September is the Gamepocalypse
Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images.
It’s happening folks, the end is nigh and the final destruction of my bank account is nigh. I will spend the last week before the beginning of the end training with my students in Fire Emblem Three Houses, using what little time I have left on a singular focus. You see, September is rife with so many game releases I don’t know what else I’ll be able to do but succumb to the bottomless void of game play and pizza rolls, forsaking all relationships and abandoning my fiscal responsibilities. Never has there been a month with this many releases that I am dying to play. The last time anything close to this happened was with the release of Horizon Zero Dawn in February of 2017, followed by Mass Effect Andromeda in March and Persona 5 in April, but they were at least a month apart. The Gamepocalypse of September 2019 is asking me to forgo sleep in order to conquer campaigns and story modes in a mere week. What follows is a list of what I hope to be my accomplishments should you ever hear from me again, but dear readers, understand it is likely a list of what will be my end.
Control, August 27th
The harbinger of the Gamepocalyspe actually comes a few days prior, releasing on August 27th just at the cusp of end. Control was a game that I immediately fell in love with the moment I saw it at E3 2018. It’s an action adventure game set in a very X-Files-esque world, taking place in what is called ‘The Oldest House’. You play as Jesse Faden who has just been given the position of Director for the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) which investigates paranormal occurrences. I’m not a big fan of horror games, but the paranormal or supernatural is an area of interest and this game doesn’t seem to be outright horror but still has all the trappings that make it interesting. I remember one moment from the demo video I was shown where Jesse comes across a man who is watching a refrigerator and can’t look away or it will kill him, somehow…he had been waiting for someone to relieve him of his shift but things had gone sideways in the Oldest House and that person never came. The game looked trippy, weird and subversive in every aspect. The game-play seemed pretty standard for it’s genre with a slew of supernatural powers like levitation and telekinesis, but the biggest draw for me with this game is the character and the world. I want to see just how weird Remedy Entertainment and 505 Games can get.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, September 3rd
Everyone has a game or two that no matter how many times it’s released, we have to buy it. We might not even play it all that much, but the love is so deep you are compelled to fork over the cash. For me, it’s not a single game but an entire era, the Golden Age of JRPGs. I can’t count how many times I’ve bought Final Fantasy VII, I own the original VIII as well as a copy on Steam. I’ve purchased IX and X on the PS1, PS4, Steam and my Switch. So, I have to buy this as well, but not JUST for that sad reason. My dear Girlfriend has never played the Final Fantasy franchise before. We conquered Final Fantasy IX once, early on in our relationship, but VIII was difficult for her to get into. I’m hoping that with it’s improved look, we may be able to dedicate enough time to it to finish the story together. Otherwise, Final Fantasy VIII would have been a blip on my list of games to buy, but never play.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, September 6th
This may be one of the most dangerous entries on the list due to its grindy nature and never-ending gameplay. Monster Hunter World isn’t a game you beat or complete, it’s a game you play until you can’t play it anymore. The World of the Monsters will always outlast you. So, therein lies the problem, once I start Iceborne where does it stop? It just eats up all the time I have for other games. My only hope is that I can fend of the desire to step into this world long enough to finish the other games first as they all have definite ends. Unlike previous Monster Hunter games, I do enjoy playing this one alone and as such I won’t feel the need to ‘catch up’ with my friends and ignoring their calls and messages to join in on the hunt shouldn’t be too difficult.
Greedfall, September 10th
Greedfall was the secret weapon in this Gamepocalypse, a late entry into an already overflowing list of games I need. I don’t know how this one slipped under my radar, but I wasn’t aware Greedfall was even a thing until three days ago. If it wasn’t for Heather Alexandrea and her story on Kotaku about Greedfall, it may well have completely passed me by. The part of Greedfall that really caught my attention was that it has ambitions to fill the void left behind by games like Dragon Age or The Witcher — that statement alone is a pretty hefty one as those are very big shoes to fill. As I’ve been looking into Greedfall though, something became clear to me…Greedfall isn’t trying to be the new Dragon Age or The Witcher, I can see the similarities, certainly, but it also has own unique style and identity. With Bioware becoming but a former shadow of itself, there has been a vast void left in the gaming sphere for the type of open exploration, evolving story, complex companion systems that Greedfall seems keen on delivering. Hopes and aspirations are one thing, but execution is another all together. Greedfall has easily and quickly earned by attention and my initial investment…let’s hope it can also earn my heart.
Gears of War 5, September 10th
I have a weird, but probably not uncommon, relationship with the Gears of War Franchise. I’ve always been a PlayStation guy myself and Gears of War, similar to Halo, is a very XBox game. It’s your typical Dude-Bro Alien Shooter and honestly, that’s the only reason I like it. Throughout all of College I played through Gears of War 1, 2 and 3 with my College Roommate and so now it holds a special little place in my heart. Had this game not been releasing on Windows, I wouldn’t bother to play it because I don’t have an XBox, but since it is…why not? Plus, replacing juiced up bro’s with a leading lady as the main protagonist? You got me. The only problem is that this game releases three days before Borderlands 3! I think, if I push myself hard enough, ignore my cats and girlfriend by playing The Office on Netflix on repeat for three days I might be able to finish the campaign in time to download and begin the next game on my list.
Borderlands 3, September 13th
This is the big one ladies and gentlemen, Borderlands has always been a weak spot for me. The humor is unique, the combat is fast, visceral and energetic. It’s a game that sucks me in and I forget about everything else, especially the passage time. Once you start playing you don’t want to stop, even after beating the game it’s time for New Game +. In addition, given the trend of games as a service in the industry right now I fully expect Gearbox and 2k to keep supporting this game for months going forward. Not to mention, they’ve introduced countless improvements to the game on the multiplayer level that everyone is constantly going to be inviting each other to play. Borderlands 3 will be the end of me this month, if I even make it this far.
Link’s Awakening Remake, September 20th.
The one saving grace is that there is a full week between Borderlands 3 release and Link’s Awakening, plus at this point I’ll probably have to have started going back to work in order to keep my job. So, there will be some downtime here and there and since Link’s Awakening is on the Switch it’s the perfect in-between game to play.
And that’s all that’s happening in September of the Gamepocalypse…it’s exhausting just thinking about it. My bank account is weeping in forlorn anticipation…and that’s not even counting looking ahead to October and November. It’s going to be an amazing few months of gaming that none of us are going to survive.
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Final Fantasy VIII Remaster Given Release Date
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