The Summer drought is coming to a close. Which means the tidal wave of Fall and holiday games is finally upon us. Gearbox kicked off the season a little early with Borderlands 2. Which is great, because that one has plenty of content to hold you over if you aren’t interested in the first wave this season. As usual, there are probably too many titles coming in 2012’s final quarter for you to play all of them right away. We’ll be looking at about one title per week as “must-haves” and where to buy them for the best preorder incentives. That does mean I’ll be skipping over a few that are definitely worthy of your attention. But most of those are probably worth waiting. It will give you more quality time with your top shelf games, and you can probably find some great deals on price drops in early 2013. Remember, all of this information is subject to change and it’s not my fault if it does.
In most cases Amazon tends to have the clout for the best offers, but Best Buy has a pretty great deal on most of the biggest upcoming games. Preorder from them and you’ll get $20 in Reward certificates for each title. This is on top of any other incentives they offer, and you can pick up in store instead of waiting on shipping. From Best Buy’s deals page, “To be eligible, you must be a Reward Zone program Gamers Club Unlocked member and meet minimum age requirements of purchased game at time of pickup or shipment.”
Let’s get started.
October 2, 2012:
Resident Evil 6
You know what? Just click that link. It’ll take you to Amazon where they’ve got (arguably) the best deal going: It’s one dollar cheaper than everywhere else, you get a $10 Amazon credit, shipping is free, and you get their exclusive Mercenaries stage (The High Seas Fortress). If you’re GameStop or Best Buy loyal, you’ll also get an exclusive Mercenaries stage (The Catacombs and The Rail Yard, respectively). This is one of the games with Reward Zone deal at Best Buy, so they top Amazon if you’re a member.
If you’re a hard-core RE fan, you’ll probably want to jump up to the Archives (360) or Anthology (PS3) editions for an extra $30. The PS3 Anthology will include Resident Evil Director’s Cut, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil 4 HD, and Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition. Archives on 360 drops the frist three games, but does include Resident Evil Code Veronica X and the feature film, Resident Evil Degeneration.
October 9, 2012:
Dishonored
I was intrigued by this one when I first heard the concept. What’s not to love about a steampunk, open-solution game that blends Hitman and Assassins’ Creed? Except, I don’t do well in first-person. Then I read about Dagobot’s hands-on with the game at PAX Prime. If he’s got the same problems with the perspective that I do, and it worked for him, maybe I can give it a shot. I’d hate to pass up something that looks so fun just because I’m afraid the viewpoint will bother me. When you order, you’ll get the Backstreet Butcher Pack from Amazon, exclusive tarot cards and Arcane Assassin Pack from GameStop, and USB oil lamp (plus $20 Reward Zone certificates) from Best Buy. I suppose if you really need a USB lamp or some tarot cards….
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a good honorable mention this week. But if you didn’t play the original strategy game you probably don’t know how cool the franchise can be. If you’re still leery about the first-person elements in Dishonored, give this one a go.
October 16, 2012:
I can’t honestly claim to be a big fan of 007 games or movies. But this franchise is well-loved by the BSR! crew (as you’ll soon see). Also, the alternatives this week, Doom 3 BFG Edition and Dance Central 3, are even less appelaing to me. Preordering 007 Legends is typical: Nemesis Pack at Amazon, and 007 Pack at GameStop. Both are skins for multiplayer.
October 21, 2012:
Skylanders Giants
I’m glad I never got into this game the first time around. I think Zombietron had an addiction and this one’s coming the week of my anniversary. I wouldn’t want it to be the week of my divorce as well. I don’t see any incentives for preordering anywhere, so you may just as well save the three cents at Amazon. It will come in two flavors. The Starter Pack ($74.99) for n00bs includes the portal of power, three figures, character poster, three sticker sheets with codes, and three trading cards. If you’ve already got a portal from the first game, the Portal Owners Pack ($59.99) drops you down to one figure, one sticker sheet, and one trading card.
