. The biggest addition is a multiplayer mode, a first for the series. The Wanted Mode in particular is intriguing. Each player is given another player to kill and must do so without being seen by anyone else. With a refined single-player experience and a promising multiplayer component, “Brotherhood” looks to be a winner.

“Epic Mickey,” Nov. 30 (Wii)
It may be a Mickey Mouse game, but don’t let that turn you off. Disney is looking to rebrand Mickey in the 21st century and has given acclaimed game designer Warren Spector (“Deus Ex,” “System Shock”) plenty of freedom to do so. “Epic Mickey” is a dark platformer based heavily on the classic film “Fantasia.” The game includes classic Disney characters re-imagined in the dark world of the Cartoon Wasteland. Characters include a robotic Donald Duck and the lesser known Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. On top of all this, Disney has allowed Spector to show off Mickey’s mischievous side, one not seen since his early days.

“World of WarCraft: Cataclysm,” Dec. 7 (PC)
Twelve million players and near complete domination of the MMO market haven’t stopped Blizzard from working hard on “World of WarCraft.” The third expansion, “Cataclysm,” finally introduces Goblins as a playable race and raises the level cap to 85. Goblins join the horde while the werewolf-like Worgen join the Alliance. In addition to the new races, the main area of the game world has been redone. New quests, locations, dungeons and a few returning favorites make this the largest and most ambitious expansion to “World of WarCraft” to date.

“LittleBigPlanet 2,” Jan. 18, 2011 (PS3)
“LittleBigPlanet 2” is a huge game. With a literally endless supply of user-created levels, plus backwards compatibility with most of the content from the first game, players could play countless hours without ever stepping foot into a level designed by developer Media Molecule. The platforming gameplay takes place in a 2.5-D world with three layers of space the player can occupy. After spending some time playing around in other users’ creations, the game’s expanded and advanced creation tools allows for anyone to try their hand at creating the next masterpiece. With new gameplay styles, more advanced level creation tools and planned DLC, “LittleBigPlanet 2” looks to improve on the original’s all ready solid gameplay.

“Fable III,” Oct. 26 (360) TBA 2010 (PC)
The “Fable” series has largely been unable to live up to the grand aspirations of designer Peter Molyneux, but the games were still both fun to play and at times quite funny. “Fable III” promises to offer the biggest decisions in the series to date. In addition to a streamlined action RPG experience, the second half of the game has players ruling an entire kingdom and making difficult decisions that affect the subjects’ lives. Tax an area too heavily and it will become visibly poorer on future visits, the buildings eventually crumbling. With the promise of world-changing decisions and a menuless and refined combat system, “Fable III” may finally deliver on the series’ promise.

“Portal 2,” Feb. 9, 2011 (PS3, 360, PC, Mac)
After using “The Orange Box” as a tool to test out “Portal’s” success, Valve has pulled out all the stops for the sequel. Taking place hundreds of years after the first game, GLaDOS is “still alive” and is rebuilding the Aperture Science facility. Players will have to solve more physics-based puzzles using the trusty portal gun as they try to stop GLaDOS again. New for “Portal 2” is a two-player cooperative mode. Each portal gun fires its own set of portals, and the cooperative test rooms are supposed to be much more challenging to compensate. “Portal” was the surprise hit of 2007, and while “Portal 2” won’t be sneaking up on anyone, it should still be a hit.

“Fallout: New Vegas,” Oct. 19 (PS3, 360, PC)
“Fallout: New Vegas” sees the “Fallout” series return to the West. Taking place in the aptly named New Vegas, the latest “Fallout” game was led in development by Chris Avellone, the lead designer on the original, cancelled “Fallout 3” project, code-named Van Buren. The game adds a robust weapon modifying and crafting system, different currencies for each faction and a system for issuing orders to your companions, all in addition to the V.A.T.S. combat system and open-ended gameplay of “Fallout 3.” Players seeking an even greater challenge can try the new hardcore mode where the player needs to eat, sleep and drink, and currencies and ammo weigh the player down.

Some other games to check out:
“Costume Quest,” Oct. 20 (PSN, XBLA)
“Costume Quest” is a turn-based RPG from Tim Schafer’s studio Double Fine where the character’s powers are based off the Halloween costume they are wearing.

“Donkey Kong Country Returns,” Nov. 21 (Wii)
Similar to the “New Super Mario Bros.” series, “Donkey Kong Country Returns” hopes to bring back the classic platforming series for a new generation.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1,” Now Available (PSN, WiiWare, XBLA)
Sega finally gives fans what they have been asking for with a new 2-D “Sonic” based on the classic Genesis games.

“Vanquish,” Oct. 19 (PS3, 360)
“Vanquish” is a futuristic third-person shooter from “Resident Evil” creator Shinji Mikami. It has been called a cross between “Gears of War” and “Bayonetta,” so there should be plenty of action.

“Kirby’s Epic Yarn,” Oct. 17 (Wii)
We finally have a new Kirby platformer with one of the cutest and most visually stunning art styles coming out this fall.

“GoldenEye 007,” Nov. 2 (Wii)
A remake of the N64 classic starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, the game will feature updated maps and areas from the 1997 game, including multiplayer favorite the Facility.

“Duke Nukem Forever,” Early 2011 (PS3, 360, PC)
After more than 12 years in development and becoming the butt of jokes everywhere, Duke finally shows up to the party after being saved by “Borderlands” developer Gearbox. Expect a loud, crude and offensive shooter similar to the classic “Duke Nukem” games.