September is going to be mega, and we already know it. No, we can’t look into the future, and you don’t really need to have the magic eye to know that it’s going to be a bumper month for gamers. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone, from shooters to family friendly platformers, to racers, to sports games. Here’s our highlights of what’s to come in September.
Destiny 2
Without a doubt one of – if not the – biggest release of this year. Bungie’s shooter will release in just a few days for PS4, and we know it’s going to be a mega-hit. Again, we don’t need mystic powers to know this, it’s just a given at this point.
The game has been in development since around 2014 and during that time the developers have heard loud and clear that players want a proper story this time, something that’s going to happen in a big way, apparently.
Knack 2
Knack is back, baby! What do you mean “so what?” He’s the king. Crash Bandicoot can bugger off as far as I’m concerned. Alright, enough of that.
Knack was a PS4 launch title that, er, didn’t go down too well with players and critics. The big complaints were directed at the game’s story and really difficult gameplay. It might have looked like an animated movie, but it didn’t have the story beats to go with it. Still, I really liked it so when Knack 2 was announced at the 2016 PlayStation Experience, I did a little squeal.
The big addition in Knack’s second outing is co-op multiplayer. From the snippets we’ve seen so far it looks pretty good, though I’m hesitant to try this one out with the Lady of Harding Manor. She gets rough if I do bad…
Knack 2 release on September 5th in North America, and September 6th in the UK and Europe.
Project CARS 2
Alright, the original may have been a little bumpy off the starting grid, but the follow-up looks insanely good. Seriously, if this one turns out to be that good, we might have to put our Gran Turismo Sport pre-orders on the backburner for a little while. Oh who are we kidding? We’ll be there day-one for the PSVR mode alone!
Still, Project CARS 2 has a lot going for it. If you’re a petrol head then you’ll appreciate the 182 cars that’ll launch with the game, as well as 46 tracks with 121 layouts – there’s a lot on offer. Plus, the game’s going to have a fully featured online multiplayer with a focus on e-Sports if that’s your thing.
Project Cars will release on September 22nd worldwide.
NBA 2K18
This year’s NBA promises to be the best yet. With improved player models, improved gameplay, and all the modes you could ask for with Career Mode, MyTeam, MyGM and MyLeague, NBA fans will be happy little chappies. Plus, the usual licensed soundtrack with 49 songs will likely go down well, too.
NBA 2K18 will release on September 19th.
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
Fighting fans have had to wait a long time for the next installment in the much-loved Marvel vs. Capcom series. The last game actually released on the PS Vita (R.I.P). It’s been five long and painful years that have seen Capcom release the poor Street Fighter V, though it has improved with updates.
Announced back in December, 2016 at Sony’s PlayStation Experience event, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite was an instant hit with fans, though later pre-release previews soured many with the revelation that three-on-three battles and character assist moves would be dropped to make it easier for new players to get involved.
Still, despite the haters hating things, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is sure to be a hit with the series’ loyal community. They’ll just have to learn to suck it up and deal with it when it comes to changes.
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite will release on September 19th.
Don’t Knock Twice (PSVR)
Who doesn’t love having the shit scared out of them? PSVR lends itself well to horror games due to the fact that you can’t just look away from the screen – I know, I tried with Resident Evil 7 and ended up crying on the floor like a little tiny child.
Some may be getting sick of the scary games, but we say keep them coming. The very real feeling of fear and threat is something that makes you feel alive. It’s certainly a safer way to get cheap thrills than running into traffic whilst naked…
Don’t Knock Twice will have you mooching around a manor (typical horror stuff right here) looking for your lost daughter. Oh, and there’s a demon roaming around too, so you’ll need to be ready to fight, solve puzzles, and book it as fast as you can.
Don’t Knock Twice will release on September 5th.
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen (DLC)
Alright, this isn’t a proper game, per say, but it’s a justified entry in this list. For one, the DLC expansion is so good, so deep, and so varied, it could have easily been sold as a standalone game at full price. Thankfully for us and our wallets, it’s a decently priced downloadable expansion.
There’s new enemies, a fresh story to follow, new hero characters, modifiers, and more character behaviours with War of the Chosen. Then there’s the Chosen themselves, a new alien enemy type made up of Assassins, Hunters, and Warlocks that you’ll encounter throughout the campaign. Lots of real-time strategy goodness awaits.
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen will release on September 12th.
FIFA 18 vs. PES 2018
The greatest battle in gaming will be fought – no, it won’t. We all know the greatest battle is between Farming Simulator 2018, and Pure Farming 2018. We await that match up with great interest.
PES 2018 will get a couple of weeks head start on FIFA this year, but it won’t be long before fans of either faction are lining up on YouTube, furiously defending their chosen footy game in the comments sections. Behave, lads, it’s just a game. And that’s how you get shot.
Both have their respective pros and cons, but we’ll be looking forward to both either way. For this writer, PES is all about the simulation (and fake names…) while FIFA tends to be the pick-up-and-play arcadey option that’s easy to just kick back with, plus there’s the story mode. Let’s hope this year’s is as good as 17’s.
PES 2019 releases on September 12th in North America, and September 14th in the UK and Europe. FIFA 18 will release on September 29th.
End Space (PSVR)
Space combat? Check. PSVR? Check. Bucket at the ready? This dude never leaves home without it. You never know when you’ll see something so disgusting, and if you want to be a decent member of society, you need to avoid puking on pavements at all costs.
End Space looks like a pretty decent addition to the PSVR’s growing library. It’s a space-combat game that’s all about the single-player story mode. No waiting around for six hours for a lobby to fill up.
The developers behind the game, Orange Bridge Studios, have even gone the extra mile for PS4 Pro owners by adding in a whole bunch of extra graphical features. If you’re a PSVR owner with a PS4 Pro, you’ll get higher resolution textures, 8xAA, resolution oversampling, post-processing effects, and high polygon models. Meanwhile, us non-Pro owners will get what we’re given and we’ll be thankful that we’re even being catered to at all.
And that’s the lot. Obviously there are many more games coming in September, so if you’ve got your own personal highlights, share them down in the comments section below.
