Do you feel that? It’s the gentle rustling of leaves preparing to change color and fall to the ground. You know what that means: We have more of an excuse to stay inside and play video games! Fall brings out the big guns and, well, here they are.
Wii U: ‘Super Mario 3-D World’
It’s the holiday season, so it’s time for Nintendo to unveil another adventure featuring its plumber mascot. “Super Mario 3-D World” is the first multiplayer 3D platformer the company has ever made. Think “Super Mario 64” but with four people duking it out at the same time. I had a chance to play this last month and it certainly put a smile on this jaded old gamer’s face. Also look out for a new Zelda game for the portable 3DS launching the same day. Nov. 22
Sony’s PlayStation 4
Here we go. Another console generation is upon us. First up? Sony’s PlayStation 4, which features both bells AND whistles. The main draw here is plenty of computing power, around eight times more than the PS3. The console also features the ability to livestream play sessions, which is fancy talk for being able to use your TV to watch other TVs play games. Isn’t that a paradox?
Hot launch titles: 3-D platformer “Knack” and fab looking first-person shooter “Killzone: Shadow Fall.” Nov. 15
Microsoft’s Xbox One
Contrary to popular belief, this is not a bizarro world remake of the first Xbox. It’s next gen alright, boasting fancy microchips up the wazoo and an updated Kinect sensor. Speaking of Kinect, the new tech allows for everything you do on the machine to be voice controlled. “Kinect, get me a pizza.” The future is now, people.
Hot launch titles: Crazy zombie adventure “Dead Rising 3” and Roman combat sim “Ryse: Son of Rome.”Nov. 22