October 30, 2012:
Assassin’s Creed III
Assassins Creed III Liberation
You knew right where I was going this week. The series has its flaws, but it’s quickly become one of my all-time favorite franchises. Getting two games for it in one day? Ubisoft wants me to be broke. Oddly, the bigger chunk of my green will be going to Sony, because it looks like this will be the day I jump on the Vita bandwagon with the bundle. But, since there are no incentives for the Vita game, let’s look at where to buy the console release. Amazon wants to give you the Boarding Axe weapon and the Captain of the Aquila character. Their description says the character is for single player, but I don’t see how that would work. I’m happy to be wrong, but I think this is actually a mutliplayer add-on. Best Buy has a metal case for the game, but their real draw is that $20 Reward Certificate for members. The Lost Mayan Ruins single player mission and the Sawtooth Sword weapon come from GameStop, along with an extra $10 off a replica Ezio Auditore gauntlet just in time for Halloween.
I know where my focus will be as October ends, but there are a few honorable mentions if colonial assassinations aren’t your thing. You can never go wrong with LEGO, and Tolien’s saga is getting brickitized in LEGO Lord of the Rings. Because this is BSR!, I also have to mention Marvel Avengers: Battle For Earth on Kinect. Frankly, it looks terrible. But it’s The Avengers so I still kind of want to play it.
November 6, 2012:
Halo 4
Sure, it’s a whole new developer with new ideas. But it’s also Halo. And all of those new ideas have looked awesome in their media releases. I’ve already mentioned that I’m not personally a fan of the first-person perspective. This one might actually be worth the motion sickness. GameStop has Forest Armor skin, which is alright. Similarly, Amazon is offering the Web Armor skin, but they’ll also give you a $10 Amazon video credit. Still not much , but better than a kick in the pants. Best Buy is trying to up the ante again with their own Raptor Armor skin and Deadeye Helmet, plus a free poster and the aforementioned $20 Reward Certificates.
Microsoft may have the top release this week, but I’d be remiss not to mention Sony’s own exclusive, LittleBigPlanet Karting. It’s got all the cuteness and play.create.share of Media Molecule’s Sackboy franchise, combined with fantastic kart racing of UFG’s ModNation Racers.
November 18, 2012:
Nintendo Wii U Console
Yes, I skipped a week. But does anyone really care about yet another Call of Duty (Black Ops II)? The first shot in the “next generation” of consoles is far more important. But, as you’d expect from a new console, they’re pretty well sold out everywhere. If you were on the ball and already preordered yours, here are the games you need for it:
November 20, 2012:
Hitman: Absolution
Finally, the return to Agent 47’s world of violence. I’ve been itching for this one since it was first announced. How you play will probably determine your source on this one. GameStop has the Agency Kazo TRG Sniper Rifle if you like to hit your targets from afar. Teh Bartoli Custom Pistol and High Tech Suit from Amazon will still let you keep your distance, but it also gives you 50% more armor if things go badly. Best Buy’s Public Enemy Suit and Bronson 1928M Submachine Gun may not affect your strategy, but it will make you into a badass, retro killer so you look cool doing it.
Honorable mention:PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is a must for hard-core Sony fans. Well, except for me. I’ve played the beta and it’s just as much of a button-mashing hair-puller as I expected. but, if you like Smash Bros. or other completely out of control fighters, have fun with it. As a bonus, this looks like one of the cross-buy games, so go ahead and get the PS3 version for the free Vita copy as well.
November 23, 2012:
BLACK FRIDAY
Nothing’s actually coming on November 27th, probably because of this day. The beginning of October is obviously too early to know what deals you’ll be finding, but watch your ads closely. If I have the time, I’m planning to write up quick guide to help you maximize your game savings this year. Last year had Batman: Arkham City and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, both new releases, at half price. Hopefully we’ll get some similar deals this year. Not that they’ll do me a lot of good. I’ll be off hunting elk.
December 4, 2012:
The Walking Dead.
You really should have been playing this episodically for the last few months. But, we don’t always do the things we should. Don’t compound your mistake by holding out any longer. You own’t find preorder bonuses anywhere, but don’t let that stop you. Maybe it’s not a AAA release, but this one is probably making my 2012 Top Ten.
That pretty well wraps up the big releases for December, the quarter, and the year. I do have a bunch listed for December 31st, but that’s just typical retailer code for “announced but not scheduled.” If I skipped one that you’re really anticipating, please add it to the comments. I’ll be happy to check my sources for preorder incentives to help other shoppers.