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Hey! Listen!: September Game Guide

Yo! I have a secret to share with you. Yes, you! You can tune in to “Hey! Listen!” on KRUI’s The Lab Fridays from 3-4pm for the latest news and discourse about videogames and the industry. Not only will you hear the honey-dipped tones of three dudes who love games, but you’ll also be treated to some of gaming’s best tunes. Don’t believe me? Here are the playlists from our first two shows:

September 2, 2011:

1. The National, “Exile Vilify” (From Portal 2)
2. José González, “Far Away” (From Red Dead Redemption)
3. Lisa Miskovsky, “Still Alive Teddybears Remix” (From Mirror’s Edge)

September 9, 2011:

1. Woodkid, “Iron” (From the Assassin’s Creed: Revelations trailer)
2. Jonathan Coulton, “Want You Gone” (From Portal 2)
3. Riyou Kinugasa, Takuya Kobayashi, and Hiromi Mizutani, “Life is Beautiful” (From Deadly Premonition)

If you haven’t heard any of those before, check out the show! If you have: I told ya’ we spin some great tunes. And by “we” I mean myself Jayson Gegner and my co-hosts Brian Albert and Ben Moore who will be replaced by our friend Nick Burnham after this week’s episode because Ben is leaving us for Hollywood, i.e., an internship at GameTrailers.com.

Now that we’re pals, I feel obligated to help you out. How? By offering my advice to help game-lovers like you make informed decisions in the face of this deluge of fall games already upon us. What “deluge” you ask? Onward!

SEPTEMBER 2011 GAME GUIDE:

09/06 –
Dead Island (PC, PS3, 360)
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (PC, PS3, 360)
Driver: San Francisco (PS3, 360, Wii)
Resistance 3 (PS3)
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten (PS3)

09/09 –
StarFox 64 3D (3DS)

09/13 –
The Gunstringer (360 – Kinect)
God of War: Origins Collection (PS3)
NHL 12 (PS3, 360)

09/19 –
Kirby Mass Attack (Nintendo DS)

09/20 –
Gears of War 3 (360)
Child of Eden (PS3)

09/27 –
X-Men: Destiny (DS, PS3, 360, Wii)
FIFA 12 (PC, PS3, 360, Wii, PS2, PSP)
The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (PS3)
Driver: San Francisco (PC)

15 major retail releases this month with the double release of Driver: SF, that’s an average of 1 game every two days(!). I don’t know about you, but I certainly can’t afford that many games, especially considering that Gears of War 3 Epic Edition is $150. Let alone the time commitment some games require.

So, what do you buy? What do you play? What do you skip?

Looking at that list there is something for nearly every type of gamer. If you love sports, this is arguably the best month for games. NHL and FIFA have long held the titles of most fun games in that genre and this year seems no different. If you like shooters, you won’t go wrong with Gears of War 3 or Resistance 3, but Space Marine wouldn’t let you down either.

Love the classics? Interested in 3D/HD remakes? September’s got you covered with Star Fox 64 3D, the God of War Origins Collection, and the Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection. If you want to enjoy your PlayStation Move, your Kinect, or your 3DS, you would be hard-pressed to find better titles in their entire catalogues than Child of Eden, The Gunstringer, and StarFox 64 3D, respectively. And for those with a neglected DS, Kirby Mass Attack sounds like the best use of the touch screen since, well, Kirby Canvas Curse.

If you fit into any of those “groups,” the above is solid advice, but if you’re on a limited budget and only want the best of the best, here are September’s:

Dead Island – An undeniably flawed game, but if you can wrangle up some friends on Xbox Live, PSN, or Steam you won’t find a deeper shoot/loot co-op experience this side of Borderlands. It’ll eat up loads of time and the enjoyment will keep on coming. Also… ZOMBIES!

The Gunstringer – Twisted Pixel – the game’s developer – is known for silly humor smothered over serious gameplay. Well, little doggie, The Gunstringer manages that and more all the while with the motion-only controls of Kinect, to (cowboy) boot. Marionette controls on one hand and a finger-pistol on the other; sounds like a long-overdue love letter to Kinect’s early adopters.

Gears of War 3 – Though the story and characters left to be desired in the first two games, the gameplay has always been a blast. I doubt you’ll find a more polished game than this one in September considering it was delayed from April when many were claiming it was complete. Expect great things from this go around.

The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection – If you missed even one of these during the PlayStation 2’s life, then you should spend the $40 for this collection and play it. Then replay the other one. These games are hallmarks of game design and now they look better than ever. If you’re new to these somewhat obscure titles, here’s what you need to know: people often cite them as examples of why games are/can be/should be considered “Art,” and they have funky controls. Great games, though. If there are any 10/10s this month, I expect it to be this.

That’s it for this month’s Game Guide, but make sure to tune in every Friday from 3-4pm for Hey! Listen! and check back here for more Hey! Listen!+ including October’s Game Guide in a few weeks!

– Geg


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