Incoming! #2 - Week Commencing 14/11/11

Welcome to Made2Game's Incoming!, a look forward at the week's biggest releases. This week we revisit Hyrule in Skyward Sword, relive Halo's last-gen glory days and go on The Run with Need for Speed.

Title: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Formats: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Out: Tuesday, 15 November
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
In Ten Words: Recall stuff, kill stuff, scale stuff, uncover stuff, bomb stuff

Tuesday marks the return of the series that keeps on giving, as the latest instalment of Activision’s history-spanning murder-‘em-up wraps up the Altair/Ezio/Desmond storyline and (hopefully) paves the way for a new protagonist in Assassin’s Creed 3. The follow up to 2010’s excellent Brotherhood continues the story with Desmond trapped in the Animus’ Black Room as he tries to tie together the strands of his fractured conscious and wake up. This means flitting between his dagger-happy ancestors Altair and Ezio to solve ancient mysteries and kill historical figures in spectacular ways. The groundbreaking multiplayer mode will return, this time featuring customisable characters and a new Guild system, as well as 'story-oriented quests' that tie in with the compelling narrative of the solo game. Add the new Deathmatch mode into the mix and it looks like Revelations will be the most complete Creed yet.

The hook accessory looks like an awesome way to get around in Revelations
 

Multiplayer? Yes
Collector's Edition Available? Indeed. The Animus Edition will feature an encyclopaedia, the Assassin’s Creed Embers short film and the game’s soundtrack alongside an exclusive mission, the Armour of Brutus from Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and two multiplayer characters in the form of the Crusader and the Ottoman Jester. The Collector’s Edition comes bundled with the same features but with a 50-page artbook instead of the encyclopaedia, and the Special Edition will include the artbook, soundtrack and a set of Turkish Assassin Armour.
Predicted Hit? Definitely

Title: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Platforms: Xbox 360
Out: Tuesday, 15 November
Developer: 343 Studios
Publisher: Microsoft
In Ten Words: Experience nostalgia, drive warthogs, silence cartographers, save galaxies, gaze dreamily

Arriving on the 15th is the HD update of Microsoft’s flagship franchise, as Halo: Combat Evolved receives a makeover for its tenth birthday (yes, it really has been that long and yes, you really are that old). The Anniversary Edition features the original game in all its glory, completely re-skinned using the Reach engine and packed with reimaginings of a handful of famous multiplayer maps and the customisation options present in more recent offerings. It’s amazing how well CE has aged even compared to modern shooters, and even with the integration of minor Easter eggs pertaining to next year’s Halo 4, fans of the series will lap this up – and all the whipper-snappers out there will get the chance to learn exactly what all the fuss is about.

Ooh, Shiny! 343's new skins are amazing, and breathe new life into an old but legendary title
 

Multiplayer? Yes
Collector's Edition Available? No, but there are several pre-order bonuses up for grabs which include such pointless guff as an Avatar outfit and an exclusive in-game skull modifier that causes grunts to explode like plasma grenades. Ok, so pointless-but-fun guff
Predicted Hit? Where have you been for the last ten years?

Title: Need For Speed: The Run
Formats: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Out: Friday, 18th November
Developer: EA Black Box
Publisher: Electronic Arts
In Ten Words: Drive fast, challenge friends, cross states, hammer buttons, botch corners

It’s unlikely to be accidental that November 18th is the date Need For Speed: The Run ships, given that it’s the 18th title in the hugely popular franchise. Developed in-house by EA Black Box, Electronic Arts will be hoping it matches the success of last year’s Hot Pursuit. Pitched as somewhere between Hot Pursuit’s arcade madness and Shift’s driving simulator, The Run follows protagonist Jackson 'Jack' Rourke as he races from San Francisco to New York in a bid to escape some rather shady criminal types. This is the first NFS title to allow players to move on foot, although these moments are presented in the form of QTEs (bleurgh). Hot Pursuit’s awesome Autolog will make a return, upping the addiction levels to ridiculous heights as you try to beat times posted by your frustratingly fast friends.

 Don't let the title and this screenshot fool you - you won't actually be "running" all that much!
 

Multiplayer? Of course
Collector's Edition Available? Yes. The Limited Edition will ship with three exclusive cars and a handful of bonus challenges, while various pre-order bonuses include various special cars and challenges
Predicted Hit? Possibly

Title: Saints Row The Third
Formats: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Out: Friday, 18 November
Developer: Volition
Publisher: THQ
In Ten Words: Bang gangs, wear mankinis, steal helicopters, plug fools, laugh maniacally

Here we go again. Criminal speed racers, futuristic space heroes and Renaissance assassins be damned, this week also sees the return of Stilwater’s craziest when Saints Row The Third splatters all over the shelves on Friday. Relocated to the city of Steelport, the 3rd Street Saints are now national superstars having merged with the mega Ultor Corporation – however they’ll now be facing off against new supergang, the Syndicate. Starring the vocal 'talents' of such celebrities as Hulk Hogan and pornstar Sasha Grey, and loaded with madcap features like the Awesome Button (which actually makes things more awesome, natch) and the Man-A-Pault launcher, Saints Row The Third might be the title that finally moves Volition’s series out of GTA’s imposing shadow and into a league of its own – as it rightly deserves.

 This is a fairly tame screenshot, despite the gratuitous violence and cleavage. We avoided shots of 5-foot dildos for the sake of decency. This is a family site, etc...
 

Multiplayer? Yes
Collector's Edition Available? Yes. Three separate Collector’s Editions are retailing: the Platinum Pack (exclusive to North America) will include the soundtrack, the Professor Genki Hyper-Ordinary DLC pack and a special Saints Row headset; the Smooth Criminal Edition features exclusive packaging, a bullet-shaped ice-cube tray, sunglasses, cufflinks and the soundtrack; and the Maximum Pleasure Pack will contain a host of Professor Genki collectibles. Both the Smooth Criminal and Maximum Pleasure Editions are only available in Australian and New Zealand, which is odd considering they’ll probably ban it for being 'saucy'.
Predicted Hit? More than likely

Title: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Formats: Wii
Out: Friday, 18th November
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
In Ten Words: Wave arms, giggle childishly, rescue Zelda, relive childhood, be amazed

For many gamers, the biggest release this month doesn’t involve dragons, terrorists or assassins – and instead focuses on a brave wee lad with pointy ears and a sword. A return to Hyrule is always call for celebration, if for no other reason than that Nintendo’s epic, lovable Legend of Zelda franchise never fails to deliver. In Skyward Sword, the prequel to Ocarina of Time (originally released way back in 1998), players will see series hero Link face off against the Demon Lord Ghirahim in his quest to rescue childhood friend (not princess, this time) Zelda. The controls have been greatly refined to work with the Wii Motion Plus, allowing tighter control over Link’s actions. Already receiving massive critical acclaim and likely to be the Wii’s biggest seller this year, Skyward Sword is a welcome return to one of the biggest gaming franchises of all time.

Link returns with a tighter control scheme utilising the Wii Motion Plus, promising some truly exhilerating combat
 

Multiplayer? No
Collector's Edition Available? A limited Deluxe Edition will ship with a gold Wii-mote accessory and a special soundtrack CD featuring orchestrated versions of the series’ score
Predicted Hit? Absolutely

So, one hell of a line-up this week and one that's set to smash our meagre bank balance to bits. In next week's Incoming! we'll be getting jumpy with Rayman: Origins, questy with Lord of the Rings: War in the North and superhero-y with Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom. In the meantime, we'd love to hear your views on this week's big hitters.

Words by Mick Fraser (Twitter: @Jedi_Beats_Tank)

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